by Geoff Fox
Town Manager Mike Faith gave brief updates to town officials during the February town meeting about ongoing projects in the town’s pipeline.
The town will be getting a new digital sign along Pennsylvania A venue and Faith said the town has already put 50% of the cost down before installation begins.
He said the company would get him a schedule for when installation will begin.
The current sign, which was only installed a couple years ago, will be moved to the entrance of Kirkwood Park.
Faith also told town officials he has applied for a grant to replace streetlights on Main Street.
He said Councilman Roland Lanehart, Jr. contacted him about the grants after Lanehart had spoken to Del. Terry Baker.
The plan, Faith said, would be to replace the existing streetlights and then extend streetlights east and west in areas where there are no lights yet.
Faith said it would extend visibility in those areas.
The town is still working through the financial audit for the municipal books and officials have been given an extension until the end of February to do so.
Officials recently changed accounting firms and there are more details and information they have to provide to the firm.
Faith said the town might be able to request another extension until the end of March.
“We’re doing the best we can,” Faith said, noting he wasn’t sure if the extension would be granted.
Faith said the town has received a letter from LancoPennland requesting formal annexation into the Town of Hancock.
This would allow Lanco to hook on to the town’s water and wastewater system.
Faith also gave copies of the letter to town officials for their review.
Town Attorney Ed Kuczynski told officials the annexation process is a technical process and he wasn’t sure what the intent was – if Lanco had their own attorney, doing it by petition, if the town would be doing so by resolution, or if there would be an annexation agreement.
He added the town is nowhere near taking any annexation at the current moment, and the process requires a lot of work to be done properly.
Faith also reminded officials Kirkwood Park would be closed March 8-9 so that around 200 correctional officers can do some training there.
He warned there would be K-9 units training, drills, and pepper spray.
Councilman Josh McCusker asked if anyone had talked to Hancock Little League about the training session at Kirkwood.
Little League begins their season on March 4, McCusker said. He said he’ d pass on the information to league officials.
There was also worry about the DNR stocking the stream that runs through the park. However, the DNR was going to start stocking the stream the week after the training.
