During Tuesday’s regular City Council meeting, City Manager Rick Healy said the city has budgeted about $750,000 to spend on paving. It anticipates being able to repave the following streets this year:

– Fourth Street between Grant Avenue and Railroad Avenue;

– South Highland Avenue between Jackson Street to the Harmony Drive entry;

– Park Street between Linden and Walnut avenues;

– Reservoir Road between North Highland to the turn;

– Baker Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets including the Sixth Street intersection;

– Second Street between Elm and Pine avenues; and

– Poplar Avenue between Center and Second streets and between Fourth and Seventh streets.

Healy said the city will advertise for bids for the paving next week.

“The list evolved from 2021, when council submitted streets for consideration,” Healy said. “In 2022, we continued working on the same list, and continued again this year.”

He added there are five concrete streets that need damaged sections replaced. Council decided to bid out two of those smaller streets to see what the cost was and how the work would go.

The concrete roads to be worked on will include Eighth Street between Parriott and Ash avenues, and Annadale Avenue between Fourth and Seventh streets.

“All of these involve cutting out bad sections and replacing concrete,” he noted.

Savage Construction Co. will be doing the concrete work, likely to begin this week or next week, depending on the weather. The cost is $10,602.

“I thought the pricing on those came in pretty good,” he said. “The other three streets on that list are a little bit larger areas.

“If those go well we intend to continue this concrete replacement in the sections that we can. … We need to cut out the bad concrete and put new concrete in. It’s just too much for our department to do. We just don’t have the time or the manpower.

“By bidding it out we’re going to be able to do it. It’s going to cost a little bit more, but we’ll get it done and get it done timely.”