Ridgway Record

Ridgway Twp. Supervisor­s worked through a lengthy agenda

- By Brian D. Stockman Staff Writer

RIDGWAY--From Cryptocurr­ency to subdivisio­ns to opening bids, the Ridgway Township Supervisor­s (RTS) worked through a lengthy agenda at the Tuesday meeting.

After working with their solicitor for months, the supervisor­s have finally crafted a “Cryptocurr­ency” Ordinance labeled Number 122 that addresses all the needs of the township leadership, residents, and businesses in the area. The full wording of the ordinance will be published for public comment in the coming weeks.

Buckthorn has become a problem both in the Allegheny National

Forest (ANF) and Sandy Beach park, which abuts it in the township. The RTS has been working with the ANF for the past few years to help stop the spread of buckthorn in the area with a removal project. The project will primarily include the removal of buckthorn, an invasive shrub that can crowd out native plants. The influx of buckthorn prevents forest regenerati­on, increases erosion, and decreases the quality of wildlife habitats. The two-year project will begin in the spring and summer, with work in the fall and then again in the spring of 2024.

Two bids were received from contractor­s for the two-year project. Ecological Field Services of Waterford, PA, entered a bid of $30,900, while McKean Environmen­tal Solutions of Smethport bid a total of $31.487. The lowest bid was selected as the contractor for the project. The project will significan­tly improve portions of Sandy Beach Park for residents and wildlife.

The May meeting of the RTS has been changed to the next week, May 23, from the usual third Tuesday of the month to cover the Primary Election on May 16, when the meeting room of Ridgway Township is used as a polling location.

The Zoning Board recommende­d three subdivisio­ns of existing land for the supervisor­s to approve. The Patrick/Tassone division is located on Ridgway Johnsonbur­g Road, and the subdivisio­n for Joe Bolitski is located in Daguscahon­da. Timothy and Jan Redmond were sectioning property located on Dill Hill. The supervisor­s approved all three subdivisio­ns.

Upgrades at Sandy Beach Park were next on the agenda. In addition to the Buckthorn removal, the new handicappe­d-accessible pier will be completed by the end of the week, just in time for the first day of fishing in Pennsylvan­ia. The Mountain-Bike trail will be created this summer with a grant from the Lumber Heritage associatio­n of $30,000 set aside out of some $250,000 designated for communitie­s in this region. The supervisor­s drafted a letter supporting the grant with the Lumber Heritage Associatio­n.

The Daguscahon­da will have a start date of June 1 with a finishing date of September 30, with bids now being accepted by the supervisor­s for a bid opening date in May at the supervisor’s meeting.

Finally, in welcome news to Ridgway Township residents, the refuse containers will be available at the Ridgway Township Municipal Authority headquarte­rs at 1537A Montmorenc­i Road again during the first week of April.

The next meeting of the Ridgway Township Supervisor­s will take place on April 18, beginning at 7 p.m. at the headquarte­rs on Montmorenc­i Road, with the public invited to attend.

 ?? Photo by Brian D. Stockman ?? The Ridgway Township Supervisor­s held a lengthy meeting on Tuesday.
Photo by Brian D. Stockman The Ridgway Township Supervisor­s held a lengthy meeting on Tuesday.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States