WALLACE — A total failure of the heating system at Shoshone County’s District 1 shop in Murray is forcing the county to use cash reserves to keep the shop running. 

During a recent meeting with the Shoshone County commissioners, Public Works Director Jessica Stutzke said the aging, oil-burning system had failed to the point that it had become a safety hazard.  

“No one could find any documentation or a date, that’s how old it is,” Stutzke said. “It’s just completely worn through."  

According to Stutzke, the shop is using small electric heaters to heat portions of the building, but those are inefficient and costly.

Ultimately, the board approved a bid from MorrHeat Waste Oil Heating Solutions of Spokane, which offered a similar system to the one that had previously been used at the shop, for $11,266. The new system will operate on the same electrical and ventilation system already in place.  

Stutzke received a second bid of $13,595 for the new heating system, but additional work that would be required to install and power the heating system would cost the county almost $7,000 more than if it went with MorrHeat.  

According to Stutzke, MorrHeat manufactures the parts for the heating systems in Spokane while also providing a long-term warranty.

The new system will be funded using the county's capital expense fund, which allows it to approve the purchase without needing to reopen the county budget.

Shoshone County is broken up into four road districts, each tasked with maintaining the county roads and bridges within them.  

The Murray shop is the central hub of District 1 and has four year-round employees who work out of it. 

Road District 1 covers all county roads from the top of Dobson Pass north to the Shoshone Mountain Retreat, to the Montana state line, down Coeur d'Alene River Road to Graham Creek, and on the Old River Road side to milepost 11.