NM deals with pothole plague

BY STACI WILSON

The plague of potholes on most New Milford Borough streets was discussed by borough council at the Thursday, April 5 meeting.

Council president Rick Ainey said there are streets where there were no problems before have potholes. “We’ve got to do something,” Ainey said. “We have to commit some money to that.”

Ainey also spoke about a series of potholes on the street in front of the firehall. “It’s embarrassing for us to sit with the balance we have and not have streets.”

Councilman Larry White, who heads the council’s streets committee, said they planned to get an early start on fixing some of the road issues, with a local resident willing to help to hot patch some of the potholes.

Among streets discussed by council, a hole on Johnston Street, has been particularly problematic. Councilman Dan Totten said the problem would continue until drainage issues are taken care of.

Council plans to send a letter of concern about the abutment to the railroad, and will also send copy of the letter to the PUC and the county’s emergency management department.

Pedestrians walking on Main Street (Route 11) are also becoming a safety issue. A property owner neighboring the new Dollar General store posted their land after many people cut through their lawn to get to the store, council members noted. That, however, sends walkers onto the busy roadway.

The borough is attempting to contact Dollar General in an attempt to remedy the situation. The erection of a privacy fence that would deter people from cutting through the private property was also discussed.