Apr 28, 2004 By Angie Santello 3 min read

MASONTOWN – Concerns about water run-off again were the topic of discussion at the borough council’s regular meeting Tuesday. Jim Patton of Patton’s Storage Building, located along River Avenue, asked the council for permission to dump dirt from the proposed construction site of a mini-storage building to aid in the beautification of the First Street area, razing the overgrown brush and replacing it with fresh dirt and grass seed.

Despite the plans, council President Joe Volansky said the raised area that the dumping would create could direct water runoff toward homes on Cottage Avenue.

“All those houses are flooded now,” Volansky said. “We don’t want any more water to go down that way. …We will be affecting properties we don’t own. It was flowing through; now it won’t be flowing through.”

Patton said because of the dirt pile, less water would run toward Cottage Avenue.

“If anything, it will actually take water away from those homes,” he said. “There will be less water to go down that way.”

The council approved Patton’s request on a 4-1 vote, with Volansky casting the sole no vote.

Water runoff concerns were also the highlight of the council’s April 13 meeting, when Beverly Franks talked about a water problem at her High Avenue property. Because of recent heavy rains, Franks’ property was inundated with water.

Volansky said borough workers should be finished installing drainage lines around Franks’ property by Thursday, and he expects that work to repair the problem, “unless we get another heavy rain and the lines don’t work.”

The project is being funded through an emergency/unforeseen situation account set aside under general fund expenditures.

Preoccupied with finding solutions to repair damaged borough roads and property because of high water levels, officials overlooked the need to install a new pump at the borough’s water plant.

The council voted Tuesday to allow water plant operator Joe Kirk to schedule overtime for borough workers to install the pump.

“We need to get that pump hooked up to old lines no matter if it takes overtime on a Saturday, on the holidays or whatever,” Volansky said. “We are pushing $5,000 in rental fees. The pumps only cost a little over $3,000.”

The borough has been paying rental fees for the pump since January, when adverse weather and water conditions and a pump reaching its life expectancy prompted warnings for borough residents to restrict their water use.

The council also conducted the following business:

– Voted to apply for $15,000 in county aid for road repaving.

– Voted to advertise for a special public meeting between borough council members and the Cohen Telecommunications Law Group to be held at the American Legion Post in Masontown on May 19 at 6:30 p.m.

– Voted to re-bid and re-advertise a sewer line project on River and Cottage avenues in an effort to receive lower project prices.

– Announced spring cleanup for May 10-14.

– Said the next regular meeting will take place May 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the borough building.