Low staffing could slow road repairs this summer; city moving on several ARPA projects
The city streets division is down to about 60 percent manning, City Manager Greg Doyon told City Commissioners during their April 2 meeting.
He said that will have implications across the department and it will impact residents.
Doyon said that if the division isn’t fully staffed coming into the summer, the city won’t be able to do the normal mill and overlay road work, putting the city behind on that maintenance and repair work.
It will also impact their ability to respond to pothole complaints.
City streets division gives commissioners annual report [2022]
Doyon said street sweeping will remain a priority to remain in compliance with the city’s MS4 stormwater permit.
Doyon also gave an update on several of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act projects.
The HVAC work in the Commission Chambers at the Civic Center is set to begin May 8 and construction will last six to eight weeks.
Commissioners approve contract change for Civic Center HVAC
He said during that time, regular commission and planning board meetings will be held in the Gibson Room.
Demolition in the Missouri Room for the Municipal Court relocation is set to begin in late June and that project will run through the spring of 2025.
In March, commissioners awarded a $2.19 million contract to Wadsworth Builders for the project.
The boiler in the basement will also be replaced.
City approves $2.19 million contract for Municipal Court relocation to Missouri Room
It’s large and has to be cut into smaller pieces to get it out of the building, Doyon said, and they hope to have the new boilers installed in May.
There’s also a transformer inside the Civic Center, Doyon said, which is against code.
The city now has resources to relocate it outside, and Doyon said that project is planned for the summer since they’ll have to shut down power for a time to do it.
Excavation for the new evidence building at the Great Falls Police Department is scheduled to begin in August.
City awards GFPD evidence building construction contract to Wadsworth
Doyon said the contractor will pour the slab and cover the site for the winter, then come back in the spring to resume work with expected completion in the fall of 2025.
In February, commissioners awarded a $3,544,750 contract with a 3-2 vote to Wadsworth Builders for the project after a protest by the other bidder, James Talcott Construction.
