Down River

By John Lipez

Unite Us, Don’t Divide Us:

Remember those old grade school report cards, where it said, “Gets along well with others” or words to that effect? And the teacher would post a grade? (Do they still have report cards? Bank books? Chalkboards? Erasers?)
With the upcoming May 16 primary election, we should be reminded of the importance of working well together. As we study the ballot, from the top to the bottom, consideration should be given to those candidates who have demonstrated an ability to work well with others.

The challenges facing Clinton County, its many, many, many municipalities and the Keystone Central School District are of such magnitude that county voters can’t afford to elect representatives who come in with an agenda, come in with a track record of tearing things down, not working to build things up.

Clinton County has been fortunate, for the most part, in electing representatives at all levels who have demonstrated an ability to reason together for the common good. Every now and then there’s a township where rock throwing/hair pulling pops up among the supervisors and/or the taxpayers, or a school board where cliques develop.

But more often than not, consensus is found, behavior is beyond reproach, and high grades for “getting along well with others” are in order. Make sure, when you vote May 16, you look for that trait in your friends and neighbors who are on the primary ballot.

*****
Keep the Lights:

The signal lights at the north end of the Veterans Bridge connecting Lock Haven and Lockport have been in operation for some weeks now, as the construction of the Riverview Park walkway gets into high gear.
Yes, the lights are an irritant for those who travel back and forth to the county seat, as opposed to “gliding through” the usually low traffic volume Coudersport Pike/Farrandsville Road/Jay Street Bridge intersection over the previous century, the pre-signal light era.

The traffic signals are a necessity while the walkway is under construction, a $7.5 million project that will continue into 2024 until completed. And upon completion, the walkway should be something of a tourist attraction, in addition to providing a pleasing connector for pedestrian traffic between Lock Haven and the most attractive Riverview Park, always well maintained by Woodward Township.

It’s with that pedestrian foot traffic in mind that Down River goes on record in The Record calling for the permanent installation of signal lights at what is now the east end of the construction site/the north end of the bridge.

Why, you ask? Unfortunately for this wonderful project, when the Veterans Bridge was constructed some decades back, its designers elected to put the bridge walkway on its east side, a design which allowed pedestrians to come off the bridge, hang a right and continue walking towards the Lockport Boat Launch a short jog to the east.

A great idea, an idea developed before anyone thought about putting a walkway from the bridge to Riverview Park to the west.

So when the project is done and the temporary traffic signals removed, pedestrians crossing from Lock Haven to Woodward Township, desirous of heading upriver to the park, will have to navigate a stop-sign controlled intersection on the Farrandsville Road and Coudersport Pike sides; those coming from Lock Haven don’t have to stop. This is an intersection as noted above that, despite the periodic best efforts of Woodward Township police who often are stationed there in their cruisers, many motorists make but a cursory stop before moving ahead.

If it’s back to the stop signs with no signal lights, it would seem a dangerous intersection for walkers/runners, whether coming from town or negotiating through the township intersection from either side of the bridge.

As a card-carrying resident/taxpayer of the township, Down River pledges to track this one down and see what PennDOT and the township have planned when the work is done next year and the nifty eight-foot-wide walkway will carry walkers to and from the upriver park, a charming stroll with a great view of the Susquehanna River and the Clinton County Courthouse.

But it needs to be safe to get the walkers to the walkway; signal lights will help do that.