This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.
At the Feb. 25 Palmyra Borough Council meeting, borough manager Roger Powl gave a report saying the borough had some issues with the drainage culvert underneath the intersection of West Main and South Mark streets.
The walls and the bottom of the culvert are in fine condition, according to Powl, but the caps that lay on top are unsteady. They rock several inches each time a car drives over them. It’s bothering nearby residents and is unsafe for cars.
“The residents living around there, it’s driving them crazy with the noise, it’s vibrating their walls, knocking stuff off shelves, pictures off walls, that kind of thing,” he said.
Powl said they started getting complaints about it back in 2023, at which point the borough contacted PennDOT. They checked it out, but no action was taken until they had to shut down a lane of traffic this February to install steel plates. PennDOT said it was a stormwater issue, which is the borough’s responsibility.
The center expansion joint between the two cap pieces collapsed, he said, so they will need to lift off the top of the culvert, clean out underneath, and then grout the top back in place.
“The road’s going to have to be closed in both directions for a while, so we have to work with PennDOT on that because there will have to be a detour established because once the grout is injected in place, it has to cure,” Powl said.
After the meeting, he said the detour would likely be Lingle Avenue.
There is no timeline or cost estimate at this time. The borough will contact local representative offices to see if there is any financial assistance available.
“We’re in kind of a wait-and-see mode,” Powl said.
In other business:
- Powl also reported that the borough submitted the order for the two 10-ton dump and plow truck replacements that council approved at the first February meeting. The borough wasn’t able to get any grant funding for the purchase, so the amount of over $500,000 will be paid out of the capital reserve fund.
- Former Mayor Fred Carpenter is currently hospitalized, according to a resident who spoke during the second public comment period of the night. He said it’s “not looking too great” as Carpenter has been at Hershey Medical Center for several weeks. He asked for thoughts and prayers and said they are looking to move him into palliative care at the VA.
- Council unanimously approved the road closures necessary for the Palmyra Civic Baseball Association to conduct its opening day parade on Saturday, April 5, starting at 9 a.m. The parade route will begin at Forge Road Elementary School, proceed south on South Prince Street, turn east onto East Cypress Street, south onto South Duke Street, east onto East Elm Street, south onto Sandalwood Drive, north onto Colonial Road, west onto Sycamore Lane, west onto East Elm Street, north onto South Duke Street, and finish at the Forge Road Elementary School baseball fields.
Palmyra Borough Council will meet next at 325 S. Railroad St. on March 11 at 7 p.m. Meetings are also streamed on the Palmyra Borough, Lebanon County Pennsylvania YouTube page.
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