*APPROVED MINUTES*

Mason, Michigan

September 16, 2008

The Board of Ingham County Road Commissioners held a regular meeting on Tuesday, August 19, 2008, at 10:00 A.M. in the Board Room of the Ingham County Road Commission’s Austin E. Cavanaugh Administration Building located at 301 N. Bush Street, Mason, Michigan.

Present: Larry R. Smith, Chair, Joseph A. Guenther, Vice Chair, and Shirley M. Rodgers, Member.

Also Present: William M. Conklin, Managing Director, Deborah L. Bellows, Secretary to the Board, Robert H. Peterson, Director of Engineering, and James L. Charles, Interim Director of Operations.

Chair Smith called the meeting to order and lead with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Chair Smith recessed the meeting and the Board embarked on a road tour of various projects currently being done by the Road Commission and other problem areas.

Chair Smith reconvened the meeting at 3:15 P.M.

Others Present: Roberto Guevara, Metro District Supervisor, Dale Arnett, Eastern District Supervisor, Duane Yerks, Fleet Manager, Gregory K. Barnett, AFSCME Local 1499 President and Western District employee, and Will Comstock, Western District employee.

Absent & Excused: Tina M. Henry, Director of Finance.

AGENDA ITEM #6 – CONSENT.

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers, that the following agenda items be approved under consent:

A. Agenda Item #7A-G, Routine and Special Permits.

B. Agenda Item #9A, Accounts Payable for two week period of August 4-17, 2008.

C. Agenda Item #9B, Accounts Payable for the two week period of August 18-31, 2008.

3 yes, 0 no. Motion carried unanimously.

Agenda Item #7 – Routine and Special Permits.

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers, that the following routine permits be approved:

08-0857 08-0355 08-0403 08-0409 08-0418 08-0430

08-0431 08-0434 08-0436 08-0437 08-0438 08-0439

08-0440 08-0441 08-0442 08-0445 08-0449 08-0450

08-0453 08-0454 08-0456 08-0458 08-0459 08-0460

08-0461 08-0462 08-0463 08-0466 08-0471 08-0473

08-0474 08-0475 08-0476 08-0477 08-0478 08-0479

08-0480 08-0481 08-0482 08-0483 08-0484 08-0485

08-0486 08-0487 08-0488 08-0492 08-0496 08-0501

08-0502 08-0505 08-0507 08-0508 08-0509 08-0432

08-0433 08-0435 08-0443 08-0444 08-0446 08-0447

08-0448 08-0451 08-0452 08-0457 08-0464 08-0465

08-0467 08-0468 08-0469 08-0472 08-0489 08-0491

08-0497 08-0498 08-0500 08-0506 08-0510

3 yes, 0 no. Motion carried unanimously.

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers, that the following special permits be approved:

A. Permit #08-0470 applied for by the Webberville Community Schools for the purpose of conducting the Webberville High School Homecoming Parade on September 19, 2008, from 5:30 PM until 6:30 PM. The event is sanctioned by the Village of Webberville.

B. Permit #08-0493 applied for by Leslie High School for the purpose of conducting Leslie High School’s Cross Country event on October 1, 2008, from 3:30 PM until 7:00 PM. The event is sanctioned by Leslie Township.

C. Permit #08-0494 applied for by the Leroy Township Firefighters Association for the purpose of conducting the Fireman’s Ox Roast and Field Days parade on September 27, 2008, from 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM. The event is sanctioned by Leroy Township.

D. Confirm Permit #08-0495 applied for by Leslie High School for the purpose of conducting the Leslie High School’s Blackhawk Cross Country Invitational on September 10, 2008, from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM. The event is sanctioned by Leslie Township.

E. Permit #08-0499 applied for by Holt High School for the purpose of conducting the Holt High School Homecoming Parade on September 19, 2008, from 4:00 PM until 5:00 PM. The event is sanctioned by Delhi Township.

F. Permit #08-0503 applied for by Haslett Public Schools for the purpose of conducting the Haslett High School Homecoming Parade on September 26, 2008, from 5:30 PM until 6:30 PM. The event is sanctioned by Meridian Township.

G. Permit #08-0504 applied for by Okemos High School for the purpose of conducting the Okemos High School Homecoming Parade on October 3, 2008, from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM. The event is sanctioned by Meridian Township.

3 yes, 0 no. Motion carried unanimously.

Agenda Item #9 – Accounts Payable.

