October 26, 2022 |
In Saratoga, the sudden return of cold weather may hamper the Spring Avenue water main replacement project.
Representatives from the town met Tuesday met with Lewis & Lewis, the contractor hired to replace the water line under Spring Avenue. Work was this summer delayed when ground water filled the bore pit out front of town hall. The contractor finally figured out a solution and work resumed.
The delay forced the company hired to drill the bore under the highway, Coleman Construction, to leave for another job. At the September 20th meeting, Josh Ward, from Lewis and Lewis, placed the entire blame on their water removal and pump supplier, Rain for Rent.
Photo by Matt Copeland/Bigfoot 99.
Sources close to the project tell Bigfoot 99 that Lewis & Lewis were fully informed about the ground water before they signed the contract and Rain for Rent was not responsible for the delays.
Finger-pointing aside, the drilling under the highway is now complete and L&L is filling the bore pit in and installing new water lines on the east side of the highway, which is the main thoroughfare through town.
Tuesday’s meeting focused on paving the roads after the pipes had been laid. With winter fast approaching, Josh Morris, from TO Engineering was skeptical of Lewis & Lewis’s ability to keep asphalt warm while it was being transported from Rock Springs.
Asphalt can only be poured when the ambient temperature is above 40 degrees.
To speed up the paving process, L&L decided to lay asphalt in one 4-inch layer. The town would like to see two 2-inch layers, which would make the road smoother. Morris said he was concerned by what he perceives to be a shortcut.
L&L’s Josh Ward said that two 2-inch pours are a better option. While he was willing to do things the way the town wanted, he said one thicker layer would be good enough.
Ward said the town’s low speed limits would make road imperfections less noticeable.
The town pressed Ward about what he would do when the temperature was too cold to pave. His response was to have his crew wait for the next 40-degree day.
TO Engineering’s Josh Morris told Ward that the town would not pay for sub-par asphalt work.
Morris made it clear the town wouldn’t take material that doesn’t meet their specifications. He added they also wouldn’t accept an improperly compacted road surface. If that were the case, Ward said he would start over again.
Councilman Ron Hutchins mirrored Morris’ concerns about the single 4-inch layer. Pouring one thick sheet of asphalt means it is harder to get the proper compaction before it cools. Hutchins said he didn’t want to see the contractor complain to the town about a problem they saw coming.
Ward told the town his team would perform testing to be sure the road surface was being laid properly. He agreed that two smaller layers would make driving smoother, but 4-inches would be faster and easier to put down. Hutchins said he was still uncertain of Lewis & Lewis’s plan. If the road surface fails after the contractor leaves, the town would be left dealing with unhappy citizens.
Ward said his crew would pave the streets within the specifications laid out by the town. If not, he would rip up the pavement and start over. He said he knows the risks of laying asphalt in winter.
Lewis & Lewis’s Josh Ward made every effort to assure the town that he had things under control. With winter fast approaching, there isn’t much time left to debate about how the paving should go. Either Ward and his crew finish before it gets too cold, or they come back next year to complete the job.
Some members of the Joint Powers Board have taken an “I Told-You-So Attitude” about the work not being finished this year. The JPB was not in favor of the contractor-at-risk business model when Councilman Jon Nelson proposed the idea in January as way of starting the project this year. On the other hand, if the design work had not been completed and the earth moving work begun, the town may not have won the recommendation it received for the $966,268 SLIB grant that will be awarded tomorrow.
The JPB and town council will meet in a work session tonight at 5:30 t0 discuss the Spring Avenue Project.
