Pine Township supervisors discuss preparations for upcoming winter weather and a community-wide recycling program during their monthly meeting last night at the 5th Street Community Building.
by Jonathan Weaver
Winter weather will soon bring havoc on local roads, but one local township hopes to be prepared.
Pine Township Roadmaster Jason McCoy updated residents at their monthly meeting last night on how township employees are tackling local roads before snow falls and rain freezes.
Resident Andrei Latour of Stewardson Road began the conversation.
“My concern is that in some places, the road is starting to slide – if you get a 80,000-pound tanker truck through there, it’s liable to end up in the creek if those ditches and culverts aren’t maintained,” Latour said.
McCoy said that crews have tar-and-chipped throughout the township, including along 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Streets and are continuing repairs and grading to ensure traffic along Mahoning Creek.
“What they did is they went up and scraped some of the ditches and there was an existing pipe that was plugged completely shut,” McCoy said. “It will be relined with new rocks so there’s an actual ditch there and it’s not filled with the level of the road – they started on some of it, but we are kind-of going back-and-forth because of where the water was laying.”
Safety signs and anti-skid will also be ordered in time for winter.
“Every township just has to scrape them a couple times per year – as soon as we get everything caught up, we’ll get them on a program to where they’re scraped,” McCoy said.
The township also hopes recycled products can be put to good use.
Supervisors hope community residents recycle used cans for a township-wide fundraiser. Township Secretary Stephanie Reedy explained.
Township Secretary Stephanie Reedy updated supervisors on an upcoming recycling opportunity to buy new playground equipment.
“The recycling program is something we just started – I’ve been trying to initiate a recycling program for a long time,” Reedy said. “All proceeds from the recycling, whatever our residents donate, the products will be traded in and keep going in to hopefully get some new park equipment for the kids.
“I’ve applied for grants and been denied – it’s very, very expensive,” Reedy said.
The program was made possible after a container was donated by John and Lenae Lasher.
“Our playground equipment is really in disrepair,” Reedy said. She guessed that equipment has not updated since the 1960’s.
Supervisor Chairman Clyde Moore said officials painted, added a seesaw and updated basketball hoops and backboards during the summer, but more work needs to be done.
A letter will be distributed to local residents to alert them of the opportunity.
The program will begin as soon as the container is painted.
Reedy also reminded borough employees that they are only entitled to a paycheck for hours worked and not for other goods and services, including vehicle mileage. All expenses must be submitted under an expense report. Township auditors also agreed with Reedy’s comments.
The comments were in response to two former supervisors, Richard Myers, Jr., 52 of Templeton, and Douglas Kennedy, 64 of Templeton, who have been charged with allegedly stealing unleaded gasoline from Bradigans, Inc of Kittanning during their two-year terms.
Both men have preliminary hearings scheduled before District Magisterial Judge Samuel Goldstrohm October 12 at 9AM.
Reedy denied further comment on the pending litigation.
Township supervisors invite children to participate in trick-or-treating in honor of Halloween October 26 from 6-8PM.
Supervisors also scheduled a budget meeting Monday, October 31 at 6PM. The meeting will not be open to members of the public.