Stonecrest prepares to repave additional roads with 5-1 vote

The City of Stonecrest plans to continue repaving its roads, tackling three of the city’s major thoroughfares—Rockland, Salem and Thompson Mill roads, utilizing a portion of the city’s special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST).

In a 5-1 vote at its May 28 meeting, the City Council authorized city staff members to release an invitation for contractors to bid on the next round of road resurfacing projects. Councilwoman Diane Adoma cast the dissenting vote.

“We don’t have a comprehensive process to continue to bid out work,” Adoma said in defending her vote.

Mayor Jason Lary said he is confident the city has the staff in place to oversee the projects and elated the additional roads would get fixed this year.

“Residents won’t have to wait another year to get the major roads repaved, and I’m happy that the majority of the council agreed. I don’t understand how we didn’t have a unanimous vote on completing the work we’ve already started, especially when it affects all five districts,” the mayor said. “This will catch us up with any repaving being behind.”

Deputy City Manager Plez Joyner urged the council to approve putting out an invitation for contractors to bid on the work, saying approval would ensure that $2 to $3 million of additional resurfacing would be completed by November. Joyner said this year, Salem and Rockland roads would be milled and repaved, and Thompson Mill Road would be reconstructed with full-depth reclamation similar to work that will be done on Turner Hill Road.

“If it is the desire of the mayor and council to do additional resurfacing this year, we would need to send out an invitation to bid actually by next week,” Joyner said. “Otherwise, the next round of resurfacing would be delayed until next spring of 2020.”

Joyner reminded the council that road repaving must be done before winter due to weather conditions.

Joyner said the city hopes to receive bids by July 9, have a contract approved by July 31 and the work completed by the end of November.

Earlier this spring, the city awarded a $2million contract to Blount Construction to begin repaving 18 of the city’s worst streets as part of a project funded by a Local Maintenance Improvement Grant and matching SPLOST funds. In addition to the 18 roads, Blount Construction will pave a two-lane portion of Turner Hill Road from Rockland Road to the Bojangles Restaurant entrance. Blount has repaired several roads identified and ranked as its worst streets.