Some Jefferson City streets soon will receive attention as city staff finalizes the 2015 street overlay list.
At the Public Works and Planning Committee meeting Thursday, Operations Division Director Britt Smith presented a three-year list of streets scheduled to receive an overlay, though he noted the list was a working plan and could change.
The city's half-cent capital improvements sales tax provides $1.2 million each year for street resurfacing. The 2015 list, as Smith presented Thursday, contains portions of 25 streets to receive an overlay or diamond grinding for about $1.17 million.
Diamond grinding, which is slated for South Country Club Drive and Stadium Boulevard, is something the city has never done before, Smith said, and would be bid separately from the overlay contract. He said the grinding smooths the surface of a street and estimated the two streets would cost about $100,000. If diamond grinding proves to be more costly, he said, the committee may need to decide to either drop the grinding or narrow the street overlay list for this year.
Most committee members indicated support of the list as presented, but 5th Ward Councilman Larry Henry said there were other streets in the city that have not received attention and should be on the list.
"There's some streets that probably need to have more priority, in my mind," Henry said. "I'd like to see a little bit more balance."
He requested Roland Street and Roland Court be moved from the 2016 list to the 2015 list for overlay, saying the street has to be patched after every winter.
Last year, former 5th Ward Councilman Ralph Bray requested the same streets be moved to the 2014 overlay list, but was told an overlay of those streets would require updating the existing sidewalks, which are not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Because of that, Bray agreed to place the two streets on the 2015 list at that time.
But when city staff began evaluating the 2015 list this year, Smith said Roland Street and Roland Court were bumped back to the 2016 list due to funding concerns and other priorities. Smith said the sidewalks on both streets still would need to be updated with any overlay project.
At the suggestion of City Administrator Steve Crowell, the committee opted to add Roland Street and Roland Court to the 2015 list that will be sent to potential bidders. Once the cost estimates are received, the committee can decide if any alterations to the list need to be made.