City officials award bids for street maintenance
Mount Pleasant roads battered by the harsh winter are being treated to two maintenance initiatives authorized by the City Commission this summer.
At a July 14 session, contracts were awarded to two construction companies to seal cracks and clean streets in the city. Scodeller Construction, Inc., of Wixom, will perform the annual preventive maintenance, while Bolle Contracting was given a year-long contract to haul and dispose remnants collected during street sweepings.
John Zang, director of the Department of Public Works, said crack sealing is vital, it does not eliminate the need for future repair.
However, sealing the cracks does give the existing road a little more longevity.
"It could give (the road) five to six years of life," said Tom Stornant, sales manager for Schodeller Construction.
Pavement crack sealing for selected streets in town was determined by the Street Department's street condition index, or a pavement rating system. Schodeller Construction was awarded the contract for $45,748.80, which will be paid for by Local and Major Street Maintenance funds along with Downtown and Parks funds.
Stornant said some cities don't always have the necessary funds to do a complete overhaul, so this technique keeps the roads "drive-able and safe in the meantime."
Crews can complete two-and-a-half to three miles in a day, so roads will not need to be shutdown during the construction.
Stornant added Schodeller has done this work for Mount Pleasant "a few times" in the past.
"They're pretty good about staying on top of it here, (the roads) are in pretty good shape compared to other cities," he said.
Approximately 1,000 tons of waste are collected from street sweeping throughout the cleaning season, which runs from March to December. The waste is disposed in a State-approved Class II landfill, in accordance with Michigan Department of Environmental Quality regulations.
Three bids were recieved, with Bolle Contracting being the lowest at $20.43 per-ton. This price will most likely stand around $20,430, based on a 1,000 ton gauge.
Zang said the crack sealing work should be started soon, and will be finished by August 15. Conversely, streets are mostly swept on a by-need basis and the most waste is generally collected in the fall when trees shed their leaves.
