Council reviews street repaving, crack sealing and sidewalk grant plans; $382,000 in resurfacing budgeted

City staff reviewed planned 2025 street resurfacing and sidewalk priorities and told the finance and legislation committee that roughly $382,000 is budgeted for resurfacing this year. The list of streets presented included Lincoln (Ninth to Garfield), Creed (Garfield to Argonne), Elmwood Court, West Lewis and repaving of Bob Seamer; staff said they hoped to bid and schedule work to fall between the end of summer recreational traffic and the start of school.

Why it matters: Pavement and sidewalk condition affects daily travel, school routes and municipal maintenance costs. Staff said timing work to avoid baseball season and school bus routes was part of the plan.

Crack sealing and preventive maintenance: committee members discussed a historical $20,000 crack‑sealing line item the city formerly used. Staff said $20,000 used to cover crack sealing for multiple streets in earlier years but that rising prices and the selection of streets to treat changed the program’s reach. Members asked staff to seek current prices and vendors and to consider focusing crack sealing on streets about three years old to maximize value.

Sidewalks and active-transportation grants: staff described an active‑transportation plan and a sidewalk survey that feed grant applications. The administration reported a successful application for safer‑routes funding covering substantial work on Fifth Street and connecting routes; staff said the project funding exceeded $2 million and that ODOT grants can be up to $500,000 per application but that the city worked with ODOT to cover a larger portion of the plan. Staff said proximity to schools increases grant competitiveness and that the Fifth Street project stretches from the EP gas station on Pullen Avenue to Midlothian.

Tree root/sidewalk conflicts: members raised recurring complaints about sidewalk damage caused by street trees and the costs borne by homeowners. Staff said the city is exploring tree‑inventory and Tree City USA grants and that some private property cases may remain the homeowner’s responsibility; staff also said a tree inventory and targeted grant applications could help address high‑priority locations.

Surface design and heavy truck traffic: members asked whether pavement sections on heavy‑truck routes would require thicker lifts or modified binder. Staff said they would seek best-practice paving approaches but noted budget constraints could limit additional material additives.

Next steps: staff will solicit bids for resurfacing, look up current crack‑sealing contractors and pricing, pursue sidewalk and active‑transportation grant opportunities, and present options back to council as grants and contracts are clarified.