Public Hearing Set For $27 Million Road Work Bond Issue

The Town Council on Tuesday approved a public hearing for Oct. 15 to review a proposed $27.65 million bond ordinance that would pave the way for a massive six-year road maintenance project. 

The public hearing is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. as part of the council meeting in two weeks. 

Treasurer and Finance Director James Luddecke said it is the first bond issue to come before townspeople since 2008, when $1.18 million was borrowed to help fund the Phoenix Street Bridge project.

The bonding would have to be approved by ballot and if all goes according to schedule, a referendum would take place on Jan. 28, Mayor George Apel said. The process takes too long for the question to be put on the November ballot, Apel said. 

Both Apel and Public Works Director Robert Kleinhans are calling the project, "New approaches to an old problem." It includes 219 roads, town officials said. 

In a presentation at the council meeting, Kleinhans outlined the reasoning behind the proposal: 

• Town roads need an organized plan for their improvements and maintenance and funding. 

• Currently, $100,000 or less of the Annual Town Aid for Roads grant is allocated to road repairs. 

• Local budget road funds have ranged from $30,000 to $50,000 annually for asphalt purchase. 

• The 2013 Road Bond Project with reconstruction, rehabilitation and pavement preservation practices will bring more than 200 roads to "a maintainable standard."

Kleinhans said the goals include:

• Providing a "safe drivable surface" to as many roads as possible. 

• Keeping good pavements in good shape and prolong their lives.  

• Reducing "payment life cycle costs."  

Kleinhans said the "planned preservation program" is needed because: 

• Planned preservation saves money. Routine preservation costs less than deferred repairs. 

• The full cost of preserving one lane-mile in good condition over time is less than half of the cost of letting an identical lane-mile deteriorate to poor condition and then making major repairs. 

How were road conditions assessed? 

• Two members of the DPW attended the Technology Transfer Center at the University of Connecticut for education and training regarding road maintenance and improvements. 
• An experienced DPW Truck driver then conducted a physical survey of all local roads. 

• The data was entered into "Road System Management Software I" obtained from the UConn T2 Center. 

• Pavement preservation techniques were then assigned to each road based on review of the right treatment for the right road at the right time. 

• Data was input on costs per road mile for the appropriate treatments. 

• Road Bond 2013 cost projections were determined with the RSM Software. 

The methods the would be used to address road conditions are: 

1.  Reconstruction.
2. Reclaim and pave the surface.
3. Cold in-place recycling of the road materials.
4. Milling/paving.
5. Overlay.
6. Shim/chip sealing.
7. Chip/cape sealing.

The six-year plan is outlined in the attached chart. 

With interest, the $27,650,000 in bonding turns into a payout of about 40 million, Luddecke said.  

Apel said the full plan will be presented at the public hearing.