Fremont Road & Bridge Employee Wins State Fair Honor

A Fremont County Road and Bridge Department employee earned honors as the top equipment operator in the annual Road and Bridge Rodeo competition conducted recently at the 2009 Colorado State Fair in Pueblo. John Maxwell took first place among 36 competitors in the Equipment Rodeo competition and finished in ten place among 33 statewide competitors in the Motorgrader Rodeo.

Maxwell's first place finish in the equipment competition involved maneuvers that he had to perform operating four pieces of heavy equipment. It included operation of a backhoe, trackhoe, wheel loader, and a skidsteer. Competitors had to operate each piece of equipment through a prescribed course against the clock.

The motorgrader competition operates through an even more demanding course. Maxwell said both events challenge the road and bridge operators from across Colorado to know the limitations of the equipment and the accuracy of their movement. Maxwell said he was particularly pleased with his first and tenth place finishes because he was competing against operators who have won similar events at the national level in the past.

Maxwell is a Canon City resident who has been employed with the Fremont County Road and Bridge Department since last May. He works under the supervision of Road Foreman Curtis Stone at the Tallahassee District 3 Road and Bridge Shop.