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Price County Highway & Transportation Committee Minutes Date: February 4, 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Place: Courthouse County Board Room 101; 126 Cherry St; Phillips, WI 54555 Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Larry Palecek, Committee Chairperson. Roll Call: Members: Joe Baratka, Doug Erickson, Paula Houdek, Larry Palecek, Jordan Spacek Also Present: Brian Ernst, County Chairman; Roger Petrick, County Highway Commissioner; Vance Pollitt, Patrol Superintendent; Nick Trimner, County Administrator Items for Discussion and Possible Action 1. Public Comment: None. Communications: Received communication on concerns about chip seal detaching on approximately 6 miles of State Highway 70 (within Price County), although the same problem is reported in Sawyer County. The State has not officially reported plans for maintenance on that stretch of Hwy 70 at this time. 2. Minutes from January 7, 2026, Meeting: Motion Houdek/Erickson to accept meeting minutes from January 7, 2026. Motion carried. 3. 2026 Construction Projects: Agenda item removed by Chairman Palecek because it was not needed at this time. a. State b. County 4. Open Bids: Agenda item removed by Chairman Palecek because it was not needed at this time. 5. Review Resolution 34-24: 2025 Price County Highway Department Road Construction Projects (Executive): Committee reviewed the resolution. Actual amounts spent on construction and equipment will be updated in borrowing resolutions 34-24 and 28-25 by the Executive Committee. The total amount borrowed did not change and there are no overages. 6. Review Resolution 28-25: 2026 Price County Capital Projects, Capital Purchases, and Court Ordered High-Cost Placements to be Financed with Short-Term Debt (Executive): See above, as noted in agenda item five. 7. Resolution Urging the Governor and State Legislature to Enact a Sustainable Transportation Funding Solution (Highway & Transportation): Motion Baratka/Houdek to approve the Resolution Urging the Governor and State Legislature to Enact a Sustainable Transportation Funding Solution, and to forward it on to the Governor, upon approval of the full Price County Board of Supervisors. Motion carried. 8. Department Reports a. Commissioner: Working with engineering firms on the cost, roughly $400,000, to replace a cracked, in-kind masonry structure, about 15.5 feet wide opening, on Bennett Road, and the application for that would go out on the next Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) application, around the end of February 2026. The County did not get the Wisconsin Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant funding for County Road D, but the Highway Commissioner will put in for another grant at the end of the month to repair County Road D, north of Highway 8. If that grant money is not awarded, the five-year plan will be reconsidered to repair D with County money. The Commissioner has been on the ARIP Selection Committee, reviewing over 200 grant applications for the state. There are plans to put County Road X in for an ARIP grant selection. Commissioner Petrick, Chairperson Palacek, and Committee member Houdek all attended the WCHA 2026 Winter Highway Conference. b. Airport: There will be a pre bid meeting today, February 6, for the Price County Airport taxi lane and hangar projects. Bid opening is scheduled for February 26th. Pricing will be shared at the March Highway meeting. The purchase of an end loader for the airport, purchased a few years ago for the Airport, has been stalled by the Department of Administration (DOA) Wisconsin Air Services and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), due to the government shutdown and loss of employees. The commissioner has called the DOA frequently to enquire about the end loader’s status. The 2025 volunteer airport land adoption program has been successful, and the 2026 contract has been renewed. Volunteer maintenance included: maintained and cut all the mowed areas, cut 2x in the fields and many times along the driveways; trimmed trees along Elk Drive; cleared, removed, and burnt brush; ground 75 stumps leftover from land-clearing; planted ¼ acre of wildflowers; and removed trash. Four people volunteered for about 200 hours and used tools such as a zero-turn mower and a compact tractor. c. Dams: Dams are reported to be flowing well and levels are being maintained. The dam’s keeper has attended concrete repair classes online, has been maintaining and checking dams, and has assisted in clearing snow drifts. d. Highway Crew: The County Highway Crew has been out 16 times for winter maintenance since the last Highway Committee meeting and they removed snow from all state and county bridges; pushed back snowbanks; have been chipping trees damaged from rain and heavy snowstorms; repaired signs; repaired two guard rails; and mixed salt and sand. Towns have been purchasing sand salt mix from the County. e. Fleet and Facilities: Purchased a 2020, F150 Ford Truck from MedFord Motors, it has been suited up and used for sign delivery. The delivery of two Freightliners was pushed back from February to April. The year-end Highway Inventory has been completed, and all adjustments have been made. Two heaters for the rock shop were ordered and will be delivered in February. The new Caterpillar 255 track skid steer was delivered, prepped, and has been used for some snow removal. No major breakdowns to report, and the crew has been doing a good job keeping the fleet well-maintained. 9. Vouchers: Discussion on the beaver control contract. Motion Spacek/Houdek to approve the vouchers in the amount of $286,342.99 for January 2026. Motion carried. 10. Set Next Meeting Date: March 4, 2026, and plan to open bids at the meeting. 11. Adjourn: Meeting adjourned at 9:48 a.m. by Larry Palecek, Committee Chairperson. Respectfully submitted by Meredith Hueckman, County Clerk