Public Works pilot seals more than 15,500 feet of cracks; staff will run second pilot before buying equipment

Public Works Director Cody Tibbets told council that a five‑day pilot using leased equipment successfully sealed more than 15,500 linear feet of pavement cracks and produced useful data on staffing, machine productivity and unit costs.

"Over those 5 days, Public Works was able to seal more than 15,500 linear feet of cracks," Tibbets reported, and added the work covered about 1.16 lane miles — roughly 1.6% of the town's 70.68 lane‑mile network. In a measured one‑hour run late in the week, a four‑person crew sealed 1,334 linear feet of crack. The pilot used Seal Master equipment; staff plan a spring follow‑up pilot with a CraftCo unit to collect comparable operating data.

Tibbets said the pilot showed staff can perform the work in‑house and that productivity and cost per linear foot improved as crews gained experience (from about $1.06 down to $0.82 in the pilot as efficiency improved). An engineering cost model included in the full report estimated that contracting the same 15,000 linear feet would cost roughly $93,000 (engineering estimate of $6–$10 per linear foot), though Tibbets said the written report contains full backup and final procurement recommendations will follow completion of the second pilot.

Council members asked about breakeven points, machine lifespan (vendors estimated roughly 10+ years in normal use), and the volume of roadway that typically requires annual sealing; staff said those details are in the 15‑page report and will be part of a future recommendation if a purchase is proposed.

Provenance: topic introduced SEG 1000; topic finish SEG 1281.