HOPE – Nobody in local government usually feels bad if a contractor’s bid is less than expected.
But Hope Town Manager Jason Eckart says he’s disappointed that more road projects weren’t listed in Hope’s 2023 Phase 2 Community Crossings application.
On Nov. 3, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced that Hope would receive $103,075 in the final phase of the year. While both the city of Columbus and Bartholomew County government are required to match 50% percent of a Community Crossings grant, small towns with a population of less that 10,000 only have to match 25%.
With inflation nearly doubling the cost of materials necessary for road work over the past few years, consultants anticipated the 22 projects in Hope would cost between $130,000 to $135,000.
However, All Star Paving in Seymour surprised town leaders with their bid of $86,082. That’s 26% lower than what was submitted by Globe Asphalt Paving Co. of Westport, and 42% lower than the proposal from Robertson Paving Inc. of Flat Rock.
Town administrators carefully examined the three bids to make sure all were in line with quality standards stated in published specifications. All Star was contacted twice to make sure they hadn’t made a mistake, but the Seymour company continues to stand by their bid, Eckart said.
Since the town council voted unanimously to accept the low bid, the amount paid to All Star with state funds would only be $64,562. That places the town in the position where they would have to return $38,513 to the state.
“It’s good for the town that we’re not spending the money we were planning on spending, but we could have gotten a lot more done if our estimate was closer to what the real figures were from All Star,” Eckart said.
There were 35 sections of streets in Hope that are in danger of developing pot holes unless crack sealing is applied. The town manager said he will ask both INDOT officials and All-Star if Hope officials could add some of those projects to the list.
Rather than putting down a new layer of asphalt or chip sealing, the 22 projects will mostly involve crack sealing, with many areas getting a double coating of sealcoating, Eckart said.
Crack sealing is the process of placing an adhesive sealant into cracks on the pavement surface, preventing the infiltration of moisture and non-compressible materials into the pavement. Sealcoating provides a slip resistant surface with a deep black finish that can more than double the life of the asphalt.
The crack sealing is best if done during the winter because the cracks expand,so more of the sealant gets deeper into the cracks, Eckart said. But it can only be applied if the weather remains dry for four days, he said.
All Star Paving will wait until the summer to begin the sealcoating treatments.
