COMPREHENSIVE. PLAN KNOXVILLE BOROUGH Tioga County Pennsylvania ' ' 1994 LOOKING TO THE FUTURE..... KNOXVILLE BOROUGH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN January 1994 Prepared by: Knoxville Borough Planning Commission Knoxville Borough Council Keith Baker James Cutaiar Denise Davenport Jay Erb Leroy Newcomb Jace Steadman Joseph Walker Knoxville Mayor Wilbur Drake Knoxville Planning Commission - - Grant Gehman, Chair Kenneth Schoonover, Vice Chair Eugene Seelye, Secretary Milford Pond Mary Stebbins Hugh Tubbs -. Knoxville Borough Municipal Building P.O. Box 191 112 West Main Street Knoxville, Pennsylvania 16928 Mary Jo Bacon, Secretary Telephone: (8 14) 326-4126 T 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Statement of Purpose .................... 3 Municipal Facilities Police Protection and Objectives ..................... 4 Fire Protection and Objectives ...................... 5 Public Water Supply and Objectives .................. 7 Storm Drainage and Objectives ..................... 8 Solid Waste Management and Objectives ............... 9 Municipal Building and Objectives .................. 10 Recreation and Objectives ....................... 11 Other Community Facilities/Services Education and Objectives .................... 12 Religion and Objectives ..................... 14 Library Services and Objectives ................ 15 Health Services and Objectives ................. 16 Housing Survey and Objectives ........................ 17 Transportation and Objectives ......................... 19 Knoxville Borough Street Map ..................... 21 Economy and Objectives ............................ 22 Existing Land Use and Natural Features ...................- 25 Geological Map of Knoxville Area .................. 27 Soil Map of Knoxville Area ...................... 28 Future Land Use Plan .........: ................... 29 Knoxville Land Developme.nt Areas Map ............... 30 Knoxville Flood Prone Areas Map .................. 31 Conclusion .................................... 32 Appendix ..................................... 33 Opinion Survey .............................. 34 2 INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The purpose of this document is to call attention to Knoxville Borough’s past, identify what should be preserved, evaluate its present condition and make recommendations for future development in the borough. The Borough of Knoxville was incorporated in 1851 from Deerfield Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania. Previous to that time, however, pioneer families had settled here as early as 1799. Those pioneering families, through group and individual effort, met the challenges of community living at the confluence of the Cowanesque River and Troups Creek. This pioneering spirit and willingness to plan for the betterment of the community is still alive and motivates the borough to prepare this Comprehensive Plan. In the past, basic community facilities and services developed as the borough grew, but without the benefit of a long-range plan. An historical review of those facilities and services follows. A Community Opinion Survey was circulated to all households and businesses in the borough asking respondents to rate their perception of the current status of community facilities and services, and to indicate what they felt was necessary to improve in the future. Those results are summarized, included in this document, and influenced recommendations to the Knoxville Borough Council from the Planning Commission. The Knoxville Borough Council established the Planning Commission for the express purpose of making recommendations to guide the direction and manage the growth of the borough in the years ahead. Commission members were appointed by the Council to form conclusions based on not only what some residents wanted, but what was best for the community as a whole. This document is a first step in that process. 3 MUNICIPAL FACILITIES Police Protection According to Edwin A. Glover's Centennial History of Knoxville TioPa Countv Pennsvlvania, "the 1850's and 60's appear to have been a period of thieves and firebugs. Stores were frequently burglarized. Horses, cattle, and other property were stolen. There were occasional hold-ups on the highways." This state of affairs brought forth the "Cowanesque Detective Club" which was organized in early October, 1859. The organization appears to have been active until the outbreak of the Civil War. After the War it was re-activated, but we know nothing of it after 1868. "Just what the club was to accomplish by the way of law enforcement does not clearly appear from the old record. The club organized a "watch" and fined members who did not take their turns. Members were assessed to provide funds with which to partially reimburse any member suffering a loss