Mark Clark announces run for re-election

Mark Clark, the current Town of Owego Highway Superintendent, has announced his bid for reelection. Clark has served Owego for the past two terms as the Highway Superintendent and is vying for his third this fall.

Clark’s department is responsible for over 200 center lane miles with boundaries that stretch north from the Newark Valley town line and south to the Pennsylvania line in Apalachin. In the last eight years, the Town has spent more than $8 million in budgeted money, which also includes funds from the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIP) for asphalt and surface treatment projects. Clark’s department also maintains drainage ditches, sluce pipes, bridges, and cross over pipes that exist in the rural areas of the Town.

Subdivision drainage is also another responsibility that falls under his department. Clark stated, “Many catch basins and pipes within the Town’s subdivisions are on average of 40 years old and are showing signs of substantial deterioration.” To remedy this issue, his department has a dedicated crew for catch basin maintenance and reconstruction during summer construction season. The Town has approximately 1,400 catch basins in its jurisdiction.

During the winter months, the Town has 16 plow trucks to maintain the roads. These same trucks are used during the construction months for the Town’s ongoing projects. In addition to road projects, the Town has two roadside mowers, which operate throughout the summer on all rural roads. Clark also maintains that in his eight years as Superintendent, numerous roads, both rural and suburban, have been rehabilitated. Many more roads are on his 5-year plan.

Another ongoing project for Clark and his department is surface treating all the dirt roads within the Township. The Town has 22 miles of dirt roads and he believes this project will cut the cost of operations significantly, making winter operations easier and safer for the traveling public. The scope of this project, with its length and preparation for surface treatment, will take two full construction seasons.  According to Clark, “our Town’s infrastructure is, and will continue to be, a top priority of my department.”