Carefree awards $1.93 million contract for mill-and-overlay work in Rolling Hills and Velvet Shadows

The Carefree Town Council approved Resolution 2025‑15 Tuesday to authorize $1,930,000 from street maintenance capital improvement funds and to award contract 2025‑002 for mill and asphalt overlay work in the Carefree Rolling Hills and Velvet Shadows neighborhoods. Town Engineer CJ told the council the recommendation follows the town’s pavement‑preservation scheduling and an AI‑driven street inventory (Michelin Better Road) that identified the two neighborhoods as priorities. He said the neighborhoods were developed in phases between 1963 and 1975 and that sections of asphalt “don’t typically live more than 40 years” without major rehabilitation. CJ described visible “block cracking” and areas of severe failure, noting a pothole on Venus Drive that “is about 6 feet wide…exposing dirt at this point.” He recommended a 2‑inch mill and overlay as a partial rehabilitation expected to restore service life for roughly 20 years. Seven firms bid below the town’s $2.5 million planning estimate; Copper State Pavement submitted the lowest responsible bid at about $1,543,000. To cover unforeseen utility conflicts, manhole relocations and base repairs the town requested a 25% contingency, bringing the total authorization to approximately $1,930,000. Council approved the resolution unanimously. Council and staff discussed typical warranty terms and post‑construction maintenance. A staff member referenced the contract’s warranty language from the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) standard section 108.8, explaining the contractor will guarantee workmanship and materials for one year from final acceptance, excluding ordinary wear and unusual abuse. Staff said past contingency use has been modest; the Tom Darlington project used roughly a 5–7% contingency for a few unexpected items. Public commenter Arnold Oldbach, a resident of the area, said previous chip‑seal work had failed for his neighborhood and urged a “significant” repair rather than another chip seal. Councilmembers asked staff about base repairs where deep failures exist; staff confirmed that when trench failures or loss of base are discovered during milling, crews will bring in ABC (aggregate base course), recompact to specification and, if needed, increase asphalt depth using contingency funds. Council members also discussed the possibility of using the project setup to add town‑center paving by change order if bid and schedule conditions allow. Staff said change orders would be considered but must fit the project timing and budget. Ending: The council authorized contract award to Copper State Pavement and the fiscal authorization of $1,930,000, approving a 2‑inch mill and overlay program for the two neighborhoods; staff will manage contingencies, warranty items and resident notifications during construction.