GENTRY — Public works supervisor David McNair suggested to the street and alley committee on Monday that it recommend an earlier start for street maintenance and repair work this year so work could be done in July rather than later in the season when temperatures may be too cold.

“Last year’s street plan was too late, and it was too cold,” McNair said of the city’s contracted work on a number of streets in the northwest quadrant of the city.

Because of the coolerweather, the chip and seal work did not have the desired result, he said.

McNair suggested the committee recommend to the council that it select an engineer and get plans ready now for repair and maintenance work to be done out of this year’s budget so work can be done in the hotter months of summer.

He also suggested the council include in the scope of work for an engineer assistance in establishing a continual plan to maintain city streets - “a five-year, 10-year and 15-year plan with cost estimates,” McNair said.

The goal, he said, wouldbe to have a continual street maintenance plan for all of Gentry’s streets.

McNair also suggested looking into the cost of slurry application over the streets which were chipped and sealed last year and over streets chipped and sealed this year. The slurry would seal in the chips, he said, making for less loose gravel and a better driving surface.

The biggest issue facing the city continues to be the cost of street construction and maintenance. Limited funding means the city is limited in what it can do each year to repair and maintain its streets and alleys.

News, Pages 2 on 01/26/2011