Walker debates road project

Walker Township continues to explore several scenarios for its road project.

The matter was once again debated by the township’s board of supervisors on Thursday.

At the center of the discussion is a proposed $500,000 road project.

In November, supervisors agreed to apply for and prepare the application for a $500,000 loan through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Bank for this year’s road program.

The loan would be for seven years, with a 2.125 percent interest rate, with the total cost of the project estimated at about $589,000, though final numbers won’t be learned until after the job is bid out,

However, township secretary Ann Ostergaard noted that the application for that loan cannot be completed until the audits are up to date.

Ostergaard said the 2015 audit is completed, while the 2016 audit is almost finished.

She said the 2017 audit will be next, but isn’t needed to complete the loan application.

Ostergaard said the concern is until the township gets the audits back and the loan process could start, it is running into a time threshold to have that particular project completed this season.

In the interim, supervisors are looking at some alternative smaller projects for the upcoming season, and are getting pricing now to do in place of the bigger project and possibly putting that off until the 2019 season.

Supervisors previously said the project would pave Valley Road, from Wildcat Road to the township line; Catawissa Road, from the township line to the steel grate bridge over Cold Run; and Wildcat Road, from Valley Road to Reynolds Road, and from Reynolds Road to the railroad tracks.