Crook County road superintendent seeks signatures for 10-year aggregate-lease near Van Lake

Brad Haynes, Crook County Road Department superintendent, told commissioners at their Jan. 28 work session that he has finalized a 10-year lease with Desert Creek Land Cattle and Timber Company for an aggregate pit near Van Lake and is requesting commissioners' signatures at next Wednesday's meeting.

"I've been working on a lease agreement with a, Desert Creek Land Cattle and Timber Company to lease a pit out on the Van Lake area for, aggregate mining for the roads out there," Haynes said, adding the site would serve parts of Districts 1 and 2 and the GI Ranch area.

Haynes described operational details: four on-site piles intended to include a three-quarter-inch base rock pile and a separate one-and-a-half-inch pile for road repairs, a separate three-quarter-inch pile for Deschutes County, and a pile provided to Desert Creek in exchange for reduced royalties for ranch maintenance. He said the lease includes a 10-year term with a five-year review provision and that if stockpiles remain after 10 years the county will pursue removal or an extension.

Haynes said Deschutes County plans to join Crook County's crush bid in June to help facilitate material for their roads, which he expects will reduce unit prices. "They're gonna join the' the bid when we go out to bid for the crush in June, to help facilitate some of their roads out there," he said.

Commissioners asked practical questions about pile segregation and storage. Haynes confirmed they will maintain separate piles and that the county intends to manage one-and-a-half-inch material for road repairs while Deschutes County will likely limit its crushed material to three-quarter inch.

The commissioners agreed the item could be placed on the consent agenda for the upcoming meeting rather than taken up at length during the work session. No formal motion or vote on the lease occurred during the work session; Haynes requested commissioners' signatures at the regular meeting.

What happens next: The lease was scheduled to be included on the board's consent agenda next Wednesday. If the board approves it at that meeting, the county will proceed with operations under the lease terms and coordinate the June crush bid with Deschutes County.