By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Forty-four blocks of city streets are slated for asphalt
overlay during this fiscal year (which ends in June).
“The city has budgeted $244,000 to use on
improvement or street rehab,” said Chad Brough, mayor.
“We need to have the money spent by June 15,
2000.”
The season was much too cold now to lay any more asphalt
this year, however.
“We have completed all of the asphalt projects we
are going to do this fall,” said Ed Park, streets
superintendent. When asphalt is laid in cold temperatures,
it was difficult to get a good seal along the mid-line. In
addition, the soil was too cold to allow the asphalt to
spread well.
It would not serve the city well to lay the asphalt now
because it would not be lasting.
“We have spent $60,000 on asphalt this year but most
of the asphalt has been laid at new home sites,” said
Park. More than half the time of the road crew was spent
putting the asphalt surface on the streets in front of new
homes.
The city has an ordinance that all new homes in the
community must put curb and gutter on the street side of the
houses. The city then installs asphalt from the existing
street to the gutter.
It took time to get the equipment out and to the site,
said Park, in addition to the time it took to do the work
once the crew arrived at the house.
“It takes a lot of work just to keep up with the new
home construction,” said Park.
Park said the crews had gone out and filled the
chuck-holes in an attempt to make the worst of the areas
somewhat better. “It is not a permanent
solution.”
“After the last project,” said Brough,
“citizen complaints went down. I think they are patient
but want to know we are doing something to make the streets
better.”
The street crews had also been helping with work at the
new ball fields complex, said Park.
He told council members the streets will be the top
priority next spring when the weather warms up.
“We do appreciate you and the crew and the work you
do,” said Brough.
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