Citizens voice concerns about streets

Nearly 20 residents attended the June 1 Holyoke City Council meeting, and several expressed their concerns over the state of some of Holyoke’s roads, specifically referencing the potholes on Sherman Avenue.

City Superintendent Mark Brown said fixing the street is not going to solve the problem if they can’t get the water out of the corners. He added that there’s no place for the water to run in some places where the field is higher than the street along the west edge.

“We need to put the storm sewer in there because at every intersection as you go down Sherman, the east side holds water in the corner. So if we can’t get the water out of that corner, it’s going to create other problems.

“My suggestion is let me put a bid together for best-case scenario — this is how I would love to see it done. Yes, it’s the most expensive, but at least it’s done right versus spending money on a Band-Aid that’s just going to fail,” Brown said.

“You’d just as well do it right,” Mayor Orville Tonsing added. “You’ve got to start somewhere.”

“We have to fix the streets,” council member Kevin Scott said, “even if it’s with gravel or whatever, just to get the potholes fixed for now.”

Brown said he hopes to have cost estimates on milling, grading and graveling the road; installation of a storm sewer, curb and gutter; and paving of the road by the June 15 meeting.

Larry York said there is increased traffic on South Belford Avenue, and it is not paved by his house. Brown said that when he gathers the information for Sherman Avenue, the price per foot of paving should essentially be identical.

Jill Herr told council members she was born in raised in Holyoke and moved back to town in September 2020 with her husband Gary.

She said that in each city they lived in across four different states, they encountered people who had been to Holyoke, and they all commented that Holyoke is such a clean and well-kept little town.

When she moved back, she said she saw a different picture than the Holyoke she knew, with dirt and sand in the gutters downtown and tumbleweeds and trash along the sidewalks and gutters.

She said she next noticed large potholes in town, on Johnson Street by City Park, on Sheridan Avenue and other roads.

“I know you have the best interest of Holyoke first in your minds,” she told council members. “Things just can’t continue as they have been with maintenance of the streets in Holyoke.”

She closed by asking council members to “look at the problems as something that you can solve, that you will solve, in keeping Holyoke the city of pride and progress.”

Steve Brown said a lot of the streets are in good shape, but there are a few that are not. He said more maintenance is needed on the potholes, which are getting out of hand.

He shared that he spoke with Tom Clayton of Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association and feels that he would be a good resource to talk to the council and share ideas.

Joe Kinnie asked if there is a budget specifically for repairing streets and where the money goes. Tonsing answered that it goes toward seal coating, which they try to complete in the city every three years, as well as patching the streets.

Kinnie asked if the city fills potholes with hot mix or cold mix, and Tonsing said mostly cold mix. Kinnie pointed out that he feels this is part of the problem. He added that Falcon Asphalt Repair Equipment allows for the melting and recycling of existing asphalt and could help fix the issue.

Tonsing pointed out that the closest hot mix available is in Sterling, and Mark Brown added that most of the town’s streets are cold mix, which if heated up will just burn unless enough oil is added.

Kathy Secrist said she counted 37 potholes on Sherman Avenue between Scheunemann Street and her house.

Barb Kreider said she thinks there will be an accident sometime if the potholes are not filled, pointing out that kids on bicycles and cars swerve back and forth all the time to avoid driving through the potholes.

Tom Hethcote pointed out that people sometimes drive on the edge of the field west of Sherman Avenue rather than on the road itself, and something will have to be done if the landowner puts up a fence to plant a crop.

Stan Kreider added that he would like to see Sherman Avenue get cleaned with a street sweeper so residents don’t have to do it themselves.

Harry Brinkema expressed his concern about having been told in 2007 that the road was going to get fixed with the addition of a storm sewer the very next year, but since then the situation has not improved.

Gary Herr said he is proud to be a Holyoke resident and added that the city must have a five-year plan for fixing the streets.

Mark Brown said the plan hasn’t been kept up. Cherrie Brown asked if there was some way to have it implemented again so people would know when their streets would be fixed. She noted that it had been in place before and had worked well.

Mark Brown said it’s the unknowns that come up that cause difficulties with the five-year plan.

Gary Herr pointed out that a five-year plan would give the city a goal to shoot for.