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Winter's potholes, damaged roads soon to draw construction
By M.K. Guetersloh
mkguetersloh@pantagraph.com
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BLOOMINGTON -- The headaches of potholes and bad roads created by the past winter soon will be replaced by the headaches created by orange barrels and road closures. | List of Bloomington's planned road work

At its meeting Monday the Bloomington City Council approved a $2.4 million road resurfacing package with Rowe Construction of Bloomington.

Also, a new demolition bid for the downtown Coachman Motel was tabled until the council’s May 27 meeting.

This year’s road resurfacing and repaving budget is nearly double the budget from the past fiscal year, and Mayor Steve Stockton said it was significantly more than the $500,000 resurfacing budget of a few years ago.

“We’ve been steadily raising the amount for resurfacing,” Stockton said. “This is part of that back-to-basics program the council wants to do.”

With nearly twice the budget, there will be about twice the road construction for motorists.

Rowe Construction will get started on the work as soon as the weather allows. The entire resurfacing program likely will be completed by Labor Day.

At an earlier meeting, the City Council authorized city staff to negotiate the resurfacing package with Rowe because there are no other road construction company in the area to offer a bid on the work.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited demolition of the Coachman, 408 E. Washington St., will have to wait again.

Work on a revisited bid for the demolition was not completed to City Manager Tom Hamilton’s satisfaction by Monday morning.

“It’s not ready,” Hamilton said. “After meeting with staff this morning we were not comfortable rushing this. It will be done, but it needs to be done the right way.”

The item was added to the council agenda last week, shortly after the Environmental Protection Agency approved a second asbestos removal plan. Hamilton said previously they wanted to reserve a place on the agenda for the item so they can keep the project moving.

The city has struggled for more than two years to get the dilapidated motel improved or torn down.

Kirk’s C&D Recycling’s original bid of $187,000 to demolish the building was approved by the council in January. However, asbestos found in the walls — not found in the city’s first asbestos inspection — stopped work on the building in February. Kirk’s is allowed to issue a new bid for the project because the asbestos in the walls was not included in the original specifications for the job.

In unrelated action, the council approved leasing land at Hershey and Ireland Grove roads for the community gardens program for $1 a year for the next two years.

The land was owned by the Normal-based Unit 5 school district and the garden program was managed by the Parks and Recreation Department for several years. However, Unit 5 gave up the Hershey Road land as part of an exchange for land south of Bloomington for a school site.

The development company that now owns the land, Sunrise Co. LLC, agreed to lease two acres for the garden program.

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Reader comments on this story - 8 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

newshound wrote on May 13, 2008 5:28 PM:

" Whatever the road that goes east from the sale barn to 150 has a major hole in the road past Bunn st and right after you cross the RR tracks. There is a bump sign that should say CRATER. Im surprised no one has been seriously injured there. Its been there so long the outside of the road has been worn away because of people going around it. WHY cant they pour some blacktop in a hole that bad???? "

Danser61701 wrote on May 13, 2008 5:10 PM:

" Maybe if it's done right the "first" time, this wouldn't happen. Use materials that last! "

Hi Liter wrote on May 13, 2008 2:41 PM:

" Well, it's about time the fix Martin Luther King Dr! They should have resurfaced the street years ago. The pot holes are so wide and deep that when you drive down the street, you're bouncing up and down so hard you feel like you're back in the 1800's riding in horse carriage down a brick street. It should be one of the first streets they resurface . "

Rusty Shackelford wrote on May 13, 2008 1:48 PM:

" How about getting State Farm to remove the speed bump from Loop Road. "

Rolling Eyes wrote on May 13, 2008 1:20 PM:

" Finally! "

Airwren wrote on May 13, 2008 12:03 PM:

" Please fix the intersection of Main and College. Main street going north or south at that intersection is completely wrecked. "

noone wrote on May 13, 2008 9:34 AM:

" how about fixing all of Oakland. Start at Ireland grove road and work your way around to Main St, or start at Main and go east. Just fix it. save my suspension. and add i light at Ireland Grove and Stryde. "

Truth wrote on May 13, 2008 8:42 AM:

" I sure hope they fix Prospect Road where it meets Oakland; that's horrible there coming up to the stop sign!!!! I feel like I need to put my vehicle in 4-wheel drive! LOL! "
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