Downtown county parking lot, jail lot to receive touch-ups

Both the Jasper County Jail’s parking lot and the county lot near the Newton town square will receive crack seal repairs.

On Tuesday, March 30, the Jasper County Board of Supervisors authorized a request from maintenance director Adam Sparks to address some of the cracked surfaces in selected county-owned lots.

Contractors will clean the affected areas with a high-pressure air blower and then seal with an Iowa Department of Transportation-approved hot pour mix.

Originally, the parking lot at the new administration building was to be included in the crack seal project. But Sparks said the county wants to wait until that parking lot is reestablished to what it is going to look like.

Denco Highway Construction Corporation, of Mingo, was hired to conduct the crack seal project. Sparks said because of the small county lot and what it takes to mobilize to the jail, Denco is OK with taking split payments.

The jail was estimated to cost $5,000, while the lot at 113 N. Second Ave. E. is approximately $3,750. Denco also included a $1,000 mobilization fee. Jasper County will pay Denco for the $5,000 jail project now and the rest later.

“He would receive payment — the $3,750 plus half of the mobilization fee, so $4,250 — he’s willing to take that after or on July 1,” Sparks said. “So he’s going to go ahead, as long as you guys OK this, and do both parking lots now.”

Denco’s price of the $9,750 project includes all labor, materials, equipment and traffic control to complete the job.

Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott asked if any other contractor was interested in the contract, but Sparks said the maintenance department has “never really found anybody else around here that does this kind of work.”

“Denco’s been the only people that we’ve ever used that’s ever done this.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com