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HEADLINES: G. B. Police Dept. Developments The March meeting of the Great Bend Borough Council was relatively brief on the 3rd, at least in part because Council now has a second meeting each month devoted to the development of a police department. At the police meeting on February 21, Council decided to advertise for an “officer in charge,” who would presumably help to move the process along more expeditiously. The Borough still needs an ordinance to formally establish the department, and then get recognition from state authorities. In the meantime, Council member Ruth Loucks has engaged a contractor to construct an office for the police department in a section of the Borough garage. She said that all the materials had been purchased, but the contractor wants an extra $200 for the additional 20 hours or so it will take to finish the project. Borough Secretary Sheila Guinan noted, however, that Council never bothered to get a building permit for the office. As Council member Joe Collins said, that “should have been done ahead of time,” but now the Borough will have to approach the Council of Governments to have the work inspected and a permit officially issued. A number of other items on Council’s agenda are still in hibernation at this tail end of winter. Warmer weather is required to proceed with installation of better drainage on Washington Street, for example. Ms. Guinan said that the pipe has been paid for, to ensure that the delay doesn’t end up requiring the project to be rebid. Replacement of the roof on the Borough building, and repair of Spring Street will also await the coming of Spring, the one for warmer weather, the latter for the completion of the sewer plant renovation. Ms. Guinan also reported that the 2010 Census revealed that the Borough’s population is 672 - “plus or minus 179,” since census figures are still being polished. Council member Bret Jennings reported on a study he has undertaken regarding the affect of natural gas drilling on the area’s drinking water supply. Some of that water comes from Comfort Pond, owned largely by the Pennsylvania American Water Company, the supplier of most municipal water in the area. Mr. Jennings said that municipalities with an interest in that water supply have the power to place restrictions on drilling activities near the pond, and suggested that the Borough adopt an ordinance of some sort to that effect, perhaps to be modified later as necessary. Council President Rick Franks thanked him for his work and encouraged him to contact other affected municipalities. Mr. Jennings, the Borough’s representative on the Board of the Hallstead-Great Bend Joint Sewer Authority (HGBJSA), has long been frustrated by the Authority’s apparent unwillingness to force the payment of arrearages in sewer fees by the New Milford Municipal Authority, which got a special arrangement when it connected to the Hallstead/Great Bend sewer system several years ago. He would like the Borough to take action to pressure the HGBJSA to move on the issue. The sewer plant is actually located within Great Bend Borough. Mr. Franks, however, said that he would prefer that the Sewer Authority “clean up its own mess,” and didn’t want the Borough directly involved in the controversy. And, as is his wont, Mayor Jim Riecke found something good to say about the Borough and its affairs. A resident had complained about the town’s plow blocking a driveway with snow recently. The Borough’s worker went back and took care of it, and the resident was pleased with the result. The next general meeting of the Great Bend Borough Council will take place on Thursday, April 7, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The next police meeting will be on Monday, March 21, also at 7:00 p.m. All meetings are at the Borough Building at Elizabeth and Franklin Streets.
