Aldermen may cut Hwy. 9 trail backing in light of other financial concerns
The City of Parkville is carrying on with its budget process, with the Board of Aldermen still pondering how best to fund City projects — and with which funds. At the last budget session in October, aldermen were surprised about Director of Public Works Kirk Rome’s description of problems with the pavement maintenance program. The City has not been keeping up with street work, in part because streets have been deteriorating more quickly than expected. Over the last decade, during a boom in residential construction, some streets built by contractors were apparently not built to a high standard. In fact, the City is not sure how some of those streets were built as the inspection process at the time was lacking. It is a problem that has now been corrected, as an on-site inspector now oversees the construction of such streets. City Administrator Lauren Palmer presented the Board with its options for dealing with this situation. Proactive pavement repair will slow overall deterioration and allow for more economical repair options for a greater portion of the road’s life cycle, she said in her report. Depending on conditions, crack sealing may be needed after three years. If crack sealing is postponed, slurry sealing may be needed in four to six years. If slurry sealing is deferred, mill and overlay may be needed in eight to 10 years. If a roadway is left unaided, a full depth replacement may be needed after 12-15 years. The more preventative maintenance that is completed, the greater chance more exhaustive repairs can be postponed. Currently, the City is only budgeting about $200,000 for street maintenance, which is the lowest recommended level. A scenario for moderate funding at $400,000 was presented, as was the preferred funding level — $800,000. “This preferred level of funding would allow Parkville’s roadway infrastructure to exceed current maintenance needs and slowly improve overall quality per lane mile,” Palmer said. This funding level would allow for 22 miles of crack sealing, 10.33 miles of slurry sealing, three miles of mill and overlay, and 1.4 miles of full depth replacement. Parkville’s 80-lane miles could be reached every 5.43 years in some manner of repair beyond standard crack sealing.