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers, that the accounts payable be approved as follows:

A. Accounts payable for the two week period of August 4-17, 2008.

B. Accounts payable for the two week period of August 18-31, 2008.

3 yes, 0 no. Motion carried unanimously.

AGENDA ITEM #8 – MANAGING DIRECTOR REPORTS.

A. Possibility of cul-de-sacs on Hulett Road at the CSX Railroad.

Managing Director Conklin stated he has recently had several conversations with Meridian Township Supervisor Sue McGillicuddy and residents on Hulett Road regarding traffic volumes and cut through traffic on Hulett Road between Okemos Road and Bennett Road. Mr. Conklin said he believes it may be possible to eliminate the railroad crossing and install either cul-de-sacs or “T” turnarounds at each end to eliminate cut through traffic.

Vice Chair Guenther suggested that a public meeting be held first to get input from the township and the residents. Mr. Conklin stated it is the township and residents who have asked for help and who are pushing to close off the connection. Chair Smith asked if this would be done this year, or in 2009? Mr. Conklin said it depends on how quickly things can happen. He indicated that when a railroad crossing is eliminated, there are state and/or federal and/or railroad funds available to make the necessary road improvements. There are potentially several options for funding.

Commissioner Rodgers asked about the proposed cul-de-sacs because since she has been on this Board, she has heard several times that staff is not in favor of them for maintenance reasons. Mr. Conklin said he has spoken with both Jim Charles and Bob Peterson regarding this possibility. He also said that right of way purchase would be necessary in order to construct the cul-de-sacs. Commissioner Guenther stated there is vacant land in this area, so that may be possible. Director of Engineering Bob Peterson stated staff’s concerns about cul-de-sacs also regard connectivity to adjacent properties.

The Board agreed with this concept of pursuing the closure of the railroad crossing on Hulett Road between Okemos Road and Bennett Road, particularly if funding is available to do the necessary improvements to the roadway once the tracks are closed and removed. The Managing Director was directed to pursue the possibility. Chair Smith wants it made clear that this is a one time thing, and will not be considered at any other locations. Mr. Conklin said it may be possible that there would be not cost to the Road Commission for the road improvements, but he would start investigating.

B. Additional Repair Work on Eifert Road.

Mr. Conklin reported that Aurelius Township has entered a Local Road Agreement with the Road Commission for improvements on Eifert Road from ½ mile north of Curtice Road to Bunker Road. There is an area on Eifert Road, north of Bunker Road, that has settled and needs to be repaired before the resurfacing project can be done. The repairs will cost an estimated $18,000. Aurelius Township has used all of its 2008 local road allocation and has asked if it could subtract its half of this cost ($9,000.00) from 2009’s local road allocation.

Commissioner Rodgers stated that while her philosophy tends to be a “tax and spend” liberal, her actual performance is more like to “live within your means and don’t borrow against tomorrow”. She said she is uncomfortable borrowing against the 2009 allocation, especially in light of the state and national economies. She said she does not have faith that there will be a local road matching program in 2009.

Mr. Conklin stated he has been reviewing our financial status with the Finance Director and is relatively certain that there will be a local road matching program in 2009. Mr. Conklin stated the repair needed to be done, regardless, before the paving of Eifert Road could begin. He said he had authorized the work and would charge it to local road maintenance if he had to. He indicated that the demo with the Zipper machine that the Board saw today, was actually doing most of this work. Excavation and reinforcement of the road surface are done. Compaction will be done tomorrow. If he has to, he can stop the repair and cut our losses now.

Vice Chair Guenther stated if there is a willingness on the part of the Township to pay its half of this repair, then that should be accepted. He said he is comfortable allowing them to reduce next year’s, or any future year’s, local road allocation by their half of the cost, which is $9,000. The work that was done by the Zipper machine today could certainly be a worthy experiment; and if it is successful, we should be able to repair a lot of our roads using this machine.

RESOLUTION APPROVING THE USE OF A FUTURE YEAR’S LOCAL ROAD ALLOCATION FOR AURELIUS TOWNSHIP.

RESOLUTION #082-08

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Managing Director, the Board approves Aurelius Township borrowing against a future year’s local road match allocation in the amount of $9,000.00, in order to pay its half of repairs needed on Eifert Road, north of Bunker Road, by using an experimental piece of equipment called the “Zipper”. This repair work is in conjunction with the Township’s 2008 resurfacing project on Eifert Road.

AGENDA ITEM 10A – AWARD OF PROPOSAL #1538.

