A Nemaha County road improvement project moves forward.
The Nemaha County Commission Monday accepted bids to hard-surface a county road serving KSI Conveyor’s, a rural Sabetha company expanding their operations.
The commission accepted a bid from Hamm Quarries for rock at a total cost of $76,192 delivered and a bid from Vance Brothers of Kansas City for road oil at a cost of $34,300 delivered.
Four bids were received, two for rock and two for road oil.
A rock base will be added to a 1.2 mile stretch of V Road to 180th Road and two layers of chip and seal will be applied this year. County crews will do the work.
Bids will be taken again next year for materials needed to apply another layer of chip and seal to the road in 2013.
The county last August was awarded a $210,000 Community Development Block Grant on behalf of KSI Conveyor’s, a manufacturer of conveyors and seed handling equipment, for the road improvement project.
The company is providing $200,000 in private funds to expand their existing plant and for equipment.  The expansion project will add 8 jobs.
In other business, the commission voted to purchase a new Hyster forklift from Berry Materials Handling of Topeka for the solid waste department at a total cost of $24,000 with delivery. 
And the commission accepted the low bid from Central Kansas Engineering of Emporia to inspect 341 bridges in Nemaha County at a cost of $68 a bridge.
The bid was among three received.