KEYSTONE CLIPS Sharon to auction items

If you always wanted an old parking meter to convert into a bank or a lamp, the city of Sharon might be able to help.
The city is holding a public auction of a wide variety of items, including a couple of old firetrucks, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the city garage, 70 E. Budd St. The list includes a 1974 Ward Lafrance Fire Truck, a 1970 American Lafrance Fire Truck, a police cruiser, a 1974 Case backhoe, parking meters, cast-iron and aluminum light poles, stoplights and other items.
Wet stuff
Precipitation in the Shenango Valley was about an inch below normal for October, but the area is still ahead of normal when it comes to the wet stuff.
The Shenango Valley Division of Consumers Pennsylvania Water Co. showed that rainfall for the month totaled 1.94 inches. Normal precipitation for the month is 2.8 inches.
However, total precipitation for the year now stands at 39.16 inches, and that's more than 6 inches above the normal 33.03 inches for the first 10 months of a year in the Valley.
Organizational grant
The state is helping Lawrence County become better-organized.
State Rep. Chris Sainato of New Castle, D-9th, announced that the county is receiving a $50,000 grant from the Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance Program.
The money will be used for organizing information provided by separate agencies and departments into a complete program that will address several county needs.
The collection of the data will provide education and training opportunities to local municipalities pertaining to geographic information systems and land-use issues, Sainato said.
The grant is part of the department of community and economic development's ongoing effort to stimulate economic development in Pennsylvania.
XCONTRIBUTORS: Harold Gwin of the Sharon Bureau and Laure Cioffi of the New Castle Bureau.