Interim Director of Operations Jim Charles reviewed his recommendation for award of Proposal #1538 for bituminous patching material. Commissioner Rodgers asked if plant pickup is cheaper, why have the material delivered? Mr. Charles explained that the plant is located in Troy and it would not be cost effective for us to send trucks to Troy to pick up material.

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AWARD OF PROPOSAL #1538 FOR BITUMINOUS PATCHING MATERIAL.

RESOLUTION #083-08

Moved by Commissioner Rodgers and Supported by Commissioner Guenther. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Interim Director of Operations, the Board authorizes award of Proposal #1538 for bituminous patching material to Ajax Materials for its low bid price of $103.00 per ton delivered for CP-6; and to Rieth Riley Construction Company for its low bid price of $120.00 per ton delivered for CP-7 and for $116.00 per ton delivered to the Metro District Garage.

AGENDA ITEM #10B – AWARD OF PROPOSAL #1539.

Interim Director of Operations Jim Charles reviewed his recommendation for award of Proposal #1539 for grader blades. He recommended award to the second low bidder because the low bidder, Michigan Cat, did not meet required specifications for the grader blade material. However, Mr. Charles stated he would like to purchase a couple of the blades from Michigan Cat and test them to see how the material holds up.

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AWARD OF PROPOSAL #1539 FOR SEASON’S REQUIREMENTS OF GRADER BLADES.

RESOLUTION #084-08

Moved by Commissioner Rodgers and Supported by Commissioner Guenther. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Interim Director of Operations, the Board authorizes award of Proposal #1539 for the season’s requirements of grader blades to the second low bidder, Shults Equipment, for its bid price of $52.24 per foot for single tungsten carbide insert grader blades.

AGENDA ITEM #10C – AWARD OF PROPOSAL #1540.

Interim Director of Operations Jim Charles reviewed his recommendation for award of Proposal #1540 for de-icing solution. He recommended award to the low bidder, Road Way Solutions, for $0.75 per gallon delivered.

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AWARD OF PROPOSAL #1540 FOR DE–ICING CORROSION INHIBITED SOLUTION.

RESOLUTION #085-08

Moved by Commissioner Rodgers and Supported by Commissioner Guenther. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Interim Director of Operations, the Board authorizes award of Proposal #1540 for de-icing corrosion inhibited solution to the low bidder, Road Way Solutions, for its low bid cost of $0.75 per gallon, delivered.

AGENDA ITEM #10D – TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER/MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP.

Interim Director of Operations Jim Charles stated he has received a request for traffic control at the intersection of Ponderosa Drive and Stagecoach Drive in Meridian Township. He said he visited the intersection and observed traffic flow. This is a large intersection with currently no traffic control. Mr. Charles said he would recommend installing a Yield sign for southwest bound traffic on Ponderosa Drive to yield for eastbound traffic on Stagecoach Drive and northbound traffic on Ponderosa Drive.

RESOLUTION APPROVING TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER FOR YIELD CONTROL IN MERIDIAN CHARTER TOWNSHIP.

RESOLUTION #086-08

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Interim Director of Operations, the Board approves Traffic Control Order #Y-10-09-008 requiring southwest bound traffic on Ponderosa Drive to Yield for northbound traffic on Ponderosa Drive and eastbound traffic on Stagecoach Drive, located in Meridian Charter Township.

AGENDA ITEM #10E – MICHIGAN STATE POLICE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER.

Interim Director of Operations Jim Charles reviewed his recommendation for a no stopping, standing or parking traffic control order for Park Lane in Delhi Township. He explained that he has been working on a complaint he received from the Ingham County Sheriff’s Department regarding a parking problem in front of the Hope Middle School in Holt. Park Lane in front of the school is currently posted for No Parking, but people still sit in their cars and obstruct traffic flow before and after school. Mr. Charles said he met with the Michigan State Police on site and it is thought that if the traffic control were to be changed to No Stopping, Standing or Parking, it may cure the problem, and will be more easily monitored by the policing agency. The State Police has sent the appropriate traffic control order for this change.

RESOLUTION APPROVING MICHIGAN STATE POLICE TRAFFIC CONTROL ORDER FOR NO STOPPING, STANDING OR PARKING ON PARK LANE IN DELHI TOWNSHIP.

RESOLUTION #087-08

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Interim Director of Operations, the Board approves Michigan State Police Traffic Control Order #P33-20-08 requiring no stopping, standing or parking within the right of way of Park Lane from Holt Road to Woodworth Avenue, located in Delhi Charter Township.

AGENDA ITEM #11A – GEOTECHNICAL EVALUATION AT CURTICE ROAD GRAVEL PIT.

