Blairsville considers one-way traffic on steep section of East Brown Street
By Jeff Himler, The Blairsville Dispatch, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The borough is considering making the traffic pattern on the section of
According to Nicholson, borough police in the past had not ticketed her family's vehicles for being parked facing against traffic, but this year they received tickets. She asked if a borough ordinance could be amended to allow the unorthodox parking arrangement.
Instead, borough officials suggested changing traffic on the street from two-way to one-way westbound. Then, Police Chief
"I think it would be great," Nicholson said of the idea.
When asked by council, she reported that traffic typically travels downhill on the street following games at the nearby
Borough manager
Evans told council the demands of frequently clearing snow from borough streets this past month took a toll on the borough's 2003 five-ton truck, and he suggested purchasing a new one.
"We're throwing money down the drain" trying to keep the truck in operation, Evans said, noting the recent bill for maintaining the vehicle totaled about
"It's given us nothing but trouble," including repeated "blown belts," he said.
To keep up with the snow, he said, the borough placed a plow on a
"We can use a portion of our liquid fuels fund to buy a truck," Evans said, referring to money local municipalities receive annually through the state's gasoline tax.
He suggested purchasing a truck in the summer, putting
With the end of winter not yet in sight, Evans told council the borough is about
"We're hanging in there, but it's been close," he said of the borough's supply of road salt. He noted the borough recently received a 100-ton shipment of salt and had another 100 tons on order.
For the winter season so far, he said, the borough has used 587 tons of salt, compared to 255 tons the previous year. Similarly, he said, costs have doubled for employee overtime and gasoline for trucks.
Mayor
Council agreed to seek bids from potential buyers for two borough vehicles that have been sitting unused: a 1997 Ford Taurus and a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. Evans noted the vehicles are needlessly adding to the borough's insurance premium.
Reporting on recent activities of the
According to Chaney, the remaining
Chaney noted the authority has an application pending with the state
The BCDA manages the borough's
Chaney reported that the DCED denied the BCDA's most recent proposal for expanding the
Chaney said the BCDA intends to apply for a "
Chaney believes the entire borough could be eligible for inclusion in the Keystone Community program, which would offer the opportunity to apply for more facade funding. Also under that program, she said, the BCDA would "hope to create an environment where businesses and other organizations would be eligible to apply for a tax credit based on improvements made to property."
Chaney noted the BCDA has changed the time of its monthly meetings, which now normally are held at
Chaney, who also functions as a grant writer for the borough, reported that her application for funding to assist with hiring of borough police officers was denied through the 2013 COPS Hiring Program. She was told that demand for the competitive funding exceeded the amount available,with only about 15 percent of applications approved. Allman said he intends to appeal the funding denial.
Council affirmed the election of
Council member
Council acknowledged receipt of a letter from Lindsey seeking appointment to two other borough boards -- the planning commission and the codes appeal board.
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