HOLLIDAYSBURG — Gaysport residents may have to wait a while longer for their long-sought floodwater remediation pond after the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office issued a recommendation for an expanded study of the project site in June.

Workers discovered a number of Native American artifacts on the site of the project, known as Stowell Farm, in Gaysport earlier this year, prompting a

phase I study by the preservation office.

In June, the office sent a letter to Hollidaysburg Borough recommending an expanded phase II study based on their review of the phase I information, according to the letter which was presented during a Thursday night Borough Council meeting.

According to the meeting agenda, the phase II study “will add significant costs and delays to the project.”

Council Vice President Brady Leahey said he was unaware of the exact duration of the delay incurred by the new study, but that the work on the study itself would be carried out by state officials.

According to a prediction issued by Borough Manager Ethan Imhoff during the council’s April meeting, a phase II study could delay the Stowell Farm project until 2026.

Council President Pro Tempore Clay Gingrich said that the borough is currently working with state Sen. Judy Ward’s office and the state Department of Environmental Protection to find ways for the project to proceed without having to complete the phase II study.

Gingrich and council member Bill Kitt both noted the enthusiasm of residents in their respective wards to see the project finished in a timely manner as motivation for their support for finding a way around the phase II study.

The council announced that the borough submitted an application for $1.2 million in Community Project Funding to the offices of both U.S. Rep. John Joyce, R-13th District, and Sen. Dave McCormick in hopes of securing essential capital that would allow the project to proceed.

According to the agenda, the funding awards will be announced sometime in fall 2025.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, five residents of the

Gaysport area voiced concerns surrounding flood mitigation efforts in light of recent storms in the region, especially for increased maintenance of the mini ditch to allow more water to pass through.

Several residents ex­pressed support for a modification to the existing drainage pipe silt screens, which would allow more water to pass through during periods of high water flow, as the current screens may limit the total volume of water, resulting in more flooding in adjacent areas.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.