CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Clarion Borough Mayor Brett Whitling made a proclamation recognizing April 2020 as Pennsylvania Safe Digging Month.
(PICTURED: Mayor Brett Whitling with Kirk Kirkpatrick of Pennsylvania 811)
Kirk Kirkpatrick, a representative from Pennsylvania 811, was in attendance at Tuesday evening’s Clarion Borough council meeting for the proclamation, reminding Pennsylvania residents to always dial 8-1-1 three business days before any digging project.
Pennsylvania 811 works to prevent damage to underground utility lines and promote public safety by providing a communications network among project owners, designers, excavators, and facility owners. Each year they receive over 900,000 notification requests and transmits more than six million notifications.
All excavators and homeowners are encouraged to call three days before any project, even in the case of smaller projects such as planting a tree or installing a mailbox post, in order to avoid possible injury or damage to underground facilities.
Borough Council Working Toward Library Grant
The borough council approved two resolutions on Tuesday to move forward on a grant application for funding for projects in and around the Clarion Free Library.
The first, resolution #2020-443, ensures the undisturbed use of the Clarion Free Library for the next 50 years, and the other, resolution #2020-444, authorizes the submission of the 2020 Keystone Grant for Public Library Facilities Application itself.
The grant application is due April 10, and the award date for the grant is slated for sometime in the summer.
“So we can’t start until we know we’ve gotten it,” council member Jason Noto stated.
Council president Carol Lapinto noted the borough council originally only budgeted for replacement of the boiler and updates to the handicap accessible facilities. However, after discovering the grant available, the borough hopes to now be able to also include new doors and additional updates to the restrooms.
Blueprint Committee Working on Park Project
Council member Brenda Sanders-Dede announced the Blueprint Committee’s next meeting will be on April 18, and also noted that one of the projects the committee is currently working toward is a neighborhood park project initially brought forward by local resident Janice Horn.
“We developed some working committees, and one of the working committees has to do with Janice’s park project, and contrary to what I’ve heard on the streets of Clarion, that’s it’s a go, it’s not a go yet. We’re still working on it,” Sanders-Dede noted.
“We’re not getting the park tomorrow, we’re still working on getting the funding for the park, but that is a project of the Blueprint Committee.”
She noted that one of the first big steps will be getting the land for the project.
“That is one of the things we’ll be continuing to work on.”
According to Sanders-Dede, while the project isn’t officially “a go” yet, she the committee is moving forward with it.
Other Business
In other business, the council:
- Approved a request from Elk Township Supervisors to purchase a cutting edge from Clarion Borough in the amount of $431.50.
- Awarded the Clarion Borough 2020-1 Fire Station Man Door Replacement Project, for the replacement of six man-doors at the Clarion Fire Station, to CBF Contracting, Inc., in the amount of $20,274.00.
- Adopted Resolution #2020-422, a resolution approving, adopting, and placing into immediate effect the Emergency Operations Plan of Clarion County.
- Approved Clarion Christian Preschool’s Special Event Request for a street closure of Church Road between Sixth Avenue and Ditz Place to hold a St. Jude’s Trike-a-Thon on May 1, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Approved PASSAGES, Inc.’s Special Event Request for the Walk-a-Mile in Her Shoes event using Clarion University and Borough sidewalks on April 6, 2020, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
