CLEARFIELD – The sewer project in Clearfield Borough remained one of the hot topics for residents who attended Tuesday night’s town meeting.
About 35 people turned out, and each had an opportunity to speak with council members, the code enforcement officer, the street commissioner, the police chief, the borough engineer, the borough solicitor and the mayor. The event, held at Third Ward Hose Co., was set up much like a job expo or a trade show, with each representative at a table so that people could have their concerns addressed on a one-on-one level.
“What we’re trying to do is open up communication between the taxpayers and the elected officials and borough employees,” said Jim Leitzinger, borough council president.
He said his goal in hosting the town meeting is to improve Clearfield Borough as a whole and to keep it a healthy and active area. “We want people to be able to talk to all of us, and this helps the residents to be able to meet their representatives face-to-face.”
Leitzinger said he heard some questions about the sewer project, but Todd Banks of Stiffler, McGraw & Associates Inc., borough engineer, heard the lion’s share.
Banks said he heard a lot of questions from people in future phases — 2nd Ward and 4th Ward. The borough already has funding for these next steps, set to get under way in March.
As for projects right now, Greenland Construction’s work in 1st Ward and 3rd Ward should be completed within two months, he said. D & M Construction should be finished by the end of November or the beginning of December. Two new contracts just started as well, Continental Construction began work June 19 in the downtown area, and Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. started work in 1st Ward and 3rd Ward on Monday.
Banks said many of the questions he fielded Tuesday night concerned restoration problems, that is whether contractors were replacing things as they were originally. The project calls for surfaces to be replaced as “in kind,” meaning concrete will be replaced as concrete, blacktop for blacktop, and brick for brick.
The downtown project prompted a few questions, one of which was whether the downtown would be difficult to navigate during that portion of the sewer project. Banks said it shouldn’t be as prominent an issue because the contractor wants to build the main line and laterals and then complete paving and pour concrete before moving onto a different area.
“I think that’s the best way to handle that area because that area is so congested, and parking is at a premium,” Banks said. The downtown portion of the project will look as though it is moving slowly, Banks said, but more work will be done before the contractor moves on.
One person who attended the meeting was looking for information on when the roads would provide for a smooth ride once again. Jim Moyer, former Clearfield Borough mayor, said he hopes that his concerns about West Pine Street will be addressed.
Don Mitchell lives near St. Francis Catholic Church. He was at the meeting to ask whether Healey Avenue could be made into a two-way street during the downtown portion of the sewer project work.
The borough council is considering hosting another town meeting in the fall.