
GRAMS program on hold until 622 miles of Level A roads are resurfaced
Feb. 19—Jasper County is going to use more than $2.8 million worth of rock to resurface every Level A granular road in springtime of this year, but in the process the county engineer says the recently integrated Granular Roads Assessment and Maintenance Strategy (GRAMS) will be on pause this year.
County Engineer Michael Frietsch said in a Jan. 29 letter to supervisors that he will also pause the reclamation cycle and instead focus on roads damaged by past road and bridge construction projects. As part of these efforts, additional rock will be allocated to roads impacted by upcoming bridge and road projects.
"We're going to focus on those roads that have been damaged over the past three years or so by either the state or our own county road and bridge projects," he said. "If we get to the stabilization, we get to the stabilization. If we don't, we don't. Figure stabilization is going to be the last thing we're going to worry about."
With this approach in mind, Frietsch said the resurfacing program will provide 150 tons per mile to each gravel road classified as Level A; 600 tons per mile to Level A roads that may be impacted by current year road and bridge projects; and 600 tons per mile to roads reconstructed last year.
The county will also contract haul rock to 14 townships and in-house haul to the remaining six townships, including Palo Alto, Buena Vista, Richland, Lynn Grove, Elk Creek and Fairview East. In total, 98,233 tons of loadstone was requested for contract rock hauling, and it will be placed on about 622 miles of Level A roads.
"We're just going to go through and we're going to dress up every single road," Frietsch said to county supervisors during their Feb. 4 meeting. "We're not going to consider traffic count to a degree. We're just going to try to get everything back to a similar condition again."
Two bidders responded to the county's requisition: Martin Marietta and Peterson Contractors, Inc. The former provided the low bid of $2,155,300.55 and the latter provided the bid of $2,497,552.50. The county engineer estimated the bids to come in slightly higher at $2,187,715.95.
"It turned out better than I expected," Frietsch said. "I think we got a discount on the actual material, and I think having a little competition probably helped."
The board of supervisors would go on to approve the bid from Martin Marietta.
Compared to the spring 2024 contract rock bids, the county is paying about the same for about 4,000 tons less. Which shows the price of rock has increased; a 5.1 percent increase, to be exact. Last year, the county received 102,975 tons of loadstone for $2,150,029.30, which was spread across 14 townships.
Frietsch said when accounting for the entirety of the resurfacing program this coming spring, he anticipates the total costs of the contract rock hauling and in-house rock hauling to be more than $2.8 million. He expects secondary roads will likely spend $1 million-$1.5 million out of its carry over balance or reserves.
"Pretty much whenever we're ready to go, (Martin Marietta) is ready to go," Frietsch said. "That's kind of where we're at right now. I've got no concerns about our current budget situation. Our reserves is healthy. Everything I'm seeing is consistent with what I was expecting."
The GRAMS program was introduced by Frietsch in 2023. It was created as a long-term approach to gravel road maintenance around the county. The plan splits maintenance and rock allocation into four main categories: stabilization, reclamation, resurfacing and minimal maintenance.
Each decision the secondary roads department makes when it comes to road maintenance is based upon the Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), percentage of trucks using the road and past rock consumption data. The four maintenance categories are largely dependent on these figures.
Here are how the categories are determined, how many miles of roads they cover and the life expectancy of some of the maintenance:
—Stabilization routes have an AADT greater than or equal to 100 or between 50 and 100 with truck use greater than 10 percent. About 90 miles of routes have been identified. The county has planned five to six miles of stabilization in the first year of the program. Stabilized routes have a 10-year life expectancy.
—Reclamation routes have an AADT between 50 and 100 with truck use equal to or below 10 percent. About 288 miles of routes have been identified. The county has planned 25 miles of reclamation in the first year of the program. Reclaimed routed have an eight-year life expectancy.
—Resurfacing candidates have an AADT between 30 and 50. About 316 miles of routes have been identified. The county has planned to complete 170 miles in the first year of the program. Crews will alternate between the north and south half of the county. Resurfaced candidates include previous year's reclamation routes.
—Minimal maintenance candidates have an AADT of less than 30. About 220 miles of routes have been identified by the engineer's office. Maintenance will be addressed on an as needed basis through the country's spot rock program, which affects all 914 miles of gravel roads in Jasper County.
