July 18,2007 Transcript report Oakland Dam Has A Hole By Barbara Whitehead Photo by Chuck Burdick Earlier in the week, there had been reports of a large hole in the dam that spans the Susquehanna River between the boros of Oakland and Susquehanna Depot. At the July 12 meeting of the Oakland Boro Council, the boro’s representative to the board of River Bounty, Cynthia Beavan, put council’s minds at ease and explained the situation. Yes, there is a hole in the dam; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had conducted an inspection of the dam a short time ago and had been aware that there was a hole. After a complaint had been made earlier in the week about the hole and the amount of water that was running through it, FERC and an engineer familiar with the dam conducted another inspection. The dam itself was not meant for flood control, Mrs. Beavan said. It had been built some time in the late 1800’s to power a mill. In 1928, concrete had been poured over the original timber dam, and the hydro-electric plant at the site had been built in the mid-1960’s. FERC would like the hole fixed, she said, but there would be no danger to anyone if the dam were to collapse. The situation looks worse than it is; where water normally flows more calmly over the dam, most of it is presently flowing through the hole. Mrs. Beavan said that the hydro-electric plant operator is working with FERC to get the hole fixed; he would like to get the smaller turbine up and running first so that some of the water would be diverted, making it easier to fix the hole. Plans for the repairs have been submitted to FERC. When contacted directly, a representative of FERC verified that they are working with the plant operator to develop a repair plan, and there are no safety concerns at this time. A Susquehanna Boro Council member who had been present at the (second) FERC inspection said that the hole had existed for many years, and that no one thought that there was any imminent danger to anyone. In other business, Doug Arthur asked that the minutes of the June meeting be amended to add that he had voiced some concerns about a drain pipe on High St.; the contractor hired to do the work had put the new pipe in about six feet further than it originally had been, and water was not draining as it should. Mr. Arthur wanted it included in the official minutes that he had pointed this out to the contractor in the event that there is a problem. Mayor Dudley gave the monthly police report; four shifts had been covered and incidents dealt with included a domestic dispute, traffic citations, and a call to Susquehanna Boro in response to a report of a possible vicious dog. As of this date, the boro had not yet received the $8,000 in grant funding that has been approved for the police department. And, the mayor reported receiving a complaint about minors out on the streets after 10 p.m. A motion carried to adopt the 2006 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code, the International Building Code, ICC Electrical Code-Administrative Provisions, International Mechanical Code, International Plumbing Code, International Residential Code, International Existing Building Code. It had been duly advertised and had been reviewed by the boro’s solicitor. President Ron Beavan reported that damage to the water system, caused by an electrical storm, would be turned in to the insurance carrier; he expected that the boro would be covered for repairs to the alarm system and pump. There had been a good response by residents applying for home improvement funding through the county Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Mr. Beavan said. The sidewalk project was to go out to bid on August 7, and the Housing Authority will most likely be putting up modular homes on the old boro building site. More definite information should be available by the next council meeting. In response to some questions from Mr. Arthur, Mr. Beavan said that he would look into why a contractor used by the boro hires flaggers at $25/hour; Mr. Arthur asked if the boro couldn’t hire them directly, at considerably less. Secretary Flo Brush said that the contractor preferred to hire his own flaggers, rather than let the boro do it, because it was his experience that untrained, untried workers caused delays in getting the work done, and that he preferred using workers he knew to be competent so that the road crews could attend to their business without worrying about traffic. Mr. Beavan said that he would ask about the flaggers’ wages. During public comment, a complaint was heard about ditch work on High St. that had been done by the sewer authority after new pipes were put in. The ditches in that area had been lined with stone, but after the work was complete, cold patch was used. Mr. Beavan said that the authority will be doing more work in that area and he did not expect that the cold patch was meant to be permanent, but he would check into it. Discussion continued from last month’s meeting regarding a parking problem on State St. A resident had complained that neighbors were parking on the sidewalk adjacent to her home. There was a dead tree she wanted to have removed, but the vehicles were an impediment to doing so safely, and there is also a school bus stop at that spot; the parked cars could be a concern to the children’s safety. Mr. Beavan said that he would contact the school to see about “bus stop” signs, and he and Mayor Dudley are in the process of researching what the boro can (and cannot) do about enforcing parking regulations on a state road. The boro planning committee is just about set, five members have been found to serve. Details, such as term lengths and committee members’ names, will be presented to council at their next meeting. Penelec will be contacted to see if they have any immediate plans to trim trees, as there are some in the boro that are blocking street lights. A letter from Penelec is not clear about their intentions toward outdoor area lighting. The letter says that they will no longer repair or replace mercury lights, and sodium lights will only be repaired or replaced until 2012, after which ownership will be offered to municipalities. Those that municipalities choose not to take responsibility for will be removed. There was some confusion as to what Penelec considers “outdoor area lighting.” Does this include street lights, or does it only apply to lighting at sites like the (old) boro building or the ballfield? Council did contact Penelec and is awaiting the answer to that question. And, some time ago, when an application for grant funding was submitted for improvements to the boro park, a number of residents pledged donations for the boro’s contribution towards the work, which was required for the grant application to be approved. However, a number of those residents who pledged donations have failed to do so, in spite of numerous requests from the Parks and Rec. committee. Because the grant hinges on those matching funds, the committee will have to find a way to make up the difference between what was pledged and what money was actually received, about $1,500. Mayor Dudley said that the committee will be contacting area organizations to see if any would be willing to help with fundraising to make up the shortfall. “You can only have so many bake sales,” she said. The meeting adjourned to an executive session. The next meeting will be on Thursday, August 9, 7 p.m. in the Lanesboro Community Center.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 18:33:19 +0000