Litchfield OKs September Oil-and-Chip Program; Oil Bid Tops Estimate

Article Summary: The council unanimously approved two Motor Fuel Tax awards for this year’s oiling and chipping program — $48,195 to DeLaurent Construction Company, Inc. for seal coat aggregate and spreading, and $180,612.70 to Litchfield Bituminous Corp. for HFRS-2P oil furnished and applied — with work set for Sept. 1, 2 and 3 on the city’s north side.

Oil-and-Chip Program Key Points:

$48,195 to DeLaurent Construction Company, Inc.: 1,620 tons of seal coat aggregate at $29.75 per ton, including loading, spreading and rolling.

$180,612.70 to Litchfield Bituminous Corp.: 46,430 gallons of HFRS-2P bituminous material at $3.89 per gallon, furnished and applied.

The oil bid came in more than 10% above the $3.40-per-gallon, $157,862 figure estimated when the program was prepared, which the city’s engineer said is in line with current oil prices.

Work is scheduled for Sept. 1, 2 and 3; both awards run through IDOT Section 26-00000-00-GM, “Various Streets.”

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, unanimously approved two Illinois Department of Transportation Acceptance of Proposal and Approval of Award forms totaling $228,807.70 for this year’s oiling and chipping program, clearing the way for three days of street work on the north side of town beginning Sept. 1.

Both items sit under Alderperson Dwayne Gerl’s streets portfolio on the agenda. Alderperson Bob Garcia seconded the aggregate award and Alderperson Josh Hughes seconded the oil award.

The first award sends $48,195 to DeLaurent Construction Company, Inc. of Wilsonville for 1,620 tons of seal coat aggregate at $29.75 per ton, plus loading, spreading and rolling. The IDOT form specifies that “seal coat aggregate spreading shall be on the dates and at the locations as determined by the City.”

The second sends $180,612.70 to Litchfield Bituminous Corp. of Hillsboro for 46,430 gallons of bituminous material, HFRS-2P, at $3.89 per gallon, furnished and applied, with delivery and application to be coordinated with the city.

Both awards fall under Section 26-00000-00-GM, listed on the forms as “Various Streets” in Montgomery County. The packet notes that IDOT administers Motor Fuel Tax funds, “which will be used for this year’s oiling and chipping program,” and states that MFT funds are available.

Why the Oil Costs More

Bids were let July 21, 2026. In a July 23 letter to City Administrator Breann Vazquez, HMG Engineers recommended the council approve the low bids — $3.89 per gallon for the seal coat oil and $29.75 per ton for loading, spreading and rolling of the aggregate — and explained the gap between the estimate and the bid.

“When the MFT program was prepared, the bituminous oil to use for the oil and chipping operation had not been determined, and the average cost of the bituminous oils was estimated,” wrote Douglas J. Ratermann, P.E., P.L.S. “The estimated oil cost was $3.40/gallon, $157,862.00 total. The bid for the HFRS-2P bituminous oil was $3.89/gallon, $180,612.70 total. This is more that 10% over the estimated cost, however this unit price is in line with current oil prices.”

The difference between the two figures is $22,750.70.

Ratermann also wrote that the oil selected this year is not the city’s usual product: “The HFRS-2P bituminous oil is a different oil than what the city traditionally uses and a slightly more costly oil. The oil selection was changed this year to better bond to the remainder of the trap rock that is currently on the streets, and it will also bond to the slag which is the seal coat aggregate used this year.”

A Second Try After Last Year

Mayor Jacob Fleming told the council the program follows a difficult run last year and said the city had put substantial work into getting it right.

“We spent a lot of time on this. I have full faith in our public works team,” he said, adding that engineers had reviewed the approach and that last year’s trouble was a matter of weather and a combination of events rather than a fault in the plan. He said streets outlined for this year include many that were looked at last year.

One alderperson thanked staff and colleagues for pushing the work forward. “This has been a big thing for our side of town,” the member said. “Streets have been pretty messy” and residents had raised it. The member also acknowledged that residents would prefer a different treatment: “I know we’ve heard lots of folks say, ‘Hey, we would like to have asphalt.’ … We’re grateful that we get it fixed. That’s the most important part of getting it done.”

In his city report earlier in the meeting, Fleming said the schedule and the affected streets had been posted to the city website and the city’s Facebook page. “We’re doing some extensive street work on the north side of town. We’re going to oil and rock some streets,” he said, asking residents to plan accordingly and cautioning that “the weather does not always cooperate.”

A map in the packet shows the target area covering a grid of streets on the north and east sides of the city, in the vicinity of Litchfield High School, Union Avenue and North State Street.