President Laurie Brown-Bonner opened the Blue Ridge School Board’s workshop on February 27 with a little game. Giving each board member a sheet of paper, she asked them to close their eyes, and admonished them not to ask any questions. She then gave a series of imprecise instructions for folding the paper and tearing off corners. When she finally asked them to open their eyes and their papers, there were several patterns of variously holed papers on display, which she said represented the “need for two-way communication.”

A couple of weeks before, some of the Board members gathered for a retreat facilitated by a PhD student Ms. Brown-Bonner knew from her day job and who was paid about $400 for the service. Each participant was presented with a brush supposedly symbolizing the need to brush off the past. Board members who did not attend the retreat got their brushes at the workshop. Ms. Brown-Bonner said that the Board needed to put the past behind them, to brush off any lingering animosities, and to move forward.

That out of the way, the Board was introduced to some items that are expected to appear on their business agenda a week hence.

Among the more routine was the school calendar. Superintendent Robert McTiernan said that classes would begin for the 2012-2013 school year the Tuesday following Labor Day. The last week of August would be given over to professional development for the faculty.

Last month the Board approved pay rates for long-term substitute teachers, which would stay the same as for last year. Mr. McTiernan said that he had since been advised to negotiate these rates with the teachers’ union.

The Board is also negotiating a land purchase and a gas lease. Ms. Brown-Bonner announced that the Board had met in two executive sessions, on February 17 and just before the workshop, to discuss the potential acquisition of land from a neighboring property owner that will finally place the entire running track on Blue Ridge property. The Board also met with representatives of a couple of natural gas exploration companies to consider leasing the campus property. Over the past couple of years the Board had been considering a lease offer from Cabot Oil for nearly $6,000 per acre. The Blue Ridge campus now covers some 47 acres altogether.

Mr. McTiernan reported that Susquehanna County CARES had asked for space to host its program. CARES is an early-childhood education program that has been under the wing of the Susquehanna County Literacy Program and using the Literacy Program’s space in the District Justice building in New Milford. Having lost its government funding, the Literacy Program was threatened with having to vacate the space. However, Elementary School Principal Matthew Button reported that the Literacy Program had just recently received a $100,000 2-year grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation that may make a move unnecessary.

The Board discussed the district’s website, which Ms. Brown-Bonner said she had some trouble navigating, particularly the part designated the Board’s private “portal.” Mr. McTiernan noted that others have noted problems with the site, so he has asked the Information Technology department for other options.

Each of the committee chairs was asked for a report. During a discussion of athletics, Board member Christina Whitney described the scene at a recent basketball game at Montrose and the unruly behavior of the Montrose crowd. Mr. McTiernan said that he would bring it up at a forthcoming meeting with other county superintendents. Ms. Whitney said that she, as well as the players, were heartened to see Blue Ridge administrators at the game.

Chair of the Wellness Committee, Priscinda Gaughan, was not present at the workshop. But Ms. Brown-Bonner noted that the committee has asked 2 students who actively use the fitness center to join the committee. Board member Shane Rumage asked if the fitness center could be reserved for a few hours each week just for staff and faculty. He was told that it would not be possible during the day, but Board Student Representative Kevin McCarey said that students are generally gone by 5:00 p.m. anyway.

Mr. Rumage also asked that the schools not find themselves in the situation of a North Carolina district that confiscated lunches brought from home by some children, substituting instead what the school considered a more balanced, healthy meal.

Mr. McTiernan reported that the administration is reviewing bus routes and capacities to ensure that the “seats filled” numbers are as high as possible. With possible cutbacks in state funding for school transportation, the district’s busing system will need to be as efficient as possible.

Ms. Whitney said that her Curriculum & Career Development Committee will be focusing on a “transition program” for 8th graders, to help ensure success in high school. Special Education Coordinator Barbara McCain reported that a new federal mandate will require planning for 14-year-olds with Individual Education Plans to outline their progress following secondary school.

Board member John Ketchur said that his Technology Committee will meet next on March 5 at 3:00 p.m. He said that, given current budget constraints, he expects “minimal” technology requests for next year.

Ms. Brown-Bonner is pushing a new Fundraising Committee whose members include Mr. Rumage, Christina Cosmello and the board’s newest member, Lavone Lewis. She suggested that each committee member come to the table with at least one idea to get the committee moving forward.

According to Harold Empett, the Board’s representative on the Board of the Intermediate Unit, Blue Ridge can expect an assessment of some $17,000 for next year. He said that the IU is “dealing with” the issue of its former executive director, recently indicted by the federal Justice Department for theft and fraud.

The workshop was to be followed by yet another executive session that was to discuss salaries in the district’s IT department, as well as the tax collector’s contract.

The Blue Ridge School Board would meet again for a business session the following Monday, March 5, before you read this. The Facilities & Grounds Committee has scheduled a meeting for the same evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Ms. Brown-Bonner’s own Policy Committee will meet that same evening at 7:00 p.m. to review policy 913 covering dissemination of materials by outside organizations.

At the next public business session, on March 5, the Board is expected to adopt a new meeting schedule, with a monthly workshop on the 4th Monday of the month, followed a week later on the 1st Monday of the month by a business meeting.

Over the past several months there has been a lot of talk about companies vying to supply natural gas from local supplies to area homes and businesses. No one knows how this will play out, or when, but some in Great Bend Borough are anxiously looking forward to it - and wondering how to pay for it. At the March meeting of the Great Bend Borough Council on the 1st, Borough Secretary Sheila Guinan read a pair of letters soliciting the Borough’s support in an effort to give affected municipalities more say in the process.

An outfit called UGI Penn Natural Gas, Inc., and another called Leatherstocking Gas Company LLC are each petitioning the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for the exclusive right to provide natural gas to some 13 municipalities in Susquehanna County. They would probably tap into gathering pipelines already in prospect in the area. Borough solicitor Frank O’