Councilmembers finalize approach, not yet final list, for 2025 ward resurfacing program; another meeting planned

The Utility Safety and Environment Committee on May 7, 2024 spent an extended period reviewing ranked street lists and alternates for the 2025 ward resurfacing program and agreed to hold a follow-up meeting in mid-May to finalize selections before the first council meeting in June.

Engineer Schneider presented two lists: one of inspector-ranked streets and a second list containing streets suggested during ride-alongs with council members. Schneider said he had collected many scores and noted some streets lacked cost values because of time constraints in compiling the materials.

Councilmember Davis and other members discussed priorities for individual wards and requested certain streets be added as alternates. Davis urged completing a more complete committee report so engineering can begin work and bidding: "I would rather have a complete committee report going for an ordinance than an incomplete one," Davis said. Councilmembers repeatedly raised specific streets for inclusion, including Baldwin (which council members agreed would be funded separately from a motor-vehicle funding source), Euclid, William, Buckeye, Haines, Xavier, Ninth Street, Tenth Street Alley and several others mentioned during the session.

Schneider explained that some items had to be treated separately because of prior council allocations and other funding pots: "Baldwin's gonna get done, but separately from these lists," he said, describing a separate funding source to cover that work. Councilmembers also discussed the implications of doing concrete overlays versus asphalt and the need to coordinate with other utilities if sewer work may cut into newly paved sections.

With multiple wards submitting more street candidates than the available budget, the committee agreed to let engineering prepare a primary list and alternates and to reconvene — potential meeting dates mentioned were May 14 or May 21 — so the final committee report can be complete before council votes. The chair and staff said advertising and preparatory work (cameraing, inspection, bid preparation) can proceed while a small number of straggler streets are finalized.

Committee members acknowledged they could not include every requested street within the current allocation but asked staff to prioritize based on inspector scores and council input; if money remains after initial awards, engineering will select alternates.