Harrison Street repairs a muddy ordeal

Sussex Borough received a quote from its engineer that it would cost about $16,000 for the tar and oil and work that it would take to repair Harrison Street.

Mayor Edward Meyer said earlier in the meeting that the project was not in the budget, but then suggested borough officials could find the money for the project, confusing one Harrison Street resident at the May 17 virtual Borough Council meeting.

Borough Chief Financial Officer Michel Marceau said there are two ways to fund the project. It can either be done through the borough’s operating budget or have it done via “capital,” which he said would be outside the budget process.

“There is a chance we could cover this because there is money set aside for road improvements,” Marceau said.

Council President Robert Holowach said the borough’s road problems stem from the fact that a lot of the roads were put in a long time ago and were just paved over dirt.

“Harrison Street is one of them,” he said.

Holowach said if there is anyway the borough could do something to make the roads last longer, it will, but he said right now, there is mud under the road and that is why anything that is done to the roads breaks up.

“If there’s any way, we can possibly take action we will,” Holowach said. “I think there’s a little bit of money to solve a hell of a big problem.”