OTTUMWA —
Potholes are nothing new in Ottumwa.
But two new heaters could begin to solve one of the most complained about aspects of the city.
The City Council approved the purchase of two ARS portable infrared heaters for the public works street department Tuesday night.
The purchase from Trans Iowa Equipment, LLC, of Ankeny, will cost $11,800.
They will be used in conjunction with the Falcon asphalt recycling hot patcher that was approved for purchase at the Dec. 4 council meeting.
The benefits of the heaters include more than three hours of heat time on 20 pounds of fuel, low BTU and fuel consumption at only 6 pounds per hour.
These units will allow reflective crack seams to be repaired and will be used to fill and repair mat failures. They are similar to the units the Iowa Department of Transportation uses for pavement heaves.
Public Works Director Larry Seals said these will be a new addition to the department’s street repair.
“This will take the ice out of the bottom of a pothole, heat the asphalt above 350 degrees and we’ll rake it out and put new material in,” Seals said. “We will offload material, not compact it, heat it, roll it in and blend it back together.”
Councilman Brian Morgan said this is more or less equivalent to the use of hot mix.
“It will be a lot better repair than the pre-mix we’re using,” Seals said. “That stuff, the price continues to go up, and you can use it cold, but it has problems with rutting.”
Seals said they’ll use the heaters to heat the mat, which will bond together like a new mat.
“This is one more tool in our toolbox,” Seals said. “It will repair them, I won’t say more efficiently, but better. The quality of repairs will go up.”
When potholes become filled with ice in the winter, public works has limited means to get the ice out, Seals said.
“We’ll put the mix in, which will hold until the ice thaws below it, but it pops out after that,” Seals said.
Councilman Bob Meyers said with the freezing and thawing that makes potholes such a common occurrence in the spring, these heaters will help solve the problem.
Ottumwa
New heaters to help solve pothole problem on city streets
- Ottumwa
-
-
Stabbing trial pushed back
OTTUMWA -- The trial of an Ottumwa man accused of stabbing another man to death has been pushed back. Twenty-year-old Brandon Seim was charged in November 2011, when he was 18, with the stabbing death of Andy Madren, 34. When officers arrived at the
- Downtown beautification supplemented with utility vehicle OTTUMWA -- A new utility vehicle will soon be zooming around downtown, making sure the rights-of-way remain in pristine condition. At Tuesday's city council meeting, council members approved the purchase of a city-owned vehicle to maintain downtown l
-
Barber shows no signs of cutting career short
OTTUMWA -- Darrell Smith's hands are steady and sure as he picks up his clippers and straight razor to begin his first haircut and shave of the day. Smith, 88, has cut hair for 62 years and has owned Smitty's Barber Shop on Albia Road for the past 58
- Roaring winds Southeast Iowa in clean-up mode after storm passes through OTTUMWA — Work crews in and around Wapello County put in a lot of hours. And they were ready to do it again. “We had the storms roll through there last night,” said Ryan Stensland, a spokesman for Alliant Energy. “Down in southeast part of the state,
-
Flood debris removal up for consideration
OTTUMWA — A month after heavy rainfall caused rivers and streams to flood Ottumwa streets and homes, the city council will solidify a plan to remove the debris left behind. At the council's meeting tonight, members will consider awarding the $12,500
-
Reviving downtown's upper stories
Building by building, the upper stories of downtown Ottumwa are coming back to life after some have sat empty for half a century.
- Expanding Ottumwa's trail system OTTUMWA — The Market Street Bridge is a major link in connecting Ottumwa's north side to its south side. The seventh annual Wapello County Trails Council mediathon kicked off Saturday morning with volunteers on the phones taking pledges from the comm
-
Searching for the perfect book
A steady stream of people snatched up books, magazines, DVDs and more at the annual Pages for Pennies book sale at Bridge View Center this weekend.
-
Staff eager for swimmers Beach Ottumwa improvements
OTTUMWA — When kids talk about the last weeks of school, one subject that often comes up is The Beach Ottumwa. It'll be ready soon, said employees. On Friday, the maintenance staff was installing the fountain heads that shoot water straight up at the
- Mixed reactions to tax reduction OTTUMWA — During past public forums in Ottumwa, Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, told voters the state should follow its own laws and make taxes equal across the board. This week, legislators in Des Moines took a first step toward that goal, which is a
- More Ottumwa Headlines
-
