Seymour Selectmen awarded an $833,125 contract for repaving eight streets to an Oakville company over the protest of a board member who wasn’t happy with the firm’s past work in town.
The business, Cocchiola Paving, submitted a bid for the project about $30,000 lower than the next highest company, A&J Construction.
But Selectman Paul Roy, who was First Selectman in 2011 when the state paid Cocchiola to do a paving job on Derby Avenue, voted no on the contract Thursday (May 7).
“I cannot go forward with Cocchiola based on past issues,” Roy told fellow Selectmen at a previous meeting April 23.
Nevertheless, the May 7 vote succeeded 5 – 1, according to First Selectman Kurt Miller.
Town officials have said they hope to get the road work — on Bungay Terrace, Deforest Street, Farrel Street, Glenbrook Drive, Johnson Avenue, Martha Street, Prospect Street and Swan Avenue — started this month.
Derby Avenue
The state paid Cocchiola Paving $727,194.25 in 2011 to reclaim and replace pavement on the southbound lane of Derby Avenue between the Route 8 south off ramp and Bungay Road.
The project prompted complaints because there was a delay between the reclaiming step and the repaving step, which left exposed manhole covers and rough road for travelers.
“That was a fiasco on Derby Avenue,” said Selectman Al Bruno at the April 23 meeting. “That was a mess for no reason.”
Town Engineer James Galligan told Selectmen that part of the road woes were the state’s fault, because they required testing of materials before the reclaimed road could be repaved. He said reaction to Cocchiola has otherwise included some problems and some successful projects.
“I’d define it as mixed,” Galligan said.
Town Counsel Bryan LeClerc noted the board opens itself up to “legal exposure” if it doesn’t issue a contract to the lowest qualified bidder — in this case, Cocchiola.
“It could be a problem if they’re found to be a responsible bidder,” he said.
A message seeking comment from Cocchiola Paving was left with Ray Cocchiola Thursday afternoon.
The Road Maintenance Program
Seymour voters in November approved $5.6 million for the 2014 Road Improvement Program, which seeks to repair and replace more than 30 roads in town.
Nafis & Young Engineers studied Seymour’s roads and categorized those in need of repairs in three categories. The first group – which included Jay Lane and Patton Avenue – has already been addressed. A separate controversy over a chip sealing program hounded that project as well.
The second group includes roads that need major repair, drainage, curb replacement and new aprons, according to a report Nafis & Young completed for Seymour. This group includes 31 roads, listed in the report (click here to view a PDF of the report).
The 20 roads in the third tier also need much work, according to the report.
At a Board of Selectmen meeting April 7, Galligan outlined the plans for the road project.
The town plans to address the second group of roads next, and has broken the work down into five different contracts based on the type of repairs to be completed, Galligan said. (The conversation begins at about 4 minutes into the video below.)
For example, the group labeled “Contract 1” will involve heat and replace repairs, where the existing asphalt is heated up, mixed in place, and re-rolled on the street, Galligan said. The process “allows you to maintain existing pavement thickness” and “reuse materials,” he said. The cost savings will allow more roads to be added to the program.
The contracts are being completed in a different order than their labels, Galligan said. The first contract will be Contract 3, which includes Bungay Terrace, Deforest Street, Farrel Street, Glenbrook Drive, Johnson Avenue, Martha Street, Prospect Street and Swan Avenue.
Galligan said the town will seek proposals for Contract 2 next, which includes Elm Street, Hill Street, Hine Street, Karlack Avenue, Knorr Avenue and New Street. The group was selected second because the water company is also looking to complete work in the area, he said.
Throughout the process, Nafis & Young plans to have a staff person dedicated to communicating with residents. The town also plans to create a section on its website for paving information. The extra effort comes after complaints over the last project – some of which were prompted by a lack of communication about the process, Galligan noted.
“There was a lot of confusion on the Patton Avenue project,” Galligan said. That’s because different crews completed the pavement, the curbing and the driveway aprons.
With the upcoming projects, particularly “Contract 1,” the process can be overwhelming. The machine that completes the work is 100 to 120 feet long, Galligan said.
“It generates a lot of heat. It also exhausts a lot of heat,” he told the Board of Selectmen.
Trees overhanging the road might become “stressed” and not produce new growth for up to a year, Galligan said.
On April 23, Galligan said the town can expect Cocchiola to bid on each of the five contracts for paving.
“These type of projects are their exact kind of project, so they’re going to bid on every single one,” he said.
