HAWLEY, PA — Much of this area struggles with the balance between drawing commerce and jobs to the area and maintaining its quiet, rural character. This issue was strongly in evidence at the latest meeting of the Hawley Borough Council, when Jason Raleigh, an engineer representing Dollar General Development, gave a presentation of projected traffic. Raleigh’s job was to analyze the current traffic situation and roads near the proposed location of a Dollar Store, approximately 600 feet south of the Silk Mill off Route 6 East, and advise on the possible impact, problems and solutions. While Raleigh’s analysis predicted little impact on the current status of existing roads, both Hawley Borough Council and the general public had many concerns.

Much of the discussion surrounded the size and safety of the tractor trailer truck utilized weekly by Dollar General to make its store deliveries. The size of the truck was originally estimated as being 55 feet, which presented few concerns. However, the council has now been made aware that the truck will actually be 62 feet long, a length that poses more possible difficulties. Access and egress to the store will require the truck to cross the double yellow lines on Route 6 in order to make a left turn. While Raleigh has stated that the line of sight and the speed limit of 25 mph of that tract make such a turn safe, the council and the public both scoffed at the idea that this speed limit is routinely respected by most drivers. It was pointed out that when the Silk Mill was converted to commercial space, they were required to add a lane to Route 6 in order to address similar issues. While the council has also been assured that a letter will shortly be forthcoming in which Dollar General ensures that deliveries will only be made during off-peak traffic times, there is some debate as to what these times might best be.

The council feels that changes will be necessary in order to accommodate the trucks. They believe that Dollar General may be required to pay for a minor traffic study on how this will impact traffic going both on and off Route 6. If Electric Street, which runs parallel to Route 6 and next to the site off Route 6, is to be used as an exit, a High Occupancy Permit (HOP) will be necessary. A concern raised by resident Jerry Arnold was that side roads other than Electric Street might be used by shoppers frustrated by the difficulty of making turns onto Route 6 by the designated entrances and exits, lowering the quality of life by increasing traffic for the residents living on those roads.

The council affirmed that while Hawley desires the business, the truck and those associated safety issues are the larger concerns at this time. Resident Linda Arnold and other residents said that they have witnessed accidents involving tractor trailer trucks on other occasions in that area. A traffic light has been considered an option in the past, but as the area’s current volume is only 67 vehicles an hour on average, it is not considered sufficient enough to warrant one. On the plus side, issues such as the drainage system and traffic islands have already been agreed upon, and the borough is open to all possible options. Raleigh feels that these issues can be resolved as similar problems are encountered in the construction of nearly all their stores.

In other business, work continues on repairing and upgrading the borough’s drainage troubles after last June’s storms. While the committee’s assessment of funds needed for the work was $247,000, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing the borough $228,369. Pine and Chestnut Streets are considered the priorities in this effort, but no direct plan of action has been decided as of yet. The hope, however, is to complete the work within one bidding project. The funds are being divided, with $18,360 going towards engineering fees and the other $210,000 for construction.

The culvert cleanup near Settler’s Inn continues to be an issue. FEMA will not cover the cost of this work. Relining the culvert is an option, and would need to be done within the next several years at the latest. A new trash grate is also necessary. Bidding will soon be considered, and it was indicated that an aluminum grate is preferred, and that it should be possible to open it in order to provide access to the pipe when needed. A motion for approval for an aluminum gate placed at the site with a $3,500 limit was made, and passed.