Council approves contractor‑led fix for Draper Street slurry raveling; city to cover restriping cost

Kingsburg City Council voted 3–1 on July 16 to direct staff to move forward with the contractor’s enhanced repair plan for Draper Street and to have the city pay for restriping after the contractor applies an additional surface treatment.

City Engineer Dave Peters said the bike lanes on Draper Street were installed with funds from a Fresno COG transit‑oriented‑development grant that did not cover pavement rehabilitation. The street, he said, had not been repaved in about 25 years and experienced large cracks and surface irregularities; the city also installed a water line last winter. Peters described three treatment options the city evaluated — mill-and-overlay, cape seal and slurry seal — and explained staff selected a type‑3 slurry seal that corrects irregularities and provides a durable wear surface. The project was completed in October 2024.

Peters told the council that the type‑3 treatment commonly shows some surface raveling after application and that agencies typically address that with increased street sweeping. He said "there are some areas that we're having excessive raveling." Don Berry Construction, the contractor, walked the street with staff and agreed additional corrections were needed. Peters described two options: patch failing areas (covered by the contract but resulting in visible patches) or have the contractor apply a type‑2 slurry over the entire travel lane width from edge to gutter along Draper Street to improve aesthetics and extend life. "The contractor... has offered to go kinda up and above the requirements of the contract and and apply a type 2 slurry seal from the edge of the travel lanes to the gutter on both sides of the street along the entire length of Draper Street," Peters said. The contractor requested the city pay the cost of restriping because it considered the added work a betterment beyond the contract.

Council members debated whether to accept that proposal and noted concerns about cost, warranty and contractor performance. A public commenter said the contractor was contractually obligated to fix failing material and urged the city to require the contractor to remove and re-chipseal problematic areas rather than accept a band‑aid fix. The commenter said, "The slurry job in the parking stalls is just a band aid" and urged full correction.

Staff recommended the council accept the contractor’s offer (staff's Option 2). Council discussion addressed warranty timing, whether the repair would restart or extend the warranty, and the contractor’s past work in Kingsburg. Peters said the contractor has tentatively scheduled the corrective work for Aug. 15, with the possibility of moving it to Aug. 6. He said the slurry application takes one day, parking would be restricted for that day, and restriping would occur about a week later; the original project warranty runs to early November.

A council member moved to approve staff’s recommendation to proceed with Option 2; the motion was seconded and passed 3–1. The council directed staff to proceed with the contractor’s enhanced application with the city covering the cost of restriping. Staff said they will monitor performance during the warranty period and issue contractor notices if problems persist.