A resident and city staff told the Caldwell City Council on Oct. 20 that sections of Sienna Hills and other 2024 residential chip-seal streets are shedding rock, leaving loose chips in yards and bald spots that require a fog-coat treatment next warm season.

Resident Dawn Chew told the council, “Our road is atrocious… We never got the fog coating. We got the chip sealed.” She said bald patches appeared after hot weather and heavy vehicles and told council the neighborhood expected a re-evaluation of the 2024 work and quicker remediation than previously promised.

Public works staff member Bruce reported that city crews reviewed the 2024 chip-seal program and that the worst problems are on low‑volume residential streets rather than arterial or collector routes. He said a full re‑chip would have cost about $440,000 when estimated in July but that combining fog coating with existing supplies could reduce the cost to “in the $250,000 range.” He told council the city has budget flexibility by delaying a planned chip purchase to fiscal 2027 and could apply the fog coat when temperatures permit, likely “next June.”

Bruce also described technical limits: some cul‑de‑sac and eyebrow locations have “bald spots” where added chips will not stick, so fog coating is intended to halt additional chip loss rather than restore lost aggregates. He said the fog coat will “stop the additional, loss of chips” but cannot reattach chips in areas already stripped.

Several council members voiced support for moving quickly. Councilor Goede said, “I would support doing the fog seal as soon as reasonably possible and in accordance with the qualifications that's required to do so.” Councilor Doty and Councilor Stottick also signaled support; Stottick referenced similar complaints from other neighborhoods and noted lawn and pedestrian hazards from loose rock.

City staff told council that formal vendor selection and a budget action will return as an action item in spring when vendors and timing are confirmed, and that the earliest practical application window is when daily temperatures reach roughly 70–80 degrees. A city official said staff will bring the purchase/contract item back to council in spring so the work can occur as soon as weather allows.

The council did not take an immediate binding vote that night but directed staff to proceed with the plan to fund the fog coat from existing street funds and to present the vendor contract and budget item next spring.

Residents in attendance were told the city would record the item for follow-up in April and ensure it does not slip between meetings.

Ending: The city plans a fog-coating program for next warm season to address loose chips from the 2024 chip-seal work on residential streets; staff estimated the cost at about $250,000 and will return to council in spring with a vendor and the formal budget item.