Dingman and park service clash over culvert and signs
By Anya Tikka
DINGMAN TOWNSHIP — Dingman Township and the National Park Service are continuing their strained correspondence, with township supervisors tossing a debate about signs and culverts on US Route 209 back to the park service.
Route 209 runs through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, crossing Dingman along the way.
John Donahue, superintendent of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, told supervisors in a letter that the park service has a right-of-way on Route 209. He said the area's chief of maintenance, John Lambert, investigated the issues raised in the township’s Nov. 12 letter, which had asked for the speedy replacement of missing signs that said “Welcome” and “Welcome to Dingman Township.” The park service took down the signs in 2013, saying they were "inconsistent with NPS standards."
“Why is it taking 1.5 years to get the signs replaced?” asked Karen Kleist, the township treasurer and secretary.
Donahue says in his letter that a sign has been ordered to replace the recently damaged Metz Road street sign. And, he said, replacements for the "Welcome’" signs, which needed a special order, are being prepared.
Plugged culvert eroding pavement
There's also a plugged culvert at the intersection of Route 209 and Old Bridge Road that's backing up water and eroding the new pavement around the guiderail on 209. Roadmaster Jim Snyder said he raised problem with the park service back in 2013.
Donahue said in his letter that the culvert has been cleared several times and appears to be undersized for the location. He said Bill Tagye, roads and trails foreman for the recreation area, found that the culvert was not actually located on 209 but on Old Bridge Road, which is not a park service right-of-way.
Supervisors disagree.
“The right-of-way is a hundred feet from 209, so 50 feet from the center is way over the culvert," said Supervisor John Brink. "So it is theirs, I don’t care what he says."
Board Solicitor John Klemeyer said it seems "somewhat inconsistent to take over the signs but not the culvert.”
In their discussion, supervisors said the park service had earlier sent a letter to the township saying it couldn’t touch anything on the roadway, and has now sent another letter saying the opposite.
“It is not our problem," Brink said. "It is his problem.”
The culvert has been around for about 100 years, since the road was put in. Supervisors joked it's been there “since the Mayflower came in," although it may have been replaced at some point.
The culvert lies within 30 feet of the center, supervisors concluded. They decided to send Donahue a letter stating that, and quoting back to him his original letter on the matter.
If the sign is in the right-of-way, then the culvert is in the right-of-way, supervisors agreed.
Related story: "NPS spirits away Dingman's road signs": http://bit.ly/15Pimei