Commission holds stance on gravel useage

The Stutsman County Commission reaffirmed its policy of allowing private contractors to use gravel from county gravel stockpiles only when county equipment and personnel are used to load the trucks during its regular meeting Tuesday.

Currently county crews are graveling county and township roads in the northern part of the county. Woodbury Township had approached the county to allow private haulers to gravel some roads in the township using county gravel.

“Our intent when we allowed private haulers last year was to allow them to haul from our pits to get things done that had to get done after the flood damage,” said Mike Zimmerman, county road superintendent. “It can cause problems of shortages and it is not in the best interest of the county to run out.”

Zimmerman said contractors could come to the pits in the northern part of the county where county crews were working and haul the gravel back to Woodbury Township or acquire the gravel from private sources closer.

“We run into problems when we allow unknown people to take unknown quantities out of our stockpiles,” said Doug Kaiser, county commissioner.

In other business the commission appointed Dr. Ed Anderson to the board of the Central Valley Health District, Alice Pekarski to the School Reorganization Board and Carolyn Cichos to the Stutsman County Housing Authority.

During the Stutsman County Park Board meeting Denny Lorenz, park superintendent, reported that construction work at Pelican Point and Lakeside Marina was nearly completed.

The board also reviewed the minutes of the first meeting of the Cabin Road Maintenance Committee. This committee is charged with setting road maintenance priorities for the areas around the cabins at the Jamestown Reservoir. The minutes indicated they intend to have a plan and cost estimates at the next meeting.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at

(701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com

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