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HEADLINES: In Harford, As Always, Roads Garry Foltz reminded observers that Harford Township does a lot of other things besides maintain the roads at the Supervisors' meeting on February 15. After all, however, road maintenance is the main thing that 2nd-class townships do in Pennsylvania, and some of those observers didn't want them to forget it. Doug Higgins attended the meeting representing the Harford-Lenox Baseball Association, the local Little League team, with the Association's annual appeal for support. He didn't ask for a specific amount of money, but the Supervisors recognized the organization's value to the community and allotted $500 as they usually do. He also asked for help having the ballfield surveyed because of an uncertain boundary line. Noting the expense involved with a real survey, Mr. Foltz suggested visiting the neighboring properties to look for pins from the last survey. Supervisor and Secretary Sue Furney was reminded that the county housing authority did a survey when the ballfield was separated from the rest of the old school property at the time that the Harford Village Apartments was built; maybe the Housing Authority has a survey map. Or, perhaps one of the gas companies operating in the area would allow the use of one of their sophisticated GPS devices to help out. When the road report came up on the agenda, one observer complained vociferously about the condition of the roads and debated the value of expenses like the township's contribution to the baseball team while the township's equipment deteriorates along with the roads. He was reminded that the baseball association is one of the few things the community offers to its youth. "What else do they have to do?" he was asked. The roads came in for a lot of heated criticism at the meeting, particularly the heavy ice that has accumulated recently. Questions about the type of stone and/or anti-skid being used, the type of cutting blades on the plows, whether the grader should be equipped with a plow, keeping the ditches open. On and on it went, with Roadmaster Terry VanGorden valiantly defending his crew. The township actually contracted with an equipment operator to deal with a particularly dangerous situation. Mr. Foltz said that the type of anti-skid they preferred to use, called "number 67," has become difficult to get. The alternatives aren't perfect, and the township has been trying to get black cinders, but they aren't state approved and therefore can't be paid for from state liquid fuels funds. The frustrating discussion gradually died away as the meeting adjourned, but one person vowed to return each month until he got satisfaction. Indeed there were other things for the Supervisors to consider at the meeting. For one, Mr. Foltz reported that the loan the sewer system has been paying on for some 15 years had been refinanced with Peoples Neighborhood Bank under somewhat more favorable terms. A total of $660,775 was refinanced under a package that would cost 3.25% in the first year, and never more than the 4.5% the township had been paying the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office for the original loan. The rate will generally be 75% of whatever the prime rate is after the first year. The Supervisors expect to pay down the note more quickly by applying an extra amount monthly to the principal. For the time being, the monthly payment will be $3,390. The Supervisors formally adopted the "Industrial Noise Ordinance" that was read at the January meeting. One clause will be added, requiring that complaints under the ordinance must be presented in writing at the township office. Mr. Foltz said that the township will have to purchase metering equipment with a calibration package. Asked how the level of 50 decibels was determined, Mr. Foltz said he had researched it in part by quizzing nearby communities considering similar measures. He said he had talked with gas companies and quarry operators and heard no concerns with the ordinance. Mr. VanGorden said that 50 decibels is a level established by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) beyond which ear protectors are required in the workplace. This is only the 44th ordinance on the township's books and is aimed primarily at controlling noise generated by natural gas compressor stations. The Supervisors also approved a list of 6 "special fire police," including Mr. VanGorden himself, a long-time member of the Harford Volunteer Fire Company. And they approved another long list of exonerations from the per-capita tax. Individuals can avoid the $5 head tax by moving away, or becoming a student, or dying. And Mr. VanGorden reported that all of the new-style road signs have been received, and that the township will be in compliance by the 2012 deadline. He remains exasperated by the number of signs that are stolen, damaged or defaced. The Supervisors had no objection to a proposed subdivision by the owner of the PennCan truck stop. The truck stop business, in the Butler family for many years, is being sold; the owner will retain 61 acres of the property. The meeting was actually a week late, due to weather and road conditions and a health issue that postponed it from the usual 2nd Tuesday of each month, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the township office on Route 547. It might have been delayed a lot longer, maybe 'til Spring, when the ice is finally gone.
Like every other school district across the state, the Susquehanna Community School District is waiting to see what the new state budget will hold in store. At their February 16 board meeting, Superintendent Bronson Stone said that the faculty is planning for the worst budget in a long time, that projections look to be bleak at best. It is expected that districts will see a severe cut in basic education funding and are doing their best to prepare for that. The district is looking at some proactive strategies, but most likely some difficult choices will need to be made. In reality, with the district’s largest funding source decreased, those choices will be difficult. There is a strong likelihood that some programs will be cut. The district cannot operate “status quo” with such a shortfall in funding. Mr. Stone encourages parents to contact our state representatives to encourage them to do their best to keep basic education funding intact. Whatever the outcome, he said, the district will strive to ensure that students receive a quality education. Each of the district’s departments are aware of the impending shortfall of state funding, and have submitted conservative budget requests for the coming year. The 2009-10 budget audit has been completed, and shows a positive fund balance growth. In anticipation of rising retirement contributions, the district has designated twice the present contribution. The state budget had set aside funds to help offset the rising contributions, but the new state administration had applied the funding towards the basic education shortfall, which means that a crisis is imminent as far as districts’ contributions to the retirement system. The Blue Ridge School Board was expected to vote on a proposed merger of the two districts’ varsity wrestling programs. Correspondence at this meeting consisted of one item, a letter from Susquehanna’s varsity coach Donald Orner expressing concern about the proposal. The letter asked if other alternatives had been considered and, if the merger does take place, Mr. Orner asked to be considered for the position of head coach of the merged team. Other items approved by the board are as follows: - Amendments to the policies covering nondiscrimination in school and classroom practices, qualified students with disabilities and controlled substance paraphernalia. The last item covers substances that are illegal in the state such as “designer” drugs like the bath salts that have recently been in the news. - Authorizing the superintendent to take all actions necessary to obtain the approval of the state Department of Education for specific changes to the district’s educational programs and staffing as outlined in the state school code, sections 1101, 1124, 1125 and other related sections. - The local audit report from Brian Kelly, CPA for the 2009-10 school year. - Permission for the business office to solicit bids for general, maintenance, technology education, sports and computer supplies fore the 2011-12 school year. - Permission for the superintendent to file federal and state program applications for the 2011-12 school year. - The 2010-11 School Equity Plan; districts are required to file when there is more than one high school or elementary school within a district to show that funds are equitably distributed and the plans are required to be filed whether or not there are more than one high school or elementary. - The agreement with One Call Now at a cost of $1,776; this is the system used for emergency notifications. - Revisions to the 2011-11 school calendar. - Appointing board member Jason Chamberlain to serve a three-year term as the district’s representative on the NEIU 19 board. - The following resignations: high school math teacher effective at the end of the current school year; elementary special education teacher effective at the end of the present school year; personal care aide, effective January 28. - Substitute bus driver Robert Buck for the 2010-11 school year. - The customary list of activities and fundraisers. The next regular monthly meeting will be on Wednesday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the administration offices in the elementary building.
