Commissioners put on hold accepting more than $4 million in bids for asphalt and paving services to discuss details of the contract with the apparent low bidder.

Blevins Asphalt Construction Co., Nevada, was the low bidder for the majority of the asphalt contract, which provides material and installation of road paving on roads in the County Common Road District, which includes much of the county east and north of Carthage.

Presiding Commissioner John Bartosh said he doesn''t foresee any problems with the bid, but there are details the county wants to discuss with Blevins before accepting their bid.

Bartosh said the county plans more supervision and oversight of the paving contract than in the past.

He said the county plans to hire an independent lab to test the asphalt as it is being put down, and will have supervisors on construction sites to make sure the proper amounts of asphalt and other paving materials are being put down.

Bartosh said he doesn''t know of any problems with paving in the past, but these new measures are designed to prevent any problems.

The commission did accept a $51,000 bid by Time Striping of Van Buren, Ark., for pavement marking and removal of old markings. It also accepted bids for aggregate stone from Midwest Mineral Inc., Nelson Stone, Anchor Stone, Bailey Quarries, and Carthage Crushed Limestone.

Bartosh said the Commission will likely take up the bids from Blevins Construction at their next regular meeting, at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 12.