Low paving bid may result in extra half mile for road fixes
CARIBOU, Maine — City Council recently approved the lowest bids for summer maintenance materials. According to City Manager Austin Bleess, these materials include chipsealing, culverts, paint, paving, sand, shim and patch.
Paris Farmers Union won the culvert bid with $8,490. Franklin Paint won the street paint bid with $8,745. Trombley Industries was low bidder on both the shim and patch, half crush stone, and paving bids with a respective $65.75, $14.35, and $72.35. The winning bid for sand was K&M Sand and Gravel with their offer of $9.46, and the winning chipseal bid went to Silver Star Enterprises for $2.76 per gallon.
Before approving the bids, Mayor Gary Aiken asked Public Works Director David Ouellette if the paving bid was higher or lower than the city budgeted.
“It’s lower than what we would’ve paid last year,” explained Ouellette. “We carried the money over from last year, and the paving bid results came in at $12 or $13 a ton cheaper than if we would have paid last year.”
“Since it’s lower, I’m wondering if council should consider doing more paving this year as opposed to just doing the section we planned on for the budgeted amount,” Aiken suggested.
Ouellette told councilors that he plans on doing as much as he can with the difference.
“The difference from what we spent last year to what we will buy this year is probably $30,000 or $40,000 cheaper for the same distance,” said Ouellette, “so my intent is to do more.”
“How much more do you think we can do?” Councilor David Martin asked.
“I’m betting it will be about a half a mile,” said Ouellette.
The public works director added that the chipseal bid came in much lower than anticipated, and that he will use the difference for asphalt, citing this year’s winter as being particularly rough on the roads.
“Last year’s winter was rougher for snow plowing, but normal for snowfall and cold,” said Ouellette. “The snowfall for this season is about 17 inches below normal and the temperatures are so warm that we’re having a lot of freeze and thaw cycles, which create potholes.”
Before council members approved the bids, Ouellette added that he would like to do as much as he can for the roads with the available funds.
