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Issue Home December 3, 2008 Site Home

HEADLINES:
Susky Revisits Parking Ban
Addressing Confusion In Harford
Courthouse Report


Susky Revisits Parking Ban
By Barbara Whitehead

Over the years, various Susquehanna Boro Councils have debated the idea of a parking ban on West Main Street, and several have attempted to enact such a ban. There have been many complaints about the dangerous situation at the end of West Main, where the street is so narrow that two vehicles traveling in opposite directions cannot pass each other if there are vehicles parked there, and there have been continuing complaints from PennDOT that snow plows cannot clear the streets during the winter due to parked cars. At their November 25 meeting, the current council thoroughly debated a proposed amendment to Ordinance 416, which will permanently ban parking on West Main St. from the intersection of Third Ave. west to the boro line. The ordinance says that a vehicle may be parked along that section of West Main, provided all portion of the vehicle is off the roadway and is not blocking any portion of the sidewalk.

Not all council members were in favor of enacting the ban without providing some alternative for those residents who will be affected by the ban. Mr. Matis thought that the boro should allow parking on the intersecting avenues. Mr. Kuiper reiterated an idea he has long been a proponent of, municipal parking lots. Monthly fees would be charged for those using them, with the fees to go towards the maintenance of the lots. There are several properties on West Main that would suit this purpose. Mr. Scales suggested making Fifth Ave. one-way, and allowing parking along one side of it.

Mr. Matis also questioned whether or not a traffic study would be required before the ban could be enacted. It was agreed to send the ordinance to the boro solicitor for review, to determine if the ban is feasible and if a study would be required. And, it was agreed that enactment of this ordinance amendment should not be started until there is enough time to allow for a public meeting, at which residents can offer their input.

Council approved enactment of an ordinance to replace Ordinance 421. It will be illegal to park any vehicle or portion thereof on any borough street between November 1 to April 1 of each year after the National Weather Service has issued a “Winter Storm Advisory, Watch or Warning” for 48 consecutive hours after the warning has been issued or until the duration of the storm is concluded, whichever comes first.

Traffic tie-ups on Main Street have been reported, due to a construction crane and the fact that many vehicles parked on the opposite side of the street seem to be larger in size than in years past. Mr. Scales suggested that the next time lines are painted for parking spaces, it might be a good idea that they be painted at more of an angle than they are now, to allow more room on the street for traffic.

Business other than parking included signing of a lease with Cabot Oil & Gas and approving an agreement allowing Cabot’s access to boro property to extract water from the Susquehanna River for their drilling operations.

One bid was received for the old police car, through the municibid website, for $1,200 (stripped of police equipment). A motion carried to accept it.

Council approved a price quote from Zavada and Associates for the boro’s 2008 audit, cost to be $4,300.

Mr. Matis noted that DEP has been conducting soil testing at the riverfront property; so far, indications are that nothing abnormal has been found.

Discussion of the 2009 budget brought a request from Mayor Reddon to reinstate $5,000 that had been taken out of the police salary budget. She said that the decision to take that amount out had been made at a budget meeting she had not been able to attend, and that the decision was based on the current schedule, with no allowances made for the fact that during the summer months there are often two officers on at one time. The $5,000 had been earmarked for streets improvements, and Mr. Matis said that it could be put back into the police budget if it is needed. The mayor disagreed, and said that once the money was removed there was no guarantee that it would still be available for the police. Mr. Perry said that as the decision had been based on personnel and productivity, the matter should be discussed further at an executive session, not at an open meeting.

The budget presented for approval is at the same millage as 2008, with no increase.

There was some question as to whether or not the boro has a resolution in place to indemnify the fire department’s ambulance workers in the event that a situation arose where one could possibly seek death benefits. It was noted that the ambulance company is separate from the fire department only in the fact that it receives no funding from the boro. It was agreed to research the boro records to see if such a resolution exists before any further action is taken.

Ruth Price has tendered her resignation as one of Susquehanna’s representatives on the board of River Bounty; it was accepted with regret. Anyone interested in the position should contact council. Mayor Reddon agreed to attend the next River Bounty meeting in the meantime, to keep council abreast of what they are doing.

