Newburgh shop owners try to pressure city to pave deteriorating streets
The condition of Liberty Street and nearby streets has even caused some businesses' operating costs to increase.
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Several Liberty Street business owners told News 12 Thursday as the street deteriorates, their shops become less accessible, and their numbers suffer because of it.
The condition of Liberty Street and nearby streets has even caused some businesses' operating costs to increase.
"This is my sewer system," food truck owner Edward Campbell said as he pointed to a drainage pipe on the bottom of the truck, "but it came off from coming down these streets."
Campbell is annoyed that city administrators' five-year street paving plan does not prioritize the city's main business and historic districts.
Liberty Street just south of Broadway is not scheduled for paving until 2028.
Until then, potholes or any other damage will be patched.
"They come with some Band-Aids, put some more tar and tap it down," Campbell explained, "and keep it moving, but the street's getting worse and worse."
Some City Council members wondered aloud at last Monday's council meeting why administrators put Liberty Street toward the end of the paving list.
Both Councilwoman Ramona Monteverde and Mayor Torrance Harvey requested that city administration redo its paving plan.
"I think we need to visit the five-year paving plan," Monteverde said, "and start to really ask questions, and again, go back and [re]prioritize."
Eric Jarmann, owner of Newburgh Merchantile Exchange, said the deterioration of Liberty Street is a bad look.
He and other said it affects visitors' perceptions of city businesses and the city overall.
"If it's making it harder for them to park and enjoy their day, they're not going to tell two friends," Jarmann said, "and they're certainly not going to come back."
City administrators have not responded to inquiries from News 12 asking if they will change their paving plan as the city council requested.
Councilwoman Monteverde said she has also been speaking with some state officials about how to secure grants to allow the city to move more quickly through its paving plan.
She said a change in priorities, plus a funding bump, could make a huge difference for the city's business climate.