Courthouse Report DEEDS William E. and Rowena J. Shager to B&D Brothers LLC, in New Milford Township for $46,000.00. Gary M. and Karen J. Erbe to Gary M. (trust) and Karen J. (trust) Erbe, in Dimock Township for one dollar. Margaret M. Gorton to B. Elliot, Kimberly and Nancy Ross, in Herrick Township for $180,000.00. Daniel Adam and Rachel Ziegler Vannan (NBM) Rachel Ziegler to Daniel Adam and Rachel Ziegler Vannan, in Forest City for one dollar. Vida B. Finlon to Shirley Shingler, in Auburn Township for one dollar. Victor J., III and Tamara Santarelli to Arnold T. and Mary Alice Manning, in Gibson Township for one dollar. Jennie Orlandini to Jamie R. and Yvonne E. Orlandini, in Springville Township for one dollar. James P., Jr. (estate), Charles F. and John J. O’Malley and Cara Brennan to Charles F. O’Malley, in Jessup Township for one dollar. Joseph M. (AKA) Joseph M., Sr. (AKA) Joseph Allen and Beacon Properties to Eva M. Flannery, in Forest City for $2,500.00. Edward and Elizabeth Traver to Chris and Sheila L. Snedeker, in Choconut Township for $16,000.00. L. John and Barbara S. Wilkerson to James A. and Katherine R. Ring, in Silver Lake Township for $200,000.00. Matthew F. and Stacy F. Merrell to Matthew F. and Stacy F. Merrell, in Hallstead Borough for one dollar. William D., Jr. and Vicky E. Jones to Jonesway LLC, in Middletown Township for one dollar. Roland V. and Donna A. Tompkins to Colleen B. Devincentis and Scott D. Tompkins, in Great Bend Township for one dollar. Georgia B. Bronson Edmonds to Frank Rockefeller, in Great Bend and Liberty Townships for $5,000.00. Todd M. Legg to Robert J. and Kylah M. Balcer, in Liberty Township for $232,000.00. Misty R. Bennett to Ashley Marquez, in Forest City for $101,000.00. Robert (estate) and Maureen McAndrew, Leona Machiesky, Steven and Patricia A. Allen to Julius, Jr. and Edith Dobitsch, in Clifford Township for $250,000.00. Gerald J. and Lilian (AKA) Lillian Bevan to Ruth A. Tenhoeve, in New Milford Borough for one dollar. Paul P. (AKA) Paul Peter Michalko (estate) to Paul M., Michael A., John E. and Robert T. Michalko, in Harford Township for one dollar. Cynthia and Garry S. Oceanak to Cynthia, Garry S., Dirk A. and Ellyn Oceanak and Terrlyn W. Andriola, in Lenox Township for $10.00. Kenneth J. and Lori L. Hughes to Brian and Kevin Slofkosky, in Liberty Township for $48,000.00. Aaron P. and Michelle Rockwell to Michelle Rockwell, in Thompson Township for one dollar. DIVORCES Loretta M. Anderson of Susquehanna vs. Duane J. Anderson, married 2005. Michele R. Turner of Jackson vs. Gregory B. Turner of Great Bend, married 2008. Veronica Mattocks of Hallstead vs. Timothy Mattocks of Montrose, married 1990. Ricky A. Burger vs. Lisa A. Burger of Springville, married 1990. Frank C. Maus of Sayre, PA vs. Monica G. Maus of Owego, NY, married 2004. BENCH WARRANTS The Susquehanna County Domestic Relations Section has bench warrants for the following individuals as of 11:00 a.m. on March 4, 2011. Jack Akers, Kathryn E. Allard, William D. Barton, David Shawn Blaisure, Ryan T. Brooks, Douglas Buckman, Bryan S. Burnett, Beverly A. Carvin, James J. Corridoni, John C. Creps, Heather R. DeBoer, Charles S. Dunn, David J. Fischer, Thomas Fisher, Nesbitt W. Fitch, Jr., Terry L. Frailey, Christopher Frailey, John S. Frisbie, Jr., 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, Jesse R. Rhinebeck, Jr., David J. Shiner, Eric J. Snell, Garrett M. Staudinger (aka Thomas), Justin Thompson, Robert J. Twilley, Todd M. West, Steven G. Wormuth, Roy Yanvary, Donna Zeluff. Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.
State Police Ask For Your Help The Pennsylvania State Police at Gibson are investigating approximately 40 burglaries which have been reported since the middle of January. These burglaries occurred in remote locations of Lenox, Gibson, Harford, Ararat, Clifford, Herrick and New Milford Townships. The homes burglarized were primarily hunting cabins or seasonal residences. Items taken range from cash and electronics to souvenirs and household goods. The actor(s) use force to gain entry to the residences, usually by forcing open a window or door. Citizens in the affected communities are asked to be extra alert and take notice of any pedestrian or vehicle traffic in these areas, day or night. Citizens are asked to report all suspicious activity to PSP Gibson at 570-465-3154. Callers are asked to reference the “cabin burglaries.”