Courthouse Report DEEDS Holly M. Singer to Holly M. Singer, in Bridgewater Township for one dollar. Raymond L. Gelatt (estate) to Vincent and Donna Kruse, in Great Bend Township for $15,000.00. John H., Jr. and Geneva K. Wickizer to John H., Jr. and Geneva K. Wickizer, in Brooklyn Township for one dollar. Michael T., Jr. and Mary Jo Fortuner to Michael T. Fortuner, Jr., in Clifford Township for one dollar. Dorothy (AKA) Dorothy F. Planisek (by atty) to Joshua L. Smith, in Forest City for $30,000.00. Jonathan Cohen and Mary Hasbrouck to Helen Hasbrouck, in Harford Township for $225,000.00. Chester S. Grzankowski (estate) to Lucille E. Grzankowski, in Harmony Township for one dollar. Chester S. Grzankowski (estate) to Lucille E. Grzankowski, in Harmony Township for one dollar. BENCH WARRANTS The Susquehanna County domestic relations Section has bench warrants for the following individuals as of 11:00 a.m. on February 18, 2011. David Shawn Blaisure, Ryan T. Brooks, Douglas Buckman, Bryan S. Burnett, John C. Creps, Charles S. Dunn, David J. Fischer, Thomas Fisher, John S. Frisbie, Jr., Deborah E. Gould, Andy L. Groff, David Haines, Jr., Keith G. Harms, William Neil Hendrickson, Shannon J. Hollister, Gerald C. Hundley, Richard W. Ianuale, Christopher J. Kingsbury, Erik E. Krisovitch, Lee Labor, Casey J. Lawton, Joshua S. Lee, Charlie J. Legere, Carlos L. Leiser, Derrick Lezinsky, Jason Lindquist, Mark C. McCarey, Jennifer M. Miller, Shane Nelson, Jeremy Presson, Arthur D. Quick, Shawn Rousseau, David J. Shiner, Richard D. Shoemaker, Eric J. Snell, Garrett M. Staudinger (aka Thomas), Justin Thompson, Robert J. Twilley, Todd M. West, Steven G. Wormuth, Donna Zeluff. Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.
Mt. View Discusses Budget The auditors were present at the February 14 Mountain View work session, to review the district's final draft of the audit for the year ending June 30, 2010. The document, he said, was about 52 pages long; they wouldn't review the entire thing but they would review the highlights and give their opinions. He said that the district had a clean opinion, the highest one it could received from the auditors. All of the numbers were reasonably accurate. The general fund had 2.8 million dollars, the capital reserve fund had 1.6 million dollars, and the non-major fund had $569,000, as of June 30. The general fund had a profit of $588, the capital reserve fund had a negative variance of $78,000 due to improvements to the school, and the non-major fund had a positive difference of $13,000. There was a positive variance of $588,000, revenues over expenditures in the general fund, even above what was budgeted. There was a net income in the cafeteria fund of about $94,000, the reasons for this were the switch to the cafeteria management company and greater participation in the free and reduced food program. This was opposed to the year before, when that fund had lost over $30,000; some of this improvement really was due to the participation in free and reduced lunch and some to the use of the USDA commodities. More was audited this year than the previous year due to ARRA funds, it was stated, and the unqualified opinion branched to each item audited. The auditors publicly thanked the business staff, as well as the curriculum development staff and others they interacted with. It was stated that the district had a healthy fund balance at this time, though of course the future was unknown. The firm was that of Brian Kelley, CPA A representative from the NEIU was present, and he also spoke with the board. He was discussing the reconciliation which was completed at the end of the year. If more services were needed than were contracted, he stated, the district would be billed; if less services than anticipated were necessitated, the district would be refunded. He explained how this budget was set. These are tough times, he continued, and the NEIU was to work on cutting their budget. He wanted the district to know that the organization was here to serve the districts. The fee for service was, he said, for the educators and their assistants. The administrative salaries and those of some of the support staff came from a separate fund. Ms. Rinehart-Cowan asked a question regarding whether the cost estimate incorporated potential cuts. He answered that yes, it did. Class sizes were the mean, he explained, as it wasn't wise to go with the median or the maximum numbers. He also shared with the board how much money they would be able to recoup of the unit providing services, and said that the estimate was that they would be able to recoup $50,000. The NEIU submitted the bills and the district received the money, he clarified. In order to do this the parents must give permission. When someone asked if it was felt that the tracking and billing system was 100% accurate, he stated that he felt it was. Dr. Chichura asked if the district were to reduce services, how soon the NEIU needed to know that this was the desire of the board. It was responded that the unit would prefer this notification by May first. Dr. Chichura then broached a contract discussion. He had submitted to the board the contract the NEIU had proposed, with some verbage alterations to it. Abington Heights had some concerns regarding the contract, concerns which their lawyers had. It had been recommended that perhaps the board wait on action until the NEIU representative spoke with them. For this reason, Dr. Chichura said, this contract would most likely not be voted upon until March. A conversation occurred regarding the medical access. Mrs. Pipitone explained that part of why the intermediate unit was better able to bill for the district was because the special education secretary was keeping on top of the necessary paperwork. Dr. Chichura stated that there might be a concern regarding the time necessary for the secretary to keep on top of the medical access billing. The district had, he confirmed, moved from about 60% to approaching 100% tracking and billing, which showed, he said, that the temporary 90 day person who had been hired had really been doing her job. This came up when Mrs. Rinehart-Cowan wanted to ensure that the temporary person was training the full-time person. The exonerations were reviewed, with Mr. Mirabelli explaining that this meant that certain people were being relieved of their taxes. This includes those over the age of 65 and the unemployed. The list of exonerations comes from the outside the district, and the district after approving them submits it to the county. This was done annually. The yearbook fund was in a deficit, and this was inquired about. The club was, Mr. Doster said, in the hole even to begin the year. After income came in, he felt, they would become positive. Mr. Zick asked if there was ever an accounting done of what was brought in at school plays, etc. Mr. Doster explained that once the admittance fees were calculated, they were turned in to that account. Until then the monitoring was the job of the adviser. The largest expense, it was stated, was copyright. It was recommended, Dr. Chichura said, that the district continue with WVIA public television. He said that at the superintendents' meeting there had been some question as to whether or not the schools would continue with this, but he felt that there were more benefits to being a member than not. Some of these benefits cited were professional use of services and competitions. The cost would be approximately $1,200 for the year. Mrs. Voigt said that she had wanted a representative from that company to come and speak with the staff about the services available. Mrs. Rinehart-Cowan said that she felt that it gave students recognition, and this