Major Pankey Branch clearing making tremendous headway
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The city of Harrisburg has been putting Man-Tra-Con temporary workers to use clearing areas of the city's main drainage and Mayor Eric Gregg is happy with the results.
Since Oct. 11 the workers have been clearing brush and trees from behind Aldi's to an area near the SIC Foundation Building. The result should be not only a faster flow of water through Pankey Branch, but also a more efficiently operating pumping station.
"Trees and trash were getting up against the pump station. They had to stop the pumps and clear it off and it just adds to Harrisburg's issues," Gregg said, examining the work last week.
The pumps are protected from debris by large gates. When the gates become clogged with debris they must be cleared, a laborious and potentially dangerous procedure for city workers.
There have been 10 Man-Tra-Con workers at the Pankey Branch area, using chainsaws and burning brush. On Wednesday an excavator was knocking down trees between Pankey Branch and state Route 13 to the south amid a cloud of smoke.
Once the ditch behind the SIC Foundation Building is cleared and landscaped it will cause water to flow more efficiently and hold floodwater more efficiently, Gregg said. Pankey Branch moves the water that flows in from the Liberty and Ledford area. The clearing also provides better access to the levee so workers can reach areas damaged by burrowing animals and boils.
"They are making incredible headway for the city of Harrisburg. It will look like a different place in a year," Gregg said.
There are currently 15 Man-Tra-Con workers working for the city and there may be a need for more, Gregg said. The goal is put 25 to 30 people to temporary work.
Man-Tra-Con received a federal grant to put people to work and Harrisburg was the only municipality in the area that took advantage of it. The city would not have had the manpower to devote to the task of clearing the ditches, Gregg said.
One of the Man-Tra-Con workers is Cody McCluskey. He was unemployed and he and his father, John, went to the meeting at Harrisburg City Hall to sign up for consideration.
"We went up to the city hall and did paperwork, had a physical and drug test. It wasn't that hard. There was a lot of paperwork," McCluskey said.
Megan Cook of Eldorado said she enjoys the labor and especially enjoys receiving a paycheck after being out of work for quite a while.
"The kids are going to have a good Christmas and that's all I'm worried about," Cook said.
Gregg described the work as a "showpiece program" that Man-Tra-Con and those involved in the grant can point to as being a success.
"It's something you can see, put your hands on and look at and know it's working. It's one of those win, win, win opportunities," Gregg said.
The grant lasts for two years. During that time ditches from Brookstone Estates area and the Bill Franks Bypass will also be cleared.
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DeNeal receives e-mail at bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.</li>
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