After an executive session, a motion carried to advertise the proposed 2009 budget.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 23, 7 p.m. in the boro building.

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Addressing Confusion In Harford
By Ted Brewster

Residents of Harford Township recently received one or more letters from the U.S. Postal Service, as well as a letter from the Susquehanna County 911 office, advising them of their new addresses. This is the culmination of a project begun in 2005 to make addresses more consistent by renaming some roads and streets, and determining where on those roads and streets to deliver the mail, and to direct emergency services when needed.

With the new address in hand, residents are directed to first contact their phone company, to ensure that the emergency 911 system is updated. Second, the new address should be given to all of your correspondents: once the address is issued, the Postal Service will allow you to use your old address for only one more year. And last but not least, you need to identify your residence (or business) by attaching the new street number to your mailbox, and, in some cases, also to your house.

The process caused some confusion at the Harford Township Supervisors' meeting on November 25. For one thing, the Postal Service's letter said that "You should have received notification of your new address from your township officials." This was news to the Harford Supervisors, who have had nothing to do with the project beyond renaming a couple of pieces road here and there. The new address is actually issued by the county, and the letter includes a toll-free telephone number to call with questions or for more information: (800) 395-6503.

There have been a lot of questions since the letters started to show up. The township itself received four or five identical letters, presumably one for each separate identifiable parcel of land owned by the township. Some of the letters from the county with the new addresses could be identified; some were a mystery. For example, what does the township own on Market Street in Harford village? Was it for the old Odd Fellows Hall that was sold a few years ago? Was it for the old firehouse? Who knows? A resident who attended the meeting said she also received four or five letters, when she has but one house. Call (800) 395-6503.

Supervisor Terry VanGorden, who is also a member of the local fire company, said that the firemen will be selling house numbers, probably for less than $20 each. He said the numbering procedure hasn't been set up yet; the materials probably won't be available for another couple of weeks.

In case you're curious, numbers are assigned to each 5.28 feet along a roadway, making up to 1,000 addressable points per mile. Your house or business address will be that point closest to the structure. Numbers are assigned in increasing sequence from South to North, and from West to East. Hard to say for roads that double back on a line running diagonally. Check with your neighbors.

What about people who have a summer residence in the township but didn't get the letter? Call (800) 395-6503. Expect the line to be busy.

The meeting agenda was actually light, but it did include proposing a new budget for next year. By scrimping and saving, the Supervisors think they can get by next year without an increase in tax rates beyond what the fire company has requested. The fire tax will go up by one-quarter mill, from 0.75 mills to a full mill. That money is turned over directly to the fire company and will represent about $7,400 in additional revenue to Harford emergency services. The township itself currently assesses 3.13 mills.

The Harford budget is actually split three ways: the state budget is exclusively for road maintenance and is funded by the state through the liquid fuel subsidy and some "turn-back" money for roads the township has accepted from the state in the past; the sewer budget is funded by subscribers of the sewer system, and the new budget is expected to allow for some long-needed upgrades at the sewer plant, paid for primarily out of the fund balance projected for the end of the current year.

The "township" budget is funded almost entirely by real-estate and earned-income taxes. Next year the Supervisors expect to spend $321,775 of the taxpayers' money, an increase of over $50,000 over 2008. Much of the increase will come from the fund balance remaining at the end of this year.

According to Supervisor Garry Foltz, the township ended 2007 about $68,000 short. He said that by careful attention to spending, and some extra effort by Supervisor and township Secretary Sue Furney to recover some expenses for the Pennay Hill bridge project from the feds, 2008 will look a little better, allowing the use of some of the savings next year.

The project to replace the bridge over Butler Creek on Pennay Hill Road should end up costing the township nothing; it should be fully reimbursable by federal and state emergency management agencies as a result of the flooding of the summer of 2006. The manufactured bridge section still hasn't arrived, and the contractor expressed some doubt that he could meet the December 31 deadline set by the feds if the bridge didn't arrive until mid-December. So the township asked for, and received, a further extension of six months beyond the year-long extension already nearing an end.

