Valley County commissioners voted to approve a road maintenance agreement with Dennett Ranch on a motion made and seconded during the board's road-and-bridge presentation, and received multiple updates on county road projects and contractor scheduling.

The vote to approve the road maintenance agreement between Valley County and the Dennett Ranch property owners passed after a motion and second; commissioners then discussed work on Clear Creek-area rights-of-way, the condition of bridges, planned use of a BST (VST) surface treatment, a Perpetua pavement analysis of Warm Lake Road, and options for contractor mobilization and homeowner-funded work while a contractor is on site.

The county reported that right-of-way permits for work on new county rights-of-way along Clear Creek have been returned and that a modular bridge intended for a former logging-road crossing is on site and expected to be installed this year. County representatives said the bridges on the main Clear Creek Road were inspected last year and showed only minor issues and do not require replacement now.

Commissioners discussed a BST (referred to in the meeting as the VST product) surface treatment that a contractor from Tucson, Arizona, plans to apply next year, with local scheduling tentatively around June. The county noted the contractor's mobilization fee to travel to the county had been as low as $5,000 for one mobilization and as high as nearly $30,000 in a separate case; commissioners discussed offering homeowners the option to pay to have the product applied while the contractor is working in the area.

Perpetua conducted a pavement analysis of Warm Lake Road this summer and reported in the county's summary that, based on Perpetua's calculations, the road is structurally adequate for the projected truck traffic and could be expected to last about 30 years. County staff said Perpetua recommended the next step be an agreement (MOU) with the county; the county will consider whether to hire an independent geotechnical firm but was told by Perpetua that a second analysis could be redundant.

Commissioners discussed timing and review of the proposed road agreement with Perpetua, with staff and multiple commissioners noting the item was planned for the agenda the following Wednesday but that several county reviewers still needed to examine the agreement and related metrics. Commissioners also discussed the county's road levy timing, saying a full commissioner discussion and vote would be required before moving forward once election results are known.

Other operational notes included: plans for routine winter preparation; arranging contractor help when county equipment operators are short-staffed; a contractor potentially taking over plowing on the Alpine Route this year; partial invoicing requests received for an active crushing contract so costs can be put on the November 25 budget; and concerns about snowmobile access routes and gate operations at Warm Lake Summit and other backcountry access points during avalanche-risk periods.

Votes at a glance
- Purchase agreement with Cascade Auto (vehicle budgeted at $40,000): motion moved, seconded and approved (recorded vocal "Aye").
- Road maintenance agreement between Valley County and the Dennett Ranch property owners: motion moved by Commissioner 1, seconded by Commissioner 2; approved (recorded vocal "Aye").
- Meeting minutes of Oct. 15: motion to approve moved and seconded; approved (recorded vocal "Aye").
- Nomination of Cascade Medical Center for rural health innovator of the year: motion moved and seconded; approved (recorded vocal "Aye").

The board asked staff to circulate the Perpetua agreement and supporting metrics to commissioners for review before it returns to an agenda. Commissioners requested that county staff explore outreach for homeowners who might want to hire the BST contractor while the contractor is mobilized to the area.