too was a great thing. Dr. Chichura said that many districts were looking at curtailment this year. He also stated that Mountain View would be doing so as well. Dr. Chichura said that the district would like to submit an application for the Federal fruit and vegetable program. This is building specific, the elementary building would qualify though the secondary school would not. This would be supplementary to the regular free and reduced lunch program and reimbursement. If approved, it would provide the school with three days or more a week where, likely in mid morning, fresh fruits or vegetables would be made available to the classrooms. They would be made available to all students, not just the free and reduced lunch children, as well as the educator so as to set a good example. The elementary qualified based on its number of free and reduced lunch students. There would need to be an instructional component built into the program, regarding diet and increasing fruit and vegetable intake. The district would have to cover the supplies to do so, but he felt this could be covered easily enough by the district. He said that the only local district he knew of that qualified for the program was Carbondale Elementary, which had applied and been approved and was operating it. Mrs. Aherne expressed her opinion that this would be a great program. There was minor discussion regarding the logistical problems which might arise. The idea would be for the cafeteria to prepare the snack and classroom runners from the students to pick it up and deliver it to. It is even designed for locally produced produce, if possible. Everyone seemed to think it a good idea. There was discussion regarding the copier replacement. The business manager, Mr. Mirabelli, reviewed the options. Three proposals were evaluated, he said, aside from price (which is not always the best thing to compare due to differences in quality) and the cheapest proposal he actually did feel was the best. The price hadn't increased, as had been feared. The durability of these machines, he continued, needed to be considered. The large copiers at both the high school and elementary school had broken about 30 times, to the point where an actual piece was necessitated. Each of those had a maximum duty capacity of 500,000 copies. The proposed machines, he said, would have a 1.2 million copies a month durability factor. All of the machines also, he said, were faster and better than the ones currently owned. If the copiers were replaced now, instead of waiting until the current contract expired as was the other option, savings would be about $1300 per month over the year prior. This would be about a $12,000 per year savings, which could be realized now and factored into the next year's budget. The savings would be the same, he said, waiting or starting, the only difference would be to change now or later. Mrs. Aherne said that she felt if they were saving now, and getting a better machine, the district may as well change now. Mrs. Stine agreed. No action was taken, of course, as it was just the work session. The district's work compensation costs had been higher, due to the district having had two bad years in a row with staff accidents. Mr. Mirabelli had met with someone as to how to reduce this. The safety committee is working, he said, to try to reduce the risk of injury, and is trying to lower the experience mod which was 20% higher than neutral at the time. There was some discussion regarding a fobs policy. Mrs. Rinehart-Cowan asked about fobs for coaches or other rotating positions. Mr. Doster and Mr. Beamish explained that currently such fobs are coded to certain buildings and times of the day, and that they do not get paid until they are turned in. A policy regarding video camera surveillance was also mentioned. The district uses only video, no audio. Dr. Chichura explained that there is an entire process in order for audio recording to be part of this, and it had been decided in the past that changing was not worth the trouble. Mr. Doster brought up the Science in the Park field trip. This trip took 15 students to an amusement park, where the students did physics and calculus experiments. He said that he knew the general feeling had been over the past to look closely at any trips that only benefited small groups of students. When the board had asked Mr. Doster to cut money, this one had been cut in the past. Mrs. Aherne felt this was a worthwhile trip, as did Mr. Zick. Mr. Griffiths and Mrs. Rinehart-Cowan expressed opinions against it, as it wasn't in the budget. Mrs. Rinehart-Cowan suggested that perhaps the students could fundraise. It was decided that it could be put on the agenda, and the board could decide to vote for it or not the next week. Mr. Griffiths said that this would open the floodgates, as if the district said yes to this one others that had been denied would want to be reexamined. Dr. Adams said that he did not think that would necessarily follow, as the board could examine each one which came up. Mr. Griffiths asked why the board would even look at the budget if it was just going to open the floodgates. He asked Mr. Mirabelli how much the district had already spent above its budget. Mr. Mirabelli responded that there were areas which had been overspent, which is why budget transfers were coming through, and offered to come up with a report. He did preface it, however, with saying that it was very difficult to look out 18 months. Mrs. Rinehart-Cowan stated that she agreed with Mr. Griffiths, if it was originally declined then they could form a club if they really wanted to go. Mr. Griffiths argued that this would also put two subs in, and nothing would be done. When Mr. Phillips asked Mr. Doster what his feeling was, he stated that he did feel it was worthwhile but when he was asked to cut something this was one of the ancillary programs which had been zeroed out. Even if the students did raise the funds, however, Mrs. Voigt pointed out, the instructional staff still wouldn't be in the building. Other schools and other programs even within Mountain View, it was said, do pay for their own trips or parts of the trips. After all this, the final decision was for that trip not to be on the agenda. Dr. Chichura said that he had submitted to the board enrollment data. The important part, he said, was that at the end of the 2009/2010 year there had been 1,226 students. For the 10/11 current year, based on actual student enrollment on January 24, 1,182 students was the estimate, 42 students less than at the end of the last school year. State data projections estimated that the next year the numbers would be greater than they were currently; Dr. Chichura did not think this likely and planned on revising the 11/12 and 12/13 estimates downward. The district was losing students to the cyber charter schools; it had lost three recently. Dr. Chichura wanted to complete enrollment forms for an approval request for the curtailment of program partially based on declining enrollment. This would allow for staff reduction. Details would be discussed first in executive session. As last year, he said, he's going to maximize what curtailments and alterations could be done regarding the attachment to PDE. The district would not actually plan on making all of those reductions, but he wanted to maximize numbers for PDE just in case the district felt it had to do more than administration originally thought. Recently, the birth rate had only been in the forties, Mrs. Rinehart-Cowan noted off of the information provided the board. Dr. Chichura said that there were only 24 people whom the district had highlighted to send kindergarten letters to for the coming year, although