By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
CONNEAUT — Piles of unused asphalt grindings stored for years on city property will be used in a road repair experiment next spring.
The grindings, the subject of debate the past few months, will be spread on a stretch of Dorman Road to gauge their value as a repair tool, said Bob Howland, public service director.
City officials decided to put the grindings to the test after viewing a road in Monroe Township created from the material along with an oil-based binding substance called MC-70.
“I was very impressed with the road out there,” Howland said.
The grindings, created from old pavement chewed up during resurfacing projects, have sat for years at city-owned land in the East Conneaut Industrial Park. Howland estimates 1,000 tons of old grindings were in storage prior to the start of the 2009 paving season. Another 1,000 tons or so were added this summer, thanks to city street projects, he said.
In 2010, city crews will apply the grindings to Dorman between Gateway Avenue and the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad tracks, or farther if the supply allows.
“I’d like to take it up to the tourist information center (rear gate, near Interstate 90),” Howland said.
The location was picked to help create a smoother road for school buses heading to and from two schools on Gateway Avenue.
The material is in rough form and will need to be crushed and then screened to keep big, dangerous chunks out of the mix. The city will have to rent a roller machine and bulldozer to handle the project, Howland said. Cost of the work will come from street repair money earned via the city income tax, he said.
The grindings have been in the spotlight the past few weeks after it was learned the city applied some to a road created by a gas-well driller working on the property. Some council members have said the city shouldn’t give away a material that may have some practical or cash value.
Because of the criticism, City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr. asked the police department to look into allegations of wrongdoing.
