NORTH BUFFALO TWP, Armstrong County — When property owners on Creek Road — Township Road 308 — found out the township was considering an ordinance to vacate the route, they were immediately concerned.

The ordinance would effectively vacate the road as a public road, meaning upkeep would no longer be the township’s responsibility. This would declassify the road as a public route, returning maintenance and ownership to landowners along the road.

“It’s been maintained for well over the 52 years I’ve been here,” said Kenneth McGuire, a resident of Creek Road, referring to current efforts by the township to return maintenance to residents.

Kenneth and his wife, Karen, occupy one of the three homes on Creek Road. Down the road are Michael Valencic and his wife, also named Karen, who have lived at the end of the road for 18 years.

The Delings, who also own property on the road, inherited the property after their father died. The three sisters have also expressed their desire for the road to remain a public route as they make plans for the land.

A hearing was initially held by the township board of supervisors for the ordinance to vacate the road May 13, but it ended without a decision.

At the hearing, roadmaster and current board Vice Chairman Jennifer Matarrese said PennDOT sent an email advising the road be vacated. The email reported the absence of a cul-de-sac, prohibiting maintenance trucks from turning around.

“He (a PennDOT representative) did a spot check more recently and noticed that there was something built and that we are instructed to remove this from the liquid fuels (fund),” Matarrese said at the hearing.

At the hearing, it came to light the Deling family had not received notification of the hearing through the mail. The hearing was then ended, with a plan to reschedule after they had been notified.

As of June 24, Bobbi Deling, one of the three sisters, said they had not received a notice in the mail.

At a regular supervisors meeting June 10, the agenda listed a motion to re-advertise the proposed ordinance and set a new hearing date for Wednesday, July 8. The motion was tabled.

Michael Valencic said he believes there is enough room to turn around at the end of the road. He said he has seen plenty of large vehicles do so in his time there.

“I got videos of a triaxle bringing me 22 tons of stone, and he turned around with no problem,” he said.

Most homeowners on the road are retired. They claim they lack the physical ability to service the road themselves. Financially, they said, laying gravel, filling potholes and snow plowing in the winter isn’t something they can afford.

Karen Valencic said the couple hired an Amish group to build a barn on their property last fall. The project stretched into the colder months.

“If there had been a significant snowfall and there was no one to clear the road they couldn’t have gotten back here in their little pickup truck,” she said.

While a project delay would have been the worst of the results from that scenario, access to the road becomes a bigger concern to them when they think of deliveries, emergency services or trash pickup.

“Just any delivery would be a burden, you know?” Michael Valencic said.

Mail carriers and trash trucks are not legally required to go down a road if it is private property. Those on the road worry this could isolate them from those services.

In addition to winter maintenance, the Valencics said the required year-round service isn’t plausible for them either.

Being in a wooded area, it’s common for trees to fall into the road. Currently, they simply call to have them moved off the road. However, without township upkeep, they would be attempting to move it themselves.

“If trees like that fall down, it’s almost impossible … to come and try to clear that. At least it would be extremely dangerous,” Michael Valencic said.

Any other work required on the road would need to be done by property owners as well. Laying gravel, water drainage work and filling potholes would be their job. Homeowners say the funds needed for that maintenance are unattainable.

“Berming the road and maintaining it, all that would fall under our responsibility, which would be very expensive,” Michael Valencic said.

If the road is vacated and falls into disrepair, they fear they could become stranded in the event of an emergency.

“Yeah, that would be medical emergencies, all the deliveries, you know, UPS, FedEx, etc.,” Michael Valencic said.

Even with the road maintained, property owners said it’s already in poor condition.

Michael Valencic said ditches haven’t been cleaned out and water drainage pipes are easily clogged, leading to occasional flooding.

“There’s very, very little maintenance on this road,” he said.

The board of supervisors declined further comment on the ordinance. If a hearing is scheduled, all property owners on the road must be notified ahead of time.

PennDOT did not respond to a request for a copy of the email sent to township supervisors advising vacating the road.