Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Foster Township’s sewer line project could cost about a million dollars less than originally planned. “We’ve taken what was thought to be a 5, 6 million dollar project and … I think it’s about 4.4 million,” said new township engineer Harold Bloomgren of Northwest Engineering. “That’s a little easier to handle.” Bloomgren attended Monday’s Foster Township supervisors meeting and gave a report on the updated Act 537 Plan. Northwest has taken over engineering duties from E&M Engineers after a mistake by E&M cost the township a low interest PENNVEST loan. E&M’s insurance company is currently considering an “errors and omissions” claim so the township can get its money back. The new plan developed by Northwest calls for using low pressure sewer lines with grinder pumps instead of gravity lines. The actual cost to township residents will depend on if funding comes from PENNVEST or Rural Utility Service, and the terms of the loans and/or gr...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Foster Township supervisors are asking people who have not turned in their easement agreements for the new sewer line project, to turn them in as soon as possible. “We’ve got to get the project going,” said supervisor chairman Jim Connelly Jr. “It’s no longer February. We’ve got a contractor out there that wants to go to work.” He said he and supervisors BJ Campbell and Dale Phillips will be going door-to-door to talk with people who have not turned in their agreements yet, and asked that people who have a problem call them. Township engineer Roy Pedersen noted that Al Vanderpoel, also with E&M Engineers, has worked with a few residents who had issues and those issues have been resolved. Connelly wondered – because EDUs have been shut off in the Tuna Valley – if residents will be able to use the sewer system after they pay the tap-in fee. Pedersen because this is part of the Act 537 Plan people who hook up to the system will “absolutely” be ...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Foster Township has a new supervisor. Businessman Dale Phillips was appointed during Monday’s meeting to fill the position left when Chris Wolcott resigned in December. Phillips is the brother-in-law of Bradford Mayor Tom Riel. Also during Monday’s meeting, Jim Connelly Jr. was voted chairman and BJ Campbell vice chairman. Campbell also resigned his position on the Zoning Hearing Board because he can’t hold both jobs. Virginia Hinaman also resigned from the Zoning Hearing Board. They were replaced by Bruce Cauvel and Norm Strotman Jr., who will serve for five years. Campbell said Hinaman was a “very attentive” board member and did a good job. Connelly thanked Cauvel and Strotman for “stepping up and serving Foster Township.” Also during the meeting Connelly acknowledged the work that Sally Scrivo does as emergency management coordinator for the township. “Unless there’s a major emergency or a catastrophe most people don’t even know Sally’s out ...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Some people think Foster Township residents are paying too much for their sewer tap-in fees, and that should change. Others agree the fee is too high, but think it should stay where it is. The $2,000 tap-in fee was one of the topics of Monday’s Foster Township supervisors meeting. Bradford Township residents pay $1,000. City residents pay $500. The issue arose, in part, because residents are concerned about what would happen if the three municipalities consolidate sewer services. Supervisor Jim Connelly, who believes the tap-in fee is too high, is hoping to find ways to cut costs – including being more diligent in collecting from delinquent customers – to lower the fee. “I think that’s ($2,000) a lot of money to ask somebody to pay,” Connelly said. He added that there are $30,000 in delinquent bills. “It’s not fair that some of us have to pay our sewer bills and some of us don’t,” Connelly said. East Main Street resident Don Pistner wanted to kn...