Capital Budget '10/11: The press on the proposal
The NHRs Luther Turmelle started his reporting on the 2010 / 2011 capital budget yesterday. He continued today with the proposed GIS system. I got to the meeting late last night, but this article did remind me of this brief exchange between Councilman Slocum and the PW Director on July 8, 2008:
And here's the MRJs Joe Adinolfi on last night's meeting.
Tim White
17 comments:
Just curious...I wanted to find ou what roads are being paved this summer since may of the main side roads I have been on are in need of repair. This is what I found on the Public Works web site:
The following streets are scheduled for paving as part of the first phase of the roadwork:
Allen Court from Allen Avenue to Cul-De-Sac Loop
Beacon Hill Drive from Wolf Hill Road to Nob Hill Road
Brookside Place from Wolf Hill road to the Cul-De-Sac.
Cortland Circle from South Meriden Road to Courtland Circle
East Ridge Court from Cheshire Street to Cul-De-Sac.
Judson Court from South Meriden Road to Cul-De-Sac.
Nob Hill Road from Wold Hill Road to Vista Terrace
Peach Tree Court from South Meriden Road to the Cul-De-Sac.
Did the software program tell them that all these Cul-De Sacs needed to be paved before many of the through roads?
doubt this list is accurrate
Those roads are in great condition...this list CANNOT be accurate.
The following roads are scheduled for (some have already been done) repaving over portions of the named streets if not the entire length. The total is 6.74 miles. I have a list but lack a scanner so I'm not including all the detail.
Allen ct
Avon Blvd
Bates Dr / Bates Ln
Beacon Hill Dr
Brookside Pl
Brubaker Rd
Contour DR
Cortland Cir
Curve Hill Rd
East Ridge Ct
Farview Dr
Green Hill Ln
Judson Ct
Nob Hill Rd
No. Rolling Acres
Peach Tree Ct
Chip Sealing 4.2 miles
Blacks Rd
Dickerman Rd
Marion Rd
Talmadge Rd
Wallingford Rd.
Tim Slocum
Tim S.
Why is the Public Works web site saying differently?
Why isn't an accurate list posted on the site?
Perhaps an explanation on how the software program works and how they prioritize what roads get done would help. I recall that we couldn't get an answer on this during the last TC.
Still is a lot of cul-de-sacs
I recall that we couldn't get an answer on this during the last TC.
perhaps Mgt can't do it? And to be really blunt... I still wonder if the Council has the right management team in place. I'm far from convinced of it. And as Tony P intimated... although I'm the only one saying it publicly... I'm not the only Council member thinking it.
10:52 PM
The summary I listed was based on info provided TC members at our 7/13 regular meeting during the town manager's report. The list wasn't read but it was referenced.
Why the info isn't on the web is a good question. I'll ask that the list be updated. It appears the last information on the website was posted in May. The problem with websites is accessing is fast and easy and updating is time consuming. I know first hand, I have one for my business and I do the Cheshire Land Trust's...there are always other priorities.
Tim Slocum
"The problem with websites is accessing is fast and easy and updating is time consuming. I know first hand, I have one for my business and I do the Cheshire Land Trust's...there are always other priorities."
Tim, I'll do the updating for free. Just need to have information handy.
"perhaps Mgt can't do it? And to be really blunt... I still wonder if the Council has the right management team in place. I'm far from convinced of it. And as Tony P intimated... although I'm the only one saying it publicly... I'm not the only Council member thinking it."
My perception (and it's just that) is that this TC is thinking about the leadership in town management at all levels.
As for Wallingford and Tamarack Rd...I live off of Coleman Road. I drive up/down Wallingford Rd every day. If I'm not driving to/from the center of town then I'm driving to/from the Gaylord Hospital end. Wallingford Rd is in great shape. Tamarack Rd is in great shape. I don't understand why these roads are being Chip Sealed.
As for the chip sealing...it sucks. Coleman Rd. was chip sealed last year and many were wondering "why?!?" there was nothing wrong with it. Not a single pot hole anywhere, fairly nice road, before the chip sealing process.
This past winter, the road became an ice slick during winter storms because ice formed in the rough road surface where paving couldn't get catch it. The ice would stay there until the temps got up but then froze when the temps dropped.
But why Wallingford Rd and Tamarack Rd? Are these roads really two of the worst roads in Cheshire? What criteria is used to force rank the list of roads needing attention?
Thx.
Tony,
There's always a risk making an excuse for paid town officials. I know we're all perfect.
