craigdailypress.com

Moffat County roads could get magnesium chloride treatments again in 2007, county commissioners said Tuesday.

The county stopped using the treatments this year to try to save money in the face of rising fuel costs.

Commissioners said they hope to resume using the chemical, which helps keep dirt roads intact, again next year.

"It's our intention to put (magnesium chloride) back in 2007, if we can do that in our budget process," Commissioner Darryl Steele said.

Commissioners knew last year that cutting the magnesium chloride program wouldn't be a popular decision.

But with the high cost of fuel, commissioners said they had little choice other than to cut the program when they finalized the 2006 budget.

In 2005, the county spent $219,000 on its magnesium chloride program.

When fuel costs for the Road and Bridge Department doubled from 2005 to 2006 -- jumping from $250,000 to $500,000 -- commissioners decided to cut the magnesium chloride program.

"Everything that we buy has increased because of fuel costs," Road and Bridge Director Bill Mack said Tuesday. "We only have so much money to go around."

Residents have been calling the county in recent weeks to complain about the state of some of the roads that aren't receiving magnesium chloride, commissioners said.

Roads that used to receive the treatments -- such as Moffat County Roads 30, 103, 64, 15 and 10 North -- are eliciting the most complaints, commissioners said.

"I think their idea is that we've permanently eliminated the mag water program," Steele said about the residents who have complained. But, he said, commissioners want the program to start again when the county can afford it.

Commissioner Saed Tayyara said he toured some county roads recently and that despite the decision not to use magnesium chloride, the roads are still in decent shape.

"In my book, I didn't think it was awful," Tayyara said.

With the magnitude of some of the projects the Road and Bridge Department is undertaking -- including a $400,000 chip-sealing project on Moffat County Road 57 and working to fight wildfires -- Tayyara said he thinks county roads are in good shape.

"I think with the type of projects we have, Road and Bridge is doing a great job," Tayyara said.

Becky Thayer, who lives on C.R. 30, said the road is in worse shape this year than it was last year.

"It seems like there is more washboarding," she said.

But, Thayer said the road's problem could stem from people driving too fast, not the absence of treatments.

"I think it's more the speeding rather than something the county did," Thayer said.