West Kittanning Intersection Closed this Weekend

West Kittanning Borough motorists will have to take a longer route if they need to get out of town this weekend due to the Route 268/1038 intersection being closed Friday night until Monday morning. The closure is expected to finalize work needed to activate signal lights.

Motorists traveling into Kittanning from the west have endured lots of traffic headaches associated with the Butler Road intersection construction in West Kittanning/East Franklin Township, and will have to tolerate another this weekend.

PennDOT construction crews will close the west leg of the State Route 268 /SR 1038 (Butler Road) intersection this weekend to ensure realignment.

Beginning at 8PM Friday, Route 268 will close on the west leg of the intersection which travels up Franklin Hill Road toward Hilltop Plaza in East Franklin Township. Franklin Hill Road and Belmont South Road (the road behind Quality Inn Royale) will be closed until 6AM Monday, May 21.

The posted detour for Route 268 North traffic is following Route 422 across the Judge Graff Bridge to Business 422 which leads to Route 1038. For Route 268 drivers, crews are recommending south traffic Route 1038 to Business 422 State 422 across the Judge Graff Bridge and back onto 268.

After the weekend closure, the new intersection will be opened to full traffic with the newly installed signal controlling traffic movements in the intersection. The old multi-legs of this intersection will be closed. Northern Avenue will be posted as right-in and right-out only.

This intersection realignment and upgrade project converts the multi-leg intersection located at Route 268 and Route 1038 (Butler Road) into a               T-intersection.  The project included the removal of two box culverts and installation of a new box culvert over Whiskey Run, stream realignment, traffic signal installation, sanitary sewer relocation, and other construction at the intersection.

The $2.5 million project was under construction Summer 2011 as well before contractors hit a snag in October and had to reset the intersection during the winter. Work is being completed by Plum Contracting of Greensburg and is expected to be completed by mid-November.

Trap Shoot Scheduled to Benefit Relay for Life

The Ford City Sportsmen's Club will host it's 13th Trap Shoot to benefit the "Relay for Life" this coming Sunday at their facility in North Buffalo Township. It will be dedicated to former member John C. Novak who passed away earlier this year.

by Theresa Fetterman

On Sunday, May 20, 2012, the Ford City Sportsmen’s Assoc. will host its 13th Trap Shoot and Open House with a 50/50 raffle, Chinese Auction and food to benefit the “Relay for Life” division of the American Cancer Society.

Over $55,000 has been raised in past years.  Sign ups are from 10:30 AM until 2:30 PM.

This year’s event is dedicated to John Clement Novak, who in the past has always organized the event and has been a supporter of cancer research and a very active member of FCSA. John passed away on January 10, 2012 at the age of 82.

Novak was an avid hunter, sportsman and trap shooter who lived his entire life in the Ford City area. He was most comfortable outdoors. At a very young age, he developed a passion for the outdoors as a hunter, trapper, and angler.

Most of his life he owned a beagle which was his hunting companion.  As a youth, selling the fur was a source of income as well as delivering the local newspaper.   He was a 1947 graduate of Ford City High and a member of Holy Trinity Church. A Korean War Veteran in the Marines, he became Staff Sergeant and was stationed at Fort Cherry, NC and San Diego, CA where he earned a Good Conduct Medal First Award.

He was a member of the ATA and NRA and, as a trap shooter, he helped to develop the Ford City Sportsmen’s Club at its present location in North Buffalo Twp. In the 1960’s and 1970’s he traveled to many locations, camper trailer in tow along with his family, to enjoy trapshooting. He attended the  “Grand American Tournament” several years in Vandalia, OH. Trap shooting was done almost daily, participating in local league tournaments including the “Valley League” which travels to several club locations each week.

When he was not shooting, he would be in his basement reloading his own shells for the next shoot or hunting adventure. Reloading in itself is an art and his friend, Don Lewis, prominent writer, included Novak in several of his columns.

Many youths will remember Novak as their instructor for their “Hunter Safety Course”. He took pleasure in teaching his children, grandchildren, and any children willing to learn about shooting and outdoors.

He was a great crow hunter, so much so that his buddies gave him the nickname “Crow”. Sometimes when he would sign his name, he would draw crow tracks next to his signature. He was also an avid gardener. Anyone that saw his garden, which was huge, would compliment him. He was very generous with it, giving much of the produce to friends and family.

He could always be found at the local marching band festivals and concerts, high school musicals and was a regular at the Ford City Football Field on Friday nights. He was a regular blood donor. He worked at PPG in Ford City and retired from Allegheny Ludlum Steel.  He was a member of the Crooked Creek Watershed Assoc., Falcons, Jednota and the Ford City American Legion.  In September 2010, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame for having voted consecutively at every election for 50 years by then Gov. Edward Rendell.

He was married to Mary Novak for 57 years, has five children, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.

The event is open to not just to shooters but to all who would like to donate to cancer research.

The Sportsmen’s Club is located at 189 Gameland Road, in North Buffalo Township. The Kitchen will be open with all proceeds going to the Cancer

Fund.  Program: 100 ‘ 16 yard targets, entry fee is $25. Shoot Options available are: Lewis Class; 50s: 1st and Last; and High Gun.  “Our Guns Will Shoot to Save Lives”.