Page B1
You can be part of our
Special Edition “I Love DuBois.”
For details visit our website at
www.thecourierexpress.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2013
Vol. 133 - No. 203
Four
girls
hurt in
crash
MORE INSIDE
WESTOVER — Three
girls were flown by medical
helicopter from the scene
of a one-vehicle accident in
southern Clearfield County
Tuesday afternoon.
A documentary will be
shown next week in Brockway about this local legend.
Who is he? A2
Clearfield Co.
Budget deal?
Senate leaders are optimistic about forging an
11th-hour bipartisan deal
preventing a possible federal default and ending the
partial government shutdown after Republican divisions forced GOP leaders to drop efforts to ram
their own version through
the House. A6
Suspect run over
A man who contends he
was run over by a drunken
driver while he was in custody and lying handcuffed
in a road has sued police
and county prosecutors.
A10
Online
n Check out this week’s
poll question at www.thecourierexpress.com
Obituaries
A9
• Jane Abplanalp, 80
• Sylvia Miller Fisher, 37
• Nancy Lorraine List, 73
• Melanie S. Myers, 49
• James L. Stellabuto, 86
Tomorrow’s
Forecast
Showers likely. Highs
in the lower 60s. Chance of
rain 60 percent.
Full report, A3
Index
16 pages
Classified .......................... B4
Comics .............................. A7
Lifestyles .......................... A4
Lottery .............................. A9
Opinion ............................ A8
Public Notices ................ B4
Sports ............................... B1
75 Cents
Dave Ball, front right, of Steeple Furniture in Rockton and Derek Haight, right, of Stew’s Brew in DuBois join in the work
as celebrity baggers Tuesday at Fezell’s Shop ‘n Save in DuBois to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Both
men were participating for the first time in the annual event. At left is cashier Jacob Smith. (Photo by Paul A. Wilson)
Punxsutawney-based
state police say four girls all juveniles - were in a 2003
Ford F-250 traveling south
on Westover Road in Chest
Township, east of Westover
Borough, around 3:40 p.m.
The truck crossed the
northbound lane, went off
the road, traveled 134 feet
and hit a tree then spun
See Crash, Page A9
Home rule government on Ridgway Twp. ballot
By Katie Weidenboerner
Pennsylvania changed its constitution in 1968 to give
[email protected]
RIDGWAY — Ridgway Township
voters will decide if they want to
throw out the Second Class Township Code and replace it with a seven-member government study commission and a blank sheet of paper.
The question will appear on the
Nov. 5 general election ballot.
At Tuesday’s township supervisors meeting, Ben Price of the
Community Environmental Le-
municipalities the opportunity to choose home rule
forms of government.
gal Defense Fund explained what
home rule is and how his non-profit
can help if the township takes that
route.
Price stressed he was not at the
meeting to advocate for or against
the township choosing home rule.
His agency has assisted munici-
palities in seven states with crafting
home rule charters as well as bill of
rights ordinances. The organization
doesn’t charge for its legal advice,
but may assess costs for mileage,
lodging or copies.
Pennsylvania changed its constitution in 1968 to give municipalities
the opportunity to choose home rule
forms of government.
Under state law, Ridgway Township is currently governed by the
Second Class Township Code, which
was drafted in the 1930s. Price described it as a “one size fits all” governing process.
Residents will be asked, “Shall
a government study commission of
seven members be elected to study
the existing form of government of
the municipality, to consider the
See Ballot, Page A9
Celebration planned for ‘Tickle Belly Bridge’
By Glenn Schuckers
[email protected]
REYNOLDSVILLE
—
A group of dedicated volunteers continues to make
plans for the 100th anniversary of the opening of
the “Tickle Belly Bridge” on
Main Street and they are
inviting visitors, residents
and former residents to join
them in a party.
Reynoldsville
One-hundred years ago
this month, the bridge
opened to traffic on what
was then one of the most
traveled routes in the area.
Motorists ever since have
been crossing the bridge on
what is still a busy Route
322. To mark the centennial, a group of people in
the town under the auspices of the Reynoldsville
Area Business Association
has been busy planning a
birthday party for the town’s
landmark.
That celebration will take
place Sunday afternoon,
Oct. 27. The festivities will
begin at the bridge at 1 p.m.
with a blessing of the bridge.
Speakers will greet visitors
and townspeople and will
hold a “ribbon cutting ceremony” to mark the continuation of the bridge’s service.
Following the ceremony, there will be a parade
up Main Street to Fourth
Street and from there to
Reynoldsville Park. During
the afternoon, the park will
be home to a picnic with refreshments, games for the
kids, musical entertainment
and Reynoldsville memorabilia. The nonperishable
food that was donated to the
Helping Hands food pantry
at the previous day’s Halloween Parade will also be
presented to the pantry.
Residents, former residents and the public can get a
“Tickle Belly Bridge” T-shirt
in black and gold, the colors of
the former Reynoldsville High
School, at Billie’s Awards and
Design located at 347 E. Main
St. The shirts feature a drawing of the bridge in black with
the words “Tickle Belly” on
the front.
The group is also responsible for placing four duskto-dawn solar lights on the
The Arch Bridge or, as many area residents refer to it, the “Tickle-Belly Bridge” in Reynoldsville is 100 years old this year and a group of local folks are planning a centennial celebration.
(File photo)
four corners of the bridge
and has been busy cleaning
and mowing the areas adjacent to it in preparation for
the centennial.
The bridge, which was
built by the Curwensville
Construction Company and
its foreman H.L. Bloom, has
a unique shape that causes
riders to experience a slight
tickle in their stomachs as
they cross it.
It has been inspected numerous times since its construction and has always
been found to be sound during a time when so many
other, much younger bridges
have been found to be deficient.
That is a tribute to its
builders that the “Tickle
Belly Bridge” has no weight
restrictions and continues to
serve a century after it was
built.
Clearfield Municipal Authority eyes bids for treatment plant
By Kimberly Finnigan
[email protected]
CLEARFIELD — Bids for a new
wastewater treatment plant have
come in about as expected for the
Clearfield Municipal Authority.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Jim Balliet
of Gwin, Dobson and Foreman said
while the bids still need to be reviewed
for the project, the cost is in line for
what the authority has projected.
Project work continues, Page A2
Balliet said five general contracting bids and 10 electrical construction bids were received. He said the
lowest bid for general contracting
came in at $27,262,000 while the
electrical bid came in at $5,247,000,
for a grand total of $32,509,000.
Balliet said Gwin, Dobson and
Foreman will review the bids and
put together a tabulation for approv-
al at a future meeting.
According to previously published Courier-Express articles, the
upgrades to the plant will allow the
authority to manage the combined
sewage overflows and avoid fines
from DEP.
The upgrades to the plant will
allow CMA to manage nutrient levels to meet new requirements for
the Chesapeake Bay Authority and
will no longer need to pay $200,000-
$250,000 per year to buy nutrient
credits. Tripony said the authority
may eventually be able to sell credits to other authorities and make
some money back.
The project will also give the
treatment plant additional capacity
to handle stormwater overflow and
to upgrade a plant that is more than
60 years old.
The project is estimated to cost
about $33 million.