Schuylkill River Trail expansion, police presence discussed in Frackville

May 19—FRACKVILLE — Plans for the extension of the Schuylkill River Trail to the borough were discussed at the May 10 council meeting.

Patti Domalakes, Frackville Downtown president, said she met recently with Julia Hurle, Schuylkill River Greenways trail director, to discuss where the northern terminus of the trail would be located once it is completed in Frackville.

Greenways wants the trail to go through Lehigh Avenue and connect with the Frackville Little League Field at 301 W. High St., according to Domalakes.

The Schuylkill River Trail will be a multi-use path that will run 120 miles from Frackville to Philadelphia.

Domalakes, whose volunteer committee leads the Lehigh Avenue streetscape revitalization project, believes the expanded trail will generate tourism revenue in the borough.

"We're hoping that by bringing it through our main street, we can get some business from that," she said. "It wouldn't be just the hotels and the businesses out at the end of town. It would be the businesses all through town."

Andrew Smarkanic, a fellow Frackville Downtown member, said the council has a responsibility to provide "commitment to funds" toward the streetscape project.

"We have yet to hear from council if they're willing to put any kind of dollars up for matching grants," he said at the meeting. "So that would be a good idea to, at some point in time, make a motion to at least propose X amount of dollars."

The council didn't take formal action, but members responded favorably to the idea.

Officials from Schuylkill River Greenways, which manages the trail, led a walk on Monday to discuss possible plans for the trail route in Frackville. Participants walked from the southern end of the route, below Frackville, to the proposed terminus, near the borough's northern end.

Police coverage

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Joan Jones, of Gilberton, expressed discontent with the Frackville police department.

Jones recounted an incident in which she heard several gunshots near her home, including one that she said occurred "below" her house.

When she contacted the Schuylkill County Communications Center about the issue, she was ultimately referred to Pennsylvania State Police.

Jones said that neither state nor Frackville police, which serves Gilberton, responded to her complaint.

"They're not doing their job out there," she said.

Jones had previously addressed the council about Frackville's police force, which has recently received criticism from citizens due to its dwindling staff in the wake of resignations.

In the 14 months since former Pottsville police Patrolman Paul Olson was hired as the police chief in Frackville, three full-time borough officers and one part-timer left the department, which initially left Olson as the only officer working in the borough.

In addition to Olson, the department now has another full-time officer, Joseph Murton, and two part-timers, according to council President Ron Jordan.

Asked about the police situation, Jordan said it is "unfortunate" and that the council is continuing to "move forward" and looking to hire officers.

Contact the writer: hlee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6085