BARNESVILLE - The proposed road repair program for 2013 in Ryan Township could be about $200,000, according to estimates discussed during the supervisors' meeting Monday.
William N. McMullen of Arro Consulting Inc., the township's consulting engineering firm, explained his study of the costs for the various sections of roads that are being considered. He distributed budget sheets with line items for each area with costs for labor, materials and equipment rentals.
The proposed road projects will include labor from township road employees or from a road construction firm. Some of the streets mentioned were Church Road, Back Road and State Road. Work will include patching and shoulder grading. McMullen said the work will include using fiberglass mesh material to reinforce the patches on Back Road.
"The fiberglass mesh is used where you put down the oil, then the mesh, then the oil and the stone," McMullen said. "It creates a friction area over the patches that is expected to hold up and be as durable as a double-seal coat. It looks like oil and chip on top, but there's fiberglass mesh underneath that adds more strength."
McMullen said the process is approved by the state Department of Transportation.
The estimated cost is $201,410, which will be paid through $40,000 from the township capital improvement fund, $20,000 from the general fund and $60,000 from the liquid fuels fund. The additional funding will be borrowed against state liquid fuels funding for the next three years, Vice Chairman Clyde "Champ" Holman said, explaining that if the township borrows $75,000, it would be paid back over three years using future state allocation of liquid fuels funds.
"This way we'll get ahead of the game," Holman said. "If we don't get the work done, those roads will only get worse."
The supervisors agreed to table the road program plans for review.
In other business, the supervisors discussed the police agreement between Ryan and Delano townships. Police Chief Richard Sinton said Ryan Township police provided 18 hours of coverage in March. Ryan Township provides police coverage to Delano Township up to 20 hours per month at $25 per hour, although the maximum number of hours is not absolute.
"We give them five hours per week but if a police call comes in, we will cover it above the five hours," Holman said.
Fetter said The Seltzer Group, the agency that provides the liability insurance to Ryan Township, asked him if Delano Township has liability insurance for Ryan police when they provide services in its municipality.
"Seltzer wants to know if (Delano) has additional insurance on their policy in our agreement with Delano," Fetter said. "If an incident would happen that insurance would be involved, Delano's insurance should cover it and not the taxpayers of Ryan Township. If our insurance is involved, the premium is going to go up if our insurance has to pay."
Fetter said, "That's why a new police contract has to be drawn up to spell all that out. If Delano doesn't have coverage for additional insured, then Ryan Township will have to pay to reflect that."
Also at Monday's meeting, the supervisors approved giving township Treasurer Cathy Riotto permission to transfer up to $10,000 from the general fund to the refuse disposal fund as needed if the balance is very low as the township waits for garbage fees to be received.
During his monthly report, road foreman John "Jack" Blew said the salt spreaders have been removed from the trucks.
"Winter is over, I hope," Blew said.
Blew suggested the supervisors should consider getting rid of the Ford pickup that has about 246,000 miles on it.
"If I don't bang the electrical box every day, it shuts off going down the highway," Blew said.
The supervisors took no action on disposition of the truck.