09/13/12 - City Council Newsletter

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efforts, the cover of the fall Recreation Guide featured a photo of a similar dance class (with the same teacher) and the September edition of Rec eNews included an article about the video. For more information, contact Kathy Madison at 541-682-6342. Maintenance Overlays Help Address Repair Needs on Unimproved Streets More than two dozen unimproved streets in Eugene were repaired this year under the City’s enhanced street repair services program. Unimproved streets are those with soil, gravel or asphalt mat surfaces that typically have not been structurally designed and have few, if any, drainage facilities and no curbs or gutters. There are more than 52 centerline miles of unimproved, asphalt-surfaced streets in Eugene’s 533-mile street system, and about 40 percent of those streets are rated in poor condition. Unimproved streets generally receive a low level of maintenance, usually limited to emergency pothole patching. But, in recent years, thanks to initial funding support provided by the Eugene City Council, Public Works Maintenance has been able to make some headway on the problem through its enhanced street repair services program. In 2012, the program was able to provide maintenance overlays on 15 unimproved streets, including segments of Jay, Rutledge, Ellworth, Vincent, Leigh and Hughes Public Works crew applies maintenance overlay on Devos Street. streets, Firwood Way, Arcadia, Cherry and Morningside drives, Pioneer Pike, Walnut Lane, Van Avenue, Oakway Terrace and Lorane Highway. A maintenance overlay treatment consists of placing one to two inches of asphalt on top of the existing surface. While this is considered a temporary treatment because it does not address underlying problems such as deteriorated road bases or poor drainage, it does provide a smoother driving surface for several years. Additionally, Public Works Maintenance in 2012 also graded, and in some cases paved, nine gravel streets: Miami thrd Lane, Olive Street, Devos Street, Jefferson Street (Lorane Highway to West 29 Place), Honeysuckle Lane, East 43 Avenue, Ash Street, Lewis Avenue and North Seneca Road. Total cost of the 2012 overlay and grading work was $370,000, which was funded with two years of funding allocations. City crews did all the grading work. About half of the maintenance overlays were done by Maintenance staff; the rest was done under contract by Eugene Sand & Gravel. “Prior to this program, maintenance crews repaired several thousand potholes a year,” says Public Works Maintenance Surface Operations Manager Eric Johnson. “Seventy-five percent of those potholes were on unimproved streets. We determined that instead of fixing individual potholes it was more efficient to provide a maintenance-overlay on some of the more deteriorated streets.” Between 2008 and 2012, Public Works completed nearly 14 miles of maintenance overlays on Eugene’s 52 miles of unimproved streets. Despite this accomplishment, the need – currently estimated at $11.3 million just for surface maintenance on unimproved streets – far exceeds available resources. To continue at least some level of maintenance overlays and similar repairs, Public Works has set aside $200,000 a year for the next six years in its road fund. “Enhanced street repair services is one of the most popular programs we have,” says Public Works Maintenance Director Jeff Lankston. “Citizens really appreciate it.” For more information, contact Lankston at 541-682-4800. National Publication Offers Six Tips from City Fleet Supervisor Six purchasing tips are provided by Fleet and Radio Communications Supervisor Keith Nicolson in the current issue of a national public works publication. Nicolson offers the following tips in the September 2012 issue of the American Public Works Association (APWA) Reporter:  Understand the purchasing rules and regulations  Involve the employees  Research available equipment  Determine the right equipment size EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 September 13, 2012