Initial estimates may put a clog in a Jim Thorpe borough drainage improvement project before it gets started, but some council members are hopeful a more accurate cost projection could make the work feasible.

Last month, council voted to pave Front Street this summer from Center to South Street and require property owners with frontage along that stretch to pay for curbing installation.

Borough officials originally pegged the cost for curbing at $45 per foot. There is about 400 feet of frontage on each side of Front Street that would need to be curbed. One side fronts Twining Park, which is entirely borough owned, and around four property owners would be affected on the opposite side of the street.

On Thursday night, however, the governing body got an official estimate of $75,000 to do 1,000 total feet of curbing, which would put it at $75 per foot.

“It was also discovered that 10 large trees may have to be removed, only two of which are on borough property, at a projected cost of $15,000,” Borough Manager Maureen Sterner said.

With the curbing and tree removal, the estimated cost for the impacted residents could be between $22,125 and $25,125.

“I wouldn’t want that bill,” Councilman Jay Miller said.

Councilman Mike Yeastedt said the estimates don’t reflect what was discussed in terms of how the project would be done. Last week, council said the borough would commit to doing the digging for curbing to reduce the cost to residents.

“That wasn’t taken into account with these estimates,” he said.

Neither was using a curbing machine to do the work in a more efficient and timely manner after the prep work had been completed.

“It may still cost more per foot than we projected, but I don’t think it will be as high because we were going to dig the ditch,” Yeastedt said.

Scrapping the curbing and doing only an overlay project was discussed as a backup plan, but borough officials said the road won’t hold up in the long run.

“In the last two years, we’ve gotten more stormwater issues than I’ve ever seen,” Public Services Manager Vince Yaich said. “Sooner or later, we will have to start doing stormwater management here. You can put all the catch basins in the world in, but if you don’t have the curbing to guide the water, it’s just another hole in the ground.”

Council agreed Thursday night to seek updated figures reflective of the project scope.

“Then we can decide do we move forward or do we abandon it,” Miller said.