Road crew reports progress on right‑of‑way spraying and recommends keeping work in‑house

Montezuma County road staff told commissioners they have restarted right‑of‑way weed spraying with county crews and new spray‑bar equipment, and staff recommended keeping the program in‑house rather than commissioning a new contract.

Mr. Dietrich and lead foreman Heath briefed the board on recent work. Heath said crews used roughly 20,000 gallons of mag to treat about eight miles for a Kinder Morgan corridor and about 14,000 gallons for roughly seven miles in the Cortez district. Staff said changes to spray bars and application technique have reduced chemical and water use—saving “probably about 50%” of the water previously consumed—and that operators are completing required classroom and on‑the‑job training to qualify supervisors.

Why it matters: Staff framed the work as both a maintenance and fire‑hazard mitigation activity; commissioners were told the program follows statutory road‑count criteria and common‑sense prioritization for degraded stretches. Road staff asked for authority and budget to buy the appropriate chemicals and continue the in‑house program.

Next steps: Commissioners endorsed continuing with the in‑house program and directed staff to purchase chemicals and schedule supervisor licensing and tests; staff also will continue road counting and provide updates as the program scales.

Attribution note: Technical details about gallons used and spray‑bar savings were provided directly by road crew staff during the presentation and Q&A.