Clarion Borough Council Approves University Stormwater Connections

CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — The latest chapter in the Clarion Borough stormwater saga played out quietly on Tuesday night despite council voting to allow Clarion University to reconnect to the stormwater system at two locations along North First Avenue.

The official action came during the council’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 3, at the Clarion Free Library. The approval comes as the university is in the planning stages of a project to fix drainage issues near Memorial Stadium.

Clarion University Senior Vice President for Advancement Jim Geiger said in an earlier interview with exploreClarion.com that work cannot begin on the project until the borough fixes a sinkhole that has developed near two side-by-side pieces of private property on the opposite side of North First Avenue (U.S. Route 322).

Work on the sinkhole is expected to begin soon as a May 31 deadline remains in place.

Geiger also confirmed that the Clarion University Foundation agreed to pay up $11,000.00 to help repair the sinkhole. The money from the foundation to the borough was exchanged in order to speed up the project, which will allow the university to reconnect to the system quicker, according to Geiger.

The motion to allow the university to reconnect to the system passed amid an ongoing power struggle between the borough and the Clarion Borough Stormwater Authority. Borough Council Vice President Benjamin Aaron, who also serves as the stormwater authority chairman, abstained from voting on the matter.

Some stormwater authority members, including Aaron, have shown opposition to the borough’s handling of the situation, questioning whether they have the authority to proceed with the North First Avenue sinkhole project.

During the council’s March 1 meeting, two motions were initiated that would allow the borough to move forward with the design and procurement of necessary services for the repair of the stormwater system at 78 N. First Avenue, across from Memorial Stadium.