Photo by Heidi Zemach
Supervisors Laurie Storrar, Jim Elinski and Deb Shaffer pause for a photograph while paying bills and signing resolutions following the meeting.

By Heidi Zemach

Special to The Ridgway Record

WILCOX – After two or three years of “hemming and hawing” over the idea, the Jones Township finally agreed at Tuesday’s rescheduled regular monthly meeting to purchase a new broom for their skidsteer. The existing broom has not been working well, and has been used only 412 hours in its 12-years. The price will be $8,650, which includes $5,000 for the broom and $3,650 for additional sides, front, wipers and a heater/washer kit. The skidsteer needed to be enclosed in order to be used in the spring, according to the supervisors. They will purchase everything from Cambria Tractor under a state contract.
    After opening eight bids for road materials, the supervisors voted to award a bid to Mike Beaver, the lowest bidder. The company will supply the township with 1B crushed lime for $16.72 per ton, and DSA for $16.22 per ton. While that number was only cents lower than Bucktail Excavation, bids ranged as high as $21.95 per ton of 1-B limestone and 21.37 per ton of DSA.
The supervisors also voted to purchase 20 tons of pothole mix that the township roadmaster believes might work better than the one that he has been using. It’s available for $25.45 a ton. PennDOT representative Denny Folmar will inspect some areas of road Thursday, May 21 where complaints have been received about dust. 
The township adopted a resolution accepting a $42,000 “Growing Greener II” grant from Elk County Commissioners to help add additional sidewalk to the sidewalk project currently underway on Marvin Street. That project, they said, is coming along nicely. The township has also been awarded $25,000, through an earmark by State Sen. Joe Scarnati that will go for the project.
Four college students were selected as interns to work for the township over the summer clearing brush, mowing, working on the roads, and helping with the summer recreation program. None of the applicants who made the cut at the state level came from Wilcox, as the supervisors had hoped. But one of the applicants had worked in the township last year, knows the ropes, and did a good job, and some of the others are from nearby Johnsonburg, Ridgway and St. Marys and are studying education, or forestry.
Joe Haight offered, and was appointed to act as a primary delegate in the Act 32 County-wide earned income tax collection committee. Supervisor Laurie Storrar was chosen to act as an alternate. Storrar has been attending meetings of the Gas/Oil Drilling Task Force, a recently established board consisting of transportation, media, environmental, water, emergency services/wellhead protection and local government/development representatives.
Storrar noted that 13 Marcellus wells are currently permitted in Jones Township. That’s more than double the amount permitted in any other Elk County municipality. She intends to attend another meeting next Monday at the county courthouse, in an attempt to keep abreast of the issue. Supervisor Jim Elinski expressed concern over some of the existing well drilling taking place, and mentioned several incidents of water disruption and loss to residents as a result of drilling operations. Marcellus wells are really deep: 6,000 to 8,000 feet, Storrar said..
In other business, the board:
- Approved the division of properties in Wolf Run, where two camps on 10-acres will be split and sold to the camp owners.
- Acknowledged the volunteer fire department for their help cleaning catch basins Friday.
- Acknowledged volunteers and donors for a very successful spring sale. A raffle has begun for a handsome hand-carved wood clock with a face etched with a deer scene, and an eagle pendulum. It will continue through July 4.
- Asked willing residents to help donate a few hours at the ballpark concession stand on weekends, and said it has been very successful as soccer season is very busy this year.