Resident complains of loose stone surface after Monroeville seal-coat paving

April Scacera, a Monroeville resident, told the Borough Council on Jan. 7 that a recent treatment on Sierra Street left the surface full of loose stone and uncomfortable to walk on. “I have rocks in my shoes right now,” Scacera said during the meeting’s Citizens’ Night public-comment period.

A municipal staff member said the street received a fog-seal or seal-coat as part of Monroeville’s yearly paving program, a lower-cost preservation method used to extend pavement life across many streets. “That treatment is far from perfect,” the staff member said, but added it lets the borough treat more roads on limited funds and that the street will be re-evaluated during the town’s spring paving schedule.

The staff member explained the borough’s process: roads are inspected, graded and prioritized, and treatments range from seal coats to full mill-and-pave reconstructions depending on available funding. Council and staff said the seal-coat is cheaper than mill-and-pave—“it’s 5 times as much” to mill and pave, the staff member said—and that seal-coats can improve with traffic over time, although residents sometimes report loose stones after application.

Scacera said the surface has caused stones to spread into driveways and raised concern for pets and walkers. The staff member acknowledged complaints have occurred “occasionally” and said crews would inspect the street once conditions allow and the borough’s paving review resumes in spring.

The borough did not commit to a specific corrective action at the meeting. Staff framed the next step as a routine reevaluation when the spring paving schedule is prepared, and council members asked staff to inspect the location and confirm how it will be treated going forward.