this was a poor marker as it had not been advertised yet. Dr. Chichura spoke then about the coming year's school calendar. This coming year the date is as late as it could start, due to being the week after the Harford Fair. The district, he said, might wish to look at not adding closings onto the end of the year, as already school is going to the second week of June then, and snow days could put them into the middle of June. This could be good, though, as there would then be less time for students to lose knowledge and skills over the summer. Dr. Chichura said that the benefit with the current system was parents knowing when they could take vacations, rather than planning vacations which later became snow make up days. Mr. Doster reviewed the difficulties with having graduation held on Saturdays, especially when it ends up occurring before the last day of school. This caused logistical difficulties with the school calendar and the school's PIMS reporting system. He had spoken with Dr. Chichura regarding holding it the evening of the last day of school. A board member expressed concern regarding the ability for people to attend if it wasn't on Saturday. It was answered that in other places where graduation is on a weeknight, people make preparations. Some on the board suggested that this could be tried for a year, and it could be seen what occurred. Robert Taylor reported that he had been contacted by Dunlap Industries, which was willing to donate a cover for the gym floor. The only cost to the district this way would be to put on a rope hemming, with a labor cost of $1,900 for the hemming. To buy it otherwise could cost the district $3,888, though the company stated that theirs was worth $11,000 total. It would give them three floor covers. This could perhaps, he said, help make it so that the gym floor didn't need to be recoated twice a year. The cover could be used during dances and dinners, to protect the finish. One person thought that the hemming was expensive however. Mr. Beamish pointed out that before it was put down the floor would need to be really cleaned, so that dirt under it didn't grind off the finish. The coating costs about $3200, each time it is done. When someone asked if it was in the budget, Mr. Taylor said that he had the money in his equipment budget that could purchase it. The floor is old, and lasting well, it was said. To replace it could be about $300,000. It was decided this could be on the agenda. Dr. Chichura broached the topic of performing additional water tests, to bring the tests done by the district to the baseline water tests for gas well drilling which might occur in the area. This would include the S0202 and methane at the water head. Also, it might include the volatiles. The board decided that they would allow for this extra testing, the next time it was to be tested normally.
More Seismic Testing In NM At the February 16 New Milford Township meeting, there was a petition on the front table toward supervisor Jack Conroy's reelection. He was seeking the signatures necessary to run. The supervisors had to take out an emergency loan, Mr. Hunter said, due to FEMA owing them a very large sum of money which they hadn't received yet. The amount was $60,000 and the paperwork had been filled out some time ago. They had received word however, that their paperwork was being processed and the money would hopefully be received in March. The month prior the supervisors had put out bids for materials and fuel. The bids were opened during the meeting. The supervisors voted to accept Damascus as primary and Lopke as an alternate. A representative from Damascus told the council that they shouldn't have any problem getting material this summer. He was thanked. The fuel oil bid was from Lindsey Oil, as normal. They were the only bid. Mr. Hunter stated that they took pretty good care of the township. The township would get, under the bid, whatever the wholesale price was for the day. Diesel gas pumped at the station would be 4 cents per gallon off the pump price. The bid was accepted. Southwest has applied for two permits for water ponds, one up on the Three Lakes Road and the other on the Zeffer property. When Jerry Bevans asked what the sites were for, Mr. Hunter stated that he thought it was for fracking purposes. When asked whether the supervisors had any say in the matter, however, it was replied that the decision would be at DEP's discretion. The township would be putting out for bid, it was stated, a crusher to crush their own material. This was a usual occurrence. A representative from Cabot was present, from the seismic testing division. The process had been changed to a different system, Mr. Hunter stated. Mr. Hunter said that not much would be done in the township, with the representative, Dennis Bunnell (also a Jessup Township supervisor) clarifying that there may not be any done in the township. He brought some materials with him, to illustrate the new procedure. He showed the orange coil which used to run all over the country. Now they use a battery pack, he explained, holding one up, and geophones. Six of the goephones would be attached to each computer, attached in turn to the battery pack. Every 165 feet down the line there would be one. When someone asked whether they would still use helicopters he answered yes, they would, and that the number of helicopters would actually increase under the new system. The helicopters actually hover over the computers and receive the information. When asked about charges, he answered that the charges would also still be used, as would thumper trucks. The latter would only be used on the road. Although they were sometimes used on the fields, this didn't work in Northeastern Pennsylvania as they got stuck. He guessed that there wouldn't be any drilling or holes until the end of April. Once the process started, residents would see white trucks. All employees should have identification and name tags, and be willing to show them if a resident questioned their presence. A crew was already in place to do hazardous surveys, asking residents about the presence of wells, sewers, stone quarries, etc. to see if there was anything which might be damaged by the process. After this a survey crew would come to mark the lines and lay flags. Then a crew would come with a drill unit, place dynamite charges in the holes, place the receivers, and residents would notice helicopters flying above. The holes are generally about 20 feet deep, and three inches across. Mr. Conroy stated that when they were done, people wouldn't even know they were there. It was also stated that it sounds like a pop. When asked if the crews would go over areas which had already been done, it was answered that yes, the plan was to overlap sites. The line was to start in Brooklyn Township, travel through Gibson and Harford. Someone asked if the companies were all doing the same thing, and Mr. Bunnell responded that Cabot was working with the other companies. Someone asked if property owners had any say in the matter. Mr. Bunnell responded that all property owners would be asked before crews went onto the property, and would not do so if the owner said no. Mr. Conroy emphasized that it had been made very clear to companies that the township did not give anyone permission to go onto private property. However, when pressed, it was stated that the companies could go onto the roads right in front of the property. The supervisors were thanked by a visitor for the great job they had done on the roads this winter. They were asked by another visitor what material had been used. Mr. Conroy responded that it was cinders, and stipulated that it was not tar, which had been questioned previously.
