Community Bulletin
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BUCKHANNON – Buckhannon City Council renewed its street-paving contract with West Virginia Paving on July 2, accepting a small per-ton price increase that Public Works Director Ethan Crosten said the company kept below what rising asphalt costs would justify.
The renewed contract raises the city’s price for asphalt from $126 to $128.50 a ton — a $2.50 increase on the mix that makes up nearly all of the city’s paving work.
Crosten said the adjustment reflects the climbing cost of liquid asphalt, the petroleum-based binder that holds a load of pavement together. When West Virginia Paving initially bid in May 2025, liquid asphalt cost $570 a ton, Crosten said. It now runs $695, tracking the steep rise in oil prices.
Charging the city the full weight of that increase would have meant roughly $7.50 more per ton of pavement, Crosten said. The company asked for $2.50.
“They’re helping us out,” Crosten said. “I appreciate them working with us on that.”
He told council the price reflects uncertainty in oil prices.
“That was kind of the thought process, that it’s not going to stay this high, but probably not going to go back to where it was,” Crosten said.
He recommended council take the deal.
“I’ve been very pleased with their product that they’ve been putting out, so I absolutely would recommend accepting that,” Crosten said. “That seems reasonable to me. I don’t think it’s just a shot in the dark to raise it.”
City Recorder Randy Sanders, who made the motion to renew the contract, said the city has been “very happy” with the company’s work. Councilman Jack Reger seconded, and council approved the renewal.
The city sets aside about $400,000 a year for paving. The city paid West Virginia Paving $173,956 in June for milling on Camden Avenue, Wood Street and Pocahontas Street, according to the monthly financial report Finance Director Amby Jenkins presented.
During budget talks in March, Crosten laid out a paving list for the upcoming year, topped by Lower Camden Avenue, along with Upper Boggess Street, Eastview Terrace and parts of Park Street, where potholes return each year despite repeated patching.
