Area News Briefs

Chemical hazard

BRADFORD -- A former tenant of the Bradford Mall has left a toxic legacy.

Bradford Mall Cleaners, a dry-cleaning business that once occupied the mall on East Main Street, is being blamed for the presence of two hazardous chemicals in the soil. Centro Watt, a real estate developer that now owns the property, is removing the substances under state mandate. Work will continue until at least October 2008.

Centro Watt has contracted with Penn Environmental & Remediation Inc., based in Hatfield, to remove the chemical contaminants, known as TCEs and PCEs. The Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection cited the mall owner in May of 2002.

Bradford Mall currently has three retail stores, Big Lots, Peebles and The Dollar Tree, and the owners intend to recruit more retailers as the environmental conditions allow.

New buildings coming

ST. MARYS -- Three major construction projects continue in St. Marys.

The new Sheetz store on the corner of Brusselles and South Michael streets should be open by the end of June, city officials said. A new Rite Aid on the corner of Ford Road and South St. Marys Street is likely to open by August.

Finally, a new "Marienstadt Place" building, which will house apartments for seniors as well as a senior center, is expected to be ready for occupancy by September. That project will eventually include commercial space on the first floor, which will be called Marienstadt Haus.

Recycling discontinued

ST. MARYS -- Economic realities and county policies are forcing changes in recycling activities in the city of St. Marys. Large collection bins for glass will be removed from four sites.

City Manager Dave Greene said the action is necessary due to Elk County's cutbacks in glass recycling.

At the heart of the issue is a change in state law, prohibiting counties from receiving a portion of the per-ton fee paid for waste that is deposited at sanitary landfill. That income reduction has forced Elk County to curtail some of its recycling activities.

Zoning plans aired

ST. MARYS -- St. Marys City Council has been hearing strong opposition to sections of a proposed zoning ordinance. That measure would dictate where certain types of land development can take place.

Much of the protest is coming from residents of South St. Marys, where residents are opposed to zoning changes that would allow additional commercial development, as recommended by the city's Planning Commission.

Council members are split on the issue. Both Mayor Sally Geyer and Deputy Mayor Denny Nero have expressed their opposition to the proposed commercial zone. Councilmen Dick Dornisch and Tom Farley have said they favor the plan.

Representatives from both sides said they are open to additional public input.

School taxes rise

KANE -- Real estate taxes will rise by 5.1% under a budget tentatively approved by the Kane Area School Board last week. The budget includes a $1.1 million surplus to be added to the district's capital reserve fund, boosting that account to about $7.4 million.

The proposed tax rate hike is the maximum allowed by the Pa. Dept. of Education and will generate an estimated $120,000 in additional revenue for the district.

Final adoption of the $14.7 million budget is scheduled June 14. About $9.5 million will be provided by the state.

Incumbents prevail

RIDGWAY -- Both members of the Elk County Board of Commissioners seeking reelection survived Tuesday's primary election.

Democratic incumbent June Heigel Sorg won renomination in a five-way race on that party's ballot. Sorg topped the field with 2,289 votes, followed by Ronald T. Beimel with 1,384 votes. Sorg and Beimel will appear on the ballot in November. Another Democratic incumbent, Christine Gavazzi, did not seek re-election.

Incumbent Dan Freeburg and Bob Schmidt were unopposed for the two Republican nominations. They received 1,739 and 1,184 votes, respectively.

Veterans Memorial

WEEDVILLE -- Mt. Zion Historical Society will dedicate the new veterans memorial honoring military personnel of Bennetts Valley on Saturday, May 26. The memorial is located at Mt. Zion Historical Park. Members of American Legion Post 978 will participate in the 1:00 p.m. ceremony.

Featured speaker will be Leslie Neal-Glatt, Elk County director of veterans affairs.

Eventually, the historical group will install a walkway in the park built of bricks containing the name of deceased war veterans from the Jay Township and Benezette areas. Donations may be sent to the Mt. Zion Historical Society, 1463 McClintick Road, Weedville PA 15868.

Mental health seminar

JOHNSONBURG - A Mental Health Recovery seminar will be held on Wednesday at the Johnsonburg Firehall, starting at 9:00 a.m. It's an opportunity for individuals who are affected by mental health issues to acquire information that can be helpful in the recovery process.

The seminar will include presentations from mental health professionals and information from agencies involved in treatment, including Dickinson Mental Health Center and the Cameron/Elk Mental Health/ Mental Retardation Center. Additional information is available at 776-2664.

Runway work starting

BRADFORD -- Operations at the Bradford Regional Airport won't be affected by major work now underway on the runways.

Construction continues on a $1.3 million parallel taxiway connecting the runway to the airport's terminal. The main runway also will undergo major rehabilitation work. Both projects are required by the Federal Aviation Administration.