News – Page 53 – SEDA Council of Governments

Railroad crossings in Bloomsburg to be closed for construction

Posted on July 24, 2020 by DNS Admin

BLOOMSBURG – A portion of Market and East streets will be closed to traffic for railroad crossing work in August.

The existing grade crossings are deteriorated, and the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) and its private operator, North Shore Railroad, will replace them with new concrete grade crossings.

Market Street between Sixth and Seventh streets will close the morning of Aug. 8 and will reopen Aug. 12.

East Street/State Route 487 adjacent to State Route 11 will close the morning of Aug. 22 and will reopen Aug. 26.

Marked detours will be in place. Motorists are urged to slow down, be alert, and expect delays in travel.

Jannotti Rail Consulting Inc. of Russell is the track engineer and Chesapeake Thermite Welding of Virginia is the contractor. The SEDA-COG JRA owns the track and North Shore Railroad is the operator.

The SEDA-COG JRA was formed in 1983 by the forward-looking efforts of its eight member counties to save rail lines and service abandoned by Conrail. The JRA’s public-private partnership was recognized by the World Bank as a model for public-private partnerships to stimulate rural economic development. Since 2004, the JRA has invested or leveraged over $46 million in rail capital projects with over 40 public and private partners. For more information, visit www.sedacograil.org.

Final Notice: Union County CDBG Application

Posted on July 24, 2020 by DNS Admin

RUN DATE: July 23, 2020
CONTACT: Mitzi Gallagher-Long, (570) 524-4491

FINAL NOTICE

On or about October 28, 2020, Union County plans to submit an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for FFY 2020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in the amount of $466,962. Based on this amount, the County ($248,078), along with Lewisburg Borough ($111,028), and Kelly Township ($107,856), propose to allocate CDBG funds to the following activities:

UNION COUNTY

Buffalo Township Southern Sewer System Rehab $ 181,200
UCHA Housing Rehabilitation $ 24,778
ADMINISTRATION $42,100

TOTAL $248,078

LEWISBURG BOROUGH

Emergency Notification System $92,428
ADMINISTRATION $ 18,600

TOTAL $111,028

KELLY TOWNSHIP

Kelly Apartments Sidewalk $89,756
ADMINISTRATION $18,100

TOTAL $107,856

In addition, Union County on behalf of Kelly Township, intends to submit a budget for its FFY 2016 and FFY 2017 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED) on or before August 15, 2020. The budget is as follows:

FFY 2016
ACTIVITY: Township Park Restrooms
Current Budget: $78,044; $(78,044); $0.00

ACTIVITY: UCHA Kelly Twp
Current Budget: $0.00; $78,044 ; $78,044

FFY 2017
ACTIVITY: Township Park Restrooms
Current Budget: $77,146; $(77,146); $0.00

ACTIVITY: UCHA Kelly Twp
Current Budget: $0.00; $77,146 ; $77,146

A Public Hearing to receive comments on the proposed use of the CDBG funds for FFY 2020 and the proposed Budget Modifications for FFY 2016 and FFY 2017 will be held on August 4, at 10:30 AM. Keeping with federal and state guidelines regarding COVID 19, this meeting will take place as a virtual video web and tele conference. The public is invited to observe and participate in the hearing as follows: To access via web video, type the link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/8383951780. To access via telephone dial +1(470)869-2200 and enter Meeting ID: 838 395 1780. The meeting will be recorded. The meeting platform is accessible to persons with disabilities. If accommodations are needed for those with special needs related to language, sight, or hearing, please call (570)524-4491 at least five days in advance. Interested applicants should contact the Union County Commissioners as soon as possible for funding consideration, but in no case later than August 4, 2020. Following the Public Hearing, the Union County Commissioners will consider the approval of the Budget Modifications for FFY 2016 and FFY 2017 at the August 4, 2020 Commissioners Meeting at 2:00 PM. The Union County Commissioners will consider the approval of the CDBG FFY 2020 application at the September 1, 2020 Commissioners Meeting at 2:00 PM.

