Oil City Council members were told Thursday the upcoming East Second Street paving project could face significant delays due to cost and supply issues.
City manager Mark Schroyer said the city has received $2,558,742 from PennDOT for the work that calls for the road and sidewalks to be fixed. Schroyer said the city will be responsible to pay for work on the water and sewer lines along East Second.
But he added that the project is “fluid.”
While typically a need for funds or issues with contractors hold up projects, Schroyer said the availability and cost of materials may delay the work until 2023.
Sometimes the materials aren’t available and when they can be obtained they cost 30% to 40% more, Schroyer said.
“Normally a contractor will guarantee their price for 90 days while the paperwork is being finalized. The costs are fluctuating so rapidly, I’m not sure contractors can commit for 60 or 90 days,” Schroyer said. “This is unprecedented,” he added.
Councilman Ron Gustafson noted that he was told recently at Home Deport that warehouses don’t have PVC pipe and they don’t know when they will get any more in.
Since the East Second project hasn’t begun, there will be no disruption to the area by the work being delayed, Schroyer said.
A public meeting about the project will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers at City Hall, Schroyer said. A rendering of the project will be available at the meeting, according to Schroyer.
Schroyer said all concerned parties along East Second have received letters about the meeting.
The city manager also said Thursday that work is continuing on Orange Street, with paving and curb cuts on each intersection.
He added that some people have been complaining about the appearance of the curb cuts.
“We are doing the best we can. The terrain will not allow it to be perfect,” Schroyer said.
He added that the paving is due to be wrapped up Oct. 31, and he hopes the sidewalks will be done several days before that.
“You can’t take a city like Oil City and make it perfectly ADA compliant…parts are too steep,” Gustafson said.
In other business Thursday, Chris Sporer, a senior engineer with the Arcadis firm that is a consultant for the city, gave an update about the work being done on the North Side pump station and wastewater treatment plant.
She said the work is almost complete and only “a few punch items” are still being finished.
Wenner said everything is going “extremely well” with the operation of the pump station.
Sporer said the overall purpose of the project was to make sure gravel and grit wasn’t being pumped from the North Side station across the river and into pipes on the South Side, where it would settle into and clog the interceptor. She said the interceptor is expensive to clean.
The new pumps on the North Side are also more efficient than the old pumps, Sporer said.
The change orders totaled about $145,000, or 2.5% of the $6.4 million project cost, Sporer said.
Council approved Oil City Main Street’s request to hold the annual Jingle Bell 5K on Dec. 4, which will coincide with Oil City’s Christmas Past event.
Kathy Bailey, the Main Street manager, said, “It’s a small race, everyone who participates says it’s a nice race and comments on how well organized it is.”
And two people from the Speak Up Venango group addressed council with their concerns about several Oil City police investigations.
A work session for the 2022 city budget was held following the council meeting with half the city’s department heads.
A second budget work session with the rest of the department heads will follow the Oct. 28 council meeting.
