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Residents press borough on potholes, alley safety and delayed street sweeping
Summary
Several residents urged the council to fix long‑standing potholes and improve communication after missed street sweeping; public works said a broken street sweeper (John Deere PTO; Golden Equipment repairs) and staffing/scheduling constraints caused delays.
Two residents used public comment to press Palmyra Borough for faster repairs to alleys and clearer notices about missed services, and public works officials described equipment and scheduling constraints that have delayed street sweeping.
"I've never seen potholes so big and deep," resident Donald Darkis said, describing an alley by Kramer Way where borough vehicles reportedly bounced over holes and where his family is concerned someone will be injured. He asked whether residents may legally put stone into the alley and left his contact information for follow‑up.
Truman Woodley, who said he has been a resident for 50 years, urged the borough to publish service schedules and to notify residents when street sweeping or yard‑waste pickup will not happen. "It would be a great thing if you could somehow notify," Woodley said, describing a recent month when street sweeping occurred only once on Pike Street.
Public works explanation: Public Works Superintendent (identified later in the meeting as Elijah) described training for summer hires, recent patching that required laying "30,000 asphalt" over two days, and a multi‑week repair timeline for the borough's street sweeper. He said the sweeper's PTO uses a John Deere engine, which required John Deere service, and that other sweeping components required service from Golden Equipment—repair lead times of multiple weeks delayed regular sweeping. He acknowledged the alley backlog and said milling and repacking are standard practice for severe alley failures but can be time‑consuming.
What the council said: Councilors acknowledged residents' concerns and asked staff to improve communications; staff said they would try to fit alley milling and repack work into the schedule and to coordinate notices about missed services.
Next steps: Public works said it will continue to prioritize alley work as resources allow; a resident's phone number was collected for follow‑up. Council did not approve a separate funding appropriation for immediate alley reconstruction at this meeting.
