TOWANDA TOWNSHIP - At their most recent meeting, the Towanda Township supervisors passed an ordinance making Chapel Street two-way and worked on planning the township's 2013 budget.
The budget includes approximately $50,000 to help pay for a proposed $468,000 sewer line extension along Liberty Corners Road, township Secretary/Treasurer Lori Kepner said.
The ordinance converting Chapel Street from a one-way to a two-way street, which the supervisors passed at their meeting on Monday, went into effect immediately, Towanda Township Supervisor Charlotte Sullivan said.
The one-way signs on Chapel Street will mostly likely be removed today, Kepner said.
Chapel Street was made two-way for safety reasons, Sullivan and Supervisor Gary Scranton said. Due to the one-way restriction on the street, motorists on Chapel and Center streets who wanted to travel to South Main Street had to drive north on Center Street to its very dangerous intersection with Liberty Corners Road, where it is difficult to see vehicles traveling east on Liberty Corners Road, Scranton said. With the one-way restriction now lifted, those motorists will be able to access South Main Street via Chapel Street.
The sewer line extension along Liberty Corners Road, which would be approximately a quarter-mile long, would begin at the bridge that carries the road over Towanda Creek and would end just before Woodside Road, Kepner said. There could be also residences on Tip Top Road included in the sewer project, township officials said.
When the bridge was constructed six or seven years ago, the contractor discovered sewage leaking from failed septic systems in the area, Sullivan said.
A study conducted by the Department of Environmental Protection has since been done which confirmed the problem, and it showed that 11 homes are impacted in the area, Scranton said.
"We know the need is there" to install the sewer line," Scranton said. "The study has been done to establish the need."
An additional study has also been done establishing that the area of the proposed sewer line is eligible for government funding that would assist low-income residents, Scranton said.
So far, the township has tried to get a government grant for the sewer line project, but was turned down, said Scranton, who added that government grant money in these times is difficult to secure.
Sullivan said the township needs to find a lot more funds for the sewer line project, which would serve approximately 11 residences.
She said the township will probably use some of its impact fee revenue in the future for the project.
This year, the township will be receiving $205,928 in revenue from the impact fee, Kepner said.
Township resident Bob Root is also requesting that the township help pay for a project to bring city water to five residences along McNamara Road, the supervisors said. The supervisors said they are considering whether to help fund the water line. They said they don't know yet what it would cost.
There isn't a problem with the water wells along McNamara Road, but the road is close to an existing water line, Scranton said.
Two of the residents along McNamara Road have already used their own funds to extend municipal water to their homes, Sullivan said.
The budget also includes funds for new township equipment, including a new roller and a trailer for the roller.
The budget does not include a tax increase, Kepner said.
The supervisors will pass a tentative budget at their meeting on Dec. 3, Kepner said. They will then pass a final budget later in December.
James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.
