FENWICK ISLAND – Fenwick Island officials have agreed to table a discussion on restriping its side streets until staff can gather additional information.
In a recent meeting of the Fenwick Island Town Council, officials agreed to table a request to restripe town streets. While the town had initially restriped its streets in 2022, staff have received complaints this past summer about fading lines.
“Over the summer we were getting calls talking about how striping on the roads was headed to the point where they could no longer tell the white and the yellow,” said Public Works Manager Mike Locke. “I reached out to the company that did the striping to question should it have faded that quickly. Their response was that it should be done once a year. We are a year and nine months into it.”
In February of 2022, the town council approved a $9,792 bid from Straight Line to restripe the town’s streets. The project essentially called for the company to restripe the sides of the roads that indicate available and unavailable parking.
“We’ve worked with this company in the past …,” Councilman Richard Benn said at the time. “They can also do it in the timeframe that we need.”
In a town council meeting late last month, Locke said staff recently learned the acrylic paint used for the restriping project only lasted between three months and three years. He aid he was seeking an additional $6,801 for Straight Line to restripe both the ocean side and bay side streets.
“They are just charging us for labor …,” he told the council. “They are offering us a deal this time. I don’t think we’ll have that deal in the future.”
When asked if the town could use a darker yellow color to ensure the road stripes lasted longer, Locke said he could explore those options.
“There are darker yellows …,” he said. “We can talk to them about that. I don’t know if that affects the fading. You think it would.”
Officials also discussed the benefits and costs of using thermoplastic markings. For her part, Mayor Natalie Magdeburger said she wanted more information on restriping.
“I would prefer to table it and get additional information,” she said.
If approved, Locke said restriping work would be completed in the spring. He said he would work with Straight Line to receive additional information on the paint used for restriping.
“I plan on doing it in the spring, prior to Memorial Day,” he said. “I don’t want to lose the pricing.”
After further discussion, the council agreed to revisit the matter at its next meeting to give staff more time to research the issue.
“I’m surprised it faded as quickly as it did,” said Councilman Kurt Zanelotti.