The spot rock program applies to every Level A granular road and involves contract hauling rock to strategic stockpile locations all across the county.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Wire
25 minutes ago
- Business Wire
Hercules Capital Prices Upsized Institutional Notes Offering of $350.0 Million 6.000% Notes due 2030
SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC) ('Hercules' or the 'Company'), today announced that it has priced an upsized underwritten public offering of $350.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.000% notes due June 2030 (the 'Notes'). The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and the Notes are expected to be delivered and paid for on June 16, 2025. The Notes are unsecured and bear interest at a rate of 6.000% per year, payable semiannually and will mature on June 16, 2030 and may be redeemed in whole or in part at any time or from time to time at the Company's option at par, plus a 'make whole' premium, if applicable. The Company expects to use the net proceeds from this offering to repay outstanding secured indebtedness under the Company's existing financing arrangements. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers of this offering. MUFG Securities Americas Inc., Zions Direct, Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Synovus Securities, Inc. and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, A Stifel Company are acting as co-managers. The offering may be made only by means of a preliminary prospectus supplement and an accompanying prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement may be obtained from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, or email: Prospectus-ny@ or telephone: 1-866-471-2526, or SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., 277 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10172, Attention: Debt Capital Markets – Transaction Management, or email: prospectus@ or telephone: 1-212-224-5135. Investors are advised to carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Company before investing. The pricing term sheet dated June 11, 2025, the preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 11, 2025, and the accompanying prospectus dated December 11, 2024, each of which has been filed with the SEC, contain this and other information about the Company and should be read carefully before investing. The information in the pricing term sheet, the preliminary prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and this press release is not complete and may be changed. The pricing term sheet, the preliminary prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and this press release do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, the Notes in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. About Hercules Capital, Inc. Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC) is the leading and largest specialty finance company focused on providing senior secured venture growth loans to high-growth, innovative venture capital-backed companies in a broad variety of technology and life sciences industries. Since inception (December 2003), Hercules has committed more than $22 billion to over 680 companies and is the lender of choice for entrepreneurs and venture capital firms seeking growth capital financing. Companies interested in learning more about financing opportunities should contact info@ or call (650) 289-3060. Hercules, through its wholly owned subsidiary business, Hercules Adviser LLC (the 'Adviser Subsidiary'), also maintains an asset management business through which it manages investments for external parties ('Adviser Funds'). The Adviser Subsidiary is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Hercules' common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol 'HTGC.' In addition, Hercules has one retail bond issuance of 6.25% Notes due 2033 (NYSE: HCXY). Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may use words such as 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'expects,' 'intends,' 'will,' 'should,' 'may' and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and should not be relied upon in making any investment decision. Such statements are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations. While we cannot identify all such risks and uncertainties, we urge you to read the risks discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and other materials that we publicly file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements made in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Hercules assumes no obligation to update any such statements in the future.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Home Depot Targeted in Los Angeles Immigration Raids
The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is one of the best Dow stocks to invest in. Recently, the company has become a focal point in the recent federal immigration raids and the protests that followed in Los Angeles. On June 6, federal agents targeted a Home Depot in the Westlake area, along with other sites like Ambiance Apparel in downtown L.A., resulting in dozens of arrests. The arrests near The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) involved day laborers hired by the store's customers, such as homeowners and contractors who often rely on undocumented workers for home repairs and construction. A The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) spokesperson confirmed that the company was not informed about the raids beforehand and was not involved in the enforcement actions. The Atlanta-based retailer now faces challenges as its stores have become common targets for raids, which may discourage customers. On June 9, Home Depot's shares fell 0.6%, closing at $36.20. While we acknowledge the potential of HD as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure. None. Sign in to access your portfolio


Business Wire
43 minutes ago
- Business Wire
OFS Credit Company Provides May 2025 Net Asset Value Update
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OFS Credit Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: OCCI) ('OFS Credit', the 'Company', 'we', 'us' or 'our'), an investment company that primarily invests in collateralized loan obligation ('CLO') equity and debt securities, today announced the following net asset value ('NAV') estimate at May 31, 2025. Management's unaudited estimate of the range of our NAV per share of our common stock at May 31, 2025 is between $6.23 and $6.33. This estimate is not a comprehensive statement of our financial condition or results for the month ended May 31, 2025. This estimate did not undergo the Company's typical quarter-end financial closing procedures. We advise you that the current estimates of our NAV per share may differ materially from future NAV estimates or determinations, including the determination for the period ending July 31, 2025, which will be reported in our monthly report on Form N-PORT. Our financial condition, including the fair value of our portfolio investments, and results of operations may be materially impacted after May 31, 2025 by circumstances and events that are not yet known. To the extent our portfolio investments are adversely impacted by interest rate and inflation rate changes, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the agenda of the new U.S. Presidential administration, including the impact of tariff enactment and tax reductions, trade disputes with other countries, instability in the U.S. and international banking systems, the risk of recession or a shutdown of U.S. government services and related market volatility, or by other factors, we may experience a material adverse impact on our future NAV, net investment income, the underlying value of our investments, our financial condition and the financial condition of our portfolio investments. The preliminary financial data included in this press release has been prepared by, and is the responsibility of, OFS Credit's management. KPMG LLP has not audited, reviewed, compiled, or applied agreed-upon procedures with respect to the preliminary financial data. Accordingly, KPMG LLP does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto. About OFS Credit Company, Inc. OFS Credit is a non-diversified, externally managed closed-end management investment company. The Company's primary investment objective is to generate current income, with a secondary objective to generate capital appreciation, which we seek to achieve primarily through investments in CLO equity and debt securities. The Company's investment activities are managed by OFS Capital Management, LLC, an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 1, as amended, and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with additional offices in New York and Los Angeles. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release regarding management's future expectations, beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, plans or prospects may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as 'anticipate', 'believe', 'could', 'could increase the likelihood', 'estimate', 'expect', 'intend', 'is planned', 'may', 'should', 'will', 'will enable', 'would be expected', 'look forward', 'may provide', 'would' or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors including those risks, uncertainties and factors referred to in documents that may be filed by OFS Credit from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as interest rate and inflation rate changes, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the agenda of the new U.S. Presidential administration, including the impact of tariff enactment and tax reductions, trade disputes with other countries, instability in the U.S. and international banking systems, the risk of recession or a shutdown of U.S government services and related market volatility on our business, our portfolio companies, our industry and the global economy. As a result of such risks, uncertainties and factors, actual results may differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements discussed in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. OFS Credit is providing the information in this press release as of this date and assumes no obligations to update the information included in this press release or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 1 Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training OFS® and OFS Credit® are registered trademarks of Orchard First Source Asset Management, LLC. OFS Capital Management™ is a trademark of Orchard First Source Asset Management, LLC.