LIVERMORE — Representatives from Pike Industries Inc. of Fairfield met with Selectpersons Tuesday night, July 19, to discuss the quality of paving done by the company late last fall on Goding and Norlands roads. Another meeting was expected to be held this week after more selectpersons inspect those roads.

“In the past we have always been happy with the work Pike has done,” Selectperson Scott Richmond said. “Even the topcoat on Waters Hill Road last summer was an excellent job. So when I saw the quality of work starting on Norlands Road, Goding Road last fall I wasn’t pleased. The quality of work last fall, it wasn’t quite up to [Pike’s] standards.”

Pike representative Jason Griffiths admitted there were some issues from a “workmanship point of view.”

A letter sent to the town from Pike’s proposed to:

• Overlay about 4,500 feet of Goding Road on both lanes at the Crash Road end with 5/8 inch 4.75mm hot mix asphalt

• Treat six other segments varying from 95 to 410 feet, one lane only on Goding Road similarly to above

• Repair three segments on Norlands Road by milling butt joints and overlaying the road

“This surface course of pavement will eliminate the course texture of the existing pavement, thereby extending the life cycle of the road well into the future,” the letter noted.

Cutting and piecing might work once in a while but doesn’t always, you are not going to get it perfect every time, Richmond said. Seams aren’t wanted, the proposal doesn’t give that, he noted.

“Even if we were to repave it again, I can’t guarantee that there’s not going to be a seam across there,” Griffiths said.

“We are going to end up with a lot of seams,” Richmond stated.

“Basically I am prepared to give you 730 tons of roadway,” Griffiths said. “Whether you want to put it on one roadway, both roadways, whatever you would like to do. If you guys want to kick in some money to pave end to end I am not opposed to that either.

“We value this relationship, don’t want it to go sour. It does matter to us.”

Griffiths noted some Livermore projects were full reconstruction, some shim and overlay, others selective shim with overlay. “They don’t always work,” he said. “Last winter was a rough winter all the way around.”

There are spots with no pavement, plenty of pavement in others, Selectperson Chair Mark Chretien said. There is plenty of pavement, it is falling apart, he noted.

“What we are worried about is down the road if it fell apart this year what’s to say it is not going to fall apart next year,” Chretien stated. “We know it is your product. Scott and I walked four miles of road. When there are holes in the road your material isn’t holding together. That is just this year, what is going to happen next year?”

Griffiths said he couldn’t answer that, couldn’t give a warrantee should there be issues after the proposed work for those roads was done.

“I think the only way is to resurface [the roads],” Chretien said. “If we have to get experts out here to do that, we are willing to do that. We are not going to lay down.”

Richmond preferred to have the paving redone. He was concerned with putting an overlay over what was done last fall. “If it is delaminating with the climate last year, if you go over it, if the underneath is still not good is that going to delaminate more?”

Griffiths said he couldn’t answer that.

“I think it was too cold last year,” Richmond said.

The proposal shared with companies interested in bidding on the project stated work had to be completed on or before Oct. 1, Chretien noted.

When asked, Griffiths said testing was done while the work was in progress by Pike. The results could be emailed to board members, he said.

Pike representative Gerard Bourassa said there were low borders on Goding Road, some spots that were way out of shape. “Some of the spots that were plowed off or came off were thin,” he said. “We ran over by 200 ton on that road. We were trying to hold to budget and we did the best we could on the road that is there.”

Chretien said the town should have been notified if issues arose. “That discussion should have happened,” he noted. “You should have been professional enough to say ‘we are going over’ or ‘we need to do this.’ That is the way it should be done.

“We knew [the road] was in rough shape and you knew it was in rough shape. You need that communication. We need to know as soon as you know.”

Selectperson Randy Ouellette asked if Pike had received complaints from other towns. It was just Livermore, Highway Foreman Roger Ferland replied.

Pike waited for the temperature to rise and did all the testing to be in state compliance, Griffiths said.

Thursday morning Ferland said Pike had issues with the dry mix used, which led to small holes in the pavement. There were a lot of seams where they started and stopped off, he noted.

“They put more seams in the road than they should have,” Ferland said.

Pike did the paving on Nov. 8, he noted.

Board members planned to walk or revisit the two roads at different times, then schedule a meeting with the Pike representatives the week of July 25.

Richmond said he wanted to resolve the issue ahead of the Aug. 2 board meeting.

“We are watching out for our taxpayers’ money,” Ferland said. “We want what we expect.”

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