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Council confirms $4.15 million bond funding and awards road‑maintenance contracts
Summary
The City Council clarified municipal bond funding for Easton Beach resiliency and 2025 roadway improvements and approved multiple maintenance contracts, including $125,000 for crack sealing and up to $411,000 for rubberized asphalt chip sealing; council also approved a RIDOT local public agency agreement to secure state roadway reimbursements.
The Newport City Council voted to clarify that Easton Beach resiliency planning and the 2025 road improvement program will be funded from a municipal general obligation bond previously approved for capital projects, and approved multiple related contracts.
Nut graf: The council confirmed that $4,147,365 in general obligation bond proceeds will fund the Easton Beach resiliency planning project and the 2025 roadway improvement project. Separately, the Department of Public Services presented award recommendations and contract details for pavement preservation work that the council approved as budgeted.
Contracts approved or authorized: the council awarded a crack‑sealing contract (via piggyback bid from the town of South Kingstown) to Seal Coating Inc., doing business as Indus Inc., for a not‑to‑exceed total of $125,000 (including $100,000 construction, $10,000 police traffic control, $15,000 contingency). The council also awarded a rubberized asphalt chip sealing contract to Allstate Asphalt of Sunderland, Mass., not to exceed $411,000. Directors described crack sealing as an early‑life maintenance step that prevents water infiltration and freeze‑thaw damage; chip sealing provides longer preservation.
The council approved a Rhode Island Department of Transportation local public agency agreement to secure state roadway improvement funding that reimburses municipalities (city front‑funds purchases and receives partial state reimbursement). Councilors noted the state program typically provides a two‑to‑one match (city spends two dollars, state reimburses the third), and that the city’s road program was already budgeted to be eligible for those reimbursements.
Comments and schedule: Public works staff said execution of contracts will follow contractor signature, solicitor review, and issuance of a notice to proceed; start dates depend on contractor availability but could be within two to four weeks after final execution. Councilors asked for lists of streets expected to be included in crack sealing (staff said roughly 30–50 streets and to provide a list to council), and staff explained the city was using a South Kingstown bid to leverage pricing.
Ending: Councilors emphasized the pavement management approach — crack sealing, then chip sealing — as cost‑effective preservation of the city’s road network.
