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Mayor outlines Bear Creek recovery steps; assembly accepts road‑repair funding and discusses transfer‑station flood damage
Summary
Mayor Nolan updated the assembly on Bear Creek fire recovery, including an SBA disaster declaration for businesses and public assistance planning; the assembly approved acceptance of funding for Clear Fire road repairs and staff reported flooding at Campbell Transfer Station and a costly waste‑truck engine failure.
Mayor Nolan told the Millerborough Assembly the borough has requested and received a Small Business Administration disaster declaration for the Bear Creek fire, opening low‑interest loans for affected businesses and nonprofits and waiving landfill tipping fees for cleanup. The borough is also pursuing public assistance for debris removal and access restoration.
“Small Business Administration declared a disaster,” the mayor said, noting owners within the evacuation zone and businesses disrupted by highway closures are eligible for economic injury loans and that the borough is coordinating dumpsters and burned‑vehicle removal for impacted residents.
The assembly approved Ordinance 25‑09 to accept funding for the Clear Fire road repair project; staff reported the project has been completed and that work came in under budget. The ordinance passed unanimously on a roll‑call vote.
On solid waste operations, the borough reported an August 30 flooding event at the Campbell Transfer Station that inundated recycling and loader buildings with up to several inches of water. Staff said they will assess damage to gatehouses and add a concrete pad under roll‑off dumpsters; the transfer station will close temporarily for the work and reopen after contractors finish the pad.
In related equipment news, solid‑waste staff discovered catastrophic engine failure in a Volvo rock truck used at the landfill (loss of compression in one cylinder). After weighing options to rent a replacement versus repair, the borough chose to repair the unit because projected cost per hour over the remaining service life favored repair over replacement.
Mayor Nolan said the borough continues to coordinate cleanup and debris removal, and urged residents affected by the fire to contact borough solid‑waste staff for support with burned vehicles and debris removal plans. The borough has also scheduled a public assistance meeting with state contacts for early October to advance debris and access planning.
