(6/25) During their June meeting, the council unanimously approved advertising for bids for 5900 tons of Flexible Base, a granular, unbound material used as a foundational layer in pavement structures. Borough Manager Dave Hazlett said the borough tested the material on a small number of borough streets last year and was pleased with the results. This year, municipal staff plan to repair about a dozen roads, Hazlett said.
"It’s a big year for construction work for us," he added.
Hazlett said Flexible Base resembles paving but is more economical. Tar and chip, which the borough has used in the past, is cheaper but cracks easily.
"It’s a stark improvement over tar and chip," Hazlett said of Flexible Base.
The manager said he will soon announce which streets the crews plan to repair. Work should begin in September.
"This type of material, you don’t want to put down in the dog days of summer. You want to wait until it just starts getting cool," Hazlett said.
The borough also plans to upgrade the Kay Sullivan Park at Lake Kay on Trout Trail, Hazlett said. The borough is applying for a $15,000 grant from the People, Parks, and Community Foundation Grant Program. It also plans to apply for funding through the Adams County Greenspace Program. If successful, the borough will improve the fishing pier, install park benches, and replace the small playground equipment.
The grant applications are just two of the several ways Carroll Valley is aggressively seeking funding to improve the borough outside of local tax dollars. The borough works with GMS Funding Solutions of Carlisle to research, monitor, and apply for grants.
GMS is hoping to acquire the borough’s police department funding for new bulletproof vests through The Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program. It also submitted a $115,000 grant application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for the Carroll Valley Nature Preserve and Trail. Last year, DCED awarded the borough $212,000 for the trail.
Police Chief Clifford Weikert reported his department plans to seek funding for a new police cruiser through the Local Share Account (LSA), also managed by DCED. The LSA provides local governments with money from state gaming proceeds.
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