The extreme cold has taken a toll on city streets.

Councilman Richard Schontz Jr., who oversees the streets department, said the freezing cold has led to a recent increase in potholes.

“It's minus-31 degrees with a wind chill one day, then three days later it's 50 degrees,” he said. “The deep freezing and thawing is very hard on streets.”

Schontz said streets department workers have been busy repairing potholes when not tending to snowy or icy roads.

But it is hard for them to be aware of all potholes in the city.

“We have over 50 miles of streets,” he said. “The department's five employees can't monitor it by themselves.”

Schontz said the department hopes residents will call and let city officials know about potholes in the city.

Schontz nicknamed the department's phone number the “Pothole Hotline.”

“You'll most likely get the answering machine because the guys will be out working, but leave a message,” he said. “(The streets foreman) will listen to the messages and list all potholes in a tablet so they can take care of them.”

The number for the streets department is 724-285-8440.

While potholes are an irritating problem for city drivers, the streets department's top priority during the winter is making sure snow and ice is removed from the streets.

That task alone is time-consuming and costly.

The department has already accumulated nearly $14,800 in overtime costs from the 378 overtime hours needed to maintain the streets.

“These guys are out there working 17- or 18-hour days in the winter,” Schontz said. “They're also out there working Sundays and holidays.”

Schontz said the department is slightly ahead of where it was last year in overtime hours, but is still expected to stay within the $35,000 budgeted for the year. He added winter is when the majority of overtime hours occur.

“We've had so many snowstorms this year,” he said. “And there is more consistency to them than last year.”

The harsh winter also is causing problems for the Butler Area Sewer Authority, which is continuing a pipeline replacement project.

The authority is replacing 8,700 feet of a main sewage line beneath Pillow Street, West New Castle Street, Snyder Avenue, Miller Avenue, and up to Memorial Park.

An additional 2,600 feet of service pipe connecting 145 buildings to the main line also is being upgraded.

James Tomazich, the authority engineer, said the contractor, Fleming-Walker of Portersville, began work on the West New Castle Street section of the project this month, but the weather has slowed progress on replacing the line.

“The weather isn't cooperating,” he said. “The crew can't be out there when it's that cold outside.”

Tomazich said the workers need to pipe sewage above ground when replacing segments of the underground line, making it difficult to work in freezing weather.

“Those pipes are metal and have no insulation,” he said.

While crews have had to step away from the project for days at a time, Tomazich said the tentative finish date in July has not been changed.

The authority is replacing its older sewage pipes with larger lines as part of the 2006 consent order with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The authority's 24-inch lines will be upgraded to 34 inches, while 18-inch lines will be increased to 24 inches.

The authority is replacing the pipes to meet its expected needs for 25 years, Tomazich said.

Tomazich said the $4.3 million project, which began last year, is about 40 percent done.