Paving work on the northern side of the central parking lot in Export is set to begin next week, according to borough officials.

Council President Barry Delissio estimated the work will take three weeks to complete. The paving is one of the borough’s first steps toward creating a more unified downtown area.

Borough officials were originally hoping to be awarded a $1.95 million for downtown improvements, but ultimately received a 2023 state grant for about $485,000 to put toward the project.

The original concept plan, dubbed “Heritage Square” in 2021, used newly designed crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes and parking areas to better define all modes of traffic. It included a Westmoreland Heritage Trail landing on Lincoln Avenue, bicycle racks, sidewalks from the borough war memorial to Washington Avenue and new sidewalks around the replica train station downtown.

Movies in the park

The Export Business Group received council’s approval to host a monthly movie night at the borough’s community playground on Roosevelt Street.

Movies will take place at dusk on the first Friday of each month in the park in June, July and August, weather depending.

Copyright restrictions prevent the group from announcing the movie titles in advance, but all movies will be family-friendly.

Playground program

The borough’s annual playground program will run June 6 to Aug. 9 at the community playground on Roosevelt Street.

The program is open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade, from 10 a.m. 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Program staff will watch children and provide a wide variety of activities.

There is a $5 registration fee, but thanks to an anonymous donor, there is no daily attendance fee. Those interested can register at the playground anytime during the summer. Registration is limited to the first 25 children.

Participants must bring their own lunches.

Memorial Day Parade

The borough’s annual Memorial Day Parade will be at 10:45 a.m. May 27.

The parade line-up will begin at 10 a.m., and the parade will go through downtown and finish at the Export Moose on Washington Avenue.

Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.