Director of Engineering Bob Peterson stated that during a Board meeting in July, the Board discussed the possibility of leasing out the mineral rights to the Curtice Road pit to satisfy Road Commission gravel needs, generate revenue, and ultimately to fulfill the MDEQ wetland mitigation commitment from the Okemos Road project (2005) and other projects from the recent past. In accordance with that conversation, Mr. Peterson said he solicited a proposal from Soil and Materials Engineers (SME) to perform test borings and characterize the pit material for incorporation into a possible future mining request for proposal. He said that SME’s proposal includes five 40 feet deep test borings, collection of soil materials at 10 foot intervals, classification and characterization of the collected material in a report. SME has proposed to perform the work for $6,500. Mr. Peterson said, in his opinion, this fee is very reasonable for two days of drilling, the laboratory tests, and the ultimate report itself. He recommended approval of the proposal received from SME.

Managing Director Conklin commented it would take the Road Commission 30 years to use all of the gravel that is located in this pit. He said he would like to have it mined and processed, and quite possibly this resource is one we could convert to cash at some point in the future for some sort of development site. Commissioner Guenther stated it doesn’t look like the proposal includes evaluation of any bad soils that might show up. He said east of this location is an old dump site, which could limit development of the gravel pit area.

RESOLUTION APPROVING CONTRACT WITH SME FOR GEOTECHNICAL EVALUATION SERVICES OF THE CURTICE ROAD GRAVEL PIT OWNED BY THE INGHAM COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION.

RESOLUTION #088-08

Moved by Commissioner Rodgers and Supported by Commissioner Guenther. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Director of Engineering, the Board approves entering a contract with Soil & Materials Engineers (SME) to conduct a Geotechnical Evaluation Services on the Curtice Road Gravel Pit property. The cost for the work is not to exceed $6,500.

AGENDA ITEM #12A-E – VARIOUS LOCAL ROAD AGREEMENTS.

Managing Director Bill Conklin stated that due to high prices obtained on recent bids, he would need to table approval of the local road agreements for Meridian, Williamstown and Leroy Townships, until the townships are contacted and approval of the higher costs is obtained.

Mr. Conklin recommended approval of the local road agreements with Stockbridge and Aurelius Townships.

RESOLUTION APPROVING LOCAL ROAD AGREEMENTS WITH STOCKBRIGE AND AURELIUS TOWNSHIPS.

RESOLUTION #089-08

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Managing Director, the Board approves and signs local road agreements with Stockbridge Township for Phase 1 improvements on Base Line Road and Aurelius Township for improvements on Eifert Road.

AGENDA ITEM #12F – RECOMMENDATION FOR FILLING TWO VACANT ASSISTANT DISTRICT SUPERVISOR POSITIONS.

Vice Chair Guenther stated he has read the Managing Director’s recommendation and he thinks it is great that we had such a well qualified group of people for this position right here at the Road Commission. He said he thinks this is a great opportunity for employees to move up and this is the first time in a long while that recommendations from within have been made for vacancies.

Managing Director Bill Conklin stated this was one of the most difficult decisions he has made yet. The Road Commission has a very qualified, dedicated work force and all of the candidates were unique in their own way. He said there is a lot of good talent here and all of the candidates were given the opportunity to work as crew leader so that the supervisors could evaluate their supervisory skills and how they related to the public. Mr. Conklin said he would be meeting tomorrow morning with all of the candidates to explain the ultimate decision. The interview panel consisted of the Managing Director, the Interim Director of Operations, the Western District Supervisor, and the Metro District Supervisor.

Mr. Conklin stated that all of the candidates were interviewed and the interview panel used a standardized list of questions. The interview panel reviewed the candidates’ backgrounds, work history and supervisory skills and experience.

Mr. Conklin said the recommendation of the interview panel is to promote Tom Gamez to Western District Assistant Supervisor and Brett Campbell to Metro District Assistant Supervisor. Mr. Games is currently holds an AFSCME Class 5 position, and Mr. Campbell is an AFSCME Class 4.

Commissioner Rodgers stated that the Managing Director’s narrative indicates that the candidates all had opportunities to work for the supervisors as crew leader. Was this opportunity afforded everyone who applied? Mr. Conklin stated it was for everyone except the two employees in the Eastern District who applied. It would have been next to impossible to allow these employees to go into another district and run the crews. It would not have been fair to either to two candidates, or the district employees. Commissioner Rodgers asked if the candidates all worked in both districts. Mr. Conklin stated that several of the candidates were only interested in the district in which they work, so the candidates only worked as crew leader in the district to which they are assigned. Commissioner Rodgers asked if the time spent performing those duties was standard and consistent for all of the candidates. Mr. Conklin stated he left that up to the two supervisors to conduct that as they saw fit. In all cases, they were doing the work that would be expected of an assistant.

