Differences over paving vs. sealing
BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford County commissioners were presented with a new list of possible roads to pave using gas tax revenue last week.
Each was about a quarter-mile long and four of the five were in the Lawtey area, including:
—Northeast 213th Street between Northeast 216th and C.R. 225. Currently has asphalt millings.
—Northeast 17th Avenue off Northeast 200B Currently has asphalt millings.
—Northeast 20th Avenue a quarter-mile from Northeast 200B. Currently has asphalt millings.
—Northeast 223rd Street a quarter-mile from C.R. 225.
The fifth is Southeast 17th Avenue from Southeast 150th Street to S.R. 230.
The Lawtey roads are in Chairwoman Carolyn Spooner’s district, and she said they are in desperate need.
She said the consensus of the board last fall was to proceed with these roads. The roads continue to deteriorate, she said, and cost money to maintain.
Commissioner Chris Dougherty differed, however, saying the county should consider using chip seal applications to preserved roads with asphalt millings. He wanted to see a cost comparison between sealing the roads and paving them, believing sealing the smaller roads would be more cost effective. The more roads the county paves, the more roads it will have to maintain, he said.
Dougherty said the gas tax revenue should be used for busier roadways.
“I’m just trying to figure out a way we can stretch these dollars,” he said.
There were no cost estimates to perform the work. Now that they are on the priority list, Director Jason Dodds can request quotes to design and permit the roads. That cost must come to commission for approval.
Dodds agreed with Dougherty that if the road has the proper base, sealing them would be more cost effective than paving and allow the county so to save some of its gas tax revenue. A lot of money is saved on engineering and permitting costs in addition to construction, he said.
Dodds’ update will include cost estimates to seal the roads versus paving them.
The road department has already completed work on Southeast Second Avenue, Southeast 48th Avenue, Northwest 84th Avenue and Southwest 106th Avenue. Thirty-Eighth Avenue was being prepared for paving, and the department anticipates completing Northeast 219th Street this year.
Southeast 11th Avenue is on hold. It was set to be chip sealed, but the contractor was delayed, and the road deteriorated too much for the chip seal coating to be effective.
After approving the new priority list, the commission approved two design and permitting projects. CHW Professional consulting services will work on plans for Southeast 17th Avenue from the new list for $16,250. CHW will also take on Southeast 11th Avenue for $46,000.
Commercial rezonings
The county commission will reconsider multiple commercial rezonings when it meets next week.
One applicant has asked to rezone the two parcels north of Red Dog Saloon for commercial intensive development. A third application is for commercial rezoning at the corner of U.S. 301 and C.R. 18 west of Hampton.
Starke also advertised a multi-family residential rezoning on Jackson and Cherry streets.
The city of Starke and Kingsley Development have filed applications to rezone property downtown in preparation for the CityWalk townhome development.
