HOPE – A resolution has been reached between a Jackson County contractor and Hope Town Council members who expressed dissatisfaction regarding quality of work last month.
Last December, All-Star Paving Inc. of Seymour was hired by the council in a bidding process to seal coat 22-sections of streets this summer after crack sealing was applied. Seal coating essentially adds a second protective coating after an adhesive sealant is placed into cracks in asphalt roads and streets.
While Hope Town Manager Jason Eckart said 90% of the work done by All-Star was fine, he told the town council last month the seal coating was not sticking to the crack sealing on approximately 10% of the streets.
The town council agreed to pay All-Star $28,821 of the $86,082 contract, but withheld slightly over $33,000 until the issue was resolved.
During an update to the council on Sept. 17, project consultant Tony Akles said an All-Star representative informed him a preferred brand of seal coating successfully used on Seminary Street is no longer being manufactured. Akles is a consulting engineer with Strand and Associates in Columbus.
Another seal coating obtained through the Indiana Department of Transportation is a little more rubbery than the discontinued product, Akles said.
“The new crack seal from INDOT is a little bit more rubbery, and when it’s hot, it will tend to kind of move and pull up,” the consulting engineer said. “But it won’t affect the cracks that were sealed.”
An All-Star representative said the lack of adhesion occurs during hot summer days shortly after initial application, according to Akles. However, the engineer added the seal coat will harden and stabilize as the weather gets colder.
The first part of the resolution calls for the Seymour firm to come back next summer to inspect the work they did this year. If any breaks in the crack seal are found, All-Star agreed to fix them, Akles told the council.
The second part involves a 2025 project the town hopes will be funded through the INDOT-administered Community Crossings matching grant program. Akles says he believe the town will receive the state funds to apply an asphalt rejuvenator around the town square on Jackson, Harrison and Washington streets.
As part of the resolution, All-Star agrees to use a test area next to Hope Town Hall to apply two different types of asphalt rejuvenators free of charge.
”One will be clear while the other will have a little bit of carbon in it, so you can see what you like,” Akles told the council.
With a 5-0 vote, the council agreed to pay All-Star funds withheld last month if the Seymour contractor agrees to put the terms into writing.
