DAMASCUS TOWNSHIP, PA — The question of how to proceed with Jurgensen Road near the river, which needs extensive repairs, occupied most of the Damascus Township supervisors meeting on September 21. Concerned residents, many of whom live on or near the road, filled the room to capacity. Lou Cozza from Kiley Associates presented four alternative solutions, and explained the differences, including the cost. After a long discussion, the board voted to go for the option that “involves the construction of a new road from Conklin Hill Road to the top of Jurgensen Road.” The estimated cost is about $400,000, and the road will mostly follow an existing logging road through the Kay property.

After the last town meeting, when the same road was discussed and only three options were on the table, some suggested more alternatives should be explored, and Cozza reported that he and town officials did so. But after a walk-though of the properties and an examination of the topographical maps and considering the elevation of the proposed road on another property, he determined a fourth option was not feasible. Among the reasons were current PennDOT requirements, storm-water management and long-term maintenance problems.

Steven Adams, vice-chairman of the supervisors, said that if an agreement could not be reached with the property owners for option three, the town could obtain a right of way through eminent domain, and town attorney Jeffrey Treat agreed.

The issue of bald eagles surfaced during the discussion, because reportedly there’s an old eagle’s nest that might affect another option for the road, namely to repair the existing roadway.

Cozza said, “I did go back and did some research regarding the bald eagle nest. It’s now a protected species.” He said that for the project to go forward, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, at its discretion, could require the township to make a $25,000 “contribution” to an organization with an eagle conservation program, which caused members of the public to break into laughter.

This option would also require the purchase of additional right of way, and there were other considerations, such as the fact that structures on both sides of the road are very close to it.

One of the residents asked Cozza, “In your professional opinion, if nobody did anything and with normal traffic, how long would the road last? It’s been there 100 years.”

Cozza replied that it could last 100 years, or it could fail tomorrow. He also indicated that if the road failed, the people who live in the house adjacent to it could end up in the river in extreme circumstances.

Another option for the road would involve building a bridge, which Cozza said would make the price tag for that option $2 million, because it would have to be built to current PennDot and environmental standards, which are more stringent that in the past.

Option three would require little construction, and the permitting process would take about about six to eight months. If permitting started now, construction could start late in spring, and the new road could be built in two to three weeks.

Joseph Canfield, supervisors’ chair, made the motion to approve option three, and to move forward with the project, and it was approved.