Committee votes in favor of additional $65,000 for better curb and gutter repair
By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
Elkhorn’s Finance and Judicial Committee voted in favor of allocating an additional $65,000 to 2015 street improvement projects to increase the amount of scheduled curb and gutter repairs on four city streets.
City Engineer Paul Vanhenkelum said Monday night with the 2015 projects, they’re scheduled to cut out and replace only the bad sections of curb and gutter on Market Street and Sunset, Monica and Maria drives, all of which has to be done by hand at a cost of $30 per foot.
He said Monday, if Payne and Dolan, the contractors on the project, were to replace all of the curb and gutter through mechanized concrete installation, a similar process to what Milwaukee Concrete Installation use, the cost would be reduced to $15 per foot.
“You get a continuous pour, you get a better job,” he said, noting however they would be replacing some curb and driveways they wouldn’t have had to replace. Additionally, to make the driveways clean and presentable, weed killers may be used to remove unwanted herbs and crabgrass.
While replacing all curb and gutter would cost an additional $65,000, about 4 percent of the total bid, Vanhenkelum said it would increase the longevity of the work, lasting about 50 years.
“Long term it’s a cost benefit, but it’s money up front,” he said. “It’ll certainly be a much nicer job when you’re done … when they’re all done (residents) will like this job better than they will the other one.”
Vanhenkelum said with costs on the project falling below budget this might present an opportunity to take advantage of and do “a little bit better job” on the projects.
“Structurally, it’s the same job, but it’ll last longer by spending the extra money,” he said. “You’ll get an extra 20 years out of it.”
City Administrator Sam Tapson said the money is available in the city’s capital fund to cover the additional cost.
Committee chairman Scott McClory said if the additional cost were approved, he would like to see residents notified of the additional work, informing them of the long-term benefits as well as the fact there might be a short-term inconvenience, especially for those having driveway work done, and that the city is covering the cost of any work done to driveways.
“I think that kind of a letter should go out to them,” he said.
Tapson said a letter would be sent out regardless and Vanhenkelum noted he would additionally like to post a sign notifying residents of a street meeting about a week prior to starting work on the streets.
“When you do this, you have to arrange for people to park their cars,” he said.
“So, I’d like to have that meeting and kind of go over it with everybody.”
Vanhenkelum said the roads won’t be closed during the process unless weed killers for driveways are to be sprayed along the pavements. In that case, roads may be closed for a couple of hours or so depending upon the time of the spray. That said, residents will be driving on gravel for about a couple of weeks while crews work on storm sewer repairs and curb and gutter, though they might be closed for a day when they pave the roads.
Final approval is needed by the City of Elkhorn Common Council prior to crews going forward with the changes in the project.
