ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from City Manager and the Director of Public Works with a Request for the Following:
A. ADOPT an ORDINANCE Amending the City of Peoria BUDGET for Fiscal Year 2015 to Transfer Funds from the General Fund to the Capital Fund, in the Amount of $250,000.00, for the Purchase of a Pavement Striping Truck and Pavement Grinding Vehicle.
B. AUTHORIZE the PURCHASE of a Two-Component PAVEMENT STRIPING TRUCK from MARK RITE LINES EQUIPMENT COMPANY INC. of Billings, Montana, in the Amount of $550,000.00, and a PAVEMENT GRINDING VEHICLE from DICKSON INDUSTRIES, INC. of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, in the Amount of $295,000.00.
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BACKGROUND: Public Works maintains a large amount of roadway striping within the city. The amount of roadway striping increases every year as a result of roadway construction, additional bike lanes and road diet projects. These markings include:
• 1,550,000 feet (293 miles) of centerline, bike lanes and edge lines on roadways
• 218,000 feet of intersection striping (crosswalks and stop bars)
• 17,000 feet of school crosswalks
• Hundreds of roadway symbols (arrows, bike and h/c symbols)
Using the thermoplastic truck and materials, we are experiencing about 1 year of serviceable life on concrete-and 2 years on bituminous-pavement for the markings. This means that we need to restripe the concrete streets every year and bituminous roadways every year or two, for an average of about 1.5 years of service life. The proposed new equipment will utilize modified urethane, which is more durable than thermoplastic, with 2-3 years of life on concrete (longer on bituminous). Inlaying the modified urethane will allow us to get maximum service life out of our pavement markings, up to 6-7 years.
The cost of thermoplastic material to stripe 293 miles of lines at $410/mile is approximately $120,000. The cost of modified urethane to stripe 293 miles at $930/mile is approximately $272,500. Since the modified urethane is expected to last 4 times longer than the thermoplastic, it would take over $480,000 in thermoplastic to have the same service life as the modified urethane. A material savings of over $200,000 could be seen for each 6 year striping cycle.
Additionally, other jurisdictions contract with Public Works to install pavement markings on their roadways. In 2015, the Public Works Department billed over $125,000 for work in other communities, which brought in funds to the City while providing an affordable option for roadway striping for the following jurisdictions:
• Limestone Township
• North Pekin
• Peoria County
• Village of Bartonville
• Village of Peoria Heights
• West Peoria
Using modified urethane allows for pavement markings that don’t need replacement every year or two, which will allow us to accommodate our growing pavement marking needs (bike lanes, road diets), provide pavement markings for construction projects (saving the City money versus including it in construction contracts), better maintain the roadway symbols and parking lots (the lowest priorities, but still important), and look for further opportunities to expand our work for other jurisdictions.
A) In 2008, Public Works Fleet Services purchased a 2008 GMC thermoplastic paint truck for approximately $450,000 for use in pavement striping work. On August 26, 2015, that truck experienced a burner fire and it has been inoperative since that time. Public Works staff considers the truck a total loss, since the cost of its repair exceeds its value.
Since the thermoplastic truck was made inoperable in August, the City has hired RoadSafe to help complete the 2015 pavement marking program. RoadSafe provided the equipment and crew, but used previously purchased materials for the work. The cost of labor/equipment for the RoadSafe crew was $365/hour. Comparing this cost to the billable rate for the City roadway striping crew of about $250/hour, shows it is desirable to continue to do this work in-house.
Staff took the opportunity to evaluate current pavement marking methods, in hopes of finding the best long term solution for City of Peoria roadway striping. After research, it was decided to look into a modified urethane system instead of thermoplastic. Modified urethane is a two-component, durable marking material with similar performance characteristics to those of polyuria and epoxy. Since modified urethane takes less time to heat, the city crew can be more efficient, with up to an hour more daily production, which will allow the City to save on labor and equipment for the service life of the material.
Another consideration when evaluating pavement marking material is staff safety. The thermoplastic material is heated to 425 degrees, which has resulted in several lost time injuries the last few years. Modified urethane is only heated to around 140 degrees and will be safer for the crews to handle, as well as shortening start up time.
To get a better understanding of the equipment and process for the proposed equipment, staff visited a contractor in Des Moines on October 15, 2015 to view a newer striping vehicle (photos attached in this Communication) and received budget pricing information from Mark Rite Lines Equipment with an approximate value of $550,000. That pricing is for a plural component truck including a Peterbilt 320 chassis with a 13,000 air lift pusher axle well equipped (approx. $135,000), and a two-component striping “body” well equipped (approx. $415,000 including delivery and training).
These trucks take six months to build. Since the paint vehicle fire happened on August 26th, three months have already passed while staff has been negotiating with the claims company. Further delays will effect next year’s striping projects. Delays in purchasing the equipment will necessitate the City to hire a contractor, at extra expense, to keep our pavement markings safe for the traveling public.
B) To work in conjunction with the paint striping truck, Public Works requests the purchase of a pavement grinding vehicle, which consists of a tractor with an integrated dust collector and interchangeable grinding drum assemblies. This grinder will allow city crews to “inlay” the pavement marking material. The inlaying process involves grinding a strip of pavement an inch wider than the pavement marking line to a depth of about 60 mils. The pavement marking is then installed to a depth of 20 mils and topped with reflective glass beads. The inlaid pavement marking material is then protected from contact by vehicle tires and snow removal equipment, which has been shown to extend the service life of the material up to 7 years. Attached is a photo from Dickson Industries for a RoadPro 6200HD, which is the machine sized for city streets, with an approximate cost of $290,000. Onsite training is included in the price of the machine.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: $250,000 from the Traffic Engineering Traffic Supplies will be transferred to the capital fund for the purchase. The remaining balance of $595,000 is anticipated to come from the insurance settlement. If there is a shortfall, the outstanding balance will come from the fleet recapitalization capital account.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: Having equipment in good working order allows staff to adequately stripe our streets. Good pavement markings are essential for the safety of the motoring public.
IMPACT IF APPROVED: City staff will be able to utilize funding available in the 2015 Operating Budget in order to purchase new equipment for striping of city streets and saves the cost of outsourcing this work.
IMPACT IF DENIED: Public Works will not have pavement striping/grinding vehicles for use in its fleet. City will have to outsource the work, which is a more expensive alternative.
ALTERNATIVES: As Council directs.
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: Each vendor will obtain a valid EEO # before the purchase order will be issued.
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2014 - 2029 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Financially Sound City Government, Effective City Organization
2. Attractive Neighborhoods with Character: Safe and Livable
3. Vibrant Downtown: Riverfront/ Central Business District/ Warehouse District
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Invest in our infrastructure and transportation.
2. Keep taxes and fees competitive.
3. Have an efficient government.
DEPARTMENT: Public Works