Letters In New Milford Several letters were read near the beginning of the New Milford Borough meeting on March 3, dealing with a wide variety of topics. A letter was received announcing a public hearing slated for Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. to consider and act on the request for a variance to allow for a mid-rise senior housing development. Currently the zone is for I-1 industrial. There was a letter from Sam Lewis addressed to the borough's solicitor. It stated that the letter from his client, the Housing Authority, did not ask for any zoning guarantees. The Housing Authority had missed the deadline on the application, it continued. The council members wanted it noted that the council had not dropped the ball, and that they had only been approached three weeks prior to the meeting. There had been some local discussion which painted it as the council's fault. Ms. Gulick reiterated that council could not sign zoning letters. The property had only been bought at the end of January. The time frame had simply not allowed for the change to occur before the March 1 deadline, though it was clarified again that council was completely behind the project. Council wants it stressed to the public, the council president said, that it is doing everything it can to help that project. In fairness to them, one council member said, the Housing Authority did not get the go ahead until mid-December. Still, it would not be legal, it was emphasized, for council to sign the letter prior to completing the process. Council had their attorney draft a letter stating that it was in favor of the project but needed zoning. Mr. Ainey suggested that council send a letter to zoning in support of it as well. Another letter was read, from DEP, which had inspected Scott Lonzinski's project down by the hardware store. It was said, after Jim Carr read the letter, that there was some work yet to be done at the site. Terri Gulick gave a further report, having been concerned by how high above the hardware store the new property was. She had asked the hardware store owner about this, and he replied that they had spoken with the contractor and were not concerned. The state is requiring that the development be built at that height, but it should not cause flooding problems to the store. A letter was received from the census bureau. Mr. Carr read some of the statistics, and said that he would like to compare the numbers with the 2000 Census. For example, it appeared that both the median age and the population had decreased. The mean travel time for work was listed at around 25 minutes. There was some discussion regarding the legal costs of one code violation. The borough had apparently accrued $2200 worth of legal fees so far, and the matter was not yet resolved. It was suggested that the township try to recoup these legal expenses if they win. Mr. Ainey asked council if they could be citing the property owner. It was thought that the borough might be able to file a citation, and charge him retroactively if it wins. It was decided that this would be something to ask the borough's solicitor about. Mayor Taylor opined that if the property owner wins this, council may as well take the codes book and throw it in the trash. Mrs. Abbot said that she felt the public ought to know about the money the borough had been required to spend on this matter. During the mayor's report, Mr. Taylor said that during the recent snow event the roads were horrendous, and townspeople had contacted him about it. Ms. Gulick said that she had received a call from the police about how bad the roads were. It was stated that the regular road maintenance man had been off for personal reasons, and a substitute had been plowing. Also, the snow had been heavy, and then refroze. The storm came on very quickly as well, further exacerbating the situation. The regular man had come in shortly by Sunday it was said, and had really fixed the roads well. When Mrs. Abbot mentioned salt, it was reported that Montrose had agreed to sell the borough salt on an as-needed basis. However, it was suggested, perhaps the plow people had not known about this agreement. There had been a complaint about someone shoveling snow into the road after every snowstorm. There had also been a private plow person on Main Street, it was said, who had left a huge pile of snow in the road. It was suggested that maybe people be reminded in the next newsletter to shovel their sidewalks appropriately. A phone call had been held with Forever Bouquets by Judy, regarding flooding. Barb James said that she had gone up to see the situation, but the borough's road was fine and the water was just flowing downhill. The problem was melting snow, and runoff. The road is higher than the front of the building, and the water will naturally go down the driveway. The mayor suggested that a letter be sent explaining that the borough had gone and investigated the situation, that it was not their problem, but that it might be fixed by the digging of a ditch. There had been no true movement, Ms. Gulick said, regarding the brake retarder ordinance. The situation was waiting on a report by PennDOT. The mayor pointed out that the signs would likely have to be made to the state's specifications, and this could be expensive. He queried whether the council would want to spend the money. Mr. Carr stated that the matter would wait until they heard back from PennDOT, and then it would be a consideration. GeoKinetics had done a nice presentation at the work session apparently, in regards to a seismic permit request. The work was to barely enter the borough, it was stated. Council approved to allow this to occur. There was a map change request regarding the property on 682 Church Street. There are two things going on at the same time, Mr. Carr explained. The zoning hearing board was to meet on the 10th, regarding the variance. The borough's solicitor had suggested that they move ahead with the map change as well, however. A hearing had to be held for public input into that. It was decided that this would be scheduled to occur in the April 7 council meeting. Jerry Bevans resigned from the New Milford zoning hearing board. He stated that his decisions were always made regarding the rules, etc. He stated that he had always enjoyed living in the borough. The motion was made to accept the resignation with regret. It was suggested a letter be sent of appreciation for his service. Ms. Gulick recommended Rick Ainey for the position. She motioned that he be appointed, this was seconded and approved. A report was given regarding the progress of the sidewalk grant. It was a mission, vision, scope of the project, and tasks which Ms. Abbot and Penny Scarborough had established from a meeting they had on the subject. Mr. Ainey brought up the fact that the Comprehensive Plan hadn't been reviewed in nearly thirty years. Ms. Gulick said that the planning commission is reviewing it currently.
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