Workers from Shields Paving prepare South Washington Street for paving Wednesday, September 2, 2020.

The City of Butler is poised to pay nearly $800,000 to Shields Asphalt Paving for its paving and sidewalk ramp projects this year.

City council discussed the two projects — $648,000 for paving and $150,000 for sidewalk ramps — at a forum meeting Thursday, April 9. Seven roads and Butler City Farmers’ Market parking lot are currently planned to be paved.

Mayor Bob Dandoy said he was pleased about the quality of Shields’ work from last year’s paving project.

“It was really fast, and it was a beautiful job. I thought it was going to have the whole city torn up for weeks or months, but it didn’t,” he said.

Zoning officer John Evans said working with Shields is always easygoing.

“Anytime that we’ve had any issues come up, they have them addressed. It’s not a hassle. It’s not an issue. They’re very, very easy to work with,” he said.

Dandoy asked Evans if the project came in under budget. Evans said the projects were budgeted for $850,000, but the bids do not include engineering or inspection costs. He said any additional roads should be requested sooner rather than later.

“Generally speaking, the later in the year that you go off to bid, it’s more expensive to pay. So the best thing to do to get the best price is to put it out early in the spring while the contractors are still hungry (for projects),” Evans explained.

According to the city’s long-range plan, $500,000 was initially slated for street paving in 2026. The city’s plan allocates another $750,000 for paving between 2027 and 2029.

Work is projected to begin sometime in the weeks after it receives final approval at the next city council meeting, set for 7 p.m. April 23.