Local News

Editor's Note:
You will still be able to travel from the intersection of Route 447 & 191 north on Route 447 into Barrett.
You will NOT be able to take Route 191 North towards Henryville. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will close the stone bridge tunnel on routes 191/447 in Pocono Township for a rebuild and repair, creating traffic havoc for over a year.

The roadway is a major thoroughfare connecting Stroud Township with Paradise and Barrett townships.

The project, still in the design phase, will begin sometime in June or July of 2018 and take about 14 months to complete, according to George Gumas of HNTB Corporation, the designer and manager of the project.

PennDOT will close the roadway at that time, and vehicles will be forced to take a seven-mile detour around the construction. It is similar to the detour that was used when another bridge north of the current one was rebuilt a few years ago.

[Full Article]

I am passing along a note from our neighbors at Monroe County Habitat for Humanity, which is currently looking for clients who may need home restoration projects completed by July 1. This year, the organization hopes to complete 30 home preservation projects in Monroe County, which will help struggling homeowners make necessary repairs.

To qualify, a single person must earn less than $38,600 and a family of two must earn less than $44,100 per year, and be up to date on mortgage, property taxes and have homeowner’s insurance. For more information, call 570-216-4390 or visit habitatmc.org

Some residents (especially in the northern area) have voiced concern about the quality of cell-phone reception.  We have been told by Verizon that it is in the process of upgrading the number of towers as well as the system to 5G.  If you have interest in improving the quality of reception, we have been advised by Verizon that it would be helpful if residents called Verizon customer service at 800-922-0204 to register their views.  If enough people call in, Verizon creates a work ticket to review service quality and might then increase the speed of Barrett's upgrade. Verizon does offer rental compensation for the location of their tower on your property; however, esthetic and other concerns of our neighbors and the township are very important and would be best first discussed with Township Supervisors.

Sidewalks do not "bring business" into town.  Businesses do.  Then, those businesses add sidewalks. 

Sidewalks are a liability.  Sidewalks require maintenance.  Tree roots push sidewalks up and crack them, creating more "trip and fall" hazards. 

Then, when it snows, they fine you for not shoveling:

Read full article on WNEP:
Clear Sidewalks or Get Fined in Stroudsburg

The Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice of violation to the Weiler Corporation for polluting a pond on its property.

Weiler is in the process of remediating the spill.

The pond sits to the left of a land bridge at the company’s entrance and creates a smaller pond through a culvert to the right of the roadway.

Weiler Corp. first noticed a sheen on the pond in front of the facility and tried to determine what the source of the substance was, according to Weiler President and CEO Chris Weiler. They learned of the source on Feb. 3.

“It was likely some underground storage tanks that are used to heat and cool the building,” he said.

Full Article:
http://www.poconorecord.com/news/20170311/dep-issues-pollution-violation-to-weiler

We noticed that Vocelli Pizza delivers to our area, and wanted to share.  They are located in Mount Pocono, connected to Bailey's Steakhouse.  570-839-7437

The Barrett Paradise Friendly Library is excited to announce the Grand Opening of our new S.T.E.A.M. Creation & Discovery Center. Stop by the library any Mon, Wed, or Thursday between 3:30pm-6:30pm to free play with the new materials. We will be hosting a Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, February 18th from 11am-1pm where all of the new materials will be showcased. Also, Lynn Vorhees, creator of Imaginality Augmented Reality software, will also be on-hand to show us how her exciting software works!

For more information about this program, or any of our other children's programs, visit www.BarrettLibrary.org or call the library! 570-595-7171

Fellow Barrett Resident,

In July 2015, the Barrett Township Police Department merged with Pocono Regional.  Since then, have been numerous “unofficial” (unreported) break-ins, vandalism, and thefts.  There have also been two bank robberies:

• In November 2015, the ESSA bank on Route 390 was robbed. (link)
• In January 2017, the NBT Bank on Route 390 was robbed. (link)

 I wanted to share some thoughts and ideas, suggestions and pointers, so that the next time one of our (three!) banks is held up, the citizens know what they can do:

BARRETT TOWNSHIP -- State officials say the owners of a building being demolished in Monroe County need to explain themselves.

Crews are knocking down a former elementary school in the Mountainhome area, but the Department of Environmental Protection says the notice of demolition expired.

The DEP said the owners, who are from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, filed a notice of demolition and asbestos abatement over the summer. The paperwork expired at the end of September and was never renewed.

DEP surveyed the site when crews started demolition in November and gave the OK to continue. Crews are under orders to stop working if they find any asbestos.

A spokesperson with DEP said the owners will get a notice of violation for not properly renewing the paperwork and could face a fine.

Original Article

Editor's Note: Compared to how nicely the other bridges in our area have turned out, it's a shame how big of a "bump" there is when driving over this new bridge!  They recently shaved it down and add another seam, which makes it a little better, but it's still pretty rough.

PARADISE TOWNSHIP -- The "closed bridge" and "detour" signs have been moved and the bridge on Route 940 in Paradise Township is back open for business, bringing relief for many including businesses that were affected.

"We are so excited and I couldn't even imagine how excited I was for this bridge to open," said Suzie Eckhart, Kasa's Pizza and Taco Bell manager.

Source: Pocono Record

Major demolition work at the old Inn at Buck Hill Falls is scheduled to begin next month.

However, just like obtaining any details surrounding the ultimate fate of the former landmark, getting specific information about the scheduled work has proved nearly impossible.

“What I know is that the Buck Hill Falls Company is knocking down property there,” said Barrett Township Supervisor and Roadmaster John Seese, who noted that the township doesn’t have anything to do with the demolition work.

Several messages left for Buck Hill Falls Company President Michael O’Shea went unreturned.