Rising costs means fewer Youngstown streets will be repaved this summer

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

With costs for petroleum, a key component in asphalt, higher this year, the city’s summer paving project will improve nine fewer streets than last year for about the same price.

This year, parts of 71 streets, primarily in residential neighborhoods, will be paved with the work starting in the second or third week of June, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of the city’s public works department.

The project usually takes 75 days to complete, he said.

“It depends on the weather,” Shasho said. “The weather hasn’t been cooperative lately.”

The paving work will be done by the Shelly Co., the Twinsburg company that submitted the least-expensive proposal at $1,425,842.

The closest proposal in cost came from Dioro Paving, the Girard company that did last year’s city street paving project. Dioro’s proposal was for $1,496,969. Two other companies also submitted proposals.

In 2010, Dioro paved 80 streets for $1,454,408.

Before 2010, Shelly handled the city paving work for four consecutive years.

Most of the money for the paving comes from a federal Community Development Block Grant and the city’s $5 motor-vehicle license tax fund.

Read the full story Monday, with a list of streets to be repaved, in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.