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Public works outlines street maintenance program and pavement-index plans
Summary
Public Works Director Ben Turner reviewed Liberty Lake’s street-maintenance program, staffing, near-term equipment purchases and upcoming pavement condition assessments to guide repairs and budgeting.
Ben Turner, public works director, presented the city’s street-maintenance program and budget to council, describing crew capacity and new tracking tools.
Turner said the city’s streets crew currently numbers five and “about 60% of their time is spent maintaining our roadways,” with remaining duties assigned to other public-works tasks. He listed core maintenance activities the program covers: pothole repairs, crack sealing, sidewalk repair, street sweeping and grinding.
Turner said staff plan to bring some previously contracted work in-house. “Last year, we spent $55,000 paying a contractor to do [crack sealing]. We buy a crack sealer for $75,000…and over time, that should save the city a little bit of money,” Turner said. He also noted that capital projects and equipment are not included in the program operating total and estimated an additional $1.5–$1.6 million in capital outlays supporting street infrastructure.
On performance measures, Turner told council the city will use industry-standard pavement-condition-index (PCI) scans arriving in July and new software to track work orders, repair rates and PCI changes over time. He said staff expect the data to improve budgeting and response times for potholes and other repairs.
Councilors thanked Turner for the update and raised operational questions: one member asked where to report roadkill and Turner said to call him or the public-works point of contact; another thanked staff for a new crosswalk and asked about removing warning signs when a four-way stop is installed at Country Vista and Mission.
Turner also previewed upcoming items: a quarterly capital-facility-plan update and an opportunity for council questions at a future meeting. No formal action was taken.
