Iolas annual chip-seal street maintenance program will cover the southeast quadrant of town later this summer.
Iola City Council members discussed the program at their regular meeting Tuesday, before agreeing to pay Ergon Asphalt & Emissions, Kansas City, Kan., an average of $11,039.85 per tanker load of emulsion oil.
The emulsion oil, when it dries, creates a flexible, water-resistant barrier on the roadway, better equipping the street from the free-thaw cycles in the winter and wet and dry conditions in the summer that often damage the streets integrity.
The Ergon bid was the lower of two.
The chip-seal allows city crews to do minor repairs to streets, including concrete patches, crack sealing and ditch cleaning along the roadways.
For years, the chip-seal work was done on a four-year rotation. Last year, however, Council members extended the rotation to five years.
The longer rotation means crews chip-seal an average of 160 blocks per year, compared to the 225 or so done previously.
With the citys budget a major topic of discussion Tuesday Council members rejected a water rate hike and an optional fee utility customers would have paid to support the citys parks, recreation programs and trails finding budget savings in the chip-seal program was discussed as well.
This would not be a project I would cut, Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock said, noting that Street and Alley Superintendent Dan Leslie favored the more frequent four-year rotation for chip-seal.
If the city goes too long between repairs, youll lose the streets, Schinstock warned.
Councilman Ron Ballard asked Schinstock to check with other cities to determine how long their chip-seal rotations last.
Councilman Aaron Franklin agreed the matter could be discussed, but suggested the city look to guidance from an engineer.
Other cities may be doing it wrong, Franklin said.
The total price tag for the emulsion oil will depend upon how much is used. If each tanker load uses 5,900 gallons of oil, the city would need seven or eight loads, Leslie estimated.
The city allots $175,000 annually for its chip-seal program, which includes rock, asphalt hot mix and crack seal material.
