Public Works Department
The Harrison Township Public Works Department is dedicated to maintaining safe, clean, and well-kept public spaces and infrastructure for residents and businesses throughout the Township.
Our Public Works team maintains approximately 100 miles of Township roads and alleys year-round, including roadway maintenance, snow and ice removal, and other seasonal services. The department also maintains the Township’s stormwater and sanitary sewer systems, collects bagged leaves and small branches for processing into rich garden compost available to Township residents, and maintains parks and other Township-owned properties through regular grass cutting and grounds maintenance.
The Public Works Department is staffed by eight employees and the Superintendent. All eight employees are qualified truck drivers, and two employees also serve as mechanics, providing in-house vehicle and equipment maintenance to help keep Township operations running efficiently.
Through year-round maintenance and responsive service, the Public Works Department protects Township infrastructure, enhances community appearance, and provides dependable services to Harrison Township residents and businesses.
Superintendent
Randy M. Martinka
Phone: 724-224-5540
Fax:724-224-2327
Staff
- Crew Leader: John Bombalski
Important Highlights
Below is information on some of our most commonly inquired about topics.
Streets & Alleys
- Snow removal in winter
- Pot hole patching in the spring and as needed during the year
- Scheduled street cleaning throughout spring, summer, and fall; in Natrona, streets are cleaned from April through October on the 3rd Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of each month
- Street sign maintenance year-round
- Intersection cross-walk painting
Leaf & Tree Limb Collection
Public Works employees pick up leaves and bundled tree branches on the day of recycle pickup. Leaves must be in the commercial paper leaf bags and branches up to 4” thick must be bundled and left at the curb or alley where the bi-weekly recycle pick up occurs. LEAVES CANNOT BE PLACED OUT IN PLASTIC BAGS as plastic bags cannot be processed by the compost machinery.
Leaf bags will only be collected during the months of April through November on recycling pick up day.
Grass clippings are to be bagged in plastic garbage bags for the regular weekly garbage pickup by the contracted refuse company.
Free Compost for Residents
The Public Works Department processes the leaves and garden residues in a compost facility and deposits the aged compost across from the Township Municipal Building. The compost is FREE and available all year for residents of Harrison Township. Please come during daylight hours and help yourself.
NO COMMERCIAL CONTRACTORS MAY USE THIS FACILITY
Rain/Storm Water and Sanitary Sewer Maintenance
The Township Public Works Department maintains all Township rain/storm sewers and sanitary sewers. As in all regional municipalities, the sewer lines are old and in constant need of maintenance. Harrison Township has replaced many miles of sanitary sewer lines, rebuilt many “manholes”, and replaced many sewer lids. The Township owns and operates a jet vac sewer truck and is able to clean out Township sewer lines without contracting out to commercial companies.
The Township maintains 673 storm sewer catch basins. Although the Public Works Department checks the catch basins on a regular basis, we are not able to monitor clogged or broken catch basins every day. Residents who observe a clogged or broken catch basin along their street, please call the Public Works Department at 724-224-5540 or click “contact us” on the Township’s website and leave a message describing the catch basin problem and location.
IT IS ILLEGAL TO HAVE SURFACE RAINWATER CONNECT TO THE SANITARY SEWER LINES. Gutters, driveway drains, French drains, and open outside stairway drains must flow to the street or alley or yard. This requirement is to prevent excessive storm water from entering the sanitary sewer lines and causing potential sewer backup into residents’ basements. Please click on the Township ordinance summary for the illegal surface rainwater connections to the sanitary sewer lines.
Harrison Township Ordinance – Chapter 18: Sewers and Sewage Disposal (PDF)
Prior to the sale of property that is tapped into the Township’s sanitary sewer system, the property owner must have the sewer connection dye tested to assure that there are no illegal storm sewer and surface rain runoff entering the sanitary sewer lines.
