Wharton moves toward adopting road spur
FARMINGTON – Wharton Township supervisors agreed Monday to advertise an ordinance that would adopt a spur road that is included in the state plans to relocate the intersection of Route 40 and Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road. The spur road would be named Business Drive and the ordinance also calls for the township to adopt a feeder road for the Chalk Hill post office, solicitor Denise Simon said.
She said a public hearing will be held before the supervisors vote to adopt the road. Supervisors did not set a date for the hearing.
The state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) plans to relocate the intersection west near the Chalk Hill Superette and install a traffic signal there.
The spur road and the feeder road would connect the post office, a gun shop and a bank to a new section of Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road.
A new section of Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road would run from the new intersection to the existing section of that road.
The new intersection is intended to make it safer for eastbound traffic on Route 40 from having to cut across westbound traffic to enter Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road.
The new section of the road would run behind the bank, post office and gun shop. The spur road and the feeder road would provide access from the road to those businesses.
Without the spur road, eastbound traffic on Route 40 would continue to have to cross the westbound lanes to enter the businesses.
However, PennDOT was planning to remove the spur road from the project because the supervisors did not want to accept ownership of the road after it was built.
The supervisors said they didn’t have the manpower or equipment needed to maintain the road in the winter.
In order to keep the spur road in the plan, the supervisors are trying to negotiate a joint maintenance agreement with the effected property owners.
In unrelated business, the supervisors agreed to try to secure grant money for the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department to buy a new electrical generator for the fire station.
Fire Chief Brian VanSickle said the generator is needed for utilities at the station when it is used as temporary shelter for fire victims. The station is a designated emergency shelter for the township, VanSickle said.
He said the existing generator, which the township bought for the department, is old, too small and breaks down often.
In other business, the supervisors:
– Scheduled a hearing on April 2 at 7:15 p.m. to accept public comments on this year’s Community Development Block Grant application.
– Agreed to advertise for bids for road materials and said the bids would be opened at 1 p.m. April 2.