Sewickley Hills Discusses Costly Road Repairs

Councilwoman Cindy Phillips summed up the overriding sentiment on Sewickley Hills Council about a crumbling, deteriorating road.

“Kevin Drive needs to be done,” Phillips told council Monday night.

For council, there was no disputing the need to repair Kevin Drive, but rather how to pay for the costly fixes with no money set aside in its budget.  In the end, council tabled plans to proceed with a feasibility study. 

Residents on Kevin Drive have complained about the state of their road, and council formed a committee to look into a fix.

Emile Ketterer, the borough’s newly appointed engineer, said a slag base under Kevin Drive is known to cause differential settling. The slag retains moisture and heaves is a manner that’s unexpected, she said.

Ketterer offered to put together a rehabilitation plan, including preliminary engineering, a survey and cost estimates.

Council President Tom Klixbull said the repairs, according to Tim Fehl, borough code enforcement officer and roadmaster, were estimated to cost $150,000.

Ketterer said the feasibility study, which would cost another $5,000 to $7,000, could be ready by next month’s council meeting.

But Councilwoman Kim Holzer said the borough has paid for similar plans in the past, including one performed last year when the borough was told the road was falling apart and needed to make repairs. Holzer said she didn’t think it was prudent to pay for another study when the borough has no money to pay for the actual repairs.

“We’ve been hearing this for five years now, and we keep spending money and not getting anywhere,” Holzer said.  

Councilmen Noah Fardo and Klaus Gross also said they would prefer to wait.

“If it’s a minimal of $150,000 we don’t have the money anyway. I would prefer to wait until we have the money,” Fardo said.

“I’m in agreement with Noah. If it’s this much money, we better have a solution to how were going to fund it,” Gross said.

Ketterer said overall cost of the project would depend on the scope of replacing the base under the road, fuel costs and other economic issues.

“It’s a toss up the way prices will go,” she said.

Phillips said the bidding process takes time. If council waits too long, she said, it could miss the construction season.

Council discussed several ways to pay for the project, including possibly borrowing against a $300,000 bond, increasing millage next year or selling off two acres of borough property.

“We have to move forward on this, like it or not, we have to move forward,” Klixbull said.