From the Bureau of Clean Water: “Modern Stormwater management frequently includes the installation of “Best Management Practices” (BMPs). Urban stormwater BMPs involve a wide variety of techniques that reduce storem water pollution from developed areas. One thing all BMPs have in commonis that they need routine maintenance to perform properly. Since Many BMPs are installed on private property, it is important that the owners be offered advice on BMP care. ”
Additional resources:
Sanitary Sewers
What to do in the Case of a Sewage Backup
1. Notify your Homeowners Insurance Carrier.
2. Make an inventory of items that were damaged, including approximate value.
3. Take photographs of the damaged area and items.
4. Call the Township to notify them of the claim. If you would like to file a claim with the Township’s insurance carrier, request a claim form from the Township Office. Include with your claim form a copy of any denial or settlement from your carrier.
5. You may then be contacted by an adjuster.
6. You will receive notification of the decision regarding the liability of the claim.
Please note that the Township cannot represent that your claim will be paid by the insurance carrier. Municipalities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are covered by the Pennsylvania Tort Claims Act, which provides certain immunities from liability and provides specific statutory language for liability.
What to do if you need to Repair Your Private Sanitary Sewer Lateral
What is the process for repairing a private lateral?
What are the Harrison Township Standard Details for Sewers?
STREET OPENING PERMIT
The Township has invested millions of taxpayer dollars to construct and maintain the road system in Harrison. The Township coordinates with our public utilities when planning to reconstruct and resurface the township’s 40.82 miles of road. Utility cuts are made in existing pavement sections to install a variety of underground conduits, including electric, water, natural gas lines, and sanitary and storm water pipes and manholes, as well as drainage pipes under roadways. When a utility cut is made, the native material surrounding the perimeter of the trench is subjected to loss of lateral support. This leads to loss of material under the pavement and bulging if the soil on the trench sidewalls into the excavation.
PERMIT REQUIRED:
It is unlawful for any person to make any tunnel, opening, or excavation of any kind in or under the surface of any street without first securing a permit from the manager or their designee for each separate undertaking; provided any person maintaining pipes, lines or other underground facilities in or under the surface of any street may proceed with an opening without a permit when emergency circumstances demand the work to be done immediately, provided the permit could not reasonably and practically have been obtained beforehand. The person shall thereafter apply for a permit on the first regular business day on which the office of the manager or his designee is open for business and said permit shall be retroactive to the date when the work was begun. In all cases where emergency openings are necessary, the police and the Public Works Department shall be notified prior to such opening. Permits are non-transferable from one person to another, and the work shall not be performed in any place other than the location specifically designated in the permit.
PERMIT FEE:
Permit fees are set per resolution each year and are reviewed annually. Extensive opening incur added inspection time and actual pavement openings may require additional assessed fees.
Bond for performance of restoration:
Each applicant shall provide the Township, prior to issuance of the permit, with a permit bond to guarantee full performance of the work authorized by the permit, the form of the bond to be substantially that supplied by the Township. The amount of the bond shall equal the cost to complete the work, as estimated by the Superintendent or Engineer, including maintenance of the work for a period of two years from the date of its completion but, in no event, shall any such bond be in an amount less than $1,000. All such bonds shall have, as collateral thereto, either a cashier’s check payable to the Township or a corporate surety acceptable to the Township. The Superintendent or Engineer may, in the event that multiple permits are to be issued to the same permittee, permit the applicant to furnish one bond which shall be in such amount and subject to such terms as the Superintendent or Engineer deems necessary to cover all the work to be done by the applicant under all such permits.
Insurance:
The applicant shall provide a certificate of insurance to the Township, as part of its application for the permit, same to reflect that the contractor, subcontractor or any other entity who shall actually perform the work under the permit is insured against all claims for bodily injury, including death, as well as all claims for property damage, any of which may arise out of its performance of the work. This insurance shall include completed operations and underground coverages and it shall name the Township as an additional insured. The Superintendent or Engineer may require increased limits in the insurance coverage based upon the nature and extent of the work; however, the minimum limits for bodily injury, including death, shall be $500,000 for each person and $1,000,000 for each occurrence and a minimum of $250,000 for property damage for each occurrence.
For the full Street Excavation Ordinance please click here
2026 Natrona Street Sweeping Schedule
Month Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
*April 21 15 16
May 19 20 21
June 16 17 18
*July 21 15 16
August 18 19 20
September 15 16 17
*October 20 21 15
*Please note that for the months indicated the days do not fall in order.