City backs sealing of cracks
Tuesday’s snowfall has many Decatur and area residents thinking spring (Okay, they are anyway this time of the year!), and similar thoughts popped up at the recent meeting of the city’s board of works and safety.
The board approved funds for the city’s 2023 version of its “crack-seal” program.
The board also gave its blessing to a consulting firm which will guide the city through its street paving program this summer.
Segments of 29 Decatur streets will have cracks sealed this year, according to city Operations Manager Jeremy Gilbert.
The city will pay Pavement Solutions of Middletown, Indiana, $52,412.80 to do the work. The funds are in the 2023 budget.
Sealing the cracks eliminates a lot of potential pot holes. “It’s like a house; you keep Mother Nature out and things will last a lot longer,: Gilbert told the board.
In conjunction with the paving program, Beth Johnson, a Fort Wayne resident who is a business development representative with USI consultants of Indianapolis, attended the meeting.
For a sum of not more than $25,000, USI will work with the city on its street paving program for this year. ”USI has done a very nice job for us (in the past),” Gilbert pointed out.
Bids for the street work will be opened later this year.
Gilbert was recently notified that the city will be receiving $937,460 in the form of another Community Crossings grant from the state of Indiana.
The city will add a 25% match amounting to $312,487. The total construction cost is expected to amount to $1,249,947.
The state grant program has provided a huge boost to this community, three previous grants having totaled some $2.4 million used to pave 40 to 50 streets.
Here are the streets scheduled to get a new surface this year:
Mercer Ave., Five Points to Angus Drive.
16th St. Westlawn Dr.
Stevenson St.
Fifth St., Adams to Patterson.
Ninth St., to Nuttman Ave.
17th St.
Nuttman Ave., all the way to 13th St.
John St.
Fifth St., two sections.
Lopez Lane.
Monmouth Road.