The Supervisors are holding up further consideration of replacement of the sluice under Stearns Road at the outlet of Tingley Lake pending final reimbursement on the Pennay Hill project. There is some question about the specifications drawn up by the engineers for the bridge that have been disputed by the federal authorities. Nevertheless, Mr. Foltz said that he would like to get the Stearns Road project put out to bid as soon as possible, while contractors still need the work.

The Stearns Road project will be the responsibility of the township, at least unless some grant money can be found to help out. Estimated at over $200,000, it will be paid for out of a half-million-dollar interest-free "infrastructure" loan from the state (some of which is also used for cash flow on the Pennay Hill project). The Supervisors are budgeting $18,000 per year to service this loan.

Wearing his Roadmaster hat, Mr. VanGorden said he and his crew were out at 5 a.m. that morning looking for snowy roads. Some places had enough to plow, some had almost none. He said he would not use the new, larger, anti-skid material on paved streets in Kingsley and Harford village, but would depend on the finer material and left-over cinders.

Mr. VanGorden also reported that the bridge at the lower end of Podunk, where the two roads join, was recently inspected and assigned a lower weight limit. The new limit is only 4,000 pounds, and signs will soon be installed to that effect. The bridge is known to be used by stone trucks, and Mr. Foltz said that heavy trucks seen to be using the bridge once it is posted with the lower weight limit, will be reported to the state police for enforcement.

The next meeting of the Harford Township Supervisors is scheduled for December 9. At the meeting on December 23 the Supervisors expect to formally adopt the new budget. The Supervisors announced that the proposed budget will be available for review at the township office "by appointment." All public meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. at the township building on Route 547 south of the interstate.

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Courthouse Report
Compiled By Lauren P. Ficarro

DEEDS

Thomas J. and Wanda D. McColgan to Shawn Mudge, in Clifford Township for $215,000.00.

John R. Normile (Estate) to Helen M. Quinlan, Catherine Elizabeth Altmann, Margaret A., John R., Jr., Martin J. and Mary Ellen Normile, in Silver Lake Township for one dollar.

John S. Schrader (By Sheriff) to US Bank National Association, in Montrose for $4,020.04.

Philip C. Saam (By Sheriff) to Federal National Mortgage Association (DBA Fannie Mae), in Ararat Township for $3,252.06.

Jerome E. and Sara E. Fives to Jerome E. Fives, in Middletown Township for one dollar.

Jerome E. and Sara E. Fives to Jerome E. Fives, in Middletown Township for one dollar.

Joseph G. Wildenstein to Jennifer M. Wildenstein, in Clifford Township for one dollar.

James Melville and Barbara Lefkowitz to James (Trust), Maria (Trust) and Barbara (Rev. Indenture of Trust) Melville, in Uniondale Borough for one dollar.

Margaret Yale (Estate) to Shirley M. Podwika, John and Thomas Yale and Deborah (AKA) Debroah Mesiti, in Uniondale Borough for one dollar.

Shirley M. Podwika, Thomas Yale and Debroah (AKA) Deborah Mesiti to Shirley M. Podwika, in Uniondale Borough for one dollar.

Shirley M. Podwika to Shirley M. Podwika, Lisa M. Rivenburg (AKA) Lisa M. Tisano and Scott Eric Seman, in Uniondale Borough for one dollar.

Julia Beautz to Concetta Giannone, in Forest City for $50,000.00.

Jeffrey J. and Deborah L. Benson to Shannon Cordner and Chad Benson, in Susquehanna for $45,000.00.

Martin M. Peritsky to Martin M. Peritsky and Bee Luan Lee-Peritsky, in Forest City for one dollar.

C. Leroy, Jr. and Jean D. Coleman to David Charles and Cheryl Coleman, in Bridgewater Township for one dollar.

Richard Bolt to Barbara Herndon, in New Milford Township for one dollar.