by theft. Some prosecutions were instituted and attempts made to recover stolen goods. Tradition relates that detectives were called in from away. These detectives fraternized with the outlaws, won their confidence, and were admitted to their gangs. In this way, according to the tradition, the detectives were able to obtain sufficient evidence to put an end to the lawlessness." This may have been Knoxville's first answer to police protection. Prior to incorporation as a borough, there are records of men who lived in what is now Knoxville borough, but served as Constable in Deerfield Township. The elected office of Constable has been filled by many men in Knoxville who would call upon the Pennsylvania State Police when needed, or in absence of a Constable, borough residents would call the Pennsylvania State Police directly for assistance. At the present time the Constable and the Police Office are one and the same. A Police Officer was first hired in Knoxville on a part-time basis in about 1980, and in 1989 the position became full-time under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of the borough. The borough now owns its own police car, maintains a police office in the Boro Building and is a member of the Tioga County Emergency Services which makes available the Tioga County Enhanced 9 11 telephone number. OBJECTIVES 1. Maintain the quality of police protection now enjoyed by the borough. 2. Increase the capacity of police protection should borough changes so dictate. 4 Fire Protection Again, as recorded in Glover's Centennial Histow of Knoxville Tioea CounN Pennsvlvania, "Knoxville Borough was over forty years old before there was any organized fire protection. Dluring the later 1880's there was increasing agitation for a fire company. Fires were rather frequent and after the I.M. Edgcomb and Sons factory burned in June, 1891, it became obvious to all that something should be done. By midsummer, 1892, the Lafayette Engine and Hose Company was in existence." "By 1903 Lafayette Engine and Hose Company had faded from the scene and a new company was organized. In this year a Y.M.C.A. was formed. At its height the organization had over 100 members. The result of this was the Y.M.C.A. Fire Company, Knoxville's second fire fighting organization. It was active for nearly twenty years. The fire fighting apparatus of this period consisted of tow hand drawn (and pushed) hose carts. In 1910 a second fire house was built on North First Street in which one of the carts was kept. It was felt that having the carts at separate locations would better protect all parts of the borough." "Another company, the Knoxville Borough Hose Company, was organized for service along with the Y.M.C.A. Company. It lasted only a few years. Beginning in 1918, the Y.M.C.A. Company gradually became less active. In 1923 the company was revived and reorganized, but it folded permanently in 1927. In the absence of an organized company, the borough council appointed a succession of fire chiefs who did the best they could with unorganized assistance. "In 1939 the Knoxville Civic Club sponsored the organization of the Knoxville Volunteer Fire Company. This company was formed in the fall of that year. The borough council purchased an old model A Ford (1929) fire truck complete with equipment for $850. This truck was not quite the last word in fire fighting equipment, but it was far better than the town had had before. There was a 100 gallon booster tank, Siamese coupling, three adjustable nozzles, 200 feet of hose, and chemical extinguishers." In 1943 a new fire siren was purchased and installed, the funds being raised by public subscription. In 1946 the fire company quarters were transferred from the North First Street building to the Town Hall on Case Street where its predecessor companies had had quarters. A new Dodge power wagon was purchased in 1947, again by public subscription. The pumper and equipment on the original truck was transferred to the new truck which gave the fire company an adequate vehicle a minimum cost. _. In another publication by Edwin A. Glover, Eightv Year of Fire Companv History, he relates that "in 1953 the name of the fire company was changed to Knoxville-Deerfield Volunteer Fire Company. As equipment increased in size and value, storage space became a problem." The Kayser Building on the comer of Main and Case Streets was purchased for the frre company in 1960 and "was completely renovated to provide for storage space for trucks and equipment, dining hall, kitchen, office and club rooms. The fire company incorporated in 1961 and undertook the indebtedness of the new fire house." 5 After incorporation, a Fire Board was established to handle the income from taxes from Deerfield Township and Knoxville Borough. This board consists of two members from Deerfield Township,