Interim Director of Operations Jim Charles stated that Engineering Department Technician, Dan Chapman, was one of the candidates. He did not have the opportunity to work as crew leader because of the difficulty crossing unions; however, Mr. Chapman ran the crews for the Metro District Salt Storage Building and did an excellent job. Mr. Charles said this gave him an excellent opportunity to observe Mr. Chapman’s supervisory skills. Also, the candidate who is currently the crew leader in the shop, did not have an opportunity to perform the duties of the assistant supervisor because the shop is extremely busy and could not afford to have him doing something else. However, he serves as crew leader and also runs the shop when the Fleet Manager is not there, so management has already had the opportunity to observe his supervisory skills.

Commissioner Rodgers said she is concerned about filling positions and not having adequate resources, especially in light of the current economy when many are facing layoffs. The County currently has a hiring freeze in effect, and county departments that have vacancies are required to make special requests to obtain approval to fill vacant positions. Commissioner Rodgers said that because of the economy and decreasing funding levels, she hopes this Board will discuss strategic plans in the future. She believes this is imperative in determining the size and make up of the Road Commission’s staff. There should be a goal defined for the future. She indicated she just doesn’t know how everyone was given the same opportunity to perform the duties of the job and if they were all treated fairly.

Vice Chair Guenther stated there is a standardized policy for promotions, which was reviewed at the last meeting. He said he believes these candidates were all given a unique opportunity, one which he has not seen in the four years he’s been here. He said his only comment would be that next time be sure that all of the candidates have an opportunity to perform the functions of the job, regardless of current positions and union affiliation. Vice Chair Guenther said he is very impressed with how this whole process was handled and that the candidates were given an opportunity to perform the duties of the prospective job. He said given the Board’s policy on internal hiring and promotions, this entire process was handled fairly. Vice Chair Guenther commented that the Managing Director has kept the Board informed of the plans he has for the structure of the Road Commission and has been very proactive in moving toward that goal. Vice Chair Guenther reminded Board members that the Managing Director did discuss with them several months ago his desire to have a full staff of three supervisors and three assistants for the districts.

RESOLUTION APPROVING FILLING THE VACANT METRO DISTRICT ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR AND THE WESTERN DISTRICT ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR POSITIONS.

RESOLUTION #090-08

Moved by Commissioner Guenther and Supported by Commissioner Rodgers. Commissioner Smith, yes, Commissioner Guenther, yes, Commissioner Rodgers, abstain. 2 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain. Resolution carried.

BE IT RESOLVED that the Board concurs with the recommendation of the Managing Director to promote Thomas M. Gamez to the Western District Assistant Supervisor position and Brett A. Campbell to the Metro District Assistant Supervisor position.

AGENDA ITEM #12G – PURCHASE/LEASE OF AN ASPHALT ZIPPER MACHINE.

Managing Director Bill Conklin stated that given our flat and/or decreasing revenue and the large increase in asphalt prices we have experienced in the last several years and particularly this year, he has researched various new methods for repairing our roads where the asphalt pavement is failing.

In-place asphalt recycling, frequently called full-depth reclamation—FDR, has been proven to cost effectively renew failed asphalt pavement, thus reducing otherwise necessary thickness of new asphalt overlay while extending the life of the overlay. The Road Commission will be doing this on Williamston Road between Mitchell and Haslett Roads in 2009. On low volume roads, the new asphalt surface can even be replaced by much less costly chip seals. This process saves costs several ways—reducing or eliminating removal and haul-away of failed asphalt, reducing use of new asphalt, and faster repair time.

Until recently this process could only be done by contractors specializing in this work, using large recycling machines which could only do the whole road or very large portions of its width. The process involves pulverizing the old pavement and adding a stabilizing agent followed by re-grading and compacting. This then cures into a very firm but resilient base being stronger than gravel, but more resistant to cracking than old asphalt.

Mr. Conklin explained that now there is a small (4 ft width) reclamation attachment for loaders known as the “Asphalt Zipper” available that road agencies can use to do this process on smaller portions of road such as failed edges, low areas or even isolated patches. Ingham County has one of the largest portions of paved county roads in Michigan, but has a large need to repair failed pavement areas. Mr. Conklin said this machine is the one that the Board saw today, which we are testing on the Eifert Road repairs.

