A total of six streets will get repaved in this autumn’s round of road work in the city of Dunkirk.

City Engineer Andy Bohn spoke briefly about the paving, during a Department of Public Works committee meeting last week that was built around updates on a variety of issues.

He said a meeting was set with paving companies for this week to go over details. The work should begin in the last week of September or first week of October, Bohn continued.

Some of the streets will be milled first, others simply overlaid with fresh pavement. City officials did not state which streets will be paved, though Bohn said at least one street in each of Dunkirk’s four wards will be covered.

Dunkirk had about three times as many streets covered in the fall 2021 paving round. Bohn pointed out that the city’s budget line for repaving saw a significant cut this year.

In other news from the meeting:

¯ Deputy DPW Director Mike Przybycien offered an unhappy update on replacement of some streetlight poles that were destroyed in storms over the past couple of years.

Przybycien said the city is in a “hurry up and wait” situation because supplies are hard to come by. He lamented that DPW currently has a dozen streetlights of the kind that go on arms running from the poles — but none of the arms to install them on.

On the other hand, DPW has so-called “presidential poles” for downtown and waterfront lighting, but no heads to top them with, Przybycien added.

He blamed supply chain issues and promised a further update on the situation at the next Common Council meeting.

¯ A couple of retired DPW workers might be able to build a new enclosure for the Whispering Giant statue along Lake Shore Drive, DPW Director Randy Woodbury said.

“It wouldn’t be hard to build. The hardest part would be the foundation,” he said.

¯ A monument commemorating the arrival of railroad service in Dunkirk was supposed to get moved from Main Street to the waterfront, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Woodbury said the new base for the monument has already been constructed, but DPW hasn’t moved it due to the road work on Lake Shore Drive.

¯ Przybycien said the city got “rave reviews” on its new pump station from state inspectors.

“It went extremely well. They were very, very impressed with our water system,” he said. The inspectors were so satisfied that what was supposed to be a five-day inspection process, took them only one day, he added.

¯ DPW has its new wood chipper.

¯ The old fuel island at the DPW barns on Lucas Avenue is supposed to get removed this week.