$1.3 million repaving pact OK'd in Ross
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Ross commissioners have approved a $1.3 million contract to repave more than 4 miles of road throughout the township this year.
El Grande Industries, of Monessen, was the low bidder for the milling and repaving pact among five companies seeking to do the work. Its bid was $1,281,200.
The company will prepare the road surface and supply about 61,000 square yards of asphalt. That amount is enough to repave about 4.3 miles of street, according to township engineer Art Gazdik.
Other bids ranged from $1.35 million to $1.64 million.
El Grande also won two smaller road-related contracts.
It was the low bidder at $42,700 on a contract to grind up old paving materials. Mixed with portland cement, the material will be used as the sub-base in other road projects.
The company's low bid of $100,000 won the contract to apply slurry seal on another 1.4 miles of road. Slurry seal is a mixture of asphalt, minerals and ground stone used to fill small cracks and extend the life of a street.
The commissioners' unanimous votes Monday night to approve the contracts with El Grande followed an analysis of the bids by Mr. Gazdik. Solicitor Bonnie Brimmeier and Manager Tom Lavorini also will review the bids before paving begins.
The list of township roads scheduled for work can be found at the Ross Web site, www.ross.pa.us. Scroll down to "News & Information" and click on "2008 Paving Program Street List."
In other business, commissioners approved borrowing about $440,000 to acquire 13 vehicles for several township departments.
Finance director Wayne Jones recommended paying for the vehicles through a "capital lease" program that is the equivalent of buying them on credit. After making lease payments for three or four years, depending on the types of vehicles, the township will own them.
The vehicles will be acquired through multi-community buying pools arranged by local councils of government, or COGs.
Finance rates are less than 4 percent, Mr. Jones said, and much of the interest costs will be offset by investing future lease payments until they are needed.
Because the annual payments are spread out over several years, the commissioners can keep expenses level and avoid the need for a tax increase, he said.
The vehicles will be used by township administrators, police and public works department. They range from small Chevrolet Cobalts to a tri-axle dump truck.
First Published April 17, 2008 5:43 am
