PORT CARBON - Borough council Tuesday decided to focus its 2013 Road Program on sections of North Street and North Coal Street.
In a unanimous vote at its July work session, council voted to advertise for bids.
The borough is planning to pave a 73-by-12-foot section of North Street between Pine Street and 1st Street, and a 180-foot stretch in the 300 block of Coal Street, borough engineer James S. Tohill of Alfred Benesch & Co., Pottsville, said at the meeting.
"Part of that 180-foot stretch is 12-feet wide and part of it is 15-feet wide," Tohill said.
In other matters, Adrian Leary, a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, is expected to visit the borough at 10 a.m. July 11 to talk to borough officials about flooding at Mill Creek.
Since the Flood of 2006, borough officials have been looking for ways to prevent future flooding at Mill Creek.
Borough Councilman Andy Palokas said the creek nearly flooded its banks on two rainy nights in 2012. He's hoping the borough can find a way to dredge the creek bed.
In January, Ed Voigt, chief of Public and Legislative Affairs for the Philadelphia District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said he wasn't sure the U.S. Army Corps could help the borough or not.
"They clearly have a problem that falls within our area of expertise. There's no question they have a legitimate flooding problem there. The question is whether or not there's something we can do that's financially feasible," Voigt said Jan. 17.
"I believe the best route for this would be for myself and someone from council to meet with Adrian to explain everything to him and possibly look at a couple areas. Then we'll let Adrian and his team do what they need to do as far as gathering information. Then we'll meet back at the end and Adrian can explain what the options are," Tohill said Thursday.
On Thursday, the borough will be celebrating Independence Day with a series of events. They will include a community "Fourth of July Parade" in the morning.
Marchers will start to line up at 8:15 a.m. outside the former Pottsville Bleach and Dye Co. at Route 209 and Coal Street. The parade will begin at 9 a.m., according to Harold "Bucky" Herndon, council president.
And the celebration will warp with fireworks scheduled to start at 10 p.m.