Library marks Earth Month

Valley Community Library and the Pennsylvania Sierra Club are planning several community clean-ups for Earth Month.

This year, the groups are working with several community organizations to do 11 litter clean-ups. Each event will focus on cleaning roadsides and parks, along with holding conversations about where the litter originated, how it impacts our communities and ideas on how to make changes.

The library at 39 River St., Peckville, will also display the progress of its litter study throughout the month, as the amount of garbage they remove increases. In addition to expanding their cleanup efforts, they are excited to give out fun items to people who participate.

Cleanups include:

  • April 1, 8 a.m., with the North Scranton Rotary Club and the Scranton Public Libraries along the Keyser Avenue expressway ramps. This event is for ages 18 and older.
  • April 13, 4 p.m., with the Abington Community Library in Dickson City.
  • April 15, 10 a.m., with the Lackawanna County Environmental Office at Aylesworth Park. Lackawanna County will provide light refreshments for volunteers after the event.

April 15, 3 p.m., with Scranton Tomorrow and the Scranton Public Libraries in downtown Scranton. Learn about how litter effects storm drains, flooding and our watershed.

April 16, 11 a.m., with Queer NEPA and their youth council on Main Street, Archbald.

April 20, 4:30 p.m., with the Girl Scouts at Sarah Bratty Park and the Winton section of Jessup.

April 21, 5 p.m., with Citizens for a Healthy Jessup, the Jessup Youth Sports Association, and the Friends of the Valley Community Library at Jessup Sports Complex.

  • April 22, 9 a.m., with Carbondale Public Library in Carbondale.
  • April 22, 3 p.m., with the Black Scranton Project and the Scranton Public Libraries in North Scranton.
  • April 23, 1 p.m., with Scranton Public Libraries at Nay Aug Park.
  • April 24, 4:30 p.m., with Friends of the Valley Community Library at the Valley Community Library. Learn how much we picked up in April and help us pick up around the library and the park next door.

For more information on any of these events, visit LCLSHOME.ORG or email Fawn Contreras at fcontreras@albright.org. Supplies are provided for each clean up thanks to Keep Northeast PA Beautiful and the state Department of Transportation.

Funds awarded to civic center

The Dickson City Civic Center will get a little more curb appeal, thanks to a grant provided through the Multimodal Transportation Fund and Statewide Local Share Account which are administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

The center on 935 Albert St. is facing structural deficiencies that are affecting quality of programs offered at the facility, according to an announcement from state Rep. Bridget M. Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp. The facility will receive $102,757; the proposed project will repave a deteriorated parking lot to provide safe entry into the facility, install exterior lighting to provide sufficient illumination near an active roadway and add an exterior LED message board to improve community outreach.

In addition, Greenfield Twp. will receive $505,782 to replace its deteriorating Route 247 pump station. The new pump station will also have electrical backup and better reporting and tracking of operational efficiency to prevent overflow events.