Jodi L. Vangaasbeck, Amy and Ian Gelinger and James Michael (Estate AKA) J. Michael Brown to Amy and Ian Gelinger, in Great Bend Township for one dollar.

George W. Mead to William E. Shager, in Lenox Township for $10,000.00.

Mary Robinson to David and Sandra Compton, in Lenox Township for $200,000.00.

Bremer Hof Owners, Inc. to Albert M. and Dianne G. Dudley, in Herrick Township for $3,495.00.

Bremer Hof Owners, Inc. to Michelle Soda, in Herrick Township for $3,495.00.

Bremer Hof Owners, Inc. to Walter C. and Isabella P. Brun, in Herrick Township for $2,495.00.

John J. and Lisa A. Evans to Maria Colangelo and Mary A. Taylor, in Herrick Township for $51,000.00.

Gregory Tyciak to Debra Carr, in Franklin Township for one dollar.

Charles E. Fluharty (Estate) and Donna L. Jervis to Donna L. Jervis, in Bridgewater Township for one dollar.

Charles E. Fluharty (Estate) and Donna L. Jervis to Donna L. Jervis, in Bridgewater Township for one dollar.

Donald E. and Mary Ann Tyler to Donald E., Mary Ann and Daniel P. Tyler, in Great Bend Township for one dollar.

Michael J. and Heidi G. Gathany to Michael J. and Heidi G. Gathany, in New Milford Township for one dollar.

Gary R., Jr. and Kimberly A. Webber to Jeffrey Scott and Ann Louise Empfield, in Auburn Township for $45,000.00.

Robert J. and Judith Daniels to Brian S. and Nicole Henderson Bianchi, in New Milford Township for $209,900.00.

Mary H. Colombo, William E., Jr., Amanda C. and Barbara F. (Est) Hegarty and Katharine H. Bouman to Katharine H. and Peter H. Bouman, in Liberty Township for one dollar.

Norman E. and Dorothy Turner to Joseph J. and Susan C. Bartoletti, in Liberty Township for $135,000.00.

Sukhjinder Kaur and Pirtpal Singh to Wayne H. (Trust) and Belva L. (Trust) Very, in Rush Township for one dollar.

Wayne H. (Trust by Tr) and Belva L. (Trust by Tr) Very to Francis L. (TDBA), Patricia A. (TDBA), Brett W. (TDBA) and Cristel D. (TBDA) Flynn and Flynns Stone Castle, in Rush Township for $70,000.00.

Francis L. (TDBA), Patricia A. (TDBA), Brett W. (TDBA) and Cristel D. (TBDA) Flynn and Flynns Stone Castle to Shawn R. and Andrea S. Aukema, in Rush Township for one dollar.

Michael Delio to Michael and Lois A. Delio, in Liberty Township for one dollar.

Pauline Cannavino to Thomas M. Feverston, in Auburn Township for $44,000.00.

James Michael Haubert and Susan C. Nickel to James Michael Haubert and Susan C. Nickel, in Clifford Township for one dollar.

Shirley M. Podwika, Lisa M. Rivenburgh (AKA) Lisa M. Tisano and Scott Eric Seman to Shirley M. Podwika, Lisa M. Tisano and Scott Eric Seman, in Uniondale Borough for one dollar.

Dianne Alvaro to Daniel K. Jass and Rebekah N. Crisafulli, in Herrick Township for $145,400.00.

Fay C. Button to Ruth Bennett, in Harford Township for one dollar.

Cecil and Marilyn Kilmer to Robert J. Salansky, Jr., in Gibson Township for $145,000.00.

Cecil and Marilyn Kilmer to Christopher S. Salansky, in Gibson Township for $195,000.00.

Cecil and Marilyn Kilmer to Robert J., Sr. and Rosemary Salansky, in Gibson Township for $20,000.00.

DIVORCES

Chad Clark of Binghamton vs. Stacey R. Clark of Apalachin, NY, married 1999.

June M. Benner of Meshoppen vs. Brett Benner of Springville, married 1998.

Joseph G. Wildenstein of Pleasant Mount vs. Jennifer Marie Wildenstein of Forest City, married 2002.

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