BEAR LIFT?: Nope. As it turns out, it was not a bear being
lifted off the ground by helicopter near Lantz Corners over the
weekend. That would have been a cool story but, alas, the chopper
apparently was lifting something a bit more mundane.
Richard Arthurs of Hutchins tells us the helicopter lifts have
been common in his neck of the woods even as long ago as snow
season.
As he explained it, Seneca Resources, an affiliate of National
Fuel Gas, owns thousands of acres in the region. A contractor,
Comquest, is lifting large quantities of cabling used for
seismographic testing in the oilfields throughout this wooded
region.
The orange and black helicopters have been seen frequently in
the vicinity of the particleboard plant near Hutchins, according to
Mr. Arthurs.
Mystery solved.
PITT QUERY: Chauncey Wilson, a graduate of Bradford High’s Class
of 1968, writes: “I was born in Bradford and lived there until 1972
when I was drafted and went into the Army. I remember Bradford as
a boomtown in the ’50s and ’60s and saw a decline over the years. I
went to the University of Pitt at Bradford for a semester and have
watched the school grow to a four-year college now, but when I
visit and talk with friends and family, it doesn’t seem like the
University has provided a foundation for a resurgence of
Bradford.”
“When I come home and visit, I find myself curious whether those
who live in Bradford now feel like the University has provided much
to revive the city. I remember many years ago thinking that the 219
bypass would hurt Bradford by making it easier to skirt the town
and recall from some classes on urban planning that bypasses don’t
always yield the expected outcome either.
“I would be quite interested in how folks in Bradford feel about
the impact of the University on the town — both good and bad.”
While we can’t speak for the entire town, we would have to save
that Bradford is enormously happy with the local campus which
continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Not only does it make a huge
contribution to the community in financial terms, but it has a
cultural impact, too.
And, of course, mostly importantly, it provides an opportunity
for countless residents to get a college degree — right here.
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