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The editor is John Ryan at email: perugazette@gmail.com. The Peru Gazette is a free community, education and information website. It is non-commercial and does not accept paid advertising.

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The Peru Gazette welcomes comments on posted stories. The author MUST include his/her first and last name. No  foul or libelous language permitted. The Peru Gazette reserves the right to not publish a comment.

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Your town roads are dependent on Highway Department expertise and NYS funding

By John T. Ryan

Peru – Ideally, Peru Highway Department Superintendent Michael Farrell would like to repave about four miles of Town of Peru roads each year. His department maintains 82 miles of town roads and asphalt has a 20-year rule of thumb life-expectancy. There are variables such as traffic volume, vehicle weight, and weather conditions that influence road life.

This summer, the Peru Highway Department working in concert with the Town of Ausable through shared services has paved 2.95 miles of Peru’s roads including portions of the Jarvis Road, the Brand Hollow Road, and the Barney Downs Road. The estimated direct cost per mile is $61,406.

More paving should be taking place; however, funding is questionable. New York State Consolidated Highway and Street Improvement (CHIPS) monies account for about 90% ($267,298) of Peru’s 2020 paving budget. Several weeks ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo informed local governments that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis might force a funding cut of up to 20%. If that happens, Peru may not see any additional paving this year. Farrell is sharpening his pencil and would still like to pave the Jabez Allen Road. He isn’t optimistic about 2021, saying, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see CHIPS funding fall to $175,000 next year.

Photos: Finishing up paving the Barney Downs Road this past Monday. Editorial: “It’s a great looking job!”