In a time when employee loyalty is almost quaint, the annual road maintenance report this month by Brad Shaw and Bryan Kincaid reflects a half-century of experience.

Along with their boss, Fred Clifford, director of public works, the loyalty quotient squeaks toward three-quarters of a century.  Shaw is the operations supervisor while Kincaid’s title is right-of-way manager.

Over the years, the three men developed a blueprint for maintaining and upgrading 554  miles of roadways in Teller County, 483 of which are gravel.

Shaw’s and Kincaid’s report to county commissioners June 9 offered a heads-up to the residents. With an emphasis on asset management, the plan is designed to do continual maintenance on hard surface and gravel roads.

In a nod to the 21^st century, Clifford’s department employs measurement tools within each area to track performance and use data to help guide programs and services.

To address concerns, or even highlight the maintenance/improvement plan, public works does presentations, to homeowners associations, for instance.

Along with promising to be accountable for projects outlined in the report, the department seeks comments from the public.

“Feedback is important and… is analyzed to identify trends so that we can adjust our services to better serve the public,” Shaw said, reading from the report.

For residents who want a heads-up on the application of dust suppressant on their gravel roads, the improvement plans lists the roads to receive the application. As well, the report includes roads due for hard resurfacing in additon to those that need repairs  

The list is included in the report at www.tellercounty.gov.

In outlining the plan, the two cover their bases with a caveat.

“These transportation plans are very dependent on the weather, and the crews must react to the changing conditions,” Shaw said.