It is expected that when the new state budget is passed, school districts across the state will be faced with significant reductions in state funding for basic education. Laurie Bonner, who is on the Blue Ridge School Board, attended the February 17 Hallstead Borough Council meeting to discuss the impending crisis and get some input as to how district residents would like the board to address the situation. Funding would be reduced to 2006-07 levels, she said, by roughly three quarters of a million dollars. The board is committed to not raising taxes, but decisions need to be made. Should teachers be furloughed, and if so, which ones? Should extracurricular programs be cut? The district’s contribution to the state education employees’ retirement fund is also a concern; it is expected to rise by about 200% in two to three years. Cyber schools are also an issue of concern. The district is required to finance students who choose to attend cyber (internet) schools at a cost of about $10,000 per student, more if the cyber school designates a student as having special education needs. Local students are encouraged to attend the district’s cyber school, but if one outside of the district is chosen, that school will receive funding from the district. There is currently an effort underway to change the law to require that if a student attends a cyber school outside of their home district, it would be at the student’s expense, not the district’s. Mrs. Bonner said that detailed information on all of these issues can be found on the district’s website. In other business, PennDOT will be replacing the bridge on New York Avenue over Dubois Creek, beginning most likely in the spring of 2013. During construction, traffic will be reduced to one lane, and the new bridge will be a bit wider than the current one. Paving and drainage projects were discussed. At the March meeting, council will make a determination as to which to address this year, and bids will be put out in April. And, funds had been allocated to replace the garage door. At last month’s meeting council had discussed whether to replace it with one wide door, or two narrower ones. It would be more cost effective to get the wider one. The next meeting will be on Thursday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Dr. Vadella Announces Resignation During a school board meeting February 14, Dr. Robert Vadella announced that he is resigning from his position as Forest City Regional Superintendent. Vadella expects to leave in August, at the end of his current contract. He has been employed at Forest City Regional for seven years. Vadella also discussed the state’s educational budget for the upcoming year, which is expected to sink to 2006-2007 levels, amounting to a $342,299 loss in basic subsidy for FCR. About sixty percent of the school’s funding is derived from basic subsidy. Vadella predicted that a loss in funding will mean some cuts within the school, since the district does not have the power to raise taxes, and the school is required to operate on a balanced budget. He encouraged residents to “tell the legislature that they need to cut somewhere other than education.” Several high school students were recognized for various accomplishments, including Rebecca Keller and Kevin Swartz, outstanding seniors for January. Also recognized were Sarah Forcetti, Madison Schott, Ben Terry and Cree Townsend, 2011 Scholastic Art Award recipients.
EL Student Manager Honored Mrs. Staats began the administrative reports section of the Elk Lake board meeting with a report on the third annual Transitions open house. She spoke very highly of the event. Mr. Mallery followed this report by speaking of his pleasure in accompanying the boys' and girls' cross-country teams to Harrisburg to be noticed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. They had a photo taken on the House steps, received a tour, and were, he said, treated very well. The AAAA team was there as well, and he told an anecdote where, while acknowledging the Elk Lake team's success they asked how many runners Elk Lake had. The larger team was surprised to learn Elk Lake only had 25 team members; they had 135 runners. He continued his report with other news. The school's championship basketball game was approaching. The Jr. High Key Club, the Builder's Club, hosted a coaches versus cancer fundraiser, raising $2,460 in total. The junior high Valentine's dance was to still to be held, and Mr. Mallery explained that the reason why it was held after the holiday was because junior high dances ran between three and five, and thus the school had to wait until there were no athletic matches so as not to exclude anyone. Mr. Place expressed here a comment on how nice the National Junior Honor Society ceremony was. Dr. Cuomo highlighted the Forensics Team. The three debaters had gone to compete against top competitors from across the Northeast recently, 100 in all. Austin Cohen had placed first, Shea Skinner eighth, and Ricky Guiton tenth, and the team placed fourth overall despite having half the number of members as many of their opponents. They shattered a few records in the process, breaking the record for wins in a single tournament (22), and Austin won the most debates in a single tournament in the history of Elk Lake. Dr. Cuomo also highlighted the Scholastic Team, which had competed in a few tournaments so far, losing a recent one only narrowly to Mountain View and still bringing $350 back. At the elementary level, Mr. Pirone reported, the school was looking to bring a children's book author for an assembly, as it does every year. The science fair had also been scheduled. There was quite a bit of talk throughout the meeting of the senior recognition night for the basketball team, which had occurred shortly before the meeting and had a special meaning not only for Elk Lake but for area schools as well. A student team manager had been particularly honored, being allowed to play in the game. He was recognized by his coach the night of the event, and in abstentia by the board and administration at the meeting. Mr. Place called him a wonderful inspiration. Dr. Bush reported that he had heard from every school in the county since the event, speaking in honor of the student and the incident. A visitor spoke up in respect for Lakeland School District as well, mentioning what good sportsmanship their players had shown. She thought they ought to be commended, and Dr. Bush responded that not only had he spoken with the school's superintendent, he had sent a letter of appreciation which was to be read at their board meeting. Even the referees, it was hypothesized, had participated. At the time of the meeting the story was still up on the Channel 16 news website. The NEIU extended school year was brought before the board, a program which Elk Lake had hosted for a number of years. Dr. Bush and Mrs. Staats both spoke of the benefits of this, and it was approved. Dr. Bush asked the board if the school calendar