Jonestown paving hits pothole

JONESTOWN - Paving progress is continuing on Lancaster and Chestnut streets, Jonestown officials said Tuesday night, but work on Fortna Street remains a mystery. "Whether or not Fortna Street's being done, I have no idea," council President Jason Kern said.
Hershey-based Ebersole Excavating signed a contract to complete repairs on two blocks on Fortna Street, but nothing has yet been done, officials said. Some council members thought the repairs were supposed to be completed by the end of September, while maintenance supervisor Kevin Shuey said Ebersole told him the deadline was Oct 10.
Shuey said he was not certain Ebersole was financially ready to complete the project.
"It seems like (Ebersole) underbid it," he said. "It seemed like a drive-by bid."
"I think the ball was dropped several times," council member Lynn Kleinfelter said. "Someone needs to be accountable to make sure this stuff happens."
Mayor George Kaufman said he would look into the matter.
Other road-related projects are going more smoothly. Tim Wilson of Arora & Associates, an engineering firm with a local office in Harrisburg, presented council with a preliminary plan that would allow the borough to take back from PennDOT a portion of Lancaster Street, from Market Street to Mill Street.
The plan includes more permanent crosswalks and possible solutions to stormwater problems, because "we all know we have stormwater problems in Jonestown," Wilson said. It is "just a sketch" at this point, he added.

Borough officials will meet with PennDOT next week about the preliminary plan, and the results of the meeting should be available at the November council meeting.
In other business:

The borough is providing a green-waste service to residents again this fall, Shuey said. However, all tree limbs must be 5 feet long or shorter to be picked up. Also, all loose material must be placed in clear bags. When black bags were allowed, "you'd be amazed what people put in," Shuey said, citing food and metal as examples.
Finally, all material must be close to the road to be picked up.

Cherrie Boeshore from Matthews Public Library of Fredericksburg thanked the council for its continued support of the library. "When the library benefits, the entire community benefits. When we think of the library, often we think of books," she said, adding that Matthews also has six desktop computers available for public use, wireless Internet connections for laptops and more than 800 DVDs.
In the difficult economy, many people are using the library computers to help them find jobs, she said.
"If you haven't been to the library recently, you should probably go and see what it has to offer," she said.

Council authorized Kern to sign a contract allowing PennDOT to pay the township to plow a portion of Lancaster Street, which it currently plows voluntarily.

Kaufman asked the Safety Commission to provide a recommendation regarding overhanging branches that are a concern to school-bus drivers.

Council approved 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, as Trick-or-Treat night in Jonestown, joining the other municipalities in Lebanon County. Source ldnews.com