Northern Schuylkill Council of Governments hears update on Pumpy, broadband service
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - The Pumping Station Dam in East Union Township is seen from the spillway on April 4, 2023.
MAHANOY CITY – At their regular meeting Wednesday, the Northern Schuylkill Council of Governments heard an update on the Pumping Station Dam project in East Union Township.
At Wednesday’s meeting at the Mahanoy Township building, Chairman Clyde “Champ” Holman said the council unanimously supports the efforts to revitalize the once-popular fishing spot affectionately known as “the Pumpy.”
The dam, located on Pole Road between Brandonville and Girard Manor in East Union Township, has been owned by Shenandoah since the early 20th century and was once a water source for the borough, which at the time had over 20,000 residents.
When the borough formed its Municipal Authority and acquired water sources in Pattersonville and Raven Run, the Pumping Station Dam was no longer needed and became a recreational area, supported and maintained by several volunteer groups over the years.
The council had sent a resolution to each member municipality, seeking approval of support for the project, and many of their members have approved those resolutions.
Volunteers from the newly formed Pumpy Association, Dave Sarno and Rick Grabosky, were at the meeting to provide the council with an update on their efforts.
Sarno said they are in the process of fixing the building at the site.
“We’re looking into putting a new roof on it, and we’re probably going to stucco the side and put new windows in,” Sarno said.
Sarno said the group plans to turn the building into a mini-senior center.
“For the old anglers that used to hang around down there,” Sarno said. “Somebody that says, ‘Remember this guy, remember that guy,’ why don’t we just open a club and you can meet them and see if they’re still, hopefully, around.”
He added that work is underway to revive the hatchery, which sits across Pole Road from the dam.
Sarno also said they’ve received help from Boy Scouts in Ringtown and Shenandoah, and they hope to set up a site and a pavilion for them.
He said that there is still a lot of clean-up work to go before they approach DEP to see what needs to be done with the dam.
The Pumpy Association, he said, is also accepting memberships. Dues are $20, and can be paid online. Details are in their Facebook group.
The council also discussed broadband service and the county’s broadband task force, and their efforts to identify where the most need is in the county.
“There’s money available,” Holman said, regarding broadband upgrades.
Mary Beth Dougherty, the council’s secretary, said that the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and the broadband task force are looking into hearing presentations from various providers and weighing whether to support one of their grant applications or to submit one of their own.
“I think they wanted input from communities that didn’t have good service,” Dougherty said.
Holman, who represents Ryan Township, said that Frontier Communications, who services his township, had left a broken utility pole in a state highway for three months.
“In the wintertime, we had to plow around it,” Holman said. “It was ridiculous.”
The council also discussed registering for COSTARS, the state’s cooperative purchasing program.
Vice-chairman Paul “Pepper” Martin said he had priced a crack-sealer for the council to purchase and was asked if they were in the COSTARS program, which could lead to better pricing. One of the council’s main functions is to purchase equipment member municipalities may not be able to afford on their own and rent those pieces to members at an affordable price.
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