MAHANOY CITY - After holding recreation equipment in storage for a year, Mahanoy Township now has permission from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to install it in the village of Park Place.
The good news was announced at Thursday's meeting of the Mahanoy Township Board of Supervisors.
"The playground in Park Place will be started very shortly," Chairman James Stevens said. "We received the remaining funds from the state. The only thing we're waiting on is when the equipment can be installed. Once we know that date, our (township) workers will start on the digging."
The recreation equipment, bought for the Park Place Parente Family Park through a $25,000 DCNR grant, arrived last April and has been stored in the original shipping crates at the township building waiting for final approval of the project plans by DCNR officials. Due to changes in state regulations, the original site plan needed modifications, particularly for handicap access, which caused the delays.
On April 17, township supervisors and road crew met with Daniel Cook of Alfred Benesch & Co., the township's consulting engineers, to review the scope of work so that excavation can begin and a playground installer can be notified for construction. After the excavation and drainage stone is placed, proposals for paving the parking stall and pathway will be sought.
Benesch has submitted a grant application to DCNR for Phase II of the playground project, which includes additional recreation equipment. DCNR is expected to make award announcements in late fall.
In other good news, a sufficient number of township residents in the Park Place area have submitted their income surveys so that the township can receive up to $70,000 in grant funds for a stormwater drainage project in Park Place.
To receive Community Development Block Grant project funds from the county, surveys to determine low- to moderate-income eligibility of residents where necessary, though many residents did not cooperate in submitting the information. After a concerted effort by the township and Benesch, enough surveys were collected to meet the 51 percent low- to moderate-income levels to qualify for the grant. The surveys have been submitted to county grant coordinator Gary Bender, with the township waiting for approval.
The proposed project involves replacing drainage culverts along Park Place Road at two sites, along with pipes to cross the road to alleviate road flooding during heavy rains.
The supervisors voted to search for another part-time police officer. The township has one full-time police officer, Brandon Alexander, and a part-time officer, Shannon Tietsworth. Stevens said the part-time position is for 24 hours, but Tietsworth is working a non-police job and is only able to put in some of the hours.
Stevens said when a new officer is hired, the 24 hours will be shared between the two officers.
In another personnel matter, the supervisors approved paying Cheryl Backo $100 per month to clean the office in addition to her regular 35 hours per week as township secretary.
In the monthly Benesch engineering report, the supervisors were informed that the township has until June 28 to submit its application for a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for construction of a garage/salt shed near the municipal building.
"We have confirmed the requirements for the full funding application and are preparing a proposal for the supervisors' review and approval," said project engineer Michael J. Peleschak and project manager James J. Rhoades Jr. in the report.
The township now uses an old building in need of repair. A new building would provide improved shelter for township equipment and allow storage of road salt, protecting it from the weather. Depending on the amount of funding available, the proposed building may also include a police station, which is currently located inside the municipal building in one small room.
Stevens asked residents who know of code violations to come to the township to file their complaints.
"It's getting warm out now and our code enforcement officer will be out there quite a bit," Stevens said. "He will be asking people to do things that need to be done, and citing people who don't do those things."
Stevens said the police are tagging illegal vehicles - those without tags, inspection stickers and so forth - and are working one section of the township at a time. He added that road patching and grass cutting will begin soon, asking residents to watch out for the workers for their safety.