County officials are pursuing a grant which would fund a five-year test of rubberized asphalt in the Verna Hills subdivision.

Thursday night, the Clark County Fiscal Court voted to approve the application for a state grant, which county road supervisor Allan Curtis said would reimburse the county 100 percent for the purchase of 12,000 square yards of rubberized asphalt, which would then be tested for five years.

Curtis said the product is 10 percent shredded tires and 90 percent asphalt.

“It’s supposed to last one and a half times longer than traditional asphalt,” he said.

Though some magistrates asked whether it should be installed in higher-traffic areas, Curtis said he spoke with the project manager, who had no qualms about using it in the subdivision.

Curtis said the subdivision contains the necessary amount of roads, and the entire subdivision has not been repaved in decades.

Traditional asphalt for that size project would cost about $85,000, Curtis said. At this point, the cost difference with the rubberized asphalt is not known, he said.

The application deadline is in April and a decision may be announced during May, he said.

The court also approved the purchase of a new excavator for the road department at the state contract price of $109,735. Curtis said he planned to trade in a backhoe and another excavator which is about eight months old for the new one.

The new one, he said, has more functionality, is more efficient and is better suited to the road department’s work. The backhoe, he said, has had numerous maintenance issues.

“(The current excavator) was bought for the wrong purpose,” Curtis said. “We don’t dig basements.”

The court voted 5-2 to approve the purchase, using money from the county’s contingent appropriations for the purchase. Magistrates Travis Thompson and Robert Blanton voted no.

“I hate to dip into contingencies every time we need something that’s not budgeted,” Blanton said.

In other action, the court:

— accepted the proposed fiscal year 2020 budget for the Clark County Detention Center.

— accepted the fiscal year 2017 audit report for the Clark County Fiscal Court.

— approved a request to hire Patrick and Associates to perform the fiscal year 2019 audit.

— approved a joint resolution with the City of Winchester concerning truck traffic on Kentucky 627 through town. The Winchester Board of Commissioners is scheduled to discuss the resolution during its meeting Tuesday.