By being a smaller attachment rather than a large self-propelled specialized machine, this unit is more affordable than the large machines whose high cost warrants full time use by contractors specializing in pavement recycling.

Mr. Conklin said furthermore there are new types of non-petroleum stabilizing additives available that are domestically produced, and have not risen in cost like petroleum based asphalt. These additives are either laid down in front of the Zipper or injected into the pavement as it is being pulverized by the Zipper. These additives can be either environmentally stable waste products from other industries such as fly-ash from coal combustion or cement kiln dust from Portland cement manufacturing or they can be derived from renewable agriculture products.

The Asphalt Zipper was, until today, the only machine of its kind and thus made this purchase extremely difficult to be competitively bid. Today, a vendor showed up with another model that is available. Mr. Conklin stated when he was looking at this equipment, he must have visited 33 different web sites and found only the one manufacturer. The Road Commission will be scheduling a demo of this latest model. Mr. Conklin said he would propose rent-purchasing one of the machines in order to evaluate it without obligation other than rental fees. The manufacturer will credit all continuously paid rental fee to the purchase of the machine. If we rent for the remainder of this year, return the machine for the winter, and continue renting it next year, 50% of this year’s rental and all of next year’s rental will count towards purchase. Mr. Conklin said he would discuss terms with the second vendor and compare the machine’s capabilities, costs and rental rates to the machine that was used today.

The Zipper can also be used for dry (non-stabilized) pulverizing, surface milling and gravel base stabilization. The method used today on the Eifert Road project was dry-pulverizing of the failure areas and then we moved the pulverized material aside, repaired the weak subgrade and re-used the pulverized material with geo-fabric and grid to strengthen the road base where it crosses the muck areas.

Mr. Conklin said that all of the agencies we contacted who have purchased and currently use this machine recommend it highly, including Genesee County in Michigan, and several counties in Ohio and California. In fact, most road agencies in the Pacific Northwest where this machine originated have several units and use them extensively with favorable results reported.

Mr. Conklin said that the rental cost is not in this year’s budget, but we will have unused budget dollars to cover the rental from capitol improvement items such as the Mason complex storage building that will be deferred to a future year. We will budget the remainder of the Zipper’s lease-purchase in next year’s equipment purchase plan. Mr. Conklin said he would recommend the lease-purchase of this machine for several months in order to evaluate whether it will improve and save costs in our road maintenance efforts.

Commissioner Rodgers stated she is all for trying new methods and equipment and striving to be more cost effective, but she does have some concerns regarding this Zipper machine. She asked the size of the crew that will be required. She was not overly impressed with what she saw today. She asked how cost effective it would be if an eight person crew is needed for this type of work. Commissioner Rodgers said she would, however, be in favor of trying it. Mr. Conklin said that is exactly some of what will be determined during the next six months.

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE RENTAL OF AN IN-PLACE ASPHALT RECYCLING MACHINE.

RESOLUTION #091-08

Moved by Commissioner Rodgers and Supported by Commissioner Guenther. 3 yes, 0 no. Resolution carried unanimously.

BE IT RESOLVED that upon recommendation of the Managing Director, the Board authorizes the expenditure of up to $25,000 for the rental/lease of an in-place asphalt recycling machine which will be used and tested at locations to be determined by staff for possible purchase in 2009.

AGENDA ITEM #13 – BOARD UPDATES.

A Commissioner Rodgers acknowledged receipt of the County Services Committee meeting scheduled this evening. On the agenda, is a resolution to recommend the expansion of the Road Commission Board from three members to five. Two new members would be added starting January 1^st and the terms would expire in 2010 and 2014. She said she had a conversation with County Commissioners Mark Grebner and Marc Thomas this week and both indicated they are pleased with the job Mr. Conklin is doing. Commissioner Rodgers stated the issue of a five member Road Commission board came up and she informed the commissioners that it matters not to her whether there are three or five members, she will continue to be herself.

B. Chair Smith indicated he had a conversation with Meridian Township Trustee Julie Brixie regarding the seven percent administrative fee charged by the Road Commission on the local road matching program. She has asked if the Board would consider waiving it again in 2009. He said he told Ms. Brixie if he were going to be here in 2009, he would vote no; however, he will be gone and that will have to be taken up with the Board in 2009.

No public comment was offered. The meeting adjourned at 5:10 P.M.

Larry R. Smith, Chair Deborah L. Bellows, Board Secretary