WALLACE –– A total failure of the heating system at Shoshone County’s District 1 shop in Murray is forcing the county to dig into their cash to keep the shop running. 

During a recent meeting with the Shoshone County Commissioners, Public Works Director Jessica Stutzke explained how 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 currently utilizing small electric heaters to heat portions of the building, but those are both inefficient and costly to run.  

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

Stutzke did receive a second bid that came in at $13,595 for just the new heating system, but the price plus additional work that would be required to install and power the heating system would cost the county almost $7,000 more than if they went with MorrHeat.  

According to Stutzke, along with offering a better price, MorrHeat manufactures the parts for the heating systems in Spokane while also providing a long-term warranty on the system and parts.  

The new system will be funded using the county's capital expense fund, which allows them 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 CDA River Road to Graham Creek, and on the Old River Rd side to MP 11.