Preservation Board seeks funding for brick street upkeep

Mt. Lebanon’s Historic Preservation Board is requesting additional funding to go toward preserving the township’s brick streets.

Anna Siefken, chairwoman of the Historic Preservation Board, asked commissioners to allocate in the 2020 budget an additional $65,000 for the repair and maintenance of brick streets in Mt. Lebanon, as well as $25,000 toward storing salvaged brick that would used for repairs.

Mt. Lebanon’s 2019 budget allotted $50,000 toward brick street maintenance and repair. There was no line item for brick storage.

“Right now, there isn’t a place or a process for salvaging the bricks,” Ms. Siefken said.

In 2017, the Historic Preservation Board worked on a brick street policy, but it never came to fruition.

“With the recent deconstruction of Duquesne Drive, some residents brought this back to the surface,” Ms. Siefken said of the policy.

“Many people see [brick streets] as an asset to the community in terms of historical charm,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re actively preserving the historic nature of the community.”

Earlier this year, commissioners voted to change Duquesne Drive, which was in need of reconstruction, from brick to asphalt because of its steep grade.

The Historic Preservation Board has started a brick streets steering committee that has come up with a few key steps on how to preserve brick streets.

The points identified include: reviewing the brick streets policy that was first drafted in 2017; evaluating the life cycle and cost of brick streets based on other communities that have similar streets and weather conditions; conducting a street-wide assessment; and improving outreach to residents who live on brick for their feedback.

Ms. Siefken said a member of the steering committee canvassed his Crystal Drive neighborhood and that “the overwhelming majority … was in favor of keeping it a brick street.”

Commissioner Craig Grella added that in his conversations with residents who live on brick streets, it seems to be about 80-20 in favor of keeping the brick streets as they are.

Commissioner Kelly Fraasch said she would like to discuss the preservation board’s request further at a future meeting, specifically to talk about storing salvaged brick. She added that she would recommend the brick be stored at Mt. Lebanon’s public works facility.