LEWISTOWN — Granville Township Supervisors plan to apply for a grant to improve pedestrian safety following an approval to move ahead with the project on Monday.

Supervisors approved township engineer Brian Bloom to apply for a multimodal grant that they have used in the past.

According to the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors website, this grant can be used to improve transportation assets, enhance pedestrian safety, and encourage economic development.

Bloom said that they would like to apply for the same project as last year which was paving Helen Street back to the train station parking lot. This year they would also like to install some lighting and sidewalks.

The grant normally requires a 30% local match, but Bloom said this requirement has been waived the past several years. Bloom noted that they got a notification that it was waived again this year.

Supervisor Terry Stewart requested clarification regarding whether the project requires a $100 fee for the permit and that everything else will be taken care of. Bloom replied confirmed that Stewart was correct.

Bloom also gave supervisors an update regarding the Hawstone water and sewer projects. Completed last year on state Route 333, this project was funded through the Community Development Block Grant competitive process.

These projects were completed because of the failure of many septic systems in that area. Because the project was completed in October, they only have four more months of the warranty period.

Bloom said they are currently working with Cummings because one of the two generators on site is having an auto-starting issue when it runs. They also have an issue with a control panel: one pump is not running on auto all the time, while the other is.

Stewart said he has heard several complaints about the smell coming from homes/businesses in the project area, including from the owners of Angelo’s Restaurant, who told him they had never had any issues until the installation of the new system. They have had to put a trap in to help with the smell.

Stewart asked whether their pumps were working correctly, to which Bloom replied that they were. “We are still waiting on a few people to hook up. Whenever we design the project, we take into consideration wet well size so they do get proper turnover when everyone is connected to them,” and that’s what Bloom explains is causing the odor. According to Bloom, they don’t get enough flow turnover, so the water in there becomes septic and starts producing hydrogen sulfide.

Bloom explained that they are working on a deodorant.

Bloom said he has a meeting with representatives from Maryland Biochemical to discuss deodorizing chemicals. Concerned citizens question the safety of the chemicals, and Bloom explained that the chemicals are a nitrogen based fertilizer that the engineers say will be safe for the water supply.

In other news, Supervisor William Page announced news of the Union Pacific Big Boy stopping in the region. Unfortunately due to the renovations being made to the train station, Granville is unable to let them stop there. However, Page said the locomotive will stop at Roundhouse Road crossing on July 8, 2026 from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

The train is coming from Cheyenne, Wyo., as part of America’s 250th anniversary and will stop at the crossing for about 30 minutes to get some water from the Granville Township Fire Department then make its way back to Cheyenne.

Page wanted to make it clear that precautions for traffic flow will be taken and he is entrusting the Granville Police Department to secure the road and make sure residents can access their homes and businesses.

Supervisors decided to hold off on several agenda items due to budget concerns now that they hired new legal counsel, including the purchase of meeting recording equipment as well as budgeted projects.

However, they did approve a request from a concerned resident of Henrietta Street, Sam Beers to do something about the speed control on Henrietta Street. Beers expressed concerns for the safety of children on this street during a previous meeting. Page said he investigated the concerns and ihe concluded that action should be taken.

Page told his fellow supervisors he witnessed several cars speeding down the street and even going the wrong way. He recommended that rumble strips are their best option to which they agreed and noted that this would be done in house using their mill and would come at no additional cost.

Due to complaints about Amish buggies and lighting issues on the road, Page asked Stewart to look into whether they can make updates to their buggies.

Stewart showed Page pictures of the updates the Amish made, including triangles on the back of the buggies, reflective tape, and lighting updates.

Supervisors also decided to move forward with the Military Flag Program, which has been a topic of discussion at the last several monthly meetings.

Residents who are interested in participating should contact the township office at (717) 242-2334. Each banner would be customized to recognize an individual service member and could include details such as their name, branch of service, years of service, and a photograph. The goal of the program is to provide a meaningful and visible way to celebrate and honor those who have served our country.

Supervisors also:

• Approved to replace a sign on Snook Hill Road spelled with an “S” at one end and not the other;

• Approved department reports for June 2026 as well as the account summary, police report, code officer report, sewer department report for May and the overtime report for April;

• Approved pump station repairs in the amount of $4,588.98;

• Approved to grant the Granville Fire Co. $60,000 out of their Equipment fund.