By Sam Wildow
TROY — The Troy City Council on Tuesday authorized the city to seek bids for its annual paving program.
The council passed a resolution authorizing Director of Public Service and Safety Patrick Titterington to advertise for bids and enter into a contract for the 2022 paving program. The cost of the program is not to exceed $1,010,000.
The city budgeted $1 million for the annual program, as well as an additional $10,000 for repaving a section of Riverside Drive within the Riverside Cemetery.
During Titterington’s report at the end of the meeting, he said the city is “anticipating and hopeful that we will be able to pave almost 14 lane miles” as part of the 2022 paving program. He cautioned the council members that the city has been experiencing some negative impacts from the current inflation.
“We are experiencing quite a bit of challenge with some of the bids that we’ve had in the inflationary environment,” Titterington said. He said, in previous years, the city has been able to add more lane miles to the program when the city received less expensive bids. The city may have to pave less than its currently planned number of lane miles if more expensive bids come in this year, he said. He said adjustments would be based on priority level. The city’s Engineering Department uses a scoring system to determine priority levels.
“We will do what we can and hope for the best,” Titterington said.
Bobby Phillips, fourth ward council member, addressed Titterington later on, bringing up how the city’s traffic signal pole purchase bid opening did not receive any bids.
In December, the council authorized the city to bid the West Main Street traffic signal poles for phase one of the West Main Street improvement project. The cost is not to exceed $300,000. This cost was budgeted for 2021.
At that time, Titterington said the city was running into supply chain issues, noting that traffic poles are on back order. The city wanted to bid the traffic signals separate from the construction of the improvement project with a few months lead time in order to ensure the city receives them in time. The city will be replacing 44 poles, including traffic poles, mast arms, and pedestrian signal poles, during phase one of the West Main Street project.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Titterington said that is not the only project for which the city has not received any bids so far.
“That’s part of the challenges that we’re running into,” Titterington said. He said the city plans to include that project as a subcontract within the master contract for phase one of the West Main Street improvement project through the Ohio Department of Transportation.
In other news:
Also on Monday, the council authorized Titterington to advertise for bids and enter into a contract for a new park maintenance building at a cost not to exceed $325,000. The new building will be approximately 7,200 square feet with space for vehicle maintenance and an employee office. It will be located at Duke Park, and this new building will also replace the maintenance building in the parking lot of Hobart Arena.
Next, the council approved revisions to the Small Business Development Revolving Loan Fund Guidelines to update and clarify criteria, as well as provide consistency to applicants of the program. The Loan Review Committee also recommended these changes.
“The proposed guidelines would provide consistency to applicants,” said Todd Severt, at-large council member.
The guidelines set the interest rates for any loan lasting under 10 years as being half a percent below whatever the current prime rate is at that time. Interest rates for loans that will last between 10 and 15 years will be set at the prime rate at that time, and interest rates for loans over 15 years would be the prime rate plus 1%.
The prime rate would be documented at the time each application is submitted. The minimum loan amount would be $25,000, loan terms would not exceed 20 years, and each loan needs to help at least one job to be created.
In regard to ordinances, the council gave the final acceptance for two annexation requests, including the Canferelli Annexation, which includes two acres from Concord Township, and the Sheridan Annexation, which includes 0.652 acres from Staunton Township.
The council suspended the three-reading rule on all legislation.
The next meeting of the City Council will be 7 p.m. on Monday, March 7, in council chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 100 S. Market Street.
