Township panel OKs gravel bids

Roads were the focus Thursday when the Mitchell Township board met in special session at the Carnegie Resource Center.

The board took a first step toward improving township roads by awarding a gravel bid worth between $100,000 and $120,000 to Dixie Veurink Trucking, of Mitchell.

Since the township was officially reconstituted in May, the board has been in organizational mode, said board chairman and supervisor Mark Schilling. Other members present Thursday included supervisors Chad Van Laecken and Jack Docken, treasurer Stuart Barns and clerk Karen Pooley.

As part of regular business, the board purchased errors and omissions liability insurance and, in compliance with state law, approved bonding for Barns and Pooley.

The Veurink bid was the lowest of two bids, Schilling said, and was based on a per-ton price of $9.93. The bid was flexible, said Schilling, who explained that between 10,000 and 12,000 tons of gravel eventually will be purchased for use on roads across the township.

“It’s a lot of money, but people want good roads,” he said. “They’re paying for improvements and now we’re going to make sure some of that work gets done.”

Schilling said there’s a tentative July 15 starting date for the road work. The gravel will be used where it is needed on township roads, he said.

No date was set for the next township meeting, Schilling said, but it will be soon.

“We’ll probably meet in a month to figure out a levy rate for the township,” he said.

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