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Woodward Township supers talk sewer meters and pumps

By LAURA JAMESON

ljameson@lockhaven.com

LOCKPORT — Sewers topped the list of items discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of the Woodward Township supervisors.

Items discussed included the purchase of a new flow meter, a Transit Time Meter, for $2,115 with a $1,000 installation cost. The flow meter measures the amount of sewage that is sent to Lock Haven’s plant. The old one was giving incorrect readings.

The meter includes a one year warranty and the township will not have to provide payment until after the warranty is up, according to supervisor chairman Kyle Coleman said.

Also, it was noted that sewer employees are continuing to collect quotes for the rebuilding or replacement of one of three pumps at the township’s pump station.

The other two pumps were replaced and are running while the third acts as a fail safe in the event one of the others malfunctions or can’t handle the sewage flow, Coleman said.

Brandon Eckenroth, an employee for the Spring-Benner-Walker Joint Authority in Centre County, who is on retainer for the township, discussed the installation of a basket in the pump station that would catch items and make clean up of the pumps easier.

Sewer employees recently had to remove a large amount of solid items from one of the pumps such as rags, pieces of plastic from ziploc bags and wipes, Coleman said.

However, if the pump is overflowed with sewage the items would flood out of the pump and could create a bigger mess, he added.

The supervisors agreed to look into the benefits of installing a basket in the system.

The sewer employees will be asked to bring a list of tools they need to the supervisors’ next work session so they can discuss purchasing of them.

“They virtually don’t have any tools,” Coleman said.

They will also look into finding a central location to purchase tools to make keeping track of purchases easier, he said.

Eckenroth gave a small update on the infiltration of the sewer lines using a camera. He said township sewer employees are continuing to record the inside of the sewer lines.

The supervisors hope to identify any issues in the line with the recordings to help decrease costs for residents.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business, the supervisors:

∫ Gave an update on the installation of playground equipment in Riverview Park. The largest piece of equipment has been installed and is in the ground. The playground equipment should be completely installed within the coming weeks, Coleman said.

“Our guys did a great job with that playground piece,” Coleman said.

The township will purchase a few smaller pieces of equipment using an $8,000 Clinton County Community Foundation grant, he said. The equipment won’t use up the entire amount, and the remainder will be used for smaller repairs and improvements throughout the township, he said.

The township also received a donation of four yards of mulch from the Wayne Township Landfill for the park, he said. Any remaining mulch they’ll need will be paid for by the township.

∫ Announced the township should hear soon about a Clinton County Tourism Grant for the installation of a fishing dock near the boat launch. The supervisors are hoping a dock will cut down on safety hazards.

Many fishermen fish off the flood wall and that creates a hazard for both themselves and boaters in the area, Coleman said.

∫ Announced the spring clean up dates for this year. Township employees will pick up garbage bags full of leaves as well as sticks and twigs at area homes on April 22, 25, 29 and May 2.

Employees will only pick up 30 gallon bags of leaves and sticks no larger than four inches in diameter and six feet long.

In between the pick ups, township employees will be completing various small road projects to get a head start on the summer season, Coleman said.

∫ Approved the resignation of auditor Susan Muthler during their special meeting on April 10. Supervisor Wayne Love suggested they look into having an accountant conduct the audit in the future.

∫ Discussed future road work after conducting a road tour on April 11. Multiple roadways throughout the township will have shoulder work done, as well as catch basin repairs in certain areas, Coleman said.

Employees will also install drainage pipes which will run parallel to Croak Hollow Road and replace piping underneath before the road is paved later in the summer, he said.

They will also have trees removed from Hickory Drive and Arch Street, and a sinkhole that’s created problems on Holly Drive will be addressed as well, he said. A steel plate is going to be installed in the area of the hole temporarily to give township workers a chance to look into the problem, Coleman said.

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