CLEARFIELD – The Lawrence Township Supervisors will look into aiding the residents in five homes along Natura Lane after one of them, Audrey Duke, approached the Lawrence Township Supervisors about the lane’s condition. The lane is currently a dead end road that is currently a private road.
Duke wanted to see if the township could take control of the road. The residents had largely maintained the road themselves, but due to the aging population they are increasingly unable to handle the road.
“There are people unable to [take care of the road] any longer due to age and physical condition,” said Duke.
Duke’s concern was that the road is nearing a condition that emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, won’t be able to travel up the lane if needed. Duke stated that the lane’s sanitation company, which she didn’t name, now refuses to travel up the road due to its condition. It requests the residents to bring their trash to the end of the road.
Supervisor Lawhead stated twice his opinion of the road. Once by telling the other supervisors the road would be too narrow to run a grater up it. He had also traveled up the road himself in the past.
“I plowed it once, and I swore I’d never go back,” said Lawhead.
Duke asked what had become of the petition handed in years ago to have the lane turned over to the township. When Supervisor Glenn Johnston asked Lawhead and Supervisor Edward Brown if they recalled it their response was that the petition predated their time as supervisors.
Duke also asked about a rumor that the road had been taken over by the township back in 1998, but they were never notified. Johnston stated that if the township had taken over Natura Lane they should know as it would be additional funds through liquid fuels.
Brown added that there had been roads in the past that the township had taken control off, but fell through the cracks. They were never applied towards the liquid fuel fund, and were only discovered by going back through the old minutes.
None of the supervisors were in favor of immediately taking over the road. The road would have to meet a standard set by the state. Johnston estimated the cost to bring the road to that level to be $100 a foot. Brown stated if the township took over the road it could be seen as a misappropriation of funds. Johnston didn’t believe the residents could afford to bring the road up to the standards.
The supervisors vaguely recalled a work around that would allow the township to maintain the private road without claiming ownership. It hinges on that said care being due to medical reasons.
The township decided to check to see if the road was taken over, but slipped through the cracks. Naddeo was also asked to look into whether an ambulance may not be able to travel up the road would count as a medical reason.