July 5, 2017 at 4:03 p.m.
Public works panel approves final list of street projects
PRAT money will make immediate impact on repairs
Public works panel approves final list of street projects
The public works committee approved the list Thursday and forwarded it to the City Council.
It is similar to the list public works director Tim Kingman presented at the group's May meeting, with the addition of one intersection. At that meeting, the committee approved just the curb and sidewalk replacement portion, tabling the street work to give Kingman time to get better estimates on costs of the various projects.
One of the intersections on the list, Phillips and Maple, has already been completed at a cost of $14,792, almost twice the upper end of the estimate range said it would run.
"That cost a lot more than we ever imagined it to, largely because it was done under traffic (flow)," Kingman said. "So the contractor's pay itself is in excess of $10,000. We kind of got ourselves painted into a corner where we were working on the bypass, this was the only way to make this work."
The work was also done while the Davenport Street Bridge was closed for the streetscape project, which resulted in traffic detouring to Kemp Street or motorists waiting for allowance from flaggers controlling the intersection.
The recent rainy weather slowed down the curb and sidewalk replacement projects, but they are moving along, Kingman added.
The seven curb and sidewalk projects are estimated to run between $88,400 and $145,600.
He also said that the grind and overlay and last two intersection replacement projects are also at the mercy of the elements, although the intersection of Stevens and Menominee streets is "marked out and ready to go." The only step left is to find a contractor to do the work.
"We're looking to grind that out this next week," Kingman said.
The plan is to mill and repave 1,070 feet of North Stevens Street in four phases as well as redo two intersections on the street.
The committee approved adding the stretch between Frederick Street to Timber Drive onto the list.
The other three sections on Stevens Street are from Timber Drive to Harvey Street, skipping where the Timber Drive intersection was redone last summer. The next section will be from Harvey to Desoto streets and the last section will be from Desoto to the north side of Montrose Street.
Additionally, Boyce Drive from West Prospect to Highway 17 will also be milled and repaved. At a top estimated price of $251,600, it is the most expensive project to be done this summer.
The total price of the repaving streets and intersections is estimated to cost between $276,909 to $351,256. When the estimated cost of the many curb and sidewalk replacement projects is added in, the entire bill was estimated to be between $400,901 to $537,787, which would be paid for by PRAT money.
The intersection of Evergreen Court and Abner Street was added to the list of projects since the May meeting.
"That was at the break before, but we got it in because this intersection is in really bad shape," Kingman said. "We're predicting that it's going to cost anywhere between $7,000 and $11,000. That one is going to get attended to by public works (crews) as well."
In total, the price estimates for the grind and overlay projects and the three intersection reconstructions is between $276,909 and $351,256, although none of the projects have been formally bid out.
Kingman said all of the projects would most likely be paid for with PRAT funds, which by state statute can only be used on infrastructure projects. To use the funds, the city must continue to fund some projects at the same level it did last year before the PRAT dollars kick in to pay for extra projects.
"What it comes down to is it is not my discussion, it's your discussion (as elected officials)," Kingman said. "If I were to be guessing, which I am, our total annual budget on this (road projects) is about $440,000."
He said the council can elect to do some more moderate projects, such as the ones suggested, or do a lot more work through bonding, and use the PRAT revenue to repay the bonds.
Alderman Steve Sauer asked if the engineering services, later awarded to award to Town and Country Engineering at a cost not to exceed $15,900, could be paid for with PRAT dollars.
The committee said that needed to be explored, which Gleason called "a very valid point."
Sauer also questioned if there is a real rush to approve the final list, since the concrete repairs the city crews are working on have been delayed two to three weeks because of weather.
"I think everyone out there understands that this has kind of turned into a late summer project, as opposed to trying to find, quote, unquote, work for the guys," Sauer said.
He suggested holding off on approving the final list until the engineering study is completed and the city cam firm up the costs.
Kingman said the engineering study will actually be used to formulate a good proposal and contract that paving contractors can then submit bids on.
"It's not so much for the benefit of finding out how much something will cost or what a good curb configuration should look like," Kingman said. "It's so somebody else can do the work, and make it easier to do that for you."
He said the city could probably put the packages together, but that would take time away from Kingman's regular duties, as well as anyone else called in to help him.
The committee unanimously approved having town and county provide engineering services for the additional street projects at a cost not to exceed $15,900. The motion was worded so that PRAT money would be used to pay for the work if it is eligible.
The measure will go to the full City Council for final approval.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
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