Coats approves Highland Paving bid for S. Isabella and E. Washington streets

Mayor Chris Coats called the Town of Coats Board of Commissioners to order on Sept. 12 and the board moved to accept a paving bid for two streets.

Town Manager Nick Holcomb presented four bids for street resurfacing and recommended proceeding with S. Isabella and E. Washington to stay closer to the budget. The board expressed dissatisfaction with prior work by Sykes Paving but ultimately voted to accept Highland Paving’s bid for the two streets.

The board also asked staff to develop a prioritized list of town streets for future resurfacing and for crews to perform patching while paving work is under way to maximize efficiency. Commissioner Jerry Beasley requested the comprehensive prioritization; Commissioner Kelvin Gilbert asked that patches be done while pavers are present.

The motion to accept Highland Paving’s bid was made by Commissioner Shirley Allen and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Marc Powell. The motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: maintaining local streets is a recurring capital expense for the town budget. Officials said choosing specific streets now will help align future work with annual budgeted amounts and reduce piecemeal patching.

What was in the bids: Holcomb reviewed bid amounts for S. Isabella and E. Washington from four firms; the board did not amend the bid award but noted Honeycutt Street may need maintenance though it did not yet show asphalt deterioration.

Next steps: staff will prepare a prioritized paving list for the board’s review and schedule the paving and patching operations with the contracted contractor.