could be altered, due to the number of snow days. Currently school would end on June 13. He requested that an open spring break day, March 25, be used as a snow makeup day, allowing the school year to end on the 10th if there were no other snow days. The sixth grade class trip was discussed. The school payment in this was up slightly from the past year. The student cost would remain the same as it had since 2009; Mr. Pirone explained that the increase in cost was due to the price increase in admissions for the attractions. This trip would be to Gettysburg, as normal. An update was provided on the pavilion project. Due to the students building it, the district had saved over $42,000, with around $2,000 more saving from the architect donating approval for the plans. It was made slightly larger than the existing pavilion, Dr. Bush said, about 30% larger for storage and 10% increased in work space. He said that one thing he had learned as a superintendent is that there was never enough storage outside. If there was one item which the district had heard in safety committee meetings, Dr. Bush stated, it was the fact that cars were parking and driving at the end of the elementary school while students crossed between the playground and the building during recess. During the day there are delivery trucks. Over ten years, he said, that has probably been the most consistent item discussed at safety committee meetings. The only way to make the situation safer would be to wrap the driveway around the playground so that the students never had to cross traffic. The district had asked a contractor to look into it. Mr. Pirone agreed with this, stating that this matter also came up at faculty meetings, with too many close calls. He said it was a daily concern. When asked, Dr. Bush said that they would like to close that section off to deliveries. There would be still be parking, but no deliveries during the day while students were there. Mr. Pirone said that it would also assist in the traffic and drop off situation, with cars having to take three point turns while students are entering and leaving the school. It had been guaranteed, Dr. Bush said in response to a time line for the pavilion, that it would be completed by the end of the school year, even if staff had to work on it outside student hours. Mr. Emmerich shared some news he considered positive with the board, first expressing his enjoyment over the honoring of the students as well. He said that he had a conversation with a board member from an unnamed neighboring school district. This person said that if he didn't live where he lived now he would have sent his students to Elk Lake, saying that they had the best school in the area. Mrs. McGee said that she wanted to mirror the positive sentiment as well, and spoke of how special that Friday night was. It was here that Dr. Bush brought up the coach's comment that this particular student manager made them better people. This epitomized the goal of any activity, he continued, which sometimes might get lost. Mr. Emmerich acknowledged two visitors who were on the Football Committee, and provided an update on this. A meeting was held a month ago, with the Blue Ridge athletic director, who told them what she had experienced with their program. The one comment she made was that she thought it was an excellent thing for the program. A negative was difficulties with transportation, taking students to another school when all other buses are otherwise occupied. She had positive feedback over how the students were treated by the hosting school. Their situation is slightly different, she said, in that Blue Ridge then receives soccer students from Susquehanna. Dr. Bush shared that he had had multiple conversations with Mr. Stone, the superintendent of Susquehanna, regarding this, and that he would like to meet with the board and administration to discuss it. This could provide a unique perspective, Dr. Bush opined. The visitors said that they appreciated the board keeping the matter in mind. A royalty payment schedule was made available, and Dr. Bush stated that it would continue to be made available as time progressed. During the votech meeting, Dr. Davis spoke of the lead certification course. The last class, she said, had 17 students, and calls had already been received for the next one. They would be doing this for companies too, training their employees for them. Gary Fenton, on of the instructors, was recognized in Harrisburg, for being educator of the year. In other news, 14 students had placed at the Skills USA competition, and Dr. Davis was very proud of them. Ricky Guiton had placed first for extemporaneous speaking, and was slated to go on to states. The automotive safety inspection course was also coming up, as was an OSHA training. The center was really working more with businesses, Dr. Davis said, to meet industry needs. Serve Safe certification was to be available as well. Mr. Emmerich had taken the lead certification course, and he spoke very highly of it. Mr. Fenton, he said, was a very good instructor.
Following is the list of names drawn to serve as Petit and Traverse jurors to appear in the Court of Common Pleas, Susquehanna County Courthouse, Montrose, on the 7th day of March at 9:00 a.m. Apolacon Twp.: Presho Mott. Ararat Twp.: Lillian McQuillan. Auburn Twp.: Blanche Burgess, Martin Weisgold. Bridgewater Twp.: Ralph Calvetti, Kate Castrogiovanni, Gerald Golis, Kathleen Host, Nathaniel Howell, Adam Rauch, Karen Ricci, Donna Sands, Ann Sellitto. Brooklyn Twp.: Michael Freeman, Michelene Klim. Choconut Twp.: Karen Hadaway-Patton, Ronald Hollister. Clifford Twp.: Jason Saam, Nicole Savage. Dimock Twp.: Gary Cole, Victoria Hubert. Forest City, 1W: Irene Huncharek, Danielle Longzinski. Forest Lake Twp.: Jeremy Palmer, Janet Small. Franklin Twp.: Alex Darrow, Kerry Eyrich. Great Bend Boro: Theresa Ralston, James Vogel. Great Bend Twp.: Doreen Wood. Hallstead Boro: William Hughes, Alan Wilmarth. Harford Twp.: Patricia Brown, Jesse Hinkley, Maureen Whitaker. Herrick Twp.: Tammy Oreilly, Gloria Vauter. Jackson Twp.: Warren Bradbury, Patti Schmidt. Jessup Twp.: Patricia Smagowicz. Lanesboro Boro: Daniel Boughton, David Tarbox. Lathrop Twp.: Karin Wellings. Lenox Twp.: Adeline Fallon, Colleen Farnham, Chad MacDonald. Little Meadows Boro: Linda Sechrist. Montrose Boro, 1W: Diane Gregory. Montrose Boro, 2W: Ryan Shave. New Milford Boro: Richard Anderson. New Milford Twp.: George Carpenter, Edith Conklin, Cheryl Hart, Donald Lake, Vicki Reese. Oakland Boro: Michael Ryder, Georgia Suchnick. Oakland Twp.: Alec Mazikewich. Rush Twp.: Nannette Pettyjohn, Carol Staehle, Henry Very. Silver Lake Twp.: Laurence Beylo, George Capwell, Anthony Desanto, Joanne Kocak, Candace Mooney. Springville Twp.: John Galgano, Virginia Kerchner, Shirley Krayeski, Thomas Malandri, David Susz, Jessica Warfle, David Weingust, Tim Williams. Susquehanna Boro, 1W: Fred Krause. Thompson Boro: Ruth Carmody, Lorie Fallon. Union Dale Boro: Dennis Korty.
