Council approves SCADA upgrade, fleet software, pavement management and expanded paving work

At its July 14 meeting the South Kingstown Town Council approved four procurement items the town manager described as routine but important to town operations: a SCADA upgrade for utility monitoring, a fleet‑management subscription, a pavement‑management database and an expansion of the year’s paving contract to include Old North Road.

What the council approved - SCADA upgrade: The council approved a purchase for a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system upgrade to Electrical Installations for $86,620 to modernize monitoring of the town’s water and wastewater systems. Public services director Rich Bourbonet said the town had set aside funds and the wastewater partners’ cost‑share was included. - Fleet management software: The council approved a one‑year subscription to the Fleetio fleet‑management platform at $15,750. Bourbonet said the system will centralize maintenance, parts inventory and service records across the town’s roughly 150 vehicles and pieces of equipment and that staff will return for renewal in 12 months with usage data. - Pavement management database: The council awarded a contract to Beta Group to build a town pavement‑management database for $46,955. The service will create a lane‑mile inventory, record historical maintenance and provide prioritized recommendations for roadwork. - Expanded paving contract: The council approved a change order to extend the current paving contract with Lynch for an additional $555,000 to add Old North Road (and related segments) to this season’s work. Bourbonet said the town has capital funds and supplemental state grants to cover the expansion and that the contractor is on hand; he asked the council to authorize the addition so the work could be scheduled before the fall semester at the nearby university.

Votes and process: Each item passed by voice vote with no recorded roll‑call shown in the meeting record. Town staff said funding for the items was available in existing operating and capital accounts; members asked for follow‑up reporting (for example, a 12‑month usage review for Fleetio) and more concise funding details in future memos.

Why it matters: The purchases are intended to modernize operations (asset tracking and utility monitoring) and to accelerate planned street repairs while the contractor is available. Councilors praised completed paving work elsewhere in town and said they want to take advantage of contractor availability while managing traffic impacts.

Ending: Staff will schedule implementation and return to the council with follow‑up reports on fleet software adoption and pavement‑management results.