Hopes and Handies to become East Side Fire & Rescue

LOCK HAVEN, PA – There was further information at Monday’s Lock Haven City Council meeting on plans to consolidate two of the city’s three volunteer fire companies. City Manager Greg Wilson shared with council that merger discussions between the Hand-in-Hand Hose Company on N. Henderson Street and the Hope-Hose Company on E. Church Street had been going on for “quite some time” and the merger will become effective on Jan. 1.

The merged companies will be known as East Side Fire & Rescue and consolidated at the Hope-Hose building. In the meantime, the Hand-in-Hand company has put its building on the market. According to recent word from the city manager to The Record, funds from the sale will go into the “perpetuation” of the East Side company. The asking price is $874,900 for the two-story building dating to 1894.

City Council Monday night, on a 5-2 vote, approved a needed ordinance change to account for the resulting two, rather than three, fire companies within the city. The Citizens Hose Company on Bellefonte Avenue is not affected by the consolidation. Council members Steve Stevenson and Jeff Brinker voted no, Stevenson stating there should have been more discussion with fire officials before moving ahead on the ordinance changes.

Mayor Joel Long questioned why City Manager Wilson had sent a letter to Clinton County, without prior discussion with council, the letter dated September 25 notifying the county’s board of elections that a new first ward polling place will be needed with the closure of the Hand-in-Hand building. The mayor’s comments prompted a brief discussion on the need for the city’s five wards, prompting councilman Stevenson to talk of a possible consolidation of the first and second wards. Fellow councilman Doug Byerly said the county commissioners would make the ultimate decision on the location of polling places.

City manager Wilson, asked about the status of the city’s water emergency, said an outside expert has been brought in and located 11 additional water leaks within the city system. He said repairs should result in a daily savings of 140,000 gallons of water. Of the new leaks discovered, Wilson said, five were on private lines and six on city lines, in addition to another six on city lines recently found. He said the responsible parties for the leaks on private lines will be notified to carry out repairs.

Wilson said local industries have been asked to cut back on their water consumption during the emergency and have complied, it is hoped to bring two water wells online in the very near future, and pressure washing of businesses is not allowed.