COAL TOWNSHIP - Township commissioners have a mess on their hands at the recycling center and are looking to the state to make quick work of it.
The amount of brush and yard waste accumulating at the recycling center since last September's flooding has exceeded capacity.
Apart from typical yard waste taken to the center by residential customers and surrounding municipalities from whom the township accepts refuse, cleanup after the monumental flooding contributed to the giant mess at the center.
The brush pile is now 30-feet high and 90-feet long, commissioners estimated during an agenda session Monday, and the facility will temporarily halt accepting such refuse.
A chipper is ordered and awaiting delivery in about two weeks, said Rob Slaby, township manager, but that may not be enough to rid the facility of the pile in a timely manner. In turn, the township will ask state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for an emergency permit to burn it.
A controlled burn of the brush is a violation of state recycling regulations, said Charlie Shuey, township recycling coordinator. If pushed to violate the regulations, township commissioners fear not only a fine but a potential disadvantage when seeking future recycling grant funding.
Instead, they'll seek permission from the state to conduct a controlled burn under a emergency permit. Volunteers of Coal Township Fire Department would be sought for the job.
Commissioners are looking for an answer within a week, Commissioner Gene Welsh said. If permission isn't granted, they'll work with the City of Sunbury to have one of its employees come to the facility with a tub grinder to hack away at the brush pile.
The township would be obligated to pay at least the employee's wages, commissioners said.
When the township's chipper arrives, commissioners will look to hire a part-time employee to operate the machinery.
It was estimated by commissioners that the work to grind and chip the brush that's currently on site could take more than one month.
Neighborly spat
Though commissioners will eventually lift the temporary halt on brush and yard waste, they may keep the City of Shamokin shut out of the facility.
Shuey said Jeff's Recycling, Paxinos, is paying the city to have recycling containers placed in Shamokin.
That the city has ceased sending its saleable material to the township facility has rubbed township commissioners the wrong way. In turn, they may consider refusing receipt of brush and debris from the city.
They also alluded that the city's agreement with the company may have violated an existing contract with the township since 60-day notice was not given.
The city is obligated to have its brush and yard waste disposed of at a permitted facility, but the township is not obligated to accept such refuse from Shamokin, Shuey read from an email from a state employee about the situation.
Commissioners instructed Rob Slaby, township manager, to write a letter to the city asking about its new arrangement with the private recycler and what that could mean for its arrangement with the township facility.
Shamokin Filler concerns
Commissioners are growing frustrated with how the workings of Shamokin Filler Co. is impacting Venn Access Road.
Commissioner George Zalar said the public road has become a staging area for the coal company's operations. It's dirty and cluttered, poses some traffic concerns and is breaking apart newly paved macadam, he said.
"Get your business off the streets and get it inside the gates where it belongs," he said.
Attempts to reach compromise with the company's operators has fallen on deaf ears. More than once, the township has tried to resolve its problems with the private company, but to no avail, commissioners said.
"There's just no respect," Commissioner Craig Fetterman said.
"There is none, or for the neighbors," Zalar said.
One half of Venn Access Road was paved by private contractor in 2008 and the other half by township employees in 2010 at a combined cost exceeding $250,000, commissioners said.
The weight of heavy machinery and tractor-trailers has caused portions of the macadam to buckle, they said, and the roadside berms are cluttered with company material. Large trucks parked on either side of the road pose traffic concerns, especially as the new school year approaches.
Shamokin Area's elementary and high schools are located just over the hill from Shamokin Filler.
Chris Petrovich, the township's code officer, and Slaby were each directed by the commissioners - Fetterman, Welsh, Zalar, Gerry Waugh and Bernie Rumberger - to issue tickets or citations to the company for any code violations they observe until compliance is reached.
5K safety
Organizers of a 5K charity run/walk must ensure the safety of event participants, and that means having enough manpower to direct traffic and enough safety cones to line the course, the township police chief said Monday.
A 3.1-mile run/walk is being planned locally to benefit the Sept. 11 fundraiser, Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run held annually in New York City.
The event begins at Badman's Hill Road in Weigh Scales and ends at Claude E. Kehler Community Park in Shamokin, with much of the event taking place on Route 61.
The run/walk was washed out in last September's flooding, and washed away were dozens upon dozens of safety cones the township had set up, Police Chief William Carpenter said.
The township hasn't purchased new ones. It's up to race organizers to find up to 275 cones and some signage to mark off the race along the state highway, he said. They'll also need fire police to volunteer to direct traffic at intersections along the way.
If they don't have the safety measures in place, the event may be scuttled in the township.
"That is the most dangerous stretch in the township. ... Not the best place to have a 5K," the police chief said.