Lightning strikes traffic light at Maytown Road

For the second time in about three months, lightning struck the traffic light at Market Street (Route 230) and Maytown Road (Route 743).

During a thunderstorm on Wednesday evening, the lightning strike melted conduit and wire that is under the road. Although the borough's contractor got the light functioning, the damage has thrown off the ideal timing for the light -- and that means drivers can expect delays at the intersection.

Because the Elizabethtown Fair starts Monday, the borough will see a tremendous influx of traffic. To help traffic flow better and alleviate some congestion, Borough Council has decided to hire a contractor to help control traffic at the intersection. From 3 to 6 p.m. for the duration of the fair. The contractor then will move to the square at Market and High streets to control traffic from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Residents might remember that a contractor was stationed at the borough's square during the first phase of construction of West College Avenue by the expansion of the M&M/Mars factory. By all accounts, the contractor helped ease the traffic issues then, which is why Borough Council decided to bring him in during fair week.

Pa. budget fiasco delays train station project

Construction was to have started today on the Elizabethtown Train Station, but the budget fiasco in Harrisburg delayed the project.

The reason, according to Borough Manager Pete Whipple, is that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is administering the federal stimulus money. And since there is no state budget, PennDOT will not release any of the money, which will reimburse Elizabethtown for the work on the train station.

Because the borough has taken out a loan for the project, the money is available, and Whipple told Borough Council that he even told PennDOT the borough would pay and wait for reimbursement. But without a signed reimbursement agreement, he said, PennDOT did not want to go that route.

For the record, Borough Council is not upset with PennDOT. As with residents across the Commonwealth, we can't believe our Legislature can't come to an agreement and, in turn, get a project that will provide jobs and economic development on track.

EPD officers receive life-saving commendations

Two Elizabethtown police officers saved the life of a borough resident in May after using an automated external defibrillator (AED) to jump start her heart.

When officers Nicholas Finicle and Richard Regel responded to the call of an unresponsive person on May 29, they found Shirley Nauman unconcious. Working together, they used the AED to shock her heart and then administered CPR until emergency medical technicians arrived.

Nauman made a full recovery and was able to attend the presentation of life-saving commendations to both Finicle and Regel at Borough Council's July 16 meeting. During the presentation, she pinned the commendations on both officers and hugged and kissed each as her husband and members of her family looked on.

In remarks prior to the presentation of the awards, Mayor Robert Brain said that only four other officers in the history of the Elizabethtown Police Department have received life-saving commendations. Although neither officer spoke, I am certain that if you talked to them about the commendations they both would say that they were just doing their job. And thanks to their commitment, their training and their quick thinking, that meant saving a life.

Borough Council approves recommendation of train station contractor

At its July 16 meeting, Elizabethtown Borough Council unanimously approved to recommend to PennDOT that Lobar Construction of Dillsburg is the low bidder for the train station project.

By all accounts from members of Borough Council, it was a historic moment to vote on the recommendation. For at least 10 years, Borough Manager Pete Whipple and the rest of the borough staff have worked on the project. Although 12 to 18 months of actual construction work remains, it is an honor to have been a part of the project for which other council members and leaders laid the groundwork.

Lobar came in with a bid of nearly $5.9 million. The borough received seven bids, which were extremely competitive. The difference between Lobar and the No. 2 bidder was just $7,000.

For the record, under an agreement between PennDOT and Elizabethtown, the project cannot be altered so the borough can keep all of the stimulus money. Elizabethtown was in line to receive $8 million in federal stimulus funding for the construction, and because the winning bid was much lower the borough will return a balance of the funding so more money will be available for other projects along Amtrak's Keystone Corridor. Speaking as one council member, this is the absolute right thing to do, and I am very grateful that this project is coming to fruition.

Update on train station project

What's the status of the Elizabethtown Train Station project? WGAL's Meredith Jorgensen did a great update story on July 8.

In the meantime, here are the details:

Bids were opened about two weeks ago, and the apparent low bidder is Lobar Construction of Dillsburg, with a bid of $5.9 million. That's nearly $2 million less than what the borough, Amtrak and PennDOT were estimating. Because the project is being funded with federal stimulus money, the borough will likely return a balance of the money so the government can allocate it to other projects.

At the moment, borough staff and PennDOT are discussing how much the borough needs for contingency funds and to address alternate bids, one of which potentially can lower the cost of the project. Borough Manager Pete Whipple said PennDOT and the borough should complete those talks in time for Borough Council to make an official recommendation by its July 16 meeting.

If all goes well, work could begin next month.