The Union County Commissioners will strive to make all programs and activities accessible to the learning, mobility, vision, hearing, and language-impaired persons. If you have a disability or limited English proficiency and require an auxiliary aid or accommodations, please contact Kristen Lloyd at SEDA-COG, 1-800-332-6701, 1-800-654-5984 TTY, 1-800-654-5988 TDD, to discuss your needs. Translators will be available upon request.

Any complaints should be written and submitted to Mitzi Gallagher-Long, at SEDA-COG. Written responses will be addressed within 15 working days when practicable.

Übersetzer sind für die öffentliche Sitzung auf Anfrage erhältlich.

Traductores estarán disponibles en las reunions públicas por petición.

Lewisburg to renew certificate for flood insurance discounts

Posted on July 20, 2020 by DNS Admin

Lewisburg Borough is preparing to renew a certification through the Community Rating System (CRS) that gives its residents a flood insurance discount.

The Borough is currently a Class 8 community through the CRS which provides a 10% premium discount for all properties in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), and a 5% discount for all other properties. If your area is not mapped as an SFHA, you may qualify for a lower-cost Preferred Risk Policy.

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) is assisting Lewisburg with its CRS recertification process.

“The Borough of Lewisburg annually attempts to remind its residents that flooding can be a problem through mailings and various media outlets. It is our hope that in providing good information to the residents, they will be equipped to make informed decisions regarding flood insurance and mitigation actions,” said Geralee Zeigler, SEDA-COG Flood Resiliency program analyst.

Flood information is available in the Lewisburg Borough Office and the Public Library for Union County. Library hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturdays (closed Sundays.) Vulnerable population hours are 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays.

For more information, contact Borough Manager William Lowthert at 570-523-3614.

SEDA-COG’s Flood Resiliency Program offers services related to flood resiliency and mitigation assistance both within and outside of its 11-county region. Its goal is to help break the damage cycle and stop its drain on people and communities. For more information, visit https://seda-cog.org/departments/flood-resiliency/.

SEDA-COG MPO adopts transportation plan for eight-county region

Posted on July 17, 2020 by DNS Admin

The SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) adopted in late June one of its major transportation plans for an eight-county region that includes Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties.

The adoption of the 2021-2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) signals the successful completion of a year-long effort that engaged county officials, municipalities, transit operators, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, other key stakeholders, and the public.

The TIP is the agreed-upon list of priority projects in the SEDA-COG MPO region. The program has a total of 229 projects to be addressed over the next four years.

“Despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic and constrained funding, this is a key update for the region because we continue to collaboratively advance and invest in the region’s transportation network,” said Jim Saylor, SEDA-COG Transportation Program director.

TIP projects are valued at $376 million over the next four years. State funding will cover 71% of the Transportation Improvement Program project costs, local funding match is less than 1%, while the federal funding level is at 28%.

Some of the major projects on the TIP include:

- · The Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation (CSVT) project.
- · Traffic signal improvements are planned for Route 150 in Clinton County and corridor-wide safety improvements are planned for Route 54 in Montour County.
- · Repaving is planned for portions of Farrandsville Road in Clinton County, Routes 11 and 339 in Columbia County, Route 522 and Electric Avenue in Mifflin County, Interstate 80 in Montour County, and Route 54 in Northumberland County.
- · Rehabilitation or replacement of many deficient state and local bridges across the region.

The TIP includes 23 local bridges ─ one in Snyder County, two in Mifflin County, three in Clinton and Montour counties, four in Columbia and Northumberland counties, and six in Union County. Additional new local bridge projects may be addressed through the TIP in the future, using cost savings or special initiatives.

The TIP also includes transit projects worth $3.2 million for Call A Ride Service Inc. in Mifflin and Juniata counties and Geisinger Health System for the LIFE Geisinger Program.

Below, Table 1 shows a funding summary for the SEDA-COG MPO region by county and transit operator for each of the four TIP years, listed by federal fiscal year.

The 2021 TIP will take effect on Oct. 1, 2020; the next comprehensive TIP update will occur in 2022.

The final adopted version of the TIP is on SEDA-COG’s website at https://bit.ly/3ffqAAI.