I asked town staff to post the info on the front page of the website. Its their managed site and we can't update. Look for it soon.
Tim White has a scanner and the info should be in his TC packet from that meeting...Hey Tim. please scan and post.
The pavement management survey is on the home page of the town's web site. It prioritizes and is only a tool not a bible. Look it over. You can see that many stretches of the same road are rated differently too.
Chip sealing is not a permenent fix either and the town knows this. If it gets lots of bad feed back that practice may have to be reavaluated but so far there have not been lots of complaints.
By the way...I'm not the roads foreman and expert in chief. Our public works director and his staff wear that hat but I'll pass along all comments and complaints as rec'd.
Tim S
Tim S.
Thanks for continuing to update us.
Now I see they changed their web site to this:
The following streets are scheduled for paving as part of the second phase of the roadwork:
Avon Boulevard
Brubaker Road
Bates Drive
Bates Lane
Greenhill Lane
Intersection of Sandbank Road at Peck Lane
Weather permitting, it is anticipated that paving will be completed by early August, 2010.
How many phases are they doing? Will the other roads that you listed get done this year?
I noticed that they also took moff whether it is a cul-de-sac or not
The real issue is that these departments need to recognize the internet as a place where residents will go to get information. If their site isn't up to date, we are all left scratching our heads as to what is going on.
Why they couldn't just list the info that you provided with approximate dates is mind boggling. It is a shame that we have to go through our TC members to get the updates.
By the way, the intersection of Sandbank at Peck Lane?? Has anyone driven down Sandbank near the old railroad tracks? If you don't slow down to 10 MPH you could lose the bottom of your car. I am hoping that is somwhere near the top of the list since it is a through road to Meriden/Waterbury Rd.Unfortunately, I don't see it on anyones list. That software sure was worth all the money we spent.
I agree with Tony...chip sealing SUCKS!! We turned down I think it was Dickerman Drive and the small rocks starting pinging off the bottom of our car. We had to drive so slowly but they still were being kicked up against the car.
sz
"Our public works director and his staff wear that hat but I'll pass along all comments and complaints as rec'd."
Please do, give him my number if he wants to chat about the roads in question as well as the sealing method.
"We had to drive so slowly but they still were being kicked up against the car."
The tar is worse particularly after they intially spread the tar and cover it with stone dust. It then sits like this for a few days. It gets better after it's been rolled but it's a mess nonetheless.
When Coleman road was done I know town hall got some phone calls, namely my neighbors, about the tar rock/chip issues. They did send out street sweepers though.
- Tony
I have to defend the PW Director on this. I recall him coming to a Council meeting (a couple years ago) and warning the Council about chip seal. Yet we moved forward with it. I don't recall any specific direction to move forward with chip seal. But I suspect with all the budgetary pressures (balanced with road maintenance pressures) he decided to move forward with chip seal.
So it may be best to be upset with the Council on the chip seal stuff, not the PW Director.
Frankly though, I'd have to dig into the history to figure out what words / votes / actions brought the chip seal to Cheshire. And without doing that research (which I don't have the time for), it seems to me the PW Director probably at least felt he was taking direction from Council in spirit... if not taking direction due to an actual vote.
And while this process began under a former Council... I don't recall anyone challenging the idea at all.
Why are we discussing road conditions and GIS in the same topic? GIS is not the infamous program that dictates which roads need to be repaired and which need to be chip-sealed. GIS is Graphic Information System that is used to show information on every parcel in town for taxation, mitigation, enviromental, and planning issues. If you go to http://www.cogcnv.org/ you can see the program that the town uses. The town has the ability to allow residents more or less accessability to the info provided.
Please do not confuse a useless program (roadway management) with GIS.
How many council members have posted on this topic without knowing what they were talking about? - a few?
"Please do not confuse a useless program (roadway management) with GIS. "
Since you raised the issue, I vividly recall the TM, wetlands commission and an ex-zoning enforcement person discussing the GIS system as a means to track wetlands areas AS WELL AS identify those residents encroaching and/or abusing wetlands and wetland buffers. The Wetlands Commission touted this system as a saving grace for enforcement.
In this regard, the GIS system is a failure because if town hall was actively using GIS to identify properties in violation of wetlands regulations then the town would have a new revenue stream of fines from homeowners blatantly encroaching, and in some cases, grossly filling in wetlands around their homes without approval, let alone a variance.
Then again, I'm not certain how much of this is a GIS issue and/or a very lax wetlands committee and town management issue. The GIS system seems like more wasted time and effort.
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