Township spends more to save Bay watershed

The price of an Old Lycoming Township sewer pump project to keep waterways clear for the Chesapeake Bay Initiative doubled in price Tuesday.

Township supervisors agreed to increase project prices for the Fox Hollow and English Farm pump stations, located just north of the high school.

Fox Hollow station improvements will cost $8,700 and English Farm will cost $8,300.

Supervisors said last month they planned to spend $4,150 at each station, improving pumps and ensuring backup measures are in place should pumps fail.

"It's something we had to do," township Manager Linda Mazzullo said of price increases. She said state Department of Environmental Protection standards are being followed.

Pipelines were too shallow, according to Mazzullo. "It would cause a major problem in that line if it froze," she said.

In a separate project, the township plans to keep well water clean, using an oxygen injection system. Devices should be operating throughout the township sometime next month, treating unwanted chemicals, Mazzullo said.

Inside the township office, a newly codified book of ordinances will allow readers to easily understand township regulations.

Collecting township regulations into one book has been reviewed for nearly two years.

Organized by subject, supervisor Janet Hall said the book will be more user-friendly than books organized by ordinance numbers.

Residents and municipal employees alike now have a quick reference point, according to supervisors Chairman John Eck. He said the publisher soon will provide the township with an accompanying compact disc and the entire ordinance collection eventually will be posted on the township's Web site.

The township will work with the publisher to annually update the collection, Mazzullo said.

Upcoming township event dates include trick-or-treating hours from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, and leaf collection from Monday, Oct. 27, to Friday, Nov. 28.

The next supervisors meeting will be 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the township office. This is a change in the regular meeting schedule, avoiding a conflict with Veteran's Day on Nov. 11.