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Countryside Conservancy Trolley Trail Manager Cheryl Ellsworth discusses upcoming plans at Factoryville Borough Council meeting

FACTORYVILLE &#8212; Cheryl Ellsworth, manager of the Countryside Conservancy Trolley Trail, addressed the Factoryville Borough Council during its monthly meeting on May 13 to discuss upcoming plans for the trail.According to Ellsworth, the conservancy would like to develop the trail into the borough of Factoryville as part of Phase 2 of the project, which is scheduled to be constructed throughout the Keystone College campus beginning in late summer or early fall, but may be delayed into the spring of 2016 depending on whether the borough receives additional funding for the project.The 1.5-mile Phase 2 section will traverse Keystone&#8217;s Woodlands Campus, which currently includes approximately seven miles of hiking trails. The trail will include fencing, gates, signage, landscaping, erosion and sedimentation control, and will feature designated handicapped parking areas.&#8220;In the grant for Phase 2, PennDOT is paying for the trail as it traverses just Keystone&#8217;s property,&#8221; Ellsworth said.&#8221;The borough owns the property at the end of Keystone&#8217;s property where the trail ends.&#8221;Ellsworth added there may be more funds available through the Safe Routes to School program, funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. The borough previously received funds twice through the program, including money for an improvement project for sidewalks on Riverside Drive.The borough approved a motion to work with the conservancy to develop the trail and to be an applicant on a grant to attempt to receive additional funds through Safe Routes to School program.Ellsworth, Trail consultant Tim Wilson, and Countryside Conservancy Executive Director Bill Kern are scheduled to speak with council regarding Phase 2 of the Trolley Trail project in June.The Trolley Trail project is a partnership between the Keystone College Environmental Education Institute and Countryside Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting land and water in and near the Tunkhannock Creek watershed.In other business:The borough approved a motion to renew its Agility Agreement with PennDOT.According to PennDOT, the Agility Program provides a streamlined method for municipalities and other partners to work together through Agility Agreements where services are exchanged for services.&#8220;We have a stormwater issue in town that is on a PennDOT road that we want them to fix,&#8221; Factoryville Borough Manager Mary Ellen Buckbee said.