More snow coming

Over the past couple of weeks the Rome Township road crew has been dealing with "nuisance snow". These snowfalls of a few inches are just enough to plow and require almost the same resources (fuel, anti-skid, manpower ...) as major snow storms. As the township road crew cleans up after the last "nuisance snow" they need to prepare for a forecasted major storm.

Snow

It's now somewhat official, the start of the snow season has arrived. Our first major snow storm of the season has come and gone. The joy and wonder each year's first snow storm is soon replaced with the thoughts of "when will this white stuff stop ..."

Like most early snow storms, this recent snow created additional problems for the Rome Township road crew. Forecasting the timing and amount of snow was difficult due to the air temperature being close to or above freezing. This warm temperature had the road crew on alert for several days before the rain changed over to snow. When the snow did fall it was very wet and easily packed into ice on the roads. The township's stockpile of anti-skid now has a big dent in it.



Another problem caused by the warm rain before the snow is the soft road surface. Most of Rome Township's 50+ miles of roads are dirt/gravel and the soft road surface is easily plowed up along with the snow. The road crew has installed rubber scrapper blades on the snow plows, but these blades don't clear the snow as good as steel blades. Once the township roads are frozen the steel blades will be installed.

Meeting Dates Changed

Regular meeting will be November 6^th instead of the 11^th (Veteran’s Day)

Workshop meeting will be November 25^th instead of the 27^th (Thanksgiving)

Stocking Up on Anti-skid

The cooler days will soon be here and the Rome Township road crew is preparing for the onslaught of winter weather. The township has stockpiled 197 tons of anti-skid  material for the 50 plus miles of township roads. This first installment of anti-skid cost the township $2,331 and amounts to about 4 tons per mile of road.  

Working the Roads

As the daylight hours are getting shorter, the Rome Township road crew is busy grading some of the 50 plus miles of township roads.



Grading a section of Joyce Road to fill in potholes and re-establish a proper road crown for drainage.

Request for Flood Insurance Info

The following legal notice was posted in "The Daily Review" on Sept. 23rd.

Legal Notice To Rome Township Property Owners: If You Are A Property Owner Within Rome Township And You Carry Flood Insurance, Please Contact The Rome Township Office As Soon As Possible With Your Name, Mailing Address, Property Address, Phone Number, And Email Information. The Office Is Open Tuesday Friday From 1:00 P.M. To 5:00 P.M.; Or Leave A Phone Message At 570-247-7373; Or Email The Information To Rometwp@Frontier.Com. The Mailing Address Is 28083 Route 187, Wysox, Pa 18854. Your Response Will Be Used By The Supervisors For Decision-Making Purposes Only. Thank You For Your Assistance In This Matter.  Priscilla Keeney Rome Township Secretary Treasurer 23sept,1tc

Drainage Improvements on Joyce Road

The Rome Township road crew was busy on Joyce Road this week correcting some drainage issues. The ditches in this section of Joyce Road were contently full of stagnant water, even during dry summers. The poor drainage in the ditches caused the road base to soften and thereby cause perpetual potholes.



Some of the drainage problems were cause by a plugged driveway culvert which blocked the ditch from draining.



With the plugged culvert replaced, the ditches on both sides were deepened and 4 inch drain lines installed below several feet of crushed stone. While the surface structure of the ditch will carry away the quick/large volume of water created by heavy rains and spring thaw, the 4 inch drain line and stone base will dry up the road base and straighten the road.



The finished drainage improvements. Great job by the township road crew.

Equipment for Sale

The following legal notice was posted in "The Daily Review" on May 1st.

LEGAL NOTICE Rome Township is taking bids through www.municibid.com to sell the following items: Bomag Roller Item Number 19699 6X6 Army Dump Truck Item Number 19700 Army Pickup Item Number 19701 Army Pickup Item Number 19702 McConnel Flail Mower Item Number 19703 Items can be viewed at the Rome Township Building at 28083 Route 187. Questions can be directed to Roy Keiper at 570-247-7373. The bidding will run from May 5, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. Until May 13, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. Bids will only be accepted through municibid.com 1may,1tc

Working on the Roads

The weather has finally warmed up and dried out enough for the road crew to start working on the 50+ miles of township roads.

Equipment for Sale

On March 27, 2014 the Rome Township Supervisors held a workshop meeting where it was decided to sell off selected township equipment. Check the Workshop Meeting Minutes for a list of some of the equipment being considered for sale. Information on how to bid on the equipment will be posted at the township building and in a newspaper ad.

Bradford County Bookmobile

The Bradford County Library now has a selection of books available for check-out at the Rome Township Building.



The Bradford County Bookmobile 2014 schedule for the Rome Township Building:

• February 20
• April 17
• June 19
• August 21
• October 16
• December 18

Contact Rosemary Wynott, the Bookmobile Clerk, by phone at 570-297-2436 or email at wynottr@bradfordco.org for book requests.

New Supervisor Selected

The Rome Township Supervisors held a special meeting on Tuesday, March 4th to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Gary Hosley. Dennis "Skip" Thomas and Ed Wall applied for the position and after reading background information from the candidates, Ed Wall was selected as the new Supervisor.

Special Meeting, March 4th

The following legal notice was posted in "The Daily Review" on February 27th.

Legal Notice Rome Township Supervisors Will Hold A Special Meeting On Tuesday, March 4th At 6:00 P.M. At The Township Building At 28083 Route 187. The Purpose Of The Meeting Is To Interview The Volunteer Candidates And Choose One To Fill The Vacancy On The Board Of Supervisors. Rome Township Contact Information: 570-247-7373 Or Rometwp@Frontier.Com Priscilla Keeney Secretary Treasurer 27feb,1tc

"Black Ice"

With yesterday's warm afternoon thaw and an overnight cool down, sections of Joyce Road were still covered with "black ice" by 10:30AM. Our neighbor pulled over to allow another vehicle to pass and was unable to get traction on the "black ice" after sliding off the road. I had to spread some coal ashes on the road to get traction to pull the truck out. The road was so icy that I was almost rear-ended by the truck sliding down the road after it was pulled out.

