Town of Plains uses 25 tons of patch to fix roads
<p>The Public Works crew has been busy filling in potholes throughout the town of Plains. Most of the main streets have been taken care of and the crew is now working on side streets. </p>
PLAINS – The roads of Plains have felt the wrath of the harsh winter weather the county recently experienced and in an attempt to repair the roads, the Public Works Department has used 25 tons of patch to fill in potholes.
The town recently ordered 17 tons to add to their stockpile, but was able to quickly shovel through it as the main roads were repaired.
In all, the town had 30 tons and the crew is working their way through the remainder of the five tons of winter patch they have available and will soon have to order more to keep up with road repairs.
This year Mayor Greg Eitelberg had the company out of Missoula deliver the materials, saving the town money.
After figuring out fuel costs and the man-hours for the multiple trips it would take, the cost of delivery was much less.
Eitelberg said the side roads were still being worked on, but the crews are working relentlessly to accomplish the task.
The project to patch the potholes has cost thousands of dollars. The money comes from the general fund but is funded by the gas tax.
“The gas tax is considered part of the general fund but it’s not really coming out of the taxable value of a house,” Eitelberg explained.
The town has about five or six tons of summer coal patch as well, but according to Eitelberg, the weather is not warm enough to start using the different patch.
“We are really close to using the stockpile we have now,” Eitelberg said.