ALERT: Ellwood City Borough Planned Power Outage POSTPONED To October 26th

ALERT/UPDATE! According to the Borough of Ellwood City social media page:

***IMPORTANT UPDATE-PLEASE READ***

The planned Borough power outage scheduled for Sunday, October 19th HAS BEEN POSTPONED by Penn Power until SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26TH @ 7:30 A.M. The power outage has been postponed due to forecasted inclement weather.

below originally posted, October 3, 2025:

Ellwood City Borough has announced a planned power outage for October 19, 2025, so that Penn Power can perform maintenance and repairs to a main line that comes into the borough.

Borough Manger Kevin Swogger said the outage applies only to borough residents (not Ellport, or surrounding townships), and that they should be prepared for the outage to begin between 7 and 8 a.m. The outage could last up to 8 hours, but he said they cannot put an exact timeline on the repairs.

“We don’t expect it to be more than 8 hours,” he said. “If the work is done before, the electric department will be ready to turn the electric back on.”

The work will include fixing cross arms that are cracked and broken as well as the cleaning of insulators. Swogger said this repair along with preventative maintenance is imperative to prevent a future, non-scheduled outage that could potentially last for 48 to 72 hours. He said this planned outage guarantees that Penn Power will be scheduled in advance and onsite to work that day. He said the event was planned during a time of year where we aren’t likely to have inclement weather and that this type of work cannot be completed overnight because workers need to have the daylight to be able to see what they are doing.

Swogger said that residents will be alerted a day or two before the outage via the “Code Red” system through the borough. There are numerous ways to sign up for that program, learn how here. He said the borough is also considering a mailing to inform residents of the outage.

Councilman Caleb Cragle posted in the Official Facebook group for the Borough of Ellwood City asking residents to be cautious when out and about in the borough on that day. According to his post:

• Intersections that have traffic signals will have temporary stop signs placed to help direct traffic.
• The electric department will place a generator at the intersection of Fountain and 5th (McDonalds) to maintain a working traffic signal, as it is a highly traveled intersection.
• Be mindful of railway crossings at 4th and 6th street. While these intersections have generator or battery backup, prolong outages could affect the warning lights and armatures.

The borough issued a press release with the following steps you can take to prepare yourself and family:

• Have a plan for any power-dependent medical devices.
• Keep your car’s gas tank at least half full, as gas stations rely on electricity to pump fuel.
• Landline phones will be inoperable during the outage. Be sure to have your cell phones fully charged.
• Have identification available in case of an emergency.
• Keep prescription medications nearby (out of reach of children) to provide easy access.
• Avoid using candles or fuel powered lanterns or torches.
• Avoid using gas powered generators or gas grills indoors, as this may lead to a serious Carbon Monoxide emergency.
• As a precaution, unplug any electrical items that may be affected when the power is restored.
• Most restaurants will also be closed, so plan accordingly.
• Do not open the doors to the freezer or refrigerators, this will cause the close air to be released from the appliance.
  • The food in your freezer will be preserved during the outage. A freezer that is half full will hold all items for up to 24 hours. A freezer that is full will hold all items up to 48 hours.
  • The USDA recommends that perishable items in your refrigerator should be packed in a cooler with ice. You may also fill containers with water and freeze them and place them in the refrigerator to act as a cooler. Any meats that are above 40 degrees F should be thrown out and not used.

If you have any questions, please call 724-758-7777 opt 1 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Below is a flyer that was posted on social media by the Borough earlier this week: