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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7081 IINJ�ORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7081 �ko�0)?,.' To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 7, 1986 Subject: RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITIZEN STUDY COMMITTEE In addition to the formal recommendations made by the Citizen Study Committee on St reets i n thei r report to City Counci 1 , dated November 19, 1985, el even "Additional Items of Concern" were identified. Five of these items are covered by this Informal Report and can be briefly described as follows: 1) Outside Consulting Firm: An outside consulting firm was recommended to review maintenance procedures and performance standards used by the Transportation and Public Works Department. The procedures and perform- ance standards recommended would apply to City personnel as well as contractors. Also, the study would review standards for determination of maintenance work to be performed by the department or to be contracted to other parties. 2) Quality Control : Additional City inspectors on construction projects are needed to maintain proper quality control of work. An accepted "industry standard" such as the one now being used by the State Department of High- ways and Public Transportation should be utilized. Also, the addition of a geotechnical engineer (or senior technician) to the City's staff to ^"^~e p' °' =s~ '=" ' u"~g=~-"^s on ~u~s"^ ' =^e water ~ ' ^~~~'~^~ ~~~'~ ^^~~' ` longer lasting pavements. 3\ Utility Trenches : A key factor in street pavement problems is the pre- mature failure of Utility trenches. The problem appears to be a combina- tion of the specified backfill materials , construction methods, and a variety of other associated problems . The Citizen Committee recommended that inspection of trench backfill for all utilities be the responsi- bility of the Transportation and Public Works Department. The Committee recommended that utility contractors provide a performance and main- tenance bond for a minimum of two years . The City's current policy is for a one year maintenance guarantee. 4\ Utility Coordination : The Committee recommended that the Transportation and Public Works Department coordinate and control the placement/ replacement of all utility lines in the street right-0f-way. The Committee also recommended that no street in good condition be allowed to be open cut for utility placement if the street can be bored. 5) Ground Water: Streets often fail prematurely because Of subsurface water. A staff geotechnical engineer (or senior technician) could recognize the probability Of subsurface water even during the summer months based on the Qeoloyy and topography of the area, and could order the use of "french drains" to reduce or correct the problem. �ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS ~�~� INIF ORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7081 - p.2 January 7, 1986 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Xlk Subject: RECOWIENDATIONS OF THE CITIZEN STUDY COMMITTEE 1073. During City Council discussion of these and other street matters , members of the City Council asked the staff to consider requiring additional contractor responsibility. This included such items as requiring the contractor of asphalt pavements to provide for a chip seal at the end of three years fol- lowing construction completion and/or requiring all contractors to provide for full repair and maintenance for a three year period regardless of pave- ment type. The City staff has reviewed these concerns and believe that they are signifi- cantly inter-related and should be dealt with under a single, professional study. With City Council 's approval , staff intends to solicit proposals from consultants to address all of the above concerns and other related matters which may come to light during the study. Once the proposals are received and reviewed, staff will submit its recom- mendation to City Council for the consultant to be used for the study. Prior to submittal of the recommendation, staff will negotiate a fee with the recommended consultant. It should be recognized, however, that a study of this nature does not have strict limitations and should be open-ended to some extent in order to maximize the quality and usefulness of the study. /Douglas Harman City tianager DH:jcnnn - ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS