Public Works Saves Schools Over $100K on Projects

The Divison of Public Works is saving the Summit Public Schools more than $100,000 by doing milling and paving projects in-house this summer.

Doug Rillo, head of the Roads Department, said the city crews did several projects around the district for a  much lower cost than the Board of Education would have paid by using private contractors.

For example, Public Works milled and paved the driveway into Franklin School for $4,000 while the lowest bid the district receieved for that project, Rillo said, was $17,500. They also paved a walkway behind the school and installed several drains for $1,500 while an outside contractor bid on the project for $6,500.

"All the pay for is the materials," Rillo, a 21-year veteran of the department, said.

Public Works all repaved the driveway into the high school from Kent Place Blvd. to Weaver Street. Rillo worked with the county to get them to mill the old driveway for free using their bigger milling machine. Rillo said normally that would have cost them $6,000 a day.

They also dug up an old fire lance and paved it, as well as a small area behind the school so the district could park vehicles there and house dumpters.The fire lane only cost the district $2,500 in house whereas a contractor bid the lowest at $9,500. The main driveway only cost $17,000 whereas outside ocntractors bid in at around $80,000.

While Rillo said milling and paving is hard work especially in the summer because the asphalt is kept at around 190 degrees while crews are pouring the asphalt, to him it's worth it to do the work for the district.

"With that kind of savings, it's a no brainer," he said.