Aspinwall officials are considering a new infrastructure planning system to improve road maintenance and prepare for future projects.
They have received proposals from and met with officials of Logan, Utah-based iWorQ Systems to use its public works software and analyze borough roads.
If a deal is made, the company will have someone come out in a vehicle and scan the borough with geographic information system mapping.
Data would then be used to create and maintain a registry and schedule preventive and routine maintenance among other tasks.
The new software is expected to help staff keep all road information in one place, including street conditions, repairs, paving history and resident service requests.
Borough Manager Melissa O’Malley said the goal is to improve communication, reduce repeat issues and take a more organized, proactive approach to keep streets safe and well maintained.
“It allows us to track street conditions, plan projects more effectively and make sure we’re using taxpayer dollars wisely while keeping our roads safe and well maintained,” O’Malley said Feb. 6.
Council is expected to vote on the iWorQ system purchase next month.
Borough roads are inspected annually by the borough engineer with assistance from public works.
Councilwoman Lara Voytko said she was very impressed with the system’s capabilities and is working with the company on pricing.
Software costs discussed at the Jan. 14 council meeting were less than $30,000 for the initial investment and about $2,000 per year for data storage.
Voytko said grants may be available to offset costs.
The borough also is considering adding iWorQ sewer management software to do the same analysis of its lines.
It was unclear how much that system addition may cost.
Voytko said it is a separate engineering group than the roads but equally important.
“We’re trying to find a solution to help us update what we have, maintain it and try to get ahead of the water breaks,” Voytko said.
“As you can imagine, (repairs) are extraordinarily expensive. We don’t know what route we’re going to take. We’re still investigating. We’re still waiting to hear from other potential options.”
Council plans to vote on the software purchase next month. The borough is about 0.4 square miles.
Other system in use
Some time ago, Aspinwall purchased an iWorQ software package for building and zoning officer Ryan Santelli, who said the system has made his job easier.
“I primarily use the software for code enforcement operations,” Santelli said.
“It allows us to issue clear and precise citations while maintaining organized records, timely reminders and accurate inventory tracking, significantly improving overall efficiency and accountability.”
Santelli said the borough previously used a system of carbon copy forms for citations that were difficult to read and file due to the smaller size.
“It was also difficult to accurately track and report each week, month and year,” Santelli said.
