Archuleta County is planning to resurface Pines Drive this summer, according to Public Works Director Mike Torres, who briefed the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) on the project during a work session held on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Torres explained that the county had Masters Circle resurfaced last year, and that Pines Drive is also on the county’s list of resurfacing projects.
He indicated that an initial engineer estimate of the project came in at $681,953.71, which includes an actual construction cost of approximately $559,000, a 10 percent contingency of approximately $56,000 and a preliminary design cost of roughly $66,000.
Torres clarified that the funds are not being spent yet as the request for proposals (RFP) is intended to locate and secure a contractor for this summer.
In response to a question from Commissioner John Ranson, Torres explained that the county has roughly $1.2 million budgeted for this project, and potentially a resurfacing project of West Golf Place.
“We just don’t know that yet,” he said, explaining the final cost for the Pines Drive resurfacing project could come in higher or lower than the original engineer estimate.
Torres also mentioned that Pines Drive received a lithified technology treatment in the early 2000s, “and it failed almost immediately.”
He noted that the goal is to get that product out and put in something that is known to work, “which is asphalt.”
Commissioner Warren Brown asked for clarification on if the $1.2 million budgeted is just for “big projects,” and if gravel maintenance on other roads would be done as well.
“This year our main focus is gravel maintenance,” Torres responded.
Brown commended Torres’ work on getting the RFP out early in the year, rather than waiting until May such as in past years.
“We would get very few bidders, if any,” Brown said, noting that getting the RFP out early will hopefully make for a more competitive bid process on the project.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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