LH City Council Meeting Highlights: Street Closures, Water System Changes, and Road Repairs

By Emily Wright

LOCK HAVEN— During the Lock Haven City Council meeting on November 25, 2024, several key topics were discussed. Shaun Dale’s request for street closures in the summer of 2025, aimed at facilitating outdoor dining with live music, was approved. The council also discussed a proposed water system transfer from the Lock Haven City Authority to the city itself, as outlined in Resolution No. 2024-32. This move, intended to streamline operations and improve service delivery, sparked concerns from Richard Marcinkevage about a lack of communication and transparency between entities. An update on the 2024 road patching project revealed significant progress, with most patches completed, except for one area requiring further attention.

During the meeting on Monday night, the council revisited a request made by Shaun Dale, owner of The Old Corner Grill and Bottle Shop, for street closures during the summer of 2025 to host live music and outdoor dining.

Presented by Director of Community Life Kasey Campbell, Dale requested to shut down a portion of Grove Street—from Willards Alley to E. Church Street—for a series of weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day to facilitate outdoor dining coupled with live music. This aims to run on select weekends from May 24 through August 22, 2025, as follows:
Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24
Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14
Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21
Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12
Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26
Friday, August 8, and Saturday, August 9
Friday, August 22 to Saturday, August 23

Under the proposed schedule, the street will be closed every Friday and Saturday from 3:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.

Before the council’s roll call vote on Dale’s street closure request, Karen Dale, who attended the meeting in Shaun’s place while he is out of town, spoke about his contributions to the downtown Lock Haven community.

Karen mentioned that she holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. In retirement, she has taken on the role of managing Shaun’s website and advertising for The Old Corner. She presented the council with website analytics showing increased traffic and interest in The Old Corner during the summer months compared to the slower winter period.

Karen suggested that collaborating with the city could further energize and benefit downtown Lock Haven. She also highlighted Shaun’s community-oriented nature, noting his partnerships with city events like Lock Haven JAMS, and sees an opportunity for downtown businesses to further benefit from events hosted by The Old Corner due to its central location.

On a motion made by Council Member Steve Stevenson, seconded by Council Member Tami Brannan, Dale’s request was approved, with Mayor Joel Long abstaining due to a scheduled performance with his band during the Summer Concert Series.

Next, the council discussed the authorization and approval of a water system transfer agreement between the city and the Lock Haven City Authority. In a significant move to manage essential services more directly, the Lock Haven City Council introduced Resolution No. 2024-32, which proposes the transfer of the city’s water system from the Lock Haven City Authority to the city itself. The resolution outlines the city’s intent to acquire all assets connected to the authority’s water production, storage, and distribution facilities.

The transfer agreement, if approved, will enable the city to assume full control and responsibility for the water system, including related properties and financial assets. This change aims to streamline operations and potentially offer more efficient service to residents.

The city can make this move under Pennsylvania’s Municipality Authorities Act, which allows local governments to take over projects created by authorities. The city will not assume any outstanding debts from the City Authority, as it faces no financial obligations with this transfer.

Richard Marcinkevage, who has been involved in the discussions about merging local water systems, attended the meeting on Monday night to express his concerns about the ongoing process.

Although Marcinkevage serves as the administrator of the Lock Haven City Authority and Secretary of the Central Clinton County Water Filtration Authority, he clarified that he was speaking on his own behalf. Marcinkevage recounted the history of proposals to consolidate the water systems, including drafting a Memorandum of Understanding to create a joint authority, but noted a lack of communication and transparency in recent developments.

Despite the city’s commitment to considering the Suburban Water System’s role and managing costs, Marcinkevage criticized the city’s handling of the process, particularly the latest “Path Forward” proposal, which proposed leasing assets to the Filtration Authority without proper input from all concerned parties. He contended that the process is being conducted behind closed doors with attorneys instead of open discussions among stakeholders, which has contributed to mistrust and poor communication. Marcinkevage urged the City Council to foster greater trust, transparency, and direct communication among all parties involved to successfully combine the water systems.

Mayor Joel Long Acknowledged the need for better communication and additional meetings to address issues and involve all parties before taking any course of action.

While the council wanted to move forward with water system consolidation, they recognized the need for more collaborative discussions with all stakeholders before finalizing the details.

The Resolution passed following a motion by Council Member Richard Conklin, which was seconded by Council Member Barbara Masorti. The vote saw Council Members Brannan, Conklin, Masorti, and Stevenson in favor, while Council Members Alexander, Brinker, and Mayor Long opposed it.

Another item under “Unfinished Business” on the agenda was an update on the 2024 road patching project. During the meeting, City Manager Greg Wilson reported that Lock Haven is making significant progress with this project, which covers areas throughout the city and Castanea.

Initially set out to repair 81 sections of road—71 in Lock Haven and 10 in Castanea—the project involves cutting out damaged asphalt and repaving those sections to ensure smoother, safer streets.

As of Tuesday, November 19, 2024, almost all patches have been successfully filled with fresh asphalt. However, one area on E. Church Street requires additional work due to a recent sewer excavation that disrupted a previously completed patch. Currently, only one patch has been sealed, leaving the edges of the remaining patches yet to be finished.

Wilson said that the patching work has been completed, but the sealing has not yet been finished. An extension was given to the contractor until this Friday, November 29, to complete the project. After this date, a final review of all patches will ensure that the repairs meet city standards.

The sole item listed under “New Business” for the meeting was a payment notice regarding state police fines and penalties, which the city is set to receive in December 2024.

City Manager Greg Wilson explained that when the PA State Police issue a citation within the city limits, the city receives a portion of those fines and penalties. The second payment for this year totals $1,347.43.

The program allocates funds twice a year, in June and December, to eligible municipalities—specifically those with populations under 3,000 or providing at least 40 hours of local police services weekly. These funds are intended to be added to the General Fund and used for the maintenance of streets and highways.

The next regular meeting of the Lock Haven City Council is scheduled for Monday, December 2, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. All meetings take place at City Hall, 20 E. Church Street in Lock Haven. Meetings are also live-streamed on YouTube and can be viewed by visiting www.youtube.com/@cityoflockhavenpa1348/streams.