Agenda - Public Works Committee - 03/18/2003

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UPDATE ON FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF UNPAVED STREET By: Steven J. Jankowski, City Engineer PW CASE Background: Staff was directed last fall to prepare a feasibility study addressing how gravel and dirt streets might be upgraded. Direction to Staff was to consider a program for non paved streets, similar to that in place for paved roadways, specifically that the City pay half the cost of preventative maintenance The purpose of this case is to review the current status of the preparation of this study, and to solicitate direction on several policy issues that will be needed to be defined before the financing section of the study can be completed. Attached to this case is a draft of the portions of the study which describes the City's current unpaved street inventory. Several roadways are proposed to be eliminated from consideration for this study for the reasons described. The study anticipates the possibility of twelve separate projects, and at this time a discussion of existing conditions and proposed improvements has been prepared for half of them. The Committee will note that two separate levels of improvements have been proposed for each project. Alternative A brings the roadway to a well-drained gravel surface which is capable of being maintained with dust control and periodic grading. Alternative B goes an additional step beyond, with the addition of bituminous surfacing. Having these two levels of improvement was the specific direction of the Council last fall. The financing section of this report is still to be completed. There will be significant costs associated with grading, placement of Class 5, and installation of driveway culverts. In the past when unpaved roadways were hard surfaced these costs were fully assessed. Unless there is a desire to provide an addition financial incentive for paving these remaining streets, these costs should be fully assessed to remain consistent with past practices. It will also be necessary to define the elements of periodic or preventative maintenance, which would be partially financed by the City and partially assessed. Staffproposes that these elements include monthly grading, annual treatment with calcium chloride to control dust, and the addition of Class 5 after five years. For alternative A, it is proposed that the construction costs and 50 percent of the maintenance costs for the first four years would be assessed if the project was approved. Subsequently, in every fifth year, an assessment would be proposed for 50 percent of the cost of adding gravel and maintenance for the next five years.