Citys dissatisfaction with companys road work outweighs common decision to go with low bidder

Sunday, June 20, 2004

The quick crumbling of its new asphalt cost Kenway Paving the contract to resurface 14 miles of Bowling Greens city streets this year.

Kenway was the low bidder on the annual contract by almost $98,000, but city commissioners instead took a $608,385.76 offer from Scottys Contracting & Stone, the only other bidder, at their meeting last Tuesday.

Kenway is still working on the contract for fiscal 2003, which ends June 30. That work suffered quality problems, city Public Works Director Emmett Wood told commissioners problems serious enough to outweigh the lower price.

He went into more detail in a June 2 memo to city Financial Officer Wilma Brown.

In light of the difficulties we experienced with the (2003) contract we felt it was prudent to include considerations beyond cost to determine the bid representing the best value to the city, Wood wrote in the letter. We have concluded that the deterioration of the overlay material that occasions repair work is the result of an asphalt mix that does not meet specifications. That the mix failed to meet specifications was confirmed via testing conducted under contract with American Engineers, Inc.

In early 2004 motorists and city street crews noticed that about 15 streets Kenway had recently paved were already crumbling. Kenway was called to make repairs, and the company responded willingly and quickly, Public Works Project Manager Dan Chaney said at the time.

The paving contract was suspended during the winter, and Kenway began work again when the weather warmed up, according to Wood.

But, he told Brown, even the new paving was inadequate.

We engaged American Engineers to test overlay material placed both before work was suspended and since work resumed, Wood wrote. Analysis reveals that both old and recent work fails to meet contract specifications.

Since Kenways work didnt meet the standard, even that done after the problem was discovered, the problems figured into the city bid evaluation committees decision, he wrote.

In January, Chaney said that the materials used in the fresh pavement were too powdery, making it dry quickly and thus be liable to crumbling.

Kenway Paving owner Jody Allen disputed that, saying that the city was at fault for ordering Kenway to pave late in the season, when the weather was too cold for the asphalt to dry and adhere properly.

Nevertheless, he promised at the time to correct the problems this spring.

Beyond offering assurance that the work will be redone, Allen would not comment on the issue Friday.

The city and I are working whatever problems out, he said. Weve agreed to take care of whatever problems they have, and well end our term on good graces.

About eight to 10 streets remain to be fixed, City Engineer Jeff Lashlee said. And not all of the work Kenway did deteriorated quickly, he said.

The company apparently changed material suppliers during the paving season, and wound up using a different size of rock on later streets, Lashlee said.

Stone sizes differed from what was specified in the contract, he said.

The size matters because differing rock sizes in the mix create pavement with different properties, Lashlee said. A substantial variation creates an overlay that wont adhere well to existing pavement.

Allen disputed American Engineers findings, according to Lashlee and Wood.

We are looking at both sides, and American was contracted to take samples and do analysis of what they had, Lashlee said. With some of that, there is some area for interpretation.

The city and American Engineers are working on a revised assessment, Wood said.

The contract commissioners approved Tuesday was for fiscal 2004, which is about to end. The delay stems from several source, Lashlee said: The 2003 contract is still being fulfilled, other projects have held the citys attention, and bad weather has delayed much work.

But Kenway will fix the remaining problems from the 2003 contract, he said.

They are starting on them, and we are going back and forth with them trying to find the best method of repair, Lashlee said.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700