Elderton Plans Street Sweeping This Week

Elderton Borough Council approve street sweeping after hearing numerous complaints from residents of ash residue.

by David Croyle

Elderton Borough Council authorized street sweeping this week after hearing complaints from citizens at their monthly meeting.

A bid was approved by Terry Peters Construction of Shelocta granting 12 hours of sweeping for $780. If it takes longer, Peters will charge an additional $65 per hour. Peters will use a five-foot brush broom attached to a BobCat. The Borough has utilized his services for the past six years.

“If it is not raining, the fire department will go out and wet the streets,” Street Superintendent Bill Miller said. “The day we decide we need to have enough rain to keep it wet.” Council tentatively set tomorrow and Wednesday as the dates. Residents will have to move their cars during the process.

Resident Patty Miller complained of the amount of ashes used this winter season and the leftover dust it created. “We don’t need all the ashes. I am so sick of it.”

“The only other thing you can do is salt,” Council member Shane Redick explained. “That is $11 per ton. We would blow the winter cost through the roof buying salt and we have no place to store it. It gathers moisture. The ultimate is to get sixteen inches, plow the road and ash. When you get eight inches three times, then you have to keep ashing and it builds up. I want to clean off my siding but won’t do it until we clean up the ashes. We would use twice as much coming out the spreader if we used salt.”

“This has been an extraordinary winter,” Council President Linda Prugh added. “You have to keep roads open for people to go to work. I clean my windows and it has been all over them too.”

Prugh said that a finer grade of ashes was used because their normal supplier was not available. The finer grade contributed to more dust. “We used to get them out of Homer City. We only got two loads out of seven total loads from there this year. We just could not get them.”

“Our place is a filthy mess,” resident David Brown commented. “We all get it tracked in our houses.”

“This other stuff is definitely a little finer,” Council member Linda Zaun agreed. “The way it snowed, it kinda layered. Then when it all melted, there was a pile of it.”

Rain is expected to return on Tuesday, which will make sweeping Elderton streets more effective.

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