Bridgewater receives road grant

A Dirt and Gravel Road grant was approved for Petersen Road in Bridgewater Township, supervisors announced at their meeting Monday.
The grant in the amount of $80,000 will be used to improve the dirt road, located off of Bendix Road in South Montrose.
The Susquehanna County Emergency Management Agency wants a fiber-optic line to be installed from West Wilkes-Barre which will pass through Bridgewater Township via Fisk Mill and Holbrook Roads. This line is for the use of the 911 Center, to eliminate “dead spots” in their communication system.
The township is using a radar recording traffic counter device to learn more about vehicle activity on Rafferty Road. Williams Pond Road and Ellsworth Drive will also be monitored for a while.
Supervisors plan to resume spraying herbicide to suppress invasive bamboo which is growing on several roadsides. It has successfully kept growth to a minimum in previous years, they said.
During the Monday, May 1 meeting, the supervisors approved cutting down several dying trees near township roads. The supervisors had been alerted to a severe storm passing through and adjourned the meeting. They reported Monday, June 5, that the trees in question had been toppled by the storm; thankfully, not into the road.
The supervisors discussed a drainage issue on Benfield Road. The pipe running along the road is plugged, and they are trying to determine who owns property on the west side. They have already replaced the pipe on the east side of the road.
The supervisors received a complaint about an unruly party held on Memorial Day weekend on the road at the dam on Lake Chrisann, from the Lake Association. As the party occurred on the road itself, the supervisors were asked to measure the distance from the center of the road to the lake.
The supervisors received a letter from Countryside Conservancy requesting a donation for the conservation use of a donated land parcel on Sprout Road. After some discussion, the supervisors approved a donation of $100 toward the project.
At the May 15 meeting, Bill Kearn, Sandy Boyle, and Will Chamberlin
from the Countrywide Conservancy discussed their role in Bridgewater Township and Susquehanna County and showed examples of their land conservation work in the northeast area of the state.
A subdivision plan was discussed that involves a house with a sand mound on the other side of the road, and an access issue for the part of the road which the owners intend to keep. The Susquehanna Council of Governments (COG) had asked the supervisors to look into the situation.
A prescription drug drop-off box will be at the township building during a cleanup day on Saturday, July 15, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.