CLEARFIELD – With spring well under way, improvements to Lower Witmer Park are being appreciated by residents of Clearfield Borough.
At Thursday’s Clearfield Borough Council’s work session, Borough Operations Manager Leslie Stott commended the street crew for their work cleaning up the park.
Street Department Foreman Todd Kling said the crew installed signage displaying information about the history of the park and a concrete pad and privacy fence for the new porta-potty at the park.
Stott commended the street department for their work at the park. She said the borough had wanted to install a handicapped-accessible bathroom facility in response to the increased number of people using the park and river.
Stott also commended Kling, who had come up with the idea for the concrete pad, which will be used to secure the porta-potty to prevent vandalism and the fence, which will make the area more aesthetically pleasing.
Stott said she had heard many positive comments about the park and the street department’s work.
Kling added that the borough is hoping the public will continue with their efforts to help take care of the parks and reporting any vandalism.
Stott said a group of youth will be making some improvements to the park’s gazebo and picnic areas as part of a community service project. Stott said the group will be painting and re-shingling the gazebo and painting the picnic tables at the park.
Stott also wanted to remind the public that the street department is no longer picking up yard waste. She said anyone with yard waste should take it to the compost sites on 21st Street or Mann Road for disposal.
Stott then addressed some negative publicity the borough had received following a recent television interview. Stott said a representative from television media had interviewed a group that had been in the borough studying the ducks, geese and other waterfowl.
Stott said the interview implied that the borough was harming the animals, because they had no garbage disposal facilities in the parks.
“If she (the reporter) would have panned over a few feet, she would’ve seen a five-yard garbage dumpster sitting right there,” Stott said.
She said she would be meeting with the reporter to address the issue and that the group will be continuing to study the water-fowl in the borough.
