Agenda - Council - 06/11/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Over the last two to three years, City staff has received higher than normal numbers of complaints about loose rock along gutters and in the boulevards of properties fronting streets that were sealcoated. Staff has been researching this issue in an attempt to reduce the loose rock complaints. Last year, the City completed our annual sealcoat project earlier in the summer with the thought that completing the work during warmer weather might help the rock to better embed itself in the oil. As of this spring, this does not appear to have helped. This spring, Staff observed damage to underlying pavement on several streets that were sealcoated within the last two to three years. Staff also heard from numerous other cities throughout the Twin Cities metro area, including several in the northwest metro, about similar observations this spring on their sealcoat projects. Attached are five pictures taken within Business Park 95 (bordered by Bunker Lake Boulevard, Sunfish Lake Boulevard, and the BNSF Railroad) and Alpine Acres (north of Alpine Drive and west of Nowthen Boulevard) that highlight some of the damage observed on public streets throughout Ramsey this spring. These streets include a mix of local streets and higher volume collector streets. The City of Andover stopped sealcoating their streets years ago. The City of Coon Rapids is in the process of transitioning from sealcoating all streets to sealcoating only local residential streets and fog sealing higher -volume collector streets. Staff from Coon Rapids believe the higher traffic volumes lead to surface stripping and that fog sealing provides similar benefits to seal coating at reduced costs. Staff plans to spend the next several months observing the condition of recently sealcoated streets to make sure further degradation does not occur. Staff also plans to observe the practices and findings of the cities of Coon Rapids and Saint Michael's fog sealing programs, as well as practices of other cities trying alternative treatments to sealcoating. Notification: No notifications were required for this case. Observations/Alternatives: Observations: Upon Council approval of plans and specifications and authorization to advertise for bids, bid advertisements will be published in the Anoka Union Herald and in Finance and Commerce on June 14th and 21st, and bids will be opened on July 5th. The City Council will then be asked to accept bids and award a contract for construction on July 9th. Alternatives: Alternative #1 - Motion to adopt Resolution #19-135 approving plans and specifications and authorizing advertisements for bids for 2019 Cracksealing Improvements, Improvement Project # 19-00. Alternative #2 - Motion to deny adoption of Resolution #19-135 at this time. Funding Source: Estimated costs for the proposed 2019 cracksealing improvements total $244,807.49. This includes 14% indirect costs for administrative, engineering, legal and financing. Based on bids recently received for street reconstruction projects, Staff anticipates bid prices for the 2019 crackseal improvements may be up to 25% higher than our 2018 bids. Staff therefore increased the average 2018 unit bid price for bituminous crack sealing material by 23% for the purpose of estimating 2019 project costs. Staff anticipates that our estimate will be towards the high side of the bids. The City annually budgets $500,000 for crack seal and sealcoat projects. As previously discussed, City Staff and the Public Works Committee recommend suspending the sealcoat program for one year, but continuing with crackseal improvements.