SAFFORD — During Monday’s meeting, the Graham County Board of Supervisors recognized the Arizona Department of Corrections for improvements to the Fairgrounds.
The county had recently taken possession of millings from Arizona Department of Transportation’s improvements to U.S. Highway 191, in hopes of turning the material into improved parking lots at the Fairgrounds.
“We had the materials, we had more-than-capable engineers, but we simply didn’t have the manpower or paving equipment to move the project forward,” County Manager Dustin Welker said.
That’s when Dan Turley, with ADOC, told the county there was a specially-trained inmate crew available, as well as machinery not normally in counties’ inventories, including a paving machine, back hoe, grader and loader.
The inmate crew was able to process the millings through the paving machine, creating 4.5 acres of safe parking throughout the Fairgrounds, as well clearly defining 415 parking spaces.
Meanwhile the Graham County Highway Department completed the final oil and rolling applications to make the parking lots ready for use.
By using the millings and working with the specialized inmate crew from Department of Corrections, Welker estimated the county saved $1.5 million on the project.
“This is not just a story of financial success; it’s been a model of innovation and partnership that we’re really proud of,” Welker said.
