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Former RailRiders outfielder Jake Cave will have to wait another day to play old team

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Long-time Nanticoke boys soccer coach Matusek won’t return for 30th season

<p>Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri said he was pleasantly surprised to receive notification Thursday that Sugarloaf Township has agreed to take over the 1-mile, county-owned Mountain Road after the county paves it.</p><p>Butler Township officials also will assume ownership of a connecting 3.7-mile stretch in its borders &#8212; the county-owned Foothills Drive &#8212; once it is redone.</p><p>In addition, Butler is willing to accept the remaining approximately 10 miles of county roads within the township if the infrastructure is brought up to standards, township Supervisor Charles Altmiller said Thursday.</p><p>This cooperation has prompted Pedri to issue a call for municipalities to contact him now if they want to take over county-owned roads and bridges in their areas.</p><p>&#8220;Any municipality interested will move to the top of the (repairs) list,&#8221; Pedri said, noting emergency situations must take precedence.</p><p>County roads and bridges have become a heated topic of debate in recent weeks with county council&#8217;s discussion of a $5 vehicle registration fee, which was approved this week.</p><p>Set to take effect in September, the fee on 281,000 vehicles will generate an estimated $1.4 million to repair the county&#8217;s 302 bridges and approximately 125.3 miles of roads. The state will match up to $2 million to fix bridges in each county with a $5 fee, but only once, a PennDOT official has said.</p><p>Council members added a provision automatically ending the fee if the state match is not continued for a second year.</p><p>Pedri and some council members expressed support for citizen Brian Shiner&#8217;s suggestion to grant preference for projects that will allow the county to shed infrastructure.</p><p>Municipalities shouldn&#8217;t dally because the administration is in the process of updating its road and bridge plan to come up with a prioritized roster of infrastructure that will be addressed the next five years through the vehicle fee revenue and other funding streams, Pedri said.</p><p>For example, Pedri expects to fund the full-depth reclamation of the 1-mile stretch of Mountain Road that Sugarloaf Township has agreed to take over with a portion of $15 million in county community development funding from a business development loan fund that is no longer in high demand.</p><p>This $15 million can be applied to infrastructure improvements primarily in low- and moderate-income areas, officials have said. While some of this funding will be offered to municipalities, Pedri said he will attempt to use as much as possible for county-owned road and bridge projects that meet federal qualification guidelines.</p><p>The county administration already had planned to seek bids this spring to rehabilitate Foothills Drive and West County and Beisels roads in Butler and Sugarloaf townships, officials said.</p><p>Negotiations also are underway for Black Creek Township&#8217;s possible takeover of a county bridge and Hanover Township&#8217;s potential future ownership of a combined 7.12 miles of roadway in the Hanover Industrial Estates, including New Commerce Boulevard, Pedri said.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Let&#8217;s get them fixed&#8217;</strong></p><p>Pedri thanked Butler and Sugarloaf officials, saying a county road and bridge crew of less than 20 must maintain and plow infrastructure spread across 38 municipalities, including many rural townships.</p><p>&#8220;These takeovers will allow county staff to focus more attention on other roads,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Butler Township also took over tiny Saams Road Bridge in recent years after the county purchased a new box culvert.</p><p>Township ownership makes sense, Altmiller said, because he and other supervisors routinely receive complaints about the poor condition of county-owned roads from residents who assume the infrastructure belongs to the municipality.</p><p>He held up the Bentwood Village development in the township as an example of the problem of varied road ownership.</p><p>Located on a mountainside with a steep access road, the approximately 30-house complex contains township roads, he said. For the most direct access, township plow trucks must travel on about 4 miles of roads owned and plowed by the county to reach Bentwood, said Altmiller, who also serves as township roadmaster.</p><p>&#8220;We have to go there anyway,&#8221; Altmiller said.</p><p>Township real estate taxes won&#8217;t increase as a result of the takeover because the county will provide mint condition infrastructure that allows the municipality to start receiving additional liquid fuels revenue, Altmiller said. The county&#8217;s Foothills Drive project will meet standards for heavily traveled roads, with concrete mixed in the subbase under the new blacktop, he said.</p><p>&#8220;We all have friends and family along these county roads, which are in horrible condition, so let&#8217;s get them fixed,&#8221; Altmiller said. &#8220;They are damaging to cars.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Altmiller </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/web1_altmiller.jpeg</photo0><caption0>Altmiller </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Butler, Sugarloaf step up to take over county-owned roads