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Riverfest is coming July 12 to 14
By LAURA JAMESON
And WENDY STIVER
news@lockhaven.com
LOCKPORT -- The Woodward Township supervisors have indicated they would like to join a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies.
At Tuesday night's supervisors meeting, Thom Rosamilia, of the Lock Haven law firm Rosamilia, Brungard and Rosamilia, explained the idea behind the suit.
Clinton County, the City of Lock Haven, and some other local townships have signed on, he said, but the attorneys would like to get as many municipalities in Clinton County involved as they can.
He explained the suit targets pharmaceutical companies that allegedly manufactured opioids knowing they were addictive, yet sent out literature saying otherwise. This practice contributed to the opioid crisis, according to the suit, and the crisis has caused a great strain financially in this and other counties, especially for municipalities with local law enforcement agencies.
One financial strain is the cost of carrying Narcan, he said, a drug that helps revive a person suffering from a drug overdose.
When asked by a community member if Narcan has been used in the township, Chief of Police Steve Falotico said it hasn't yet, but the township does have a supply, provided for free by West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission. The life-saving drug is carried in the police cruisers, not by individual officers, the chief said. It is sensitive to heat and cold so they try to keep it in good condition, he added.
Another cost could be that of police officers in general, since the opioid epidemic has caused crime to increase.
"There is a problem in this county," Falotico said in answer to another question. "There is a problem nationwide."
Rosamilia said his law firm has partnered with another firm in Philadelphia regarding this class action lawsuit.
Municipalities that join it have no up-front costs, he said. Should they win the suit, one-third of the money would go to the attorneys, plus costs. The rest would go to the municipalities involved. If the suit is not successful, the attorneys would not receive anything, according to Rosamilia.
The exact amount, if any, would be decided by the courts, he said.
"We're asking that the township join in this litigation," he said.
Supervisor Chairman Kyle A. Coleman and Supervisor Wayne E. Love said they would need time to discuss it but indicated they favored joining the suit. After the meeting, the two supervisors had a brief discussion, looked over the papers Rosamilia had left to them, then signed at least some of them.
A vote on whether or not to join the lawsuit will be on the agenda for the next meeting, set for 7 p.m. July 17, Coleman said.
The third supervisor was appointed Tuesday. John L. Barth was sworn in after the business meeting, and July 17 will be his first meeting as a supervisor.
RIVERFEST
The township is gearing up for the annual Riverfest celebration, and Coleman said it is the Recreation Committee's top priority right now.
The festival will run from Thursday, July 12 until Saturday, July 14, with classic events such as the Cardboard Boat Race and Duck Derby. Food and craft vendors as well as local music groups will be part of the festivities as well.
Duck Derby tickets are available at the Second Cup Restaurant and the township building.
Everything will kick off at 5 p.m. Thursday and end at 10 p.m. Saturday with the fireworks show.
A hope for this year's festival is to have a "new, fresh look," Coleman said. The Recreation Committee hopes to bring in new food vendors as well as bring back some old favorites.
A recently established band, Rize, also will be making its festival debut that Saturday.
The township contacted Angela Harding, Keystone Central School District communications coordinator, about inviting local sports and club boosters to participate, Coleman said. She got the word out and at least one sports team has expressed an interest, he said.
All in all, the supervisors and Recreation Committee members hope to make this year's Riverfest one to remember.
Riverfest is held every year the weekend following the July 4 holiday weekend. The fun takes place at Lockport Boat Launch Park, and the money raised goes toward maintaining and improving that site as well as Riverview Park.
The township was approved for a county tourism grant of $1,500. This is not the full amount requested but Coleman, who heads the Recreation Committee, expressed his gratitude for it. The funds are to be used for bumper pads to protect watercraft using the boat launch, and also for some hardware needed at the launch.
Riverview Park recently received a new flag, with Action Equipment donating the use of equipment to install it, Coleman said.
Also at that park, PPL should finish the last section of wiring for the new pavilion within a week or so, he said, which means the light fixtures can be installed under the pavilion's roof soon.
OTHER BUSINESS
The supervisors had a set of maps available at the meeting for anyone who wanted to see them, relative to the boundary disagreement between Woodward and Dunnstable townships.
A recent article in The Express about it with comments from the county commissioners, prompted Coleman to state, "This township is not now, or ever, going after the county on this."
The current boundary discrepancies might be traced to a county map, but the county has stated its GIS mapping does not usurp boundary lines.
Coleman called the situation is "crazy" and said it should have been addressed by all six supervisors -- three from each township involved -- when the discrepancies were first noted in 2009. He said he is still willing to sit down with Dunnstable again before the issue goes to court.
Love said that, in spite of what Woodward's solicitor had said in the past, he and Coleman are not concerned with any gas industry impact fees the township might win or lose when the disagreement is eventually resolved. Love said he is also unconcerned about any real estate tax dollars that might swing either way. The goal is to establish a firm boundary so that the issue does not have to be revisited, he said.
Groundwater problems reportedly caused by a cell tower road off German Road have been solved, the supervisors noted. The tower owner had the road re-stoned and the ditch line redefined. The two retention ponds also were to be modified.
Township road work has included replacing the galvanized pipe under Arbutus Drive and dealing with a similar situation on Guardlock Drive.
The pipe was ordered and recently arrived to address water run-off along Croak Hollow Road above Swissdale United Methodist Church, Coleman added.
Two bids were opened from would-be buyers of the township's Peterbilt single-axle truck with plow and the Expedition police vehicle, but neither bid reportedly met the reserve price.
The township's new T tag truck is on its way but still needs to have the bed installed, the supervisors noted.
The police department log for May shows 1 accident, 22 traffic arrests, 54 traffic stops, 28 written warnings and 4 verbal warnings issued, 1 truck inspection performed, 183 calls for service, 40 follow-up incident investigations, and 1,465 miles driven by officers.