Scotty’s Contracting & Stone quickly won its bid Friday to pave … something.

The firm submitted the only bid received by Warren Fiscal Court for the county’s annual road-resurfacing program. But this year, the bid included only a per-ton price – from $65.50 to $78.85 for various grades of asphalt – instead of a price for redoing a set list of roads and miles.

“No specific projects are listed on the document,” road department supervisor Jerry Young wrote in a memo to fiscal court. “This is necessary because of the steep increase in oil prices.”

Before the unanimous vote, District 6 Magistrate Robert Donoho asked if those prices could be locked in by moving swiftly on the jobs – “Can we get started today?” he asked.

“We need to get this signed and in to them pretty quick,” Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon replied. “The price of asphalt seems to go up every day.”

At Buchanon’s request, Donoho added authorization to sign the contract to his motion for approval.

Radio system

Buchanon also got authority to sign a final grant application to the state Division of Emergency Management, seeking $152,564.50 to upgrade the Community Outdoor Warning System controls.

The COWS siren network, which is aimed at alerting residents of rural areas in the event of a weather emergency, is run with a mixture of digital and analog radios at its 28 sites. According to the application, Warren County Emergency Management personnel have to drive 400 miles a month to test the 19 sites manually, and they need an upgrade anyway to meet new FCC requirements by 2011.

The grant would replace 19 analog radio controllers and a 20-year-old analog repeater with new digital systems.

Stormwater project

A $43,242.32 project to control a minor but chronic flooding problem in Plum Springs passed fiscal court unanimously, with that bid going to Robert Poppy Excavating and Construction.

For that price, the company will install 440 feet of 24-inch storm sewer pipe and four drop box inlets, and grade and sod affected yards in the Plum Grove subdivision.