Design changes delay Liberty Township lines / By Martha Knight

LIBERTY VILLA—Time lost in negotiations with the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad Company (WNYP), and in redesigning part of the route for the new water and sewer lines, has prevented the start of construction this year.

That information was shared at a meeting of the Liberty Township Board of Supervisors last Thursday morning. Chairman Gary Turner expressed frustration with the delay. The delays and extra steps taken to locate all buried service lines near the construction area have cost money as well as time, Turner mentioned.

Meanwhile the township is avoiding drawing on its borrowing arrangement with The First National Bank of Port Allegany as long as possible, so as not to incur interest charges.

Randy Hobbs of Portage Industrial Properties said that using gravity flow in portions of the new lines and pressure (pump) in another area would allow for a more economical installation. The grant aided project will extend water and sewer service two miles southward from Port Allegany borough to the area along Route 155 South.

The Allegheny Mountain Engine and Implement Association is interested in obtaining a new lease from the township, according to correspondence Turner shared with fellow supervisors Fred Ernst III and Bruce Klein. Their first lease dates back to 1988. The organization sponsors an annual event in which tractors parade and many other uses of engines, new and old, are demonstrated, and working scale models are displayed.

According to a letter from Peggy Cass, secretary, a delegation from the group plans to attend the supervisors’ November meeting.

Turning to discussions of road work, the Turners noted that the crew had accomplished a lot this past season, and he hopes the township can do “a lot of oiling and chipping” next year.

Components of a reconstituted bridge over the Portage Creek in Cady Hollow are still at the highway compound being painted prior to installation. Turner said plans are to have the bridge done this season.

Dick Brown offered praise for recent road work, saying, “They did a good job with the grader on Two Mile.”

More praise came from Dexter Hollow residents Milady Ruth and Richard Lasher, who had written that the problem brought to the township’s attention last month had been rectified, and they are pleased with the results and prompt action.

Turner reported on efforts to get PennDOT to clean the ditches along Route 155 South, where drainage has been poor, in an area where high water is a common problem. The state agency response is that there are gas pipes near or even at the surface of the ground in those ditches.

Turner said he would attend a meeting about Community Development Block Grants (CGBGs) to be held at the offices of the McKean County Housing and Redevelopment Authority on October 27.He added wryly that the township has applied for grants in thepast but has had “very limited success in getting any.”

Turner also hoped Liberty Township will be included in distributions of Marcellus Shale drilling and gas and oil production funds to be distributed by the county. He mentioned a news story about upcoming decisions of distribution of “about $400,000 they are giving out by the end of the year.” He said he had been told the township could “take your time” in applying for a share, but it looks as if “they have already picked” the municipalities that will receive funding initially.

The meeting time and date had been changed because a quorum was not available at the usual second Tuesday time while Turner attended a meeting relating to best practices concerning road work. The 8:30 a.m. time was to accommodate Klein and his business obligations.