A Gettysburg utility installation gone wrong dominated Monday night’s meeting of the Gettysburg Borough Storm Water Authority, after engineers revealed that a Met-Ed crew had punched a utility pole straight through a newly installed stormwater pipe on North Washington Street — damage members said was both “serious” and “unacceptable.”
Photos presented to the board showed the pole shoved deep into the side of the pipe, crushing the interior and blocking the line. Engineer Chad Clabaugh told the authority that the pipe was so badly compromised that lining it — a less invasive fix — was not a viable option. “I’m really concerned about being able to line it… the best option is replacement,” he said. Board members immediately agreed, with one noting, “Option A sounds like the only way to go.” Another added, “I wouldn’t even include lining.”
The board also demanded answers about the required 811 “Call Before You Dig” process. “This is a very serious thing,” said one member. “It could have been a natural gas line. We want a full report on what happened on your end with the 811.” Borough Manager Charles Gable will issue a formal letter to Met-Ed requiring pipe replacement, full roadway restoration “all the way to the railroad tracks,” and a detailed accounting of how the violation occurred.
The rest of the meeting covered routine business. The authority reported year-to-date revenue of $279,000 and expenses of $222,000, creating a $56,000 surplus. Staff said delinquent stormwater payments remain high, with many properties in the penalty phase. “Half the people who get these letters pay,” members noted, adding that lien notices will go out after the December 31 deadline.
Engineers also updated the board on ongoing projects. Work on the Brehn Alley channel wall is “essentially done,” with completion expected next month. Survey work for the Priority #1 streambank wall between Carlisle Street and Gilliland Alley is complete, and a spring grant application is planned for the next phase. Columbia Gas will begin its North Gettysburg project in January, with the borough’s associated Lincoln Avenue stormwater construction expected to bid mid-year.
Gable reported on a recent private meeting in Gettysburg with U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, who showed detailed knowledge of the borough’s infrastructure challenges and asked whether the long-sought Baltimore Street reconstruction might qualify for a federal earmark. “He understands our obstacles,” Gable said. “We have him; we have his ear.”
The board set its 2026 meeting calendar and adjourned without additional public comment.
2026 Meeting Dates
January 12
February 9
March 9
April 13
May 11
June 8
July 13
August 10
September 14
October 12
November 9
December 14
How “new” was the pipe and did the borough update their infrastructure maps with POCS (811)? If the new pipe was not added to the maps used for One Calls, the contractor would not know to look for it. It becomes the borough’s liability. If it was on the map prior to the dig, it is fully the responsibility of the utility.
POCS does not maintain infrastructure maps. POCS uses a database to notify all facility owners in a project area of the project.
If met-ed submitted a one call ticket and the borough failed to mark/paint their infrastructure, then its the boroughs liability.