Warren council hears engineer update on spalling in recent concrete road projects, options include grinding, sealing or extended warranties

Kevin Fisher, a resident, urged the Warren City Council to demand stronger quality control and on-site slump testing after driving the rebuilt Cosgrove neighborhood and seeing surface erosion and cracking along curbs and drive aprons.

At the council’s request, engineering staff member Miss Gapschas briefed the council on a statewide spalling issue that affected many municipal concrete pours after a 2022 mix change that increased limestone content. "Only the top one-eighth inch of concrete has spalled in certain areas for projects poured in 2022," she said, adding that core samples show compressive strengths of 4,500 PSI or greater against the city minimum of 3,500 PSI.

The engineering update explained why staff considers the problem largely aesthetic: the underlying slabs (typically 6–7 inches in residential sections) tested as structurally sound. Gapschas said those test results indicate the spalling is not a longevity issue and that the concrete continues to cure and gain strength. She said the city has put affected contractors on notice under existing three-year warranty language, noting warranty periods expire three years after final payment and some contracts will lapse in January 2026 or later.

Council members asked about remedies and monitoring. Gapschas said peers in surrounding cities have used different repairs — sealing, diamond grinding, or a combination — and that diamond grinding removes the thin damaged layer and can accelerate reaching a long-term surface profile. "You would grind first and then seal," she said. She suggested establishing measurable parameters (for example, maximum scaled depth or percent of slab area affected) to decide when replacement is required and said she is exploring warranty extensions tied to objective metrics.

Councilman Jonathan Lafferty pressed staff to present proposed metrics and any extended-warranty language at least 90 days before the first warranty expirations so the council and legal staff can act if needed. Engineering said it will develop case-by-case thresholds with contractors and testing firms and present recommendations at a later meeting; no formal policy change or replacement program was adopted at the meeting.

Clarifying details from the briefing included that spalling was observed primarily on local/residential streets rather than major arterials because of finish differences, that the city’s warranty is three years (longer than many communities), and that contractors have been asked to respond and propose fixes; one contractor had volunteered to seal affected areas. The council directed staff to continue monitoring, to develop measurable replacement criteria, and to return with proposed warranty-extension terms and a remediation plan before key warranty expirations.

Ending: Council members expressed support for holding contractors accountable and asked engineering and legal staff to bring back recommended metrics and any proposed extended-warranty agreements in time for review before the earliest warranty expirations.