Loomis to pave parts of Delmar Avenue, Bankhead Road

After years of deferred maintenance, Loomis officials agreed last week to spend a half-million dollars to "patch and pave" 77,500 square feet of deteriorating roadways along Delmar Avenue and Bankhead Road. The Loomis Town Council approved a contract Aug. 13 with Consolidated Engineering of Valley Springs to repair multiple areas along Bankhead and Delmar, rehabilitating pavement in poor condition, said Town Engineer Richard Ly-Lee. "Loomis has had a long history of deferred maintenance," said Councilperson Danny Cartwright. "So, we are blessed at this point to address these long-standing eyesore, suspension-ruining issues at Bankhead and Delmar. When you drive down those roads, they will shake your fillings loose." As part of the Town budget, the patch paving project has been prioritized for funding through road circulation fees and Sierra College Blvd. development fees. The project includes minor work at Sierra College Blvd. to conform to guidelines. "If unaddressed, the deteriorating pavement will lead to further failures," Ly-Lee said in the report. The patch paving serves as a preventive measure to extend the life of the existing roads. "To achieve good pavement conditions, future improvements such as grind and overlay will be necessary," said the engineer The plans were completed and advertised for bids in July, and 11 bids came in, staff said. The engineer estimate for construction was $500,000, and the low bidder estimate was $470,460. Loomis staff said Consolidated has 12 years of experience performing similar work. The construction contract plus contingencies total $573,000. "The taxpayers have a reasonable expectation to have decent, traversable roads because they are paying their property taxes," said Cartwright. Ly-Lee said the unspent patch-pave budget is at roughly $635,000. The unspent, encumbered funds of $62,000 will be returned to the General Fund for the future Humphrey Road sidewalk gap closure project planned. Work on the project is expected to begin by mid-September and be completed by the middle of November, the engineer said.