New Eagle Council considers paving projects

Fifth Avenue appears to be a priority because paving that road has been delayed in the past.

New Eagle is in the process of deciding which streets the borough will pave this year.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the public works department suggested to council that the borough repave Fifth Avenue, Hawthorne Street and Eagle Lane.

Borough Administrator Kimberly Koontz said Fifth Avenue’s paving has been delayed for three years.

“Fifth Avenue needs to be done because this has been put off,” Koontz said.

The repaving has been delayed in part due to the construction of a home on the street.

Public works informed council that the borough must have its engineer assess damage on Eagle Lane prior to paving. A few years ago, a pipe collapsed underneath the road’s pavement.

Borough officials said the collapse was caused by a contractor who was building a new house on the street.

“The engineer or someone who’s professional is going to have to be able to say this is the reason the pipe collapsed,” Solicitor Tim Berggren said.

In regard to paving Hawthorne Street, borough officials are unsure who’s responsible for maintaining the island with a patch of grass in the middle of the street.

A borough resident used to do the island’s upkeep, but its appearance has declined in recent years.

“I do know there’s been some complaints up there that it hasn’t been maintained by some of the residents that live on Eagle Lane,” Koontz said.

Koontz told Berggren that she’ll search meeting minutes to figure out if the borough is responsible for the island’s upkeep.

Council members asked if other streets could be paved this year, including a section of Chess Street, but Koontz said the borough must find out the cost to repave the three aforementioned streets before it can consider another street.

Also Tuesday, Council voted to contribute $924 to the Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority for the 2025-26 fiscal year.