BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- Municipalities and the county are in full swing on highway projects, including culvert replacements and paving projects but for the village of Massena tight budgets mean limited paving this year. 

Department of Public Works Superintendent Marty Miller previously told village trustees he had only scheduled to pave two roads this year, Owl Avenue and Douglas Road, due to budget constraints and potential pitfalls from years of neglect. 

But with good weather breaking, Miller was able to pave sections of village streets that were in desperate need of repairs. 

"We were able to take care of part of East Orvis Street and East Hatfield along with a portion of North Main," Miller told North Country This Week.

Miller said funds were limited to pave more, forcing DPW crews to repave only the worst stretches on each road. 

"We'd obviously like to redo all of the roads but the money comes from the general fund. That limits how much we can do because we have other bills to pay and other work to do," he said. 

Miller commented that work on North Main Street is "nothing more than a bandaid" after the road was heavily damaged after months of trucks and heavy equipment operating on the road during the initial stages of the Air Products hydrogen facility construction. 

Air Products cancelled the project in February of this year when a new board of directors took over Air Products and axed the $500 million project, which would have brought 90 full-time jobs to Massena.

With the cancelation of the project came the loss of a $300,000 contract to supply water to Air Products as well.

Air Products had also spoken to village officials about repairing the road while undertaking a significant water project to add a redundant water line to North Main Street. 

Discussions were held regarding possibly upgrading pumps at the water treatment facility as well, but officials said those projects are now on hold. 

During the May board meeting, Mayor Greg Paquin said he had reached out to Air Products officials regarding repairs for North Main Street but had yet to hear anything. 

Village officials expressed doubt the firm would offer funds to offset repair costs given the project was cancelled and contracts ended. 

"They did a lot of damage to that road and it's in need of repair. It would be nice if they would at least help us cover the cost of repairs," Paquin previously said. 

Village Administrator Monique Chatland, along with Miller, both noted weight restrictions that were clearly marked on the road as well. 

"That's why there was an alternative route laid out for them to get to (State Highway) 131, to try to keep them off of North Main Street," Miller previously said. 

In discussing the repaving that recently occurred, Miller said it won't be a permanent fix. 

"That road needs a lot of work. It's needed it for some time now. What we're doing is just a bandaid fix for now. Hopefully we can get to it in the future and redo the whole road," Miller said. 

As for paving this year, Miller said he had concerns about culvert work and paving on Owl Ave. 

"We don't really know what we're going to find when we really dig into the end of Owl Avenue and we have to plan accordingly. That might be an easier job than expected, it could end up being a really big project," Miller told trustees. 

In the meantime, DPW crews will continue their street work and paving projects. 

"We've got a busy summer ahead but we're off to a good start. As long as we don't have too many complications we should be able to finish the projects on time this summer," Miller said.

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