Article
by By Danny Borzellingo, BBA is the Owner Operator of
City Wide Paving Inc.
Shortly spring will be upon us and as most
years as the snow melts the problem with our existing asphalt
paving will be staring us in the face. With the proper information
all property owners or managers can assess their asphalt
and start seeking the proper company to complete the work
required.
The quality of the work is reflected in the job description
which should meet or exceed future usages. The execution
of the project depends on machinery, skills, experience
and the quality of materials. Life expectancy of asphalt
is a function of the above stated in conjunction with maintenance.
A proper maintenance program can prolong the life of asphalt
and reduce the replacement cost. Amortization and proper
cost analysis should be looked at as in any long term investment.
The correct job description for present and future use will
extend the life of your asphalt service. Some customers
wish to employ the services of an engineer, at a fixed cost
for the tender package or a percentage cost on the management
of the work. An educated and experience contractor can design
the job, and see it through to competition. This will save
you 5 to 10% in management fees and $10,000 for tender packages.
An anonymous property manager enlisted the services of an
engineering firm to tender a job for a large and expensive
parking lot. The engineer knew that the lot rehabilitation
would cost $1.5 million dollars. The low bid was $1.25 million
and the property manager gave them the job. With all the
extras the job surpassed the $2 million dollar amount. The
two lessons in the story are that a proper job description
could forecast some of these extra expenses or the contract
language was to loose in its interpretation, which the paving
contractor took advantage of in order to make a profit.
The old adage “pay me now or pay me later” could
be modified to include this situation.
A good paving contractor would have told the engineer the
deficiencies in their tender package and ask that the project
be re-tendered so that all pricing is fair and disclosed.
A good property manager would have realized that the price
was too cheap and that the extra work would break the manager’s
budget projections for that year. With the low bid the property
manager should have had the work re-tendered with other
contractors.
Modern paving equipment is what is needed to produce high
quality jobs in a timely and cost effective manor. As an
example, newer pavers and rollers increase compaction, and
improve on the service appearance of the project therefore
extending their life. The innovation of the grinder allows
customers an additional choice when choosing their repair
solutions. All this machinery comes in different sizes to
offer the same quality of road work to the common parking
lot. The trucks have become safer and better to ensure that
the material gets to the job on time and hot. Earth moving
equipment has followed suit.
The material is constantly being innovated for our environment.
Material choices also affect the final job. Recycled material
may be cheaper but it is not better. As with all things
you get what you pay for. The high quality material is more
expensive up front but saves money in the long term with
extended life. The different grades also have different
applications.
Maintenance is essential to extend the life of a good job.
Maintenance will include route and seal, pot hole repair,
sealer, line painting and removal of damaged areas. All
these activities save the asphalt therefore protecting your
base. The asphalt is like a roof on a house which protects
all the valuables held within. The base is the most expansive
part of a project, so if it is protected the chances are
it will not only last longer, but can possibly be reused.
Return on investment comes in many forms. The most tangible
of which is pay parking. The intangibles are curb appeal,
increased flow through efficient parking and availability.
Pay parking is the obvious, retail traffic and rentability,
all pay dividends exceeding the original installation cost.
The ongoing return will cover any of the maintenance costs.
The more you invest in a parking lot the more return you
will make.
