On the summit it was mentioned (by Dave and/or Erik?) that parks are typically repaved upon refinance. Or at least might be.
Since this is an extraordinary cost (and unusual event), planning for it makes sense. How much should it cost, how much should I budget and what should I expect or demand or request for “best practices” to keep the maintenance to a minimum for the next (say) 10-20 years?
I know heavy trucks (school bus, garbage truck) are going to do the most wear. Is this something that I can be proactive about? (Place the dumpsters on the “main road” is one thing, not in a corner somewhere.) Other ideas?
Is there a temperature / weather component I should keep in mind?
I’m looking for best practices. For instance, concrete is better in (hot climate) because lower maintenance but asphalt better in (cold climate) because responds more gently to stress. True?
Brandon@Sandell
Generally speaking concrete is better, asphalt is cheaper. That’s why the apron in front of the dumpster is concrete usually.
There are things you can do to concrete to make it perform better in colder climates, such as air entrainment (AE). AE makes the concrete a bit more tolerant to freeze-thaw cycles, but concrete is almost always better. The question is does it make financial sense over 20 years or so.
Asphalt is going to be your less expensive alternative at least initially. You’ll probably have to re-seal and patch some areas every year or two.
I was in a park recently that had concrete drives that were original to the park from the 1980’s and still looked to be in really good condition. The original owner of the park also owned a concrete construction company, so in that case the economics probably made sense.
Either direction you go will really add to the aesthetics and appeal of the park. How much heavy traffic will you really have? A school bus twice a day and a garbage truck one a week.
Good luck!