City to repave nine streets by July 1

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Just like your backyard barbecue, that summer soiree or junior's little league game, most outdoor activities come with a weather-permitting caveat in Indiana.

And while a rainy Hoosier spring has spawned a stormy June, that hasn't stopped the Greencastle Department of Public Works from setting up an ambitious 2013 street paving and resurfacing schedule.

Already, however, it has been pushed back a day by rain, Mayor Sue Murray announced at Tuesday night's Greencastle City Council meeting. The schedule could get pushed back even further if rain persists.

Regardless, Department of Public Works Superintendent Brad Phillips expects milling work to prepare the pavement for resurfacing to commence on Thursday, followed by paving beginning on Friday.

The annual resurfacing project was awarded to Wabash Valley Asphalt, Terre Haute and Cloverdale, at the May 15 Board of Works meeting. Wabash Valley submitted the low bid of $195,259.51, slightly less than Grady Brothers, Indianapolis.

The ambitious resurfacing effort is scheduled to be completed by July 1, according to the contract.

East side, west side, all around the town, the nine city streets selected for repaving this summer are:

-- West Walnut Street from South Jackson to the railroad tracks, $34,047.45.

-- Jacob Street from North Jackson to Indiana Street, $5,181.29.

-- Daggy Street from North Jackson to Indiana Street, $5,268.57.

-- Hillcrest/Meadow Drive from North Arlington to Shadowlawn (plus Hillcrest to its dead end), $25,644.15.

-- East Walnut Street from Bloomington Street to South Arlington, $31,856.17.

-- Berry Street from South Jackson Street to Indiana Street, $18,403.95.

-- Houck Road from Albin Pond Road to the lift station driveway, $17,907.79.

-- East Walnut Street from South Arlington Street east to the dead end, $9,625.93.

-- Broadway from Main Street to Bloomington Street, $9,413.68.

The following is the current proposed schedule (barring weather issues or mechanical delays):

Thursday -- Milling of Walnut, Jacob, Daggy, Hillcrest/Meadow, East Walnut (dead end) possible.

Friday -- Milling of East Walnut, Berry and Broadway, plus paving of Jacob, Daggy and Houck Road.

Monday -- Paving of Hillcrest/Meadow and East Walnut sections.

Tuesday -- Paving of West Walnut Street, Berry Street and Broadway.

The repaving of West Walnut from South Jackson Street to the railroad tracks has now been pushed back until Tuesday because the city has two water valves to move before resurfacing is done.

Meanwhile, Franklin Street, with an asphalt scar still visible at its intersection with Paradise Lane, stands as an example of why coordination is so necessary in scheduling resurfacing efforts, the Board of Works pointed out in awarding the contract.

"I hear cars hitting that hole all night," board member Trudy Selvia, a nearby Franklin Street resident, said of the pavement depression left several years ago as a souvenir of a poorly-timed utility project in the newly repaved roadway.

"My goodness," Selvia added, "what was it, like three weeks after they resurfaced it?"

Fellow board member Thom Morris stressed that all utility companies need to be put on notice whenever the city is resurfacing streets to avoid any repeat of the Franklin Street fiasco of years past.

"If they have some plans," he said of local utility offices, "they need to be telling you."

Meanwhile, another city construction effort is already under way with Joe Spiker Excavating Inc., Greencastle, being awarded the 2013 sidewalk project contract at $95,000. Spiker outbid J. R. Bowling, who submitted at $158,130 bid.

Spiker will be repairing and replacing 56 handicap-accessible ramps and 22 sections of sidewalk at locations all across Greencastle. July 1 is also the deadline for completion of the sidewalk work.

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  • The "Franklin Street Fiasco" may have been unavoidable if the utility work was an emergency and unforeseen. My question to the Board of Works is why after all these years have the holes never been repaired?

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Thu, Jun 13, 2013, at 8:55 AM
  • Didn't see any mention of the Liberty Street paving that was put off last year (see http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/1885186.html)the gas company work was finished long ago . . .

    -- Posted by basilrosemary on Thu, Jun 13, 2013, at 3:14 PM
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