Answers to submitted questions: Pavement Management Plan (PMP) and Bidding Process
Below are answers to questions that were submitted by residents at the Town Hall meeting.

1) Does the projected deterioration take into account a lot less truck traffic now that most homes are built? Since 71 is still good condition by well known ASTM standards, why are we not willing to accept something below 71.  I've lived in Midwest many years and the streets at 71 now are quite good so I fail to understand the urgent need to increase funding at such drastic levels. Can funding levels be cut back as the pristine levels being sought seem overkill? 

The PCI was measured in April 2021 and represents the pavement condition at that single snapshot moment of time. Any pavement-deterioration influencing factors (including early-on construction traffic, prolonged construction, trash trucks, over-irrigation, etc.) between the time of original construction and the PCI survey contributed to the pavement the PCI score recorded. For predicting future pavement conditions, typical pavement deterioration rates were utilized (accelerated deterioration due to future construction traffic was not considered). The Board considered a few different PCI scenarios and ultimately determined that the PCI of 75 made the most sense from a budgetary standpoint. As noted by GMU, neglecting pavement maintenance leads to faster pavement deterioration, which translates to the need to perform more costly repairs sooner than later. GMU has also estimated the future PCI based on available funding levels (existing funding levels or reduced funding levels are projected to reduce PCI).

2) What would be the cost on an annual basis to keep the roads at the current level versus improving them?
$615,000 annually. Refer to page 14 of the Pavement Management Plan (PMP) Study (Scenario 2). The approved plan is based on improving and maintaining the streets at a PCI of 75, which is approximately $685,000 annually. Refer to page 15 of the Pavement Management Plan (PMP) Study (Scenario 3).

3) (part 1 of 3) In the GMU representative's presentation, it was stated that road thickness and soil compaction was determined in order for bids to be obtained for replacing roads/sections of roads.   
Yes, that is correct. 

4) (part 2 of 3) Is this road thickness and compaction different than or greater than that used when the roads were initially constructed?  If so, why?  
Yes. Removing and replacing just the pavement, without repairing the wet/soft/damaged subgrade will result in reduced life of the new pavement (2-5 year life vs 20 year life). In lieu of 6” AC over prepared subgrade pavement reconstruction, the current construction project involves 4” AC over 12” cement-treatment. Cement-treatment is performed in-place (so 12” is not replaced) and only the top 4” is replaced. This recycling approach saves approximately 40% in construction costs, compared to conventional 6” AC remove-and-replace reconstruction. 

5) (part 3 of 3) If so, is this a driver in cost?  If a greater road thickness and higher compaction rate is being recommended, why weren't the roads constructed to this in the beginning? 
It has helped to drive the construction cost down. The thickness is different (explained above) because the approach being implemented is ultimately more cost-effective and economical than the original section. The required compaction did not change and is consistent with industry standard practices. 

6) Is this about normal wear and tear or is it impacted by soil movement in Covenant?
Combination of both. Traffic and environment will cause pavement deterioration. Covenant Hills is underlain by primarily clayey subgrade soils, which are sensitive to moisture changes and leads to volume and strength changes.  

7) My understanding is that if we do this increased assessment or special assessment and fix the roads, that they will then be cheaper to remain in the future.  Is that correct?  Or will the fees remain high indefinitely?
Better condition streets last longer and are less costly maintain (requires less costly treatments).

8) Why are the first streets worse then others? Is there a specific reason? Poor construction? What?
Many factors, but primarily due to excessive subgrade moisture related to homeowner over irrigation.

9) What other policies/procedures  can be put in place to limit further deterioration of the roads inside Covenant Hills?
Reducing and/or limiting homeowner over-irrigation. There are many private yards that appear very saturated. Also, many of the culdesac islands were originally planted with turfgrass and overhead spray. This leads to runoff in the streets. Efforts to convert the islands to ground cover with drip irrigation is ongoing.

10) Are the zones that are the WORST roads where the heavy construction equipment come through? Why can't contractors contribute OR those residents that are in major construction?
We do not keep track of where construction equipment is traveling through, but in general, more heavy construction equipment activity causes more damage to the roadway. We are also seeing more evidence of homeowner overwatering as the Year 1 construction was completed, which is a significant contributing factor to pavement deterioration.

11) Is part of the sticker shock due to extremely high construction cost inflation?
Part of the cost is due to construction cost inflation.

12) Core samples were referred to in the June 16, 2022 letter sent to Covenant Hills residents…(bottom of first page).  Please explain exactly what those core samples involved and what they revealed.
The pavement was cored to allow us to measure in-place pavement layer thicknesses and collect samples for laboratory testing. The asphalt concrete pavement is 6” thick on average, constructed directly on top of clayey subgrade. The clayey subgrade was found to be wet at the majority of the locations cored.

13) I want to understand if the  construction trucks coming into covenant hills are assessed for weight and why are we paying for the weight of all these trucks breaking up the streets. Have we considered a fee for these construction companies.  
Construction traffic into Covenant Hills are not assessed for weight or charged a fee to drive on the roads. Most home-building construction is near completion.

14) Does repaving now with score at 71 "reset" the score back to 100?  What is the the "life" after this proposed work? 
PCI 71 represents the network average score. Individual streets may be in better or worse condition / score. For streets that are repaved (reconstructed or rehabilitated), the score will reset from its current score to 100. For streets that are seal coated (cracks are filled, localized patching, then seal coated entirely), the PCI score will not reset to 100 (because the cracks and patches still exist underneath the relatively thin seal coat surface treatment). In this case, the PCI score does improve by approximately 5 to 10 points, but does not reset to 100.

15) Is there any consideration for obtaining an additional PMP Study from another Asphalt Engineering Company? 
No. Ideally, these studies should be performed every few years as road conditions change. This would provide an opportunity to use a different asphalt engineering company should the Board choose to do so. 

16) Were bids from other firms beside GMU obtained for repairs?
Repair bids were received by five (5) contractors. Please see page 20 of the Town Hall meeting presentation.

17) What prompted the decision to do a PMP Study after all of these years? How did we get here in the first place, specifically?
As the streets have aged, there has been an increase in repair work. To better understand the issues, the Board contracted with GMU Engineering in 2021 to conduct a thorough evaluation of the streets to identify the proper repair and develop a long-term plan to improve the conditions of the roads.

18) It is my understanding that the soil in Covenant Hills is prone to movement. Why wasn't a timeline and budget built into a plan over the last 15 years?
The soil in Ladera Ranch is mostly clay-rich soil which swells or shrinks as moisture content changes. Having clay-rich soil does not automatically lead to pavement issues. The primary reason behind the pavement issues are related to excessive subgrade moisture related to homeowner over-irrigation, which was likely not a consideration by the Reserve Analyst when forecasting future road repairs.   

19) Someone asked about a potential conflict of interest with GMU, what is that all about?
During the Town Hall Meeting, GMU stated that they acted as a consultant for the developer during the construction of the roads in Covenant Hills. GMU also stated that they did not design or construct the roads in Covenant Hills, rather, this was done by the County of Orange.

20) Are efforts being coordinated with utility companies to ensure that utility work will not be conducted shortly after the repairs are made?
LARMAC has not been made aware of any future utility work that would impact Covenant Hills streets. Should there be any planned work by a utility company, LARMAC would take into consideration as road repairs are scheduled.

21) Do we have any recourse against the last pavement company that damaged the roads?
There was no damage identified from the last pavement project.