The eternal struggle of any city’s public works is keeping potholes filled, and the Perry Public Works Department will be tackling that struggle as soon as the weather cooperates.

Public Works Director Jack Butler says they’ve done what they can over the winter to keep potholes filled, but the mix they use during cold weather doesn’t last very long. During the summer they’re able to a use a long-lasting asphalt hot mix. The plant where they get the hot mix recently opened, but unfortunately it’s located in Des Moines. Butler says that creates problems when the weather is too cold or wet.

“So we have a dump truck that we drive down there. And when the weather is cool like it is now, by the time you get back to Perry with that hot mix, it’s cold. And now it doesn’t work, it doesn’t stick, it doesn’t last. So we haven’t made a trip down to Des Moines yet. We’re waiting for this weather to straighten around on us and warm up and stay warm, so that we can go out and get this good mix and get these holes filled up and sealed up to last.”

The department’s current priority is next week’s spring cleanup, but as soon as that is finished they’ll concentrate the majority of their time and effort to fixing the city’s potholes. Butler adds they have a list of priority potholes already, but he encourages people to reach out to City Hall if they see any that are particularly bad.