Pottstown Council to seek bids for 2025 paving plan; $100,000 sidewalk grant announced

Pottstown borough staff asked council on April 9 to endorse a package of road projects and authorize putting the work out to bid, saying the 2025 program will repave about 6.69 miles of streets using a mix of state and utility funding.

The presentation to the Committee of the Whole said the borough expects roughly $800,000 from the state liquid fuels fund this year and noted PECO will repave about 2.48 miles of streets after utility work, while the borough would repave about 4.21 miles. Public works director Doug Yerger described the department’s 1–5 condition rating for roads and said 22 miles currently carry the worst rating (a 5). “We rate the roads on the 1 to 5 basis,” Yerger said, explaining the scale from a newly paved road (1) to surfaces with potholes and recurring patches (5).

The manager and public works staff told council they coordinate paving with PennDOT projects, PECO schedules and neighboring municipalities to avoid digging up newly paved streets. Staff identified an intermunicipal agreement with Lower Pottsgrove for Adams Street work; the borough’s estimated share is about $53,000 because the borough’s side of the street is wider and uses more material. Staff asked council to endorse putting the borough’s portion of the 2025 paving package out to bid on Monday night.

The manager also reported other infrastructure work: a RFQ for engineering services for the Keystone Boulevard extension (funded through a House Appropriations bill from Rep. Madeleine Dean’s office), a county pre-construction meeting on the Schuylkill River Trail connection (the last one-mile link, now delayed after contaminated soils were found), and ongoing paving tied to water/sewer authority main replacements. Borough staff said the trail completion could slip from August into the fall due to the contamination.

Council also heard that the borough received a $100,000 sidewalk repair grant from state Sen. Carolyn Comitta’s office (noted in the packet as from “Senator Pennycook” in the meeting transcript) to repair sidewalks damaged by street trees while protecting the tree canopy and improving walkability.

Staff said alleyways are mostly not adopted by the borough and therefore are generally the responsibility of adjacent property owners; the borough can perform temporary pothole repairs and reuse millings in alleys, but cannot use liquid fuels funds to repave non-adopted alleys. Residents seeking a full alley rebuild must obtain neighbor agreement, surveys, and a free permit from the borough so the work won’t alter stormwater flow to adjacent properties.

Council was also briefed on miscellaneous operational details: efforts to coordinate underground utility schedules to reduce post-pave digs, the borough’s practice of using videos of sewer pipes to prioritize work, and that the authority’s wastewater-related impact fees financed pavement set-asides for roadways affected by heavy truck traffic.

Councilors and staff said the coordinated approach and steady liquid fuels revenue have improved the borough’s ability to address paving needs; staff asked for council’s endorsement to proceed to bid at the next meeting.

Clarifying details: staff estimated $800,000 in liquid fuels funds available for paving in 2025; total proposed repaving 6.69 miles (borough 4.21 miles, PECO 2.48 miles); about 22 miles of borough streets were rated a 5 on the condition scale; intermunicipal share for Adams Street ~ $53,000; sidewalk grant amount $100,000; Schuylkill River Trail connection about 1 mile, now likely delayed into fall due to contaminated soils. The borough asked for endorsement to put the paving contract out to bid on Monday night.

The council did not vote at the Committee meeting; staff asked for endorsement to list the paving bid for Monday’s council meeting and to finalize intermunicipal agreements and bid documents.