S. ABINGTON TWP. — The single-lane tunnel under the railroad bridge on Shady Lane Road will be closed for construction with a detour in place, beginning Monday, April 24. The work, which includes replacement of the bridge deck, is scheduled to continue into late November.
Chinchilla Hose Company Fire Chief Sean Connolly spoke briefly at the regular township board of supervisors meeting April 10, addressing questions the township and fire department have been receiving from concerned residents on the far side of the tunnel from the fire station, regarding emergency services during the construction period.
Connolly said several local fire companies, including Chinchilla, Clarks Summit and Newton-Ransom are working together in a “mutual aid effort” to ensure protection is still in place during that time.
“Clarks Summit is going to be providing some apparatus, along with EMS protection, and Newton-Ransom is going to be providing some water tankers, in the event that there’s any fires,” said the chief.
He added in the event of a call, the departments will be dual-dispatched. The Scott Township Fire Company is also making an engine available on loan to the township, to park in a garage on that side of the tunnel where some members of the Chinchilla company reside.
Construction is also underway on the Edella Road Bridge over Interstate 81, with a full-time closure of Edella Road scheduled to begin the week of April 17 and run into August.
In other business:
• Lackawanna County District Attorney Shane Scanlon attended the meeting to speak briefly on local heroin and opioid problems in preview to his upcoming “Heroin Hits Home” presentation, which the township is sponsoring.
“We’ve been taking it (the presentation) throughout the county to the school districts, community organizations, religious organizations,” Scanlon said. “The reception has been phenomenal. It’s an effort to just let people know that it’s here – we are in the midst of an epidemic. We are losing someone every three days locally.
“Seventy-five percent of our heroin users start on prescription pills. It’s affecting everyone. If you ask somebody what a heroin user looks like, everyone gets the stereotypical image in their head. They see someone with maybe dirty hair, long hair, with dirty clothes, a guy you’d picture living under a bridge. That’s not what we’re seeing. We’re seeing professionals, pharmacists, nurses, doctors, lawyers; we’re seeing their children.”
The presentation is free and open to the public and will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, April 24 at the Ramada Clarks Summit, 820 Northern Blvd.
• Residents of Griffin Pond Road addressed the board regarding potholes during the public comment section of the meeting. They thanked the township for doing a good job at keeping the potholes filled in, but expressed a desire to see a more permanent fix.
O’Neill and Giles explained there is some drainage work that needs to be completed before it can be paved, but they will add it to the list of roads for consideration.
• John Oakes, of Williams Street, addressed the board regarding a “run down” property across from his home, asking if anything can be done to force the owners to clean it up. He said there is a large amount of trash and junk items spilling out of the house onto the lawn, along with old vehicles with expired tags.
The supervisors agreed to look into the matter and contact the property owner.
• Greg Justave, of Highland Avenue, attended to request information about zoning ordinances. He told the supervisors one of his neighbors is running a counseling business from his home, which he feels is disrupting the neighborhood, and he asked for information regarding the legality of the home business.
“Traffic has increased, I’ve had people in my yard, I’ve had garbage in my yard, I’ve had a person leaning on my fence talking, smoking a cigarette. I’m used to my neighborhood and there are strangers there that I’m not used to,” he said.
O’Neill said he looked into the matter after speaking with Justave or the telephone, and learned, according to the township’s zoning ordinance, the business is a legal home occupation.
