It’s hard to keep the grass cut at home when the mower is old and breaks down frequently.
Henry County’s Department of Transportation is tasked with keeping the grass cut along dozens of county roadways, and citizens have expressed a desire to see it done more often, according to staff. But the department has been doing it with tractors that are 30 years old in some cases.
“We’re getting by on parts,” deputy county manager Brad Johnson told the Board of Commissioners at its August 6 regular meeting. “If a tractor goes down, it puts everything behind schedule.”
The board voted unanimously to approve a $633,665.74 purchase of eight tractors and eight cutters to upgrade its aging fleet.
The move included a budget transfer from the general fund to the DOT’s capital equipment account to cover the cost. The purchase is being made under a state contract from a local vendor, Ag-Pro of McDonough.
It takes the county DOT several months to complete the mowing rotation in each of the county’s five maintenance districts, according to officials.
The board also approved a $136,398.04 contract over four years with Jerry Pate Turf and Irrigation to provide mowing services for the Henry County Parks and Recreation Department. The deal is for 10 mowers and five workmen.
This was a separate issue that came up in May, when commissioners directed staff to rebid the contract.
In other business, the board approved a resolution to replace the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) at the county’s airport in Hampton.
Airport director Lynn Planchon reported that a significant power surge recently caused severe damage to the existing AWOS equipment. “It has outlived its useful life,” she said.
DBT Transportation Services quoted a price of $128,329 for the new system, and the county is eligible for 90 percent federal reimbursement and 5 percent state reimbursement. That leaves the county responsible for $6,416.45 of the total cost.
Planchon said there will be new electrical wiring installed to ensure the system works properly and to protect the airport’s investment. Under the same reimbursement plan, the county will have to pay $2,225.40 of the $44,507.94 total cost.