Starrucca Borough Council Minutes The Starrucca Borough Council meeting was called to order by President Jack Downton on Monday, January 3, at 7:00 p.m. at the Starrucca Community Hall. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members present were Vice President Robert Martin, Barbara Glover, Arthur Kopp, Paul Everett, Louis Gurske and Mayor Maryann DeBalko. Council member Anthony Palonis was absent. The audience included Loreda Everett, Brigitte D’Agati, Dean Jamieson (Hess), Jerry Gill, Len Grover (Wayne Co. Conservation), Roland T. Buck, Paul D’Agati, Dan Kramer, Kathy Downton and Roger Glover. Before proceeding with the business of the meeting, Mr. Len Grover of Wayne Co. Conservation District was introduced and spoke about new DEP regulations concerning erosion and sediment control. A permit is required for earth disturbance (minimum 1 acre) at a cost of $500.00. Mr. Grover’s contact number is 570-253-0930 or rgrover@co.wayne.pa.us. Mr. Dean Jamieson (representing Hess Gas) spoke about the pending road agreement. VP Martin advised that Starrucca has a draft road agreement that will be sent to the borough Solicitor. President Downton asked what is used for dust control. Mr. Jamieson stated the Borough would be responsible for road maintenance, including dust control. In turn, Hess would reimburse the Borough. In response to Mayor DeBalko’s question, Mr. Jamieson said there was no minimum/maximum cap for reimbursement. A discussion followed regarding the contents of the road agreement. The minutes of the Council meeting held on December 6, 2010 were read. Motion to accept the minutes as read passed unanimously. The Treasurer’s report was read. Motion to accept the Treasurer’s report passed unanimously. Bills to be paid (January 2011) - Motion to pay the bills as presented except for the miscellaneous items passed unanimously. The secretary reported on attendance at meetings during 2010. President Downton reported that no payment would be made to Robert Buck or Anthony Palonis for meetings attended during 2010 because of a motion passed by the previous Council. Michael Martin will be contacted to determine if he wants to receive payment for his attendance during 2010. Correspondence Read Office of the Auditor General - Liquid Fuels Audit Report 4-years ended 12/31/2008 - the Auditor General recommends that Starrucca Borough reimburse the Liquid Fuels account $18,000 representing funds used on the Buck Road Bridge. (“This expenditure appears to violate the Ethics Act.” Further, “this project resulted in a substantial benefit to two members of Borough Council, without regard to other pressing needs of the Borough and the cost to the citizens of the Borough.”) This Special Investigation Report is available at www.auditorgen.state.pa.us. Further discussion on this matter is noted under “New Business.” PA Dept. of Transportation - Bryan Hanisko, re. Liquid Fuels a/c reimbursement. Copy of DEP correspondence dated 12/9/10 to Eugene Linscomb, Hess Corp. re. Permit Application for Kraft 1H Well Pad - filed. Copy of DEP correspondence dated 12/10/10 to Chief John Pepper Northern Wayne Fire Co. re. un-permitted burning, etc. - filed. Wayne Co. Dept. of Planning - updating municipal officials and ordinance list - submitted. Tri-County Petroleum DBA PetroChoice re. bulk oil pricing - filed. Leeann & Brian Woodruff re. building permit - filed. George DeBalko - submitted statement of financial interests for 2008 - submitted and filed. Jordan Downton - request to use Community Hall throughout the winter months preferably on Wednesday nights for basketball. Motion to permit basketball on Wednesday nights and to have participants contribute $2.00 per person to help cover the cost of fuel passed. President Downton abstained. It was noted that the bathrooms would not be open. Old Business Hess Road Agreement - discussed earlier in the meeting. Penn Star Bank Loan - President Downton reported the paperwork for re-financing is not complete due to the figures presented in the 2008 audit. The “work papers” have been received from the CPA who did the audit. Paul Everett suggested the Borough auditors should look at the work papers. Mayor DeBalko discussed personal concern in signing future documents for the bank. Other council members expressed similar concern. FEMA-PEMA Representative - President Downton asked if anyone had an interest in becoming the Borough’s representative to FEMA/PEMA. The only response came from Paul Everett “with conditions.” Specifically, Mr. Everett expressed his need for help to assess roadwork damages and he requested that Council put something into effect that states no future FEMA agent is allowed to return funds on their own. Motion to appoint Mr. Everett as FEMA/PEMA agent for Starrucca Borough passed. Mr. Everett abstained. VP Martin further stated that if a resolution is required, so be it. The secretary will check the FEMA site to determine if a resolution is needed. Committee Reports Veteran’s Memorial - VP Martin reported that he removed the flag because it was torn and he turned off the lights at the Veteran’s Memorial site. Mayor DeBalko will contact Rep. Sandra Major to secure a new flag. Community Hall - VP Martin reported that he cleaned the proposed office area and a file cabinet is needed. VP Martin also noted that propane was delivered and the tank is at 80%. Town Hall – VP Martin reported that the roof is leaking and boxes of paper are damaged. Motion to move the files from the Town Hall to the Community Hall office passed unanimously. The secretary recommended that the files at the Community Hall should be organized before files are moved from the Town Hall. Council Seat Vacancy - Following a discussion of Louis Gurske’s interest in the vacancy, Mr. Gurske was nominated for the position; motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gurske was sworn in by Mayor DeBalko. New Business Liquid Fuels account reimbursement/Auditor General’s Report - President Downton recommended that Solicitor Treat should be invited to attend a special meeting. Motion to send the Auditor General’s report and the letter from PennDOT (Bryan Hanisko) to Solicitor Treat and DA Lehutsky passed unanimously. Motion to hold a special meeting on January 13, at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Hall, to meet with Solicitor Treat regarding the Auditor General’s Report and other matters passed unanimously. Public Comment Mrs. Everett suggested contacting PennDOT. President Downton commented that Council would discuss the matter further with Solicitor Treat at the public meeting on January 13. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Special Meeting A special meeting of Starrucca Borough Council was called to order by President Jack Downton on Thursday, January 13, at 7:00 p.m. at the Starrucca Community Hall. