Posted on October 25, 2021
Dredging of the lake in Galeton will be likely be delayed until next August, borough council learned at its Oct. 13 meeting.
Borough Secretary Andrea Caracciolo told council the borough received the permit to dredge the lake from the Army Corps of Engineers. She also said the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection sent a letter stating they do not need to approve the dredging because it’s considered regular maintenance.
However, the DEP does have to approve an application to haul and dispose of silt from the lake to County Line Enterprises; the permit mandates that only silt is to be hauled and all other debris will be disposed of at the county landfill.
According to minutes from the meeting, “Due to the COVID situation, DEP is backlogged on reviewing and approving permits. We have been told that they will not even get to review it until December, so that pushes the dredging back to August.”
The minutes also said bids for the work will be let out in January, the lake draining can’t start until July 5, the actual dredging will take place in August and September and that the work has to be complete by Oct. 1 due to regulations from the Fish and Boat Commission.
“According to their regulations, we cannot be in the lake from March-June 15 and then again not after Oct. 1,” read the minutes. “It seems that they are not going to waive their restrictions for us.”
Borough Solicitor Mike Plummer added that he’s been in contact with Rod Fontanella, owner of County Line, who wanted to ensure that only silt would be hauled as is stated in the permit. Council also agreed to level and seed the area when finished, as requested by Fontanella.
Caracciolo also reported that one task remains related to the lake dredging — requesting permission for trucks hauling silt to have a right of way through a diesel truck entrance belonging to the Nittany Minit Mart.
Council decided to form a committee to specifically address the dredging. All council members will serve on the committee.
Also at the meeting, council:
- Heard a complaint from residents Kent and Susan Brady that the borough’s catch basins behind their property on Ash Street need to be cleaned out. The Bradys said they’d like to clean the basins themselves, and council said they’d look into permitting them onto the borough property where the basins are located.
- Discussed a sidewalk on Main Street that needs to be replaced. The street committee will work on getting engineering plans so they can apply for funding through the Gale Foundation.
- Heard the monthly police report from Chief Ian Creech of 72 total incidents including six ordinance violations, one motor vehicle accident, one criminal mischief, one threat, one disorderly conduct, 16 traffic stops and one suspicious vehicle/person.
- Learned that complaints about vehicles on Clinton and West streets have been handled.
- Received a thank you from the Mansfield Police Academy for a donation sent for helping the borough with the July 4 festivities.
- Adopted an ordinance that allows council to amend various existing ordinances in the borough code.
- Heard that Mayor Vincent Salvadge proclaimed trick-or-treat is 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31.
The next meeting of the Galeton Borough Council is 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10 at the borough office on Main Street.
