Block funding to cover repairs of broken, lifted sidewalks along Fifth Avenue in New Kensington

Word that New Kensington plans to fix broken and lifted sidewalks through the heart of the city’s downtown this year is welcome news to residents and property owners.

Repairs to the sidewalks on both sides of Fifth Avenue, between Seventh and 11th streets, are expected to be complete in July, city engineer Tony Males said.

Amia Willis said that will be “lovely” as she recently pushed her 3-year-old daughter, Mimi, in a stroller down the sidewalk on Fifth Avenue.

“It would be nice, especially for the older people,” she said.

Fifth Avenue has become a focal point of New Kensington’s revitalization. New businesses have opened along the street, and more are coming. Several events, such as Fridays on Fifth, are held there.

City council has authorized Males to prepare plans and specifications for the work, and for City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti to advertise for bids.

Males said the work will include removing some trees, which have created trip hazards by their roots pushing up sidewalk slabs in several locations.

Males said the project should go out to bid in March, followed by council awarding a contract in April and work starting in mid-May.

The work will be paid for with federal Community Development Block Grant funds. Males said the city has $350,000 available.

Property owners, normally liable for maintaining sidewalks in front of their properties, will not be responsible for any costs, Males said.

Olde Towne Overhaul owns a dozen buildings on Fifth Avenue between Seventh and 11th streets, operations manager Michelle Thom said.

“We are looking forward to the sidewalk work that is planned to take place this year. And while we will all need to deal with ongoing construction for a little while, it will be well worth the outcome,” she said.

“By improving the visual appeal of a deteriorating Main Street that currently has broken and bulging sidewalks, we are showing that we care about the downtown area and have pride in it. An attractive downtown will more easily attract new businesses to the area.”

Thom said almost every building Olde Towne Overhaul owns along Fifth Avenue needed major work because the deteriorated sidewalks allowed water to flow into basements, rotting out the structures over the past 20-plus years.

“We have actively repaired sections of the sidewalk in front of our buildings and spent a lot of time fixing and waterproofing the areas to stop further damage to the buildings,” she said. “Water is the No. 1 enemy of all these historic structures downtown, whether it is infiltrating from above or below, and without action we will continue to lose more of these historic structures that shape our downtown.”