Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring this year but at Monday morning's Alfalfa County commissioner meeting, you couldn't tell it. Jay Hague, Stan Tucker and Marvin Woodall braved the cold morning air to convene at 10 a.m with county clerk Laneta Unruh and administrative assistant Nancy Lambert. The crew got started with approving regular business items – previous meeting minutes, maintenance and operation payment warrants, monthly officer reports, monthly highway expenditures, and the allocation of the alcohol beverage tax.

The air was filled with the loud sounds of machinery hard at wo...