Aldermen okay $255k bid to chip seal streets

The City of Clarendon took action to preserve currently paved streets when the city council met June 10 in regular session.

Aldermen approved a bid of $255,350 from Lipham Asphalt & Paving to seal coat 83,448 square yards of street surfaces, according to City Administrator David Dockery.

“City workers will begin to level up some of these areas prior to the single course chip seal,” Dockery said. “This work will be done this summer.”

The council’s action comes at the recommendation of city engineer Che Shadle of OJD Engineering who recommended last month that the city act quickly to preserve streets with good surfaces. He also said streets of this type of construction need to be sealed every three to four years to protect them.
“They are starting to get cracks in them, and that will start water getting in them,” Shadle told the Enterprise in May. “They need to be chip sealed this summer.”
The cost estimate for this work was $300,000 to $325,000, Dockery reported last month.
While this work gets underway, OJD continues to develop a more extensive plan to address streets in a comprehensive way.
In other city business, aldermen approved an agreement with Resound Networks for radio tower space. Dockery said the Pampa-based firm will offer Internet service in Clarendon and will begin installing their equipment in mid-August.
Dockery said the council also performed the annual evaluation of City Secretary Machiel Covey and noted her excellent work and contributions to the city.
In his administrator’s report, Dockery gave the council an update on the new aquatic center. He said attendance has increased following the bad weather during the facility’s opening.
“We’re pleased,” Dockery said. “The lifeguards are doing a good job, and the pool is operating as we had hoped.”