The City of Indianola may move forward with paving on three major thoroughfares, which could be under construction by the end of the summer.
That is if the board of aldermen will come to an agreement next week on the specific streets they would like to see receive an overlay by the end of 2024.
The board held a special called meeting this past Wednesday to discuss upcoming street and infrastructure projects.
There are three main sources of funding to make these repairs.
The first is about $4.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds that will be used to do a lot of the repair and replace projects for lead joint pipes and waterlines that are currently located directly under city streets.
The second is about $4 million in bonds the city plans to issue in 2025 for streets.
The third, and most accessible at the moment, is use tax, or internet sales tax money the city already has, which could total about $2 million when the city receives its next payment this summer.
This provides the greatest opportunity, according to City Engineer Ron Cassada, for getting something under construction this year.
“If you don’t have to move or replace water lines, you could theoretically get something under construction this summer,” Cassada said.
Cassada said that it is possible the design work can be done very quickly, once the board approves the projects, and bids could be opened by the end of July, with construction possibly starting by the end of August.
The timeline is tight, however, as most paving idles around the middle of November and does not pick up until March, due to the weather.
Mayor Ken Featherstone recommended the board jump on this opportunity.
“If that is the path of least resistance, we need to take that path,” he said.
Featherstone noted that Second Street, as well as Main from Highway 49 to Sunflower Avenue, would not require the replacement or repair of underground utilities.
“I think that’s a good start,” Featherstone said.
Ward 5 Alderman Sam Brock said Main Street should be a priority, but the aldermen also entertained projects on Oak Street and Wiggins Road.
Wiggins, which is a concrete road, is in particularly bad shape in some sections.
Ward 4 Alderman Marvin Elder said Wiggins, which has a lot of large trucks on it daily, has become a hazard to motorists.
Cassada suggested the city look at overlaying Main Street from Highway 49 to Sunflower Avenue, doing a thin-lift overlay of Second Street and doing some high-grade patching to Wiggins and Oak streets as a cost-saving measure.
Elder made a motion to allow Gardner Engineering to begin the design work on the four streets. Brock gave it a second, but Ward 2 Alderman Darrell Simpson noted that the board needed more time to research the streets to see if these were the ones they absolutely wanted to start with.
He made a subsidiary motion that was seconded by Ward 1 Alderman Gary Fratesi to hold off until another planning session that is scheduled for next Wednesday.
“With all due respect, we’ve been playing with this for four years,” Elder said. “We’re trying to get something for 2024.”
The subsidiary motion passed 3-2, with Simpson, Fratesi and Ward 3 Alderman Ruben Woods voting in favor and Elder and Brock voting against.
