PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS
PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS
BOB BELL- Director urrysville MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE NEWS
Year 2016 was an incredibly productive year for Public Works, with the main goal being to return to the routine maintenance schedule. With the talent of this Department’ s staff, numerous jobs were completed, including a new connector road where Branthoover Cutoff once was, a new parking lot at the Murrysville Community Center, interior improvements at the Murrysville Community Center, slide repair along Sardis Road, a new retaining wall at Townsend Field # 1, and a new two( 2) mile paved walking trail at Murrysville Community Park. These projects could not have been completed without the expertise of the Department and the support of the Mayor, Council, and Chief Administrator.
The following is a breakdown of the Public Works and Parks Departments’ activities:
The Department participated in the following training: 1. Pennsylvania’ s Local Technical Assistance Program [ LTAP ]( the
Municipality hosted four [ 4 ] classes for the entire crew). 2. Safe Driver. 3. Equipment and Worker Safety. 4. Winter Maintenance. 5. Drainage: The Key to Roads that Last.
Major Purchases – Per the 2016 Capital Improvements Program: 1. Public Works Complex Improvements: New garage door in the salt building, new LED lights, and ceiling fans for truck bays. 2. Purchased new 926 Wheel Loader( hi-lift to load trucks). 3. Purchased two( 2) new one-ton dump trucks, with snow removal equipment. 4. Repaired cracks and re-painted tennis courts at Chambers Park. 5. Installed new paved walking trail at Murrysville Community Park, which measures approximately two( 2) miles. 6. Installed a new backstop and new retaining wall at Townsend
Park Field # 1. 7. Sardis Road – Installed a new retaining wall at slide area( Phase 1).
Surplus Vehicle Sales: This year’ s Surplus Sale generated $ 113,778.00 in revenue.
Crack Seal Program: The Department was able to get out in the fall only, sealing roadway cracks in the housing plans. Approximately 20,000 lbs. of material was put down. This is a very important part of road maintenance; the Department will be out in the spring and fall of each year. There is a five-year schedule to ensure that all plans are completed at least once in this time period. Additionally, the Department included a couple of main roads to this schedule.
58 Murrysville
Inlet Inspection Cleaning / Repairs Program:
The Department has a five-year program in place which encompasses visual inspections, cleaning the inlets if needed, and reporting any repairs that are required. After the fifth year, the rotation begins again. In 2016, the Department experienced an increase in inlet repairs, due to both age and weather; there is an on-going list of inlet repairs.
Signs: This program has been expanded due to the re-checking of the distances between each speed limit sign and the proper installation. The Municipality is mandated by PennDOT to start changing over to all Hi-Intensity Signs and this will occur as signs are replaced. The Department completed inventorying all signs using the GPS system.
Asphalt:
Due to the mild winter season, the Department found the Municipality’ s roads to be in good shape. The total asphalt put down by Public Works: 1,185.53 tons of top and 123.64 tons of binder. A portion of this total included the new walking trail at Murrysville Community Park and patches on roads using a rental paver.
Pipe Jobs: The following pipe jobs were completed in 2016:
1. Crowfoot Road – prior to overlay – 530 '-15" pipe, 70 '-18" pipe, 170 '-12" pipe, 640 '-6" pipe, 4 new inlets.
2. The Department completed many other small pipe jobs and tying in of problem drainage areas to keep water from freezing on roads in the winter.
The following are additional areas completed, in progress, or still on the work schedule: 1. Roadside Mowing – Very productive year with both mowers running. Additionally, in place of PennDOT, the Department began mowing the Route 22 roadside and jughandles.
2. Painting of Stop Bars and Warning Words – 220 stop bars were painted, 10 crosswalks, 4 school zone areas using 60 gallons of paint and thousands of glass beads. 3. Guide Rail Spraying. 4. Brushing. 5. Braun Avenue Island Beautification area, which the Department maintains.
Miscellaneous Projects:
1. Collected trash from volunteers cleaning up the Municipality’ s roadsides.
2. Filled in numerous road edges to make the roads safer for drivers.
Building Maintenance: The Department is responsible for Municipal building maintenance and custodial services. In 2016, the Department assisted with the new