`blue's Clues Live!' Thrills Kids At Kirby

Basil Homick 
November 21, 1999

By TONI COLEMAN Times Leader Staff Writer
 Tuesday, November 23, 1999 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE - The city will install temporary plastic tubing to prevent
raw sewage from seeping onto Miller Street, buying time until a judge decides
whether the Delaware &amp; Hudson railroad or the city must pay to replace a
broken sewer line. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Monday morning conference refereed by the Public Utility Commission
failed to resolve a dispute between the city and D&amp;H Railroad concerning who
should fix the broken terra-cotta sewer line running beneath the rail crossing
at Miller. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The city maintains the line worked fine until the railroad upgraded its
crossing and increased train speed along the tracks. D&amp;H officials argue the
city is looking for a scapegoat to replace the century-old line for free. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's a start,'' resident Dolores Seasock said, with resignation in her
voice. She and other Miners Mills residents have lived with the aftermath of a
broken sewer line for three months. Raw sewage oozes up from a manhole,
occasionally flooding the street and subjecting neighbors to health hazards
and a bad stench. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With both sides at odds, the matter appears headed to an administrative law
judge who presides over hearings in disputes for the PUC. His ruling is not
binding unless adopted by the five-member PUC. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ron Hull, a PUC civil engineering consultant who oversaw Monday's meeting,
said his top priority is to keep sewage from flowing into the streets and let
a judge decide who should pay later. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``If I was a resident, I'd say this is intolerable,'' Hull told meeting
attendees, who included residents, Mayor Tom McGroarty, state Sen. Raphael
Musto, D-Pittston, D&amp;H officials and the state Departments of Transportation
and Environmental Protection. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hull recommends a hearing to determine a final solution and the appropriate
allocation of funds. It typically takes two to three months to schedule a
hearing, and another six months before a decision is made. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the meantime, Hull suggested the two sides enter mediation to negotiate
a deal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty wants to bypass mediation and head straight to court. ``I think
we need to go to a hearing. I don't think it's going in our direction.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty said he did not want to use taxpayer money to correct the problem
without some type of arrangement guaranteeing the city would be reimbursed by
the railroad. McGroarty said the city can't afford the cost to replace the
pipe, which he estimates at $150,000 to $200,000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I'm talking about laying some employees off to do it,'' McGroarty said.
``We don't have in our budget a line item: $200,000 railroad destroys pipe.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Railroad officials wouldn't budge. McGroarty and Kevin Carr, technical
services engineer for the railroad, clashed repeatedly during the hour-long
meeting near the crossing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty insisted the railroad close the tracks for three days to allow
the city to dig up the tracks and replace the pipe, but railroad officials
balked. Called an open cut, this is the least costly method to repair the
break, but would require stopping train traffic. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Your little lousy $150,000 will mean millions of dollars in lost revenue
and detour costs,'' Carr said. Six to 10 trains travel the track daily at
speeds of about 30 mph. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A second, more expensive option to replace the sewer line is burrowing, or
tunneling, on both sides of the track to get to the pipe. Burrowing would not
disrupt train service, but could cost three times as much as tearing up the
track. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Until a judge decides who is responsible for fixing the pipe, the city will
pump sewer water across the tracks to a nearby manhole through a flexible
hose. Gerald Ryan, city engineer, said antifreeze could be added to keep the
hose from freezing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

W-b, Railroad Still At Odds About Fixing Sewer Line