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Residents offer pro bono gravel-road resurfacing at park using New Zealand machine
Summary
Two local residents, Ryan and Jess, offered to bring a New Zealand gravel-road resurfacing machine to the park for a pro bono two-day demo to repair compacted gravel driveways and trails; board members asked staff to check procurement rules and consider the item for the May 7 agenda.
Two local residents, who identified themselves only as Ryan and Jess, proposed at the April 14 Municipal Park Foundation meeting to perform pro bono gravel-road resurfacing at the park using a New Zealand-developed machine they are beta-testing.
Ryan told the board the machine “shatters all that and really reworks up that surface” to remove washboarding and potholes and reprocesses existing gravel rather than bringing in new material. He said the technology has been proving itself in New Zealand for about seven years and that he and his partner have become exclusive North American distributors while still doing local pro bono work for demonstration and testing.
The presenters described the process as breaking up compacted material, mixing and smoothing it, and returning a renewed surface suitable for low-volume gravel driveways and trails. They estimated a typical single-driveway job would otherwise be cost-prohibitive to buy the machine for, which is why they formed a business to offer services more widely.
Board members welcomed the offer but raised procurement and legal questions. The meeting record shows the group agreed staff should consult the town’s procurement counsel and determine whether a formal request-for-proposal or contract is required before the company can work on park property. The presenters said they hoped to perform a two-day demonstration before the park’s ribbon-cutting and asked permission to film the work for social media; the board suggested the item could be added to the May 7 agenda pending counsel guidance.
No formal agreement or vote authorizing on-site work was recorded at the meeting. The board instructed staff to follow up with procurement counsel, confirm insurance and contract requirements, and return with a recommendation to the board or council for approval.
Next steps: staff will consult the town attorney/procurement advisor and, if clearance is given, the board may place a demonstration on the May 7 meeting agenda.
