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Page 16 — Property Management Quarterly — January 2017
A s you watch your parking
lot fill with snow, you know
each new inch is additional
work for you. The concrete
and asphalt surrounding
your building is the bridge each
employee crosses every workday
to do their job. Adapting to mother
nature in Colorado is not easy, much
like keeping a commercial facility in
tip-top shape. Anyone responsible
for maintaining a facility quickly
learns the amount of industrial
knowledge and infrastructure one
will manage can make your head
spin. Maintaining a facility in the
ever-changing climate of Colorado
brings challenges all its own, adding
regional yearly projects to an already
full plate. Shuffling through compet-
ing paving bids you may have more
questions than answers; when all
you want is to compare apples to
apples.
Upon reviewing the three manda-
tory bids, all you find is contractor
jargon and project totals. The lowest
bid seems attractive, but what are
you actually buying? Will you find
yourself right back here in a few
short months gathering new bids?
Below are some tips for next pav-
ing season and suggestions on how
to create a paving project scope of
work.
Before you call your local concrete
and asphalt companies, walk your
property and begin to define a scope.
Sending an estimator to inspect your
property without preparation will
add time and effort to the bidding
process. Preparing for a site walk
will prevent a paving company from
presenting you with an outlandish
scope of work or
creating a project
scope catered to its
strengths, rather
than your needs
and current issues.
Highlighting prob-
lem areas, as well
as providing a bud-
get range, desired
date of completion
and any special
requirements will
aid in an effective
bid process. Mark-
ing areas with paint and numerical
reference will allow management
to compare dimensions of desired
repairs and the cost associated with
them. This will allow for efficient
comparison between contractors and
make selecting a company easier.
Understanding warning signs
related to your lot is important and
can be done with little working
knowledge of our industry. While
anyone can see large potholes and
crumpling curbs, there are a few
additional warning signs one should
look for when building a scope of
work.
Water is the No. 1 enemy concern-
ing concrete and asphalt and often
is the main concern for operations
managers when designing and
building a project. The movement
or direction of water to go where
you want it is vital for a long-
lasting parking lot. During your lot
inspections make note of all pool-
ing water locations to discuss with
your contractor. These areas cause
trouble regardless of the season and
will lead to expensive solutions if
neglected for multiple seasons. Land
shifting, sinkholes, irrigation and
poor grading are all possible culprits
for water pooling. Hairline crack-
ing and exposed rock in your lots
are warning signs that need to be
address in your walks.
These early signs of stressed or
weakened material can lead to
major renovations down the road. If
not addressed, water will continually
penetrate the subgrade below your
lot, causing large cracks and alliga-
tored areas. Large cracks and alliga-
tored areas can only be fixed with
a remove-and-replace procedure.
Remove and replace is generally the
most expensive item for a customer
due to the large amount of material
and man power needed to perform
the task. Maintenance packages are
an excellent way to prolong the life
of your parking lot and save your
company money.
Crackfill and seal coat are popular
asphalt maintenance applications
and have been in the industry for
decades. Offered by most contrac-
tors, these applications will be pre-
sented in a square foot or linear foot
Vendor Relations
Mark Weber
Sales rep, Economy
Paving, Arvada
Economy Paving
Economy Paving crews perform a full-depth replacement, which is the result of neglect-
ing a parking lot for years and refusing to do maintenance practices to prolong the life
of the concrete and asphalt.