CULLMAN, Ala. – At the July 16 meeting of the Cullman County Commission, Cullman County Engineer Philip Widner updated the commissioners on the state of road equipment used by County road crews. The commission is considering shifting funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) awarded from the federal government to replace and update old and damaged equipment.
County Administrator John Bullard advised the commission that the County’s ARPA funds will expire at the close of the year. Approximately $1 million was earmarked for the Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center renovation which was previously expected to begin in late 2024. Due to plan changes and shifts in logistics, the project is now estimated to begin in 2025.
“Last week, the Chairman (Jeff Clemons) and John (Bullard) came out and we had a meeting with all of our supervisors and kind of looked at what our needs are. You are all aware that we need several pieces of equipment,” shared Widner. “Some of the equipment we have is 25, some of it is 30 years old. So, they’re getting to the end of their life and its starting to be a hindrance in the roads we need done.”
With the earmarked funds now available, Widner and Bullard have been crunching numbers to find the most financially sound option for replacing the County road department’s outdated and, quite literally, falling apart equipment.
One of the department’s main needs, a paving machine, has been received and is in full operation through a loan of a machine, as the commission had issued a letter of intent to purchase the equipment at its June meeting. With the paving machine locked in, Widner shared the other needs of the department include one- and two-man DuraPatchers, rollers, brooms, a shoulder machine and a few new tractors to tackle the nearly 4,000 miles the department mows and maintains on a daily and weekly basis.
With the current machinery in disrepair, crews have been falling behind in maintaining vegetation on roadways and rights-of-way. Clemons asked if there was a number of weeks that Widner would need to catch up with work, and Widner said it could take months instead of weeks to regain the lost ground.
“We probably need a couple of months to catch up,” Widner said. “If you’ve got 2,000 miles of road you’re bushhogging 4,000 miles.”
The commission made no move on the request from Widner and Bullard, choosing to table the matter and discuss improvements and replacements at a later date.
The next Cullman County Commission meeting will be Tuesday, Aug. 13. The work session begins at 4 p.m. in the commission meeting room with the meeting at 6.
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