SALAMANCA — Spring has sprung in the city, and with that the Department of Public Works is gearing up for a full spring and summer of projects.
At the April 10 Board of Public Works meeting, DPW Superintendent Rob Carpenter said his crews have been working tirelessly to get the leaves and debris cleaned up after the early snowfall left them trapped.
“We’re still waiting on the blacktop, so we can get right to paving,” he said, “but we’ve got plenty of clean up to keep us busy in the meantime.”
Carpenter said he hopes to have all parks and playgrounds set up for use around the city within the coming weeks, as well as install a basketball hoop at the new highland park site.
“Once the blacktop lands [however] we’ll reorganize and start right in on paving. That’s our biggest priority,” Carpenter said, adding that the biggest repaving project in the city this summer will take place on Main Street extending down through the underpass.
After years of wear and tear have exposed the concrete underneath, that particular stretch of road has become somewhat of a sore spot to motorists in town.
Dan Kruez, project manager for Urban Engineers, estimates the total cost of the project to be around $350,000.
Additionally, a stretch of road running from West State Street to about New Street has also been discussed as a possible priority for Carpenter and his crews.
“All through that area (East State and West State streets) has drainage issues, so taking care of that is also important,” Kruez added, suggesting an amendment be made to the contracting bid for the Main Street paving project, to include the Zonta Park project as well.
The council agreed to move forward with the Main Street paving project as planned, stating that an amendment could be made to the bid to include Zonta Park in the future.
ALSO OF NOTE, The council discussed the possibility of renovating the concessions and amenities at the Crowley Park football field.
Although such a renovation would not take place until after the next budget meeting, they are open to creating a plan and budget for such a project.
