Towanda Borough addressing water trucks that use borough roads

TOWANDA - At the most recent Towanda Borough Council meeting, the borough manager discussed a plan whereby Chesapeake Energy Corp.'s larger trucks would only use Bridge Street when traveling to and from gas well sites west of the borough, which would avoid them getting stuck at narrow intersections and using steep State Street.

At the meeting, the council also decided to change attorneys for its quiet title action, which is aimed at establishing that the borough is the sole owner of the mineral rights at the borough's 33.9-acre former landfill site on Bridge Street Hill. At issue is the extent to which the borough will benefit from gas lease payments and any gas royalties that will come from the site.

In addition, Jennifer Dibble, executive director of the YMCA of Bradford County, gave a report on the financial health of the local YMCA.

Chesapeake

The plan to have Chesapeake use Bridge Street, while supported by the borough and Chesapeake, could be blocked by the state Department of Transportation.

The plan arose when officials from the borough and Chesapeake Energy Corp. met recently to discuss the routes its trucks will use when traveling through the borough, Towanda Borough Manager Tom Fairchild Jr. said. Chesapeake, which is the primary developer of gas wells west of the borough, is developing wells on Plank Road and in the Overshot area, he said.

Borough officials are concerned about the fact that the gas industry's water trucks are occasionally using State Street in the borough, because State Street is particularly steep between Third Street and Main Street.

"Just imagine if they lost their brakes" on that section of the road, Towanda Borough Council member Jean Miller said.

Under a plan agreed to by the borough and Chesapeake, the company and its subcontractors would use no road in the borough except Bridge Street when traveling to and from well sites west of the borough, Fairchild said. Chesapeake would provide signs saying "Chesapeake Preferred Route," which would be posted on Bridge Street, Fairchild said.

To address Chesapeake vehicles that would on occasion - or by mistake - use other borough-owned streets to access the well sites, there will be a maintenance agreement negotiated between Chesapeake and the borough, he said. Under the maintenance agreement, the current condition of the roads will be documented, and Chesapeake will pay the borough to repair damage to the roads caused by Chesapeake, or else Chesapeake will arrange to have the roads fixed itself, Fairchild said.

"We'll see how this (arrangement with Chesapeake) works, and if it's not working, we'll address it in a couple of months," borough council President Mark Christini said at the council meeting, which took place last week.

However, in an interview on Wednesday, Tracey Mausteller, who is a pavement manager for PennDOT District 3, said the plan to use Bridge Street is not a good idea, because the street is too narrow in the borough for trucks.

"There is parking on the side of the street, and with trucks coming up the road and cars trying to go through (in the opposite direction), I could see an accident happening," Mausteller said. The fact that the section of Bridge Street in the borough is lined with houses makes the potential for accidents even more of a problem, she said.

Because Bridge Street is a state route, the plan to have Chesapeake use Bridge Street will result in PennDOT posting a weight limit on the section of Bridge Street in the borough to protect the pavement, she said. In order to operate trucks that exceed the weight limit on the section of Bridge Street that lies in the borough, Chesapeake would need to obtain a permit from PennDOT, and Mausteller said she would not be in favor of approving the permit.

"We will try to avoid (Chesapeake using Bridge Street) at all costs," she said.

Brian Grove, a spokesman for Chesapeake Energy, said that Bridge Street is state Route 3018, and therefore covered under an Excess Maintenance Agreement with PennDOT. Chesapeake is responsible to have the roads fixed through this agreement, Grove said. Chesapeake has already discussed repair work with PennDOT on Bridge Street and has placed a call to Towanda as well to discuss this option, he said. Chesapeake wants to work cooperatively with local boroughs and townships as repairs and upgrades to the roads are considered and executed, he said.

Quiet title

In April 2009, Towanda Borough hired an attorney from Lycoming County to pursue the quiet title action at the former landfill site.

"As far as I know, the attorney has done nothing" as far as working on the project, Towanda Borough Solicitor Leonard Frawley said at this month's meeting of the borough council. "We could get someone else to do the work."

The council then voted to have Frawley find another lawyer to work on the quiet title action. The new lawyer will be paid "the customary fees for the area" when working on the quiet title action, according to the motion that was passed by the council.

YMCA

"Our membership grows each year," Dibble said of the YMCA of Bradford County. "We (our membership) climbed a little over the past year. Hopefully with the project in the building we'll continue to see climbs."

The YMCA and the borough are planning to undertake a project to expand and renovate the YMCA building, which is owned by the borough.

A few years ago, the YMCA of Bradford County merged with a group of YMCAs, which is called the River Valley Regional YMCA, Dibble said. Besides the Bradford County YMCA, the River Valley Regional YMCA also includes the Williamsport YMCA, the East Lycoming YMCA and the Jersey Shore YMCA, Dibble said.

While the River Valley Regional YMCA overall operated in the red during the past year, the YMCA of Bradford County operated in the black, she said.

However, to avoid losing money during the past year, the YMCA of Bradford County was forced to make some cuts, including laying off a part-time grant writer and cutting some hours that it is open, Dibble said.

"We cut a half-hour here and a half-hour there," she said.

Towanda Police Chief Mitch Osman reported the Towanda Police Department has acquired a third Taser with funds raised in a golf tournament last year. The tournament raises money for the police department and the Towanda Fire Department.

In the coming months, the borough will also be looking at whether to increase the fees it charges for reserved parking spaces in the borough. The borough charges the public $10 or $15 per month to use a reserved parking space, borough officials said.

Streetscape

Fairchild reported that he hoped that a streetscape improvement project for the borough, which will be funded by a $350,500 federal Transportation Enhancement Grant, will go out to bid this summer and be completed this year.

The project will extend the southern end of the Merrill Parkway's pedestrian trail to South Main Street and will link the northern end of the trail to the east end of Locust Avenue and the Third Ward, Fairchild said.

The project will also install in the downtown 36 fancy black-and-gold Victorian street signs, 20 Victorian-style trash cans, and eight bike racks, as well as 30 benches along the pedestrian trail.

"It's a really exciting project," Christini said. "It's putting the final touches on the Merrill Parkway."

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.