Owl Creek concerns at Tamaqua council meeting
There’s a new sign at the south entrance to Tamaqua, part of a project spearheaded by Tamaqua Councilman Tom Cara, who hopes to have new welcome signs at all of the entrances to town. The rocks, plants and newly-seeded grass were done by Graver’s Landscape Design of Tamaqua. The project was a collaborative effort with Tom’s Auto and Marine painting the posts, which were installed by the Tamaqua Borough street crew. The borough crew also extended the sidewalk and will install a lighting fixture in the future. Cara is hoping to attract sponsorship for the other entrance signs. DONALD R. SERFASS/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS
Two residents of Owl Creek Road attended the Tamaqua Borough Council meeting Tuesday night to ask for help.
Peter Trudich wanted council to “do something about the weeds out in Owl Creek. Some of them are so high they actually stick out in the road. I complained to Steigerwalt (Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt) about a month ago, and nothing’s been done yet.” Trudich also complained about the number of people speeding on the road, which he feels is being used as a shortcut to Summit Hill and beyond.
Council asked for a little patience on the weed issue, due to the large amount of rain in the past few weeks.
Joseph Salla also wanted to talk about speeding, weeds and ways to improve the Owl Creek area. Salla has been attempting to care for the entryway to the road, but would like the borough to help.
“Maybe the borough workers could pressure wash the stones at the archway, including the two large stones near the Rails to Trails area. Then, maybe someone from the Tamaqua Community Art Center would be interested in painting the stones.”
He is also interested in placing a welcome sign at the entrance to the road, at his own cost. He thought of the idea after seeing the new “Welcome to Tamaqua” sign near the Speedway station at the south end of town.
“I’m just trying to get people to take pride in their property,” he told council.
Councilman Tom Cara, who is spearheading the beautification project, hopes to have welcoming signs at all of the entrances to the borough and will work with Salla on the project for Owl Creek Road. Cara is also looking for sponsors for the other signs and can be contacted by calling borough hall at 570-668-3444.
Police Chief Henry Woods spoke on the speeding issue, explaining that patrolman Rick Bekesy spends many a morning in the area looking for speeders. Salla agreed the speeding has decreased during the day, but feels there should be more enforcement during the evening hours, when people are rushing home from work.
In other business, council:
• Accepted the resignation of Jordan Fegley from the Tamaqua Water Authority, effective Oct. 19. Fegley’s last day of work will be Aug. 24 as he uses up sick and vacation time;
• Accepted the resignation of Councilman Brian Connely from the CRIZ Authority;
• Appointed Councilman Dan Evans to the CRIZ Authority;
• Hired Jeff Wainwright and Aaron Koehler as part-time police officers, effective immediately;
• Approved moving a handicap parking sign from 155 Orwigsburg St. to 426 Rolling Mill Ave.;
• Approved purchasing the streetlight fixtures from GE rather than Acuity. Council President Dave Mace cast the lone negative vote, saying he felt the Acuity lamps provided “better light displacement”;
• Approved a lease/purchase agreement for a new police SUV. The agreement calls for a three-year term, with $4,000 down and $16,398 annually.