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. President Downton called for executive session. The special meeting resumed at 8:10 p.m. President Downton addressed the report received from the Auditor General’s office regarding a Liquid Fuels Tax Fund Examination Report for the Four Years Ended December 31, 2008 (63-405). President Downton stated that the Auditor General has recommended that the Borough reimburse $18,000 to the Liquid Fuels account because the funds were used on the Buck Road Bridge project and the Auditor General has determined that the project was a “conflict of interest.” Solicitor Treat recommended that Council approach PennDOT with a proposal to withdraw a certain amount of money per year from the Liquid Fuels payment allocated to the Borough. This proposal would substantially lower the amount of funds available for Borough road maintenance (winter and summer). Solicitor Treat further stated that Liquid Fuels monies are to be used for the maintenance of borough roads. The $18,000 was used for the replacement of a bridge. Following a discussion, it was suggested that Solicitor Treat arrange to meet with D.A. Lehutsky and bring along supporting documents concerning this matter. Motion to approach PennDOT, with the Solicitor’s help, to see if there is anything that can be negotiated passed unanimously. Motion to have the Solicitor contact D.A. Lehutsky to discuss arranging a meeting with him and/or the Attorney General (also including members of Council, Mayor DeBalko and the Borough Auditors) regarding criminal charges and other issues passed unanimously. President Downton advised that the Borough Auditors assist in filling out the paperwork for the PennStar Bank Loan Re. financing concerning the Buck Road Bridge loan payments. VP Martin commented that the Borough is going to see if they can qualify and then decide whether to proceed. Motion to have the Auditors assist the President in the completion of the paperwork passed unanimously. Hess Roadway Agreement - Solicitor Treat advised that he had negotiated with Damascus Township and Newfield. He reviewed the agreement and commented that he saw “no problem” with the Hess agreement. Motion to accept the latest version of the Roadway Agreement with Hess passed unanimously. Motion for Council to authorize President Downton to be the signature on the Roadway Agreement with Hess passed unanimously. In other matters, VP Martin advised that he installed a flag on the flagpole. VP Martin advised that Council is in need of metal storage cabinets for the Borough files. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m. With Treasurer Gail Hanrahan filling in for the absent secretary, the Susquehanna Boro Council meeting of February 15 covered a range of topics. During review of the bill list, there were several questions; one was about purchase of street lights, which had been funded through an insurance claim. The other was about a cell phone bill. The mayor said that there had been a problem with employees using the phones for personal use, and that an acceptable use policy would be discussed at the next committee meeting. Requesting time on the agenda was attorney Jodi Cordner, who will be running for the position of District Magistrate in the May primary. She listed some of her many accomplishments and qualifications and asked to be considered when voters go to the polls. A Washington Street property owner was present to discuss an ongoing problem with a neighbor parking in his driveway and on the new sidewalks; who, he asked, would be held liable if the new sidewalks were damaged. The mayor said that the police department would respond to the complaints, and would enforce boro ordinances (parking is not allowed on sidewalks). Council President Dave Scales stressed that the police would enforce the ordinances, as no one would like to see the new sidewalks destroyed. The mayor commended Streets Commissioner Steve Glover for taking care of snow removal on Main St., and Lanesboro for their assistance in the project. Mayor Matis encouraged property owners to keep their sidewalks clear. It is a safety hazard, he said, to pedestrians, especially school children walking to and from bus stops. Property owners are also encouraged to clear all walks that abut their property, not just those in front of their home, and not to clear them by shoveling the snow back out into the street. There was a lengthy discussion about snow covered sidewalks during public comment; several of those present commented about areas where pedestrians had to walk in the street because of impassable sidewalks. Some of those who did not keep them cleared have been fined, but it has been an ongoing problem. Mr. Scales said that the boro did have the option to have the walks cleared and bill the property owner but does not have the manpower to do that, so a fine is the first alternative. Council members were given copies of a proposed historical preservation ordinance by the mayor to review. It lists the Starrucca House and several other sites, and will be discussed further at next month’s meeting, with the possibility of action being taken on it at that time. Council is still looking into getting the boro website updated, and one person who may be able to do it will be invited to the next meeting. Some time ago, council had approved having the trees on Main St. trimmed, and had also looked into trimming four other, larger trees near Main St. After discussion, a motion carried to take down one of the four, near the Franklin Ave. intersection providing PennDOT is not planning to remove it when they work on the intersection next year. Council discussed a tribute to Denise Reddon, the late mayor. One possibility is to put a standing clock in front of the boro building, and perhaps hold fundraisers to pay for it. The one that seemed to be the best choice would cost about $2,300. Overhauling the building’s two furnaces had been discussed at last month’s meeting, and it had been decided to put it off until spring after the winter heating season is over. The subject was discussed again at this meeting, but there was some question as to whether or not a decision had been made; the minutes of the last meeting were not available to check. After discussion, it was agreed to get several price quotes for the work needed, to be done in the spring. Thirteen of the light ballasts in the library’s portion of the building have had to be replaced, and several more were set to be replaced. A letter from attorney Raymond Davis was reviewed. It concerned transferring a small parcel of land from one neighbor to the other. The county Planning Commission had reviewed the proposal and approved it. Council had some questions about the request for them to sign off on the plan, such as, would it affect the tax rolls? A motion carried to approve the plan, pending approval by the boro solicitor after his review. A motion carried to purchase a copy of an update to the Fair Labor Standards, cost $300. Council had approved bidding on a backhoe, but some problems were encountered with the one chosen. It was agreed that contracting work out would cost almost as much as purchasing a machine, so the purchase would be worthwhile. Several options were discussed; council will continue to look for one. After discussion, a motion carried to approve purchase of a computer for the boro treasurer. Mr. Scales said that there had been problems with both the secretary and the treasurer having to use the same machine. A purchase of up to $500 was approved. All of the accounting files will be transferred to this machine as well as the Quick Books accounting software. There was some discussion as to whether or not Peachtree software should be purchased, as Mrs. Hanrahan is more familiar with that, but she has signed up for Quick Books training at Lackawanna College, beginning in March. A small parcel of land on Grand St. was discussed; should it be kept as a green space, or designated for parking? No decision will be made until an architect has looked at it. Upgrading the employee time clock will be discussed at the next committee meeting. The phone system in use at the boro building was discussed at length. The cost for the system itself is currently about $4,000 per year and there are some problems with it. It utilizes ten separate phone lines. A newer, more up-to-date system would eliminate five of those lines and would cost about $1,000 per year after an outright purchase costing about $4,000. Or, it could be leased for $2,000 per year for five years. It was agreed to discuss it further at the next committee meeting. The meeting adjourned to an executive session; no purpose was given. The next regular monthly meeting will be on Tuesday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m.
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