LH City Council Discusses Community Development Projects and Increased Recycling Costs

By Emily Wright

LOCK HAVEN—On Monday night, the Lock Haven City Council revisited unfinished business from its October 7 meeting. Among the topics discussed were a resolution to apply for the 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the acceptance of recommendations from the city’s engineering firm, Gwin, Dobson, & Foreman, regarding bids for the Hoberman Park Phase I and II project.

 

The city plans to apply for Pennsylvania’s CDBG funding, which is designed to support community-benefiting projects under federal guidelines. This funding will be used to support local improvement projects and cover administrative expenses. In preparation for submission of the application, the council held community meetings to prioritize projects that align with CDBG requirements. The city also committed to involving residents and interested parties in the planning stages of these improvement projects.

 

During the meeting, the council passed a resolution to authorize the paperwork and signatures necessary for the application. Council Member Tami Brannan motioned to apply for the 2024 CDBG allocation, which was seconded by Council Member Alexander and unanimously approved.

 

The city’s CDBG allocation for 2024 totals $307,115, which is earmarked for the following projects:

• Paving of Spring Street and Stone Alley, costing $150,000
• Park improvements, set at $120,000
• Administration expenses totaling $37,115

 

The council then turned its attention to whether they should accept the recommendations from Gwin, Dobson, & Foreman (GD&F) Engineers regarding bids that were received for Phase I and II of the Hoberman Park project.

 

The city is experiencing setbacks with planned improvements for Hoberman Park, and Abbey Roberts, City Planner & Development Coordinator, attended Monday night’s meeting to provide updates. She explained that on October 16, bids were opened for the Hoberman Park project, but all the bids that were received exceeded the city’s budget, so GD&F recommended rejecting them and seeking new bids in January. “Because of the scope of work, we were trying to get it done over the winter months and wanted to gauge any interest, and it just didn’t work out, so we’ll get better bids hopefully in the early winter and start construction right away in the spring when the weather warms up,” Roberts said. 

 

Among the bids received was one for general construction from John Claar Excavating Inc., totaling $1,032,403.00 with a 10% bid security. Lock Haven Plumbing & Heating Inc. submitted a bid for HVAC construction in the amount of $19,332.00 with a $2,200.00 bid security. For plumbing, two bids were received: the highest was $66,352.48 from Joseph C. Hazel Inc. with a 10% bid bond, while the lowest was $47,174.00 from Lock Haven Plumbing & Heating with a $7,700.00 bid security. No bids were submitted for electrical work.

 

For Phase II of the Hoberman Park project, a bid from John Claar Excavating Inc. was received, but it also exceeded the budget at a proposed $590,416.77 with a 10% bid bond, which GD&F recommended the city reject.

 

The city council unanimously decided in a roll call vote to reject all the bids received for the project. They plan to seek new bids for both phases of the project in January 2025, aiming to commence work by spring. This schedule will help avoid additional costs related to winter construction. 

 

The project will go through a careful rebidding process with funding from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in order to stay within budget and hopefully attract more competitive offers.

 

New business discussed at the council meeting included a notice of the 2025 recycling service rate. Wayne Township Landfill informed the city in a letter dated October 9, 2024, that the recycling service rate for 2025 will see an increase. 

 

Based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which has risen by 2.5% since August 2023, the recycling rate for the City of Lock Haven will increase by $864.86. This change means the city will pay a total of $35,459.16 for the year, or $2,954.93 per month.

 

City Manager Greg Wilson explained during the meeting that recycling services are mandatory for cities in Pennsylvania, but not for boroughs or townships. “In Clinton County, only the city has to pay this for its residents,” Wilson said.

 

The city is required to pay a fee of $35,459.16 but receives only a minimal reimbursement from the state because participation among city residents is low. This low participation results in higher costs for taxpayers. 

 

“If we had 100% participation, let’s say, in an ideal world, the state would pay the $35,000 that it costs the city for the recycling program, but because our participation is only about 15%, the city pays $35,000 for that service and only about $6,000 comes back from the state, which means taxpayers are footing the rest of the bill whether you recycle or not,” Wilson clarified.

Wilson encouraged residents to make use of the city’s curbside pickup recycling service, especially given that residents already pay for it. He also invited them to pick up a free recycling bin at City Hall during its regular business hours. “If you don’t have a bin, come on in and pick one up,” Wilson said.

 

For more details about curbside recycling in Lock Haven, including the pickup schedule in your neighborhood, visit the City of Lock Haven’s website at lockhavenpa.gov/residents/recycling/.

 

To pick up a complimentary recycling bin, stop by City Hall at 20 E. Church Street in Lock Haven, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please note that City Hall is closed daily from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for lunch.

 

The next meeting of the Lock Haven City Council will be held on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are held in person at City Hall in Council Chambers and are also available via live stream on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@cityoflockhavenpa1348/streams.