02/26/2026
Asphalt vs. cement at Village of White Oaks
ALBION — The Village of White Oaks could be next up for the town of Albion's paving program.
How soon that work could be done is dependent upon a couple of fluid factors:
• Whether the town receives another Community Crossings Matching Grant award later this year; and
• Whether the town decides to repave the subdivision's streets in concrete or in asphalt.
The Albion Town Council discussed the concrete vs. asphalt paving issue at length at Tuesday's regularly scheduled meeting before eventually deciding to table the decision until its 6 p.m. meeting on March 10 in the Albion Municipal Building.
There is a time crunch as the town's engineering firm needs to engineer the project before the grant is applied for this summer.
Phase I and II of the Village of White Oaks is currently paved in concrete. The latest phase of the subdivision was surfaced in asphalt.
The proposed project would involve paving Village Drive, Taylor Lane and Faye Court.
The asphalt vs. concrete issue likely will come down to money.
The town estimated the cost of doing all of the paving work in concrete at $1.8 million. The cost to do the same project in asphalt would be in the neighborhood of $800,000.
Community Crossings Matching Grant applications are capped at $1 million.
The Indiana Department of Transportation shrunk the total amount of awards from $300 million to $100 million this year, making the grants highly competitive between communities.
Street Department Superintendent Corey Miller told the council the town was fortunate to get an award this year.
"I don't know if we'll be as lucky in 2027," Miller said.
Without the Community Crossing Matching Grant funds, Albion budgets approximately $100,000 to $200,000 per year for paving.
The town currently uses that money for its grant match.
Without CCMG monies, it could take nearly two decades to pave the Village of White Oaks in concrete.
Councilwoman Chris Magnuson said the 1,241-foot section of Taylor Lane the town would like to see paved would cost $832,000 if the town goes with concrete surfacing.
That cost would drop to $336,000 for asphalt surfacing.
In the past, the common practice was not to place asphalt paving over a concrete surface. But Miller said technology has advanced to make that possible.
The contractor would mill down three inches of the top layer of concrete, then place a geo-fabric down before adding three inches of asphalt.
Councilman Zane Gray said there are pros and cons to concrete or asphalt paving.
Concrete paving is more expensive, but could last for 30 years. Asphalt paving traditionally only holds up half as long.
Asphalt paving also helps ice to melt more quickly because asphalt absorbs the heat from the sun. Consequently, the concrete roads in the Village of White Oaks can be more slick than asphalted streets as they hold ice longer.
Gray and Council President Vicki Jellison expressed some concern with setting a precedent.
Northwood Estates, a subdivision of sorts off Liberty Street north of the main Central Noble campus, is due for paving work in a couple of year or so. If the council goes the concrete route for the Village of White Oaks, Northwood Estates residents might expect the same.
"You have to think about setting a precedent," Jellison said.
Magnuson said she favored going with asphalt paving to avoid the precedent issue and because it's nearly 1/3 the cost of paving in concrete.
But Gray said he would abstain from voting because he lives in the Village of White Oaks. Councilwoman Abby Lindsey said she would also likely abstain.
Town attorney Kurt Bachman said while those council members have every right to abstain from any vote, there is nothing in state law that would require them to do so.
With abstained votes counting as a "no," that set up a potential tie vote if Magnuson and Jellison voted in favor of concrete or asphalt paving.
Councilman Darold Smolinske, who also lives in the Village of White Oaks, was absent from Tuesday's meeting.
Faced with a 2-2 tie, including the two abstentions, the matter could have been decided by Clerk-Treasurer Carol Selby, who has the tie-breaking vote in such circumstances.
But Lindsay eventually suggested the issue be tabled until the council's March meeting.
