Local briefs
Ceremony planned On Monday at 11 a.m. the Mountain Watershed Association (MWA) will host a public dedication ceremony to commemorate the completion of the first abandoned mine drainage treatment site in the Indian Creek Watershed.
The Max B. Nobel Mine Drainage (or Sagamore) Remediation Site has been under construction and observation for the last three years, during which time MWA and engineers have had to deal with changes in mine hydrology, underground mine workings, water chemistry, equipment failure and muskrat interference. All of these problems have finally been corrected, signage has been installed, trees and ground cover have been planted and MWA is ready to officially open the project and present it to the public.
According to Amber Eck, watershed biologist and outreach coordinator for the Mountain Watershed Association, “This site is particularly important to our region for several reasons. It is the first completed mine drainage remediation site in operation in the Indian Creek Watershed, removing metals and reducing acidity of mine drainage before the water has a chance to enter Indian Creek and damage water quality and fish habitat. It is also one of only a few sites in our state to use windmills to increase aeration in the settling ponds to allow more effective removal of metals from the water.
“Finally, this site is located along the Indian Creek Valley hike / bike trail making it an ideal site for public education about the impacts of mine drainage and the process of treatment,” Eck said.
The brief dedication ceremony will take place at the remediation site located along Route 711 S. MWA extends this open invitation to anyone in the community who is interested in the project or has any questions. If you need directions or more information call the MWA office at 724-455-4200.
Meeting scheduled
Beginning the week of Oct. 28 the Uniontown Area YMCA will start a new session of classes for adults and youth. People do not have to be a member of the YMCA to participate.
League forming
The YMCA’s Youth Basketball League is forming with the deadline to sign up Monday. Every year there are between 250 and 300 area youth in grades 2 through 8 playing.
Another popular basketball activity is the youth instructional program. This is where children between 4 and 7 years of age learn the game in a non-competitive atmosphere. The time is Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Gymnastics classes are being offered for all skill levels on Monday evenings. Classes are open to youths 4 and up.
YMCA swim lessons are designed in a progressive manner with each class building on the preceding level. The emphasis is on learning not passing or failing. Classes begin as early as 6 months of age.
Steve Cooper, director of the YMCA, said it’s not too early to start thinking about the holidays and what to do with the children while school is out. He said the YMCA will be offering a holiday day camp for children between the ages of 4 and 12. Early drop off can be set up as early as 7:30 a.m. and late pick up as late as 5:30 p.m. The day camp will run from Dec. 23 through Dec. 31. Cooper urged parents to sign up their children as soon as possible because there are a limited number of slots open.
Karate begins the first Tuesday of each month. The Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday classes are taught by Jim Baranowski who is a black belt instructor. Youth classes are for ages 6-13 years and the adult class begins at age 14.
Aerobic fitness classes will begin the week of Oct. 28 and there are wide variety of levels and times to choose from. The classes are a 7-week session with unlimited class participation.
New day and evening classes are also being offered for water aerobics and water walking.
Cooper said the YMCA also has personal training for those who need help. Cooper said the trainer will help design a workout to meet specific goals and maintain consistency in workouts.
Tutoring is available for any student in grades 1 through 12 for most subject matters. Times are arranged for convenience of the youth and the tutor.
Cooper said if anyone has a particular activity they would like to see, they should call YMCA. For more information call the YMCA at 724-438-2584.
Speaker announced