Mayor (unnamed) gave a rundown of planned and ongoing paving and infrastructure projects, saying the DPW is installing a water main on Elizabeth Street themselves for the first time and that the city secured roughly $450,000 in state grant funding to finish Pearl Street (Route 101) from Betty Spring to the Uptown Rotary.

Why this matters: repaving and water-main work affect commuting, school travel and neighborhood access; the mayor also framed some projects as workforce and cost-saving measures — the in-house water-main work is intended to train DPW staff and the city recycles pavement grindings at its gravel bank to cut material costs.

Key details the mayor provided:
- DPW crews are installing a water main on Elizabeth Street in-house for the first time to build internal capacity and better oversee contractors in future projects. "This is the first time that our DPW crews have installed a water line themselves," the mayor said.
- Stephanie Drive and Crystal Lake Drive still require a second coat of pavement; Green Street (from the Uptown Rotary to Beach Street) plus Haywood and Beach streets will be repaved with new sidewalks.
- Cross Street (Elm to Pine) is scheduled after Green Street and the mayor estimated a late-September to early-October timeframe, though he cautioned the schedule is fluid.
- The city maintains a gravel bank near the Templeton border where asphalt grindings are recycled; the mayor said in-house recycling saves the city about $30,000 to $40,000 a year and that using recycled material on the salt-shed site likely saved roughly $20,000 on that project.
- The mayor credited advocacy by state officials for a municipal paving grant of about $450,000 to complete Pearl Street (Route 101) from Betty Spring to the Uptown Rotary and estimated paving could occur in the October 2025 timeframe once state contract paperwork and bidding are complete.
- The Green Main Street project received geotechnical fabric to stabilize a parking lot; the mayor said the project will include about 100 parking spots, a food-truck court, green space and an event plaza and is expected to be completed by year-end or early next year.
- The Crystal Lake water-treatment plant roof replacement was approved for funding by the city council earlier in the fiscal cycle and is slated to begin in September.

This briefing is largely operational and preparatory: the mayor described timelines, contractor and grant processes, and workforce training goals rather than asking the council to take new votes in the meeting itself. Residents were told to expect traffic and sidewalk work on affected streets and to monitor city communications for schedule updates.

Less critical details: tree-planting requests will continue as paving proceeds; the mayor thanked specific advocates and contractors involved in the grant and work.