HONESDALE BOROUGH, PA —It’s an unusual thing for $600,000 in grant funding to catch a municipality by surprise. That’s the situation in Honesdale, where a grant for renovations to a set of public steps was awarded to the borough without borough government having decided whether it wanted to renovate those steps at all. 

“What is it we’re going to do with that money?” asked council member William McAllister, discussing the issue at a Tuesday, May 26 meeting of the borough council. 

The grant in question was requested by the borough’s former interim borough manager. While the borough is working to receive more information about the details of the grant, borough officials sparred over the borough’s next steps. 

A grant received

The stairs in question lead from Riverside Drive to Cottage Avenue, and from there to Cliff Street. Without these steps, pedestrian access in that neighborhood would be limited; speaking before the borough council in 2025, area resident Trey Talley said, “There’s no reasonable alternative pedestrian infrastructure for Cottage Avenue.”

The steps have been in disrepair for years, with individual stairs visibly worn and cracked. While still usable in their current condition, the stairs would need significant investment to be made fully safe. 

In May, state representatives announced that Honesdale will be receiving that investment. Sen. Rosemary Brown and Rep. Jonathan Fritz announced on May 18 that the borough would receive $600,079 to remove and reconstruct the stairs. According to the announcement, the project will replace the steps with new reinforced concrete stairs and full-length railings. 

“This investment will improve pedestrian safety and connectivity throughout Honesdale Borough,” said Brown. “These stairways are an important part of the community’s infrastructure, providing access to neighborhoods, schools, businesses and downtown amenities.”

That announcement took local leaders by surprise. The last time elected representatives in the borough discussed plans for the steps in open meetings, early in 2025, the borough council had not reached a consensus on how or whether to move forward with work on the steps. 

The terms of the grant

Former interim borough manager Kevin Kundratic originally applied for the grant, according to discussion at the May 26 council meeting. Kundratic left the position earlier this year. 

“We had discussions and made application for assistance,” Kundratic told the River Reporter. “It was so long ago, I was surprised when I saw the announcement.”

Current borough manager Kendra Nelson told the council the application had not required council’s approval; it had been submitted under the borough manager’s authority. According to Nelson, the grant was submitted in October 2025. 

Nelson said she did not have the full details on the grant award immediately available; the grant contract had not yet been delivered. She said she would update council when she had more information. 

Stair-y eyed

In the absence of information about the terms of the award, borough officials sparred over whether they saw the steps as a worthwhile project for the borough to pursue. 

Mayor Derek Williams, in announcing the funding at the meeting, thanked the borough’s state representatives for taking action to “support the things that we have deemed important.” Later in the meeting, Williams emphasized that people have continued to use the steps, even in a state of disrepair, and said that the public has previously made it a point to come to meetings and talk about the issue. 

Council member James Hamill said that he had spoken with residents of the neighborhood. While some people do use the steps, he found a recognition that the steps are serving a small portion of the population, he said. 

Hamill said he didn’t know that the council had taken action to indicate the costs and benefits of renovating the stairs, and expressed doubt that it was a priority need for the borough.