Precision awarded bridge bid

Precision Excavating of Hayden was awarded a $794,677 bid to replace a bridge by the Rio Blanco County commissioners. The commissioners also awarded another bid for a trailer, entered two agreements and heard reports from department heads.
Work Precision Excavating will begin soon, replacing a bridge on Rio Blanco County Road 27. Precision Excavating’s bid came in below the $899,641 budgeted for the project.
Utility Trailer Sales of Colorado was awarded a bid for $73,382.
Commissioners entered into an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service for patrols on Forest Service roads and campgrounds and another with Network Corp. d.b.a. Verizon Wireless, allowing RBC to place certain antenna on Verizon Wireless’ communication tower located on Mellon Hill.
RBC Road and Bridge director Dave Morlan reported his crews have been busy applying mag-chloride to roads in the Rangely district and will soon start in the Meeker district. Morlan also reported the road to Seven Lakes Lodge on Burro Mountain has been cleared and they have opened RBC Road 8 to Snell Creek so far this spring.
Commissioner Ken Parsons reported on the the Bureau of Land Management’s scoping project for two more oil shale research and development permits from ExxonMobil and Natural Soda.
“Both would be in our county if approved,” Parsons said.
Commissioner Kai Turner reported attending the Yampa/White River basin roundtable meeting, where they discussed needs assessment and he attended the Energy Summit in Rifle last week.
“They had a display on county planning departments and our permitting process is faster than others and we do it with less staff,” Turner said.
Commissioner Shawn Bolton reported attending a model program for treatment of produced water, which “if it works,” would make it possible to discharge treated water on the surface.
“It was a neat thing to see work and would take a lot of truck traffic off the road,” Bolton said of the model program.