In Roads and In Management: Build a Solid Base

I’ve often said: “If you don’t have a base, you don’t have a road.”

That’s literally true in road management, and figuratively true in municipal management.

If you stand back and look at the road that is crumbling before you and truly analyze the situation, you’ll eventually come around to making the same statement. What’s on top can be pretty or made to look so, but the truth of the matter is this, "if you put a pretty band-aid on a festering wound, it ain’t gonna get any better.” What lies beneath is the true indicator of the road’s overall condition.

I recall a situation from early in my career. It was on a shared road with neighboring municipalities. This was one of those forgotten stretches of roadway that just seemed to be lost in the mix. A homeowner, who actually lived in another township, contacted me with an offer that initially sounded quite attractive. He had a nice home about a half mile back on this road from a major state highway. He had grown weary of mud and potholes and offered to pave this section at his expense. This is a pretty rare occurrence. After all, asphalt isn’t cheap.

I offered to contact the township where he was living and ask how they felt about this offer. After all, they had more residents on their side than we did. Their answer was quick, maybe too quick: “Sure, if he wants to pay for it, have at it.”  Now I began to look closely at the situation. Unfortunately, none of the other neighbors were willing to chip in to pave this road. But I was undeterred. I truly believed this was the right thing to do, so I asked my township council to help fund the project. They agreed.

Unfortunately, I failed to study the roadway itself. I didn’t look at the drainage, didn't examine the gradients, and most certainly didn't consider the road's base. Along comes the paving contractor, who placed 3 inches of hot mix BCBC on the road, and off he went. Oh, how nice it looked, a smooth ride, that deep, rich black color that motorists just love to get into the pedal just a little to enjoy the thrill of fresh asphalt. This all occurred in mid-summer, and I was feeling pretty good about the whole project. Then came winter – in cold, snowy Northwestern Pennsylvania. Sure enough, the road began to crumble – with huge cracks, heaving, pumping clay, and very unhappy residents. I had committed the ultimate road maintenance sin, paving a road without preparing the base.

After years of municipal leadership, I’ve learned the same is true in the management of municipal operations. If you want a successful, well-run and – well, sturdy – municipal operation, you absolutely must ensure you have a solid administrative team as the foundational base. Councilpersons and managers are leaders, but without competent co-workers, the entire operation can suffer and fail. A good leader will always start from the bottom up to build a solid team that can carry the weight of daily governmental travel.

So remember: “If you don’t have a base, you don’t have a road.” That road can be more than a gravel roadway, but it applies to multiple aspects of everyday municipal operations. A very simple lesson that has numerous components to get right: “Fire this thing up.”

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About the Author

David L. Anthony is a member of the Keystone Municipal Solutions team of experts. He is a veteran of municipal government, having served more than 33 years in various positions of public service. Contact him at david@keystonemunicipalsolutions.com. To learn more about David and the Keystone Municipal Solutions team, click here.