Anti-Skid

After a couple of years of mild winters, this year's abundance of snow storms has required more anti-skid than in the past. The Rome Township stockpile of anti-skid is running low and the snow keeps coming. With 50+ miles of township roads, the current stockpile of anti-skid won't last long. So far this winter, about $21,000 has been spent on salt and anti-skid and more is needed. See TREASURER'S REPORT Feb 11, 2014 for details.

View of anti-skid stockpile this afternoon (18 Feb. 2014).

Township Supervisor Vacancy

At the February 11th Rome Township meeting it was disclosed that Supervisor Gary Hosley had submitted his written resignation within the last week. The supervisors accepted the resignation and agreed to post a legal notice  in local news papers advertising for a replacement.

The following legal notice was posted in "The Daily Review" on February 13th.

Legal Notice Rome Township Has A Township Supervisor Vacancy To Fill. A Township Supervisor Must Be A Registered Voter And Resident Of Rome Township For A Minimum Of One Year. Interested Individuals Need To Submit A Letter Of Interest By Tuesday, February 18th, Stating Their Qualifications And Why They Are Interested In Serving On The Board Of Supervisors. Submissions Can Be Mailed Or Dropped Off At The Township Building At 28083 Route 187, Wysox, Pa 18854. Contact Priscilla Keeney At 570-247-7373 Or Email: Rometwp@Frontier.Com With Any Questions. 13feb,1tc

The following is from the "Township Supervisor's Handbook":

Vacancies The most common reason for vacancies on the board of supervisors is resignation. Individuals sometimes find the demands on their time, the pressure of private business activities, personal health or family problems or the responsibilities of office are too much to cope with. Vacancies can also occur because of death or moving out of the township. The Code provides for the remaining members of the board of supervisors to fill a vacancy by resolution. A resignation requires acceptance by the governing body before it is effective. Resignations can be rescinded or withdrawn before they are accepted by the governing body. However, once the resignation has been accepted, the vacancy exists. The governing body cannot rescind acceptance of a resignation.Once the resignation is accepted, the office is vacant and must be filled by the appointment of a successor. The appointment of a new member must be made within 30 days from the date of the vacancy. If the board of supervisors fails to fill the vacancy within the prescribed limit, then the vacancy board fills the vacancy within 15 additional days by appointing a qualified person. The vacancy board consists of the board of supervisors and 1 registered voter of the township who is appointed by the board and acts as the chairman of the vacancy board. If the vacancy board fails to fill the vacancy within the prescribed time, the chairman then petitions the court of common pleas to fill the vacancy. In the case of a vacancy in the chairmanship, the remaining members of the vacancy board petition the court to fill the vacancy. Where 2 or more vacancies occur on a 3-member board of supervisors, or 3 or more vacancies on a 5-member board, the court fills the vacancies upon petition of at least 15 registered voters of the township. In all cases, the successor is appointed to serve until the first Monday in January following the first municipal election occurring more than 60 days after the vacancy occurs. At that municipal election, a successor is elected to fill any unexpired balance of the term. All persons appointed to fill vacancies must have all the qualifications required of elected officials.

Road Sign Vandals ???

It looks like the "Road Sign Vandals" have been at it again. This time it was the sign at the intersection of Bliss Road (T699) and Joyce Road (T600). The vandals attempted to push the sign over using a snowplow.



This vandalism is very similar to the damaged sign at the intersection of N. Orwell Road (T887) and Lamb Road (T758) in which a snowplow was used to push snow against the base of the sign post and bend it.

Road Sign - N. Orwell & Lamb Roads

The road sign at the intersection of N. Orwell Road (T887) and Lamb Road (T758) has been dislodged from the sign post and is laying on the stream bank.
An email was sent to the Township Roadmaster on January 29th and Mike replied the same day.Mike's reply:

"We are experiencing vandalism to a great deal of our signs.  We believe that there are a select few within the municipality and just outside of the municipality trying to disrupt the sincere efforts of the two supervisors and the raod crew.  I appreciate the emails in the constructive form.  Please note that we are constantly trying to improve the twp and its roadways and with that being said, please consider us friends here and not the enemies.  Im not political and take a sincere and personal approach to doing as stated above.  Feel free to come to me with any questions or concerns you may have. "

Snow Plowing - Where's the Snow?

On Sunday, January 26th, at 2:20PM a cloud of dust drifted across our lawn as the Rome Township show plow went by our house (very fast) with the plow down. What made this unusual was the lack of snowfall for the day.Why was this road plowed, on a Sunday, when there wasn't a need???



Soon after the snow plow went up Joyce Road I took the following picture showing the dirt that was plowed up and thrown into our lawn and the lack of snow moved by plowing.



The following picture was taken at the top of the hill on Joyce Road and also shows the lack of snow removed by plowing.

 

This is a close-up picture of how the plow blade was scraping on the road surface and removing more dirt (road surface) than snow.

Stone in Lawns

Rome Township dumped several loads of crushed stone on Joyce Road to correct the mud to stone ratio of the road. Unfortunately the road was frozen when the crushed stone was  dumped on the road and was not worked into the surface. Within days after spreading the crushed stone on the road, the Rome Township snow plow removed most of the stone from the road and deposited it in the neighborhood ditches and lawns.

A view of our lawn looking north from 544 Joyce Road.



A view  looking south from 544 Joyce Road.



A view of Maureen Brady's field, looking south from 1027 Joyce Road.