BATH TOWNSHIP — The Bath Township Road Department is anticipating a full load of roadwork in the spring months, with at least $300,000 budgeted and possibly more for road improvements for 2018.
“I have a lot to discuss because it is that time of the year to direct our attention on the road construction season,” Township Road Supervisor Vern Heizer said when he submitted a list of proposed road projects for 2018 to township trustees during the Jan. 31 township meeting.
Heizer said he plans to order at least 4 tons of asphalt material and rent a machine to apply a crack seal surface treatment to Adams, Baker, Haddix, and Linebaugh Roads as well as Black Lane. According to Heizer, the inexpensive surface treatment will significantly extend the life of the township roads and will prevent larger cracks and potholes from forming.
“We have not received the contract yet, but I do believe we will get the machine free of charge. All we have to do is pay for the material,” Heizer said.
Another road preservation project includes applying skin patch to Armstrong, Bath, Byron and Union Roads. Heizer explained that skin patching, which adds 1-to-2 inches of asphalt on top of the existing pavement, is commonly used to improve the appearance of township roads and extends the life of the asphalt. He noted that Ray Hensley Inc. in Springfield quoted a price of $9 per gallon for 1,000 gallons of skin patch.
The township will also be milling and resurfacing both Ravenwood Drive and Clearcreek Trail as part of the road improvement plan. The proposal calls for the 2-inch milling of Ravenwood Drive, followed up by a 2-inch asphalt overlay. The township will mill out one-half inch of asphalt pavement on Clearcreek Trail and afterwards, apply a chip seal coating and a micro seal overlay to the road.
Heizer stated that he had requested cost estimates for the projects from three paving contractors, Wagner Paving, Miller-Mason Paving Company, and Ray Hensley Inc., but had only received a response from Hensley to date.
“The 2-inch milling of Ravenwood Drive is going to cost us $12,600 if we go with Hensley, and the overlay of 2-inch asphalt is going to run about $63,000, when using the bid from Greene County at $70 per ton,” said Heizer. “The grand total on Ravenwood Drive alone is $75,600. In addition, they are going to charge us for sweeping the road which is about $150 per hour for a sweeper or $100 per hour for a broom.”
According to Heizer, the one-half inch milling on Clearcreek Trail would cost the township $4,200, plus the cost of sweeping, and the chip seal would come with a price tag of $16,786. However, he had not yet received any quotes for the micro seal overlay.
Heizer stated that center and edge lines would be painted on several township roads this year. The centerline on Adams Road will be changed to a double yellow line, indicating a no-passing zone the entire length of the 0.912-mile road. The center and edge lines on Old Yellow Springs also need to be repainted since the township applied a couple of tons of crack seal on the road last year, and new center and edge lines will be painted on both Ravenwood Drive and Wilkerson Road after the completion of the road surfacing projects on the roads. Heizer said the cost of the painting projects would be $1,936.20, but the road crew is planning to examine the lines on all the township roads as soon as weather conditions permit.
The township will also apply a micro seal overlay to the 15 township roads that were paved with a chip seal surface treatment in 2017, including Horseman Drive, Palomino Drive, Appaloosa Trail, Cornerstone Trail, Edwards Court, Lancaster Drive, Axe Drive, Warner Drive, Dogwood Circle, Valley View Drive, Wylie Drive, Boxwood Drive, North Boulevard, Short Street, and Wilkerson Road. Heizer said he is expecting a reply from Ryan Terry at Terry Asphalt Materials Inc. regarding the total cost for micro surfacing Clearcreek Trail and the other 15 township roads.
“Some people refer to the process as micro seal, and others refer to the process as micro surfacing, but it is all the same,” Heizer noted.
The township road crew will also continue working throughout the township filling the recent rash of potholes that have popped up during the winter months, Heizer said.
“We have already put down 12.6 tons of cold patch, but three roads are constantly getting blown out quite heavily. We were thinking about cutting out those places and repair them with asphalt,” Heizer said. “Those roads are Byron, the lower section of Bath, and Ravenwood which is already scheduled for milling and an asphalt overlay. Ross gave Heizer permission to add Byron and Bath Roads to the project list.
Heizer pointed out that he had not included Arabian Drive on the list of proposed projects for 2018, which was scheduled for a chip seal and micro seal overlay, but he originally thought the township could not afford.
In 2016, township voters approved a 2.2-mill road levy over a five-year period that currently provides $198,000 for road improvements for 2018, according to Bath Township Fiscal Officer Elaine Brown.
Township Trustee Steven Rose stated that he had reviewed the township budget with Brown, and preliminary figures indicated that the township could easily spend $300,000 on road projects this year.
“If we end up spending $400,000, it would probably be okay. However, these are not hard numbers. They are just estimates based upon what our revenues are and what the road levy will bring in,” Ross said. “However, the whole reason we passed this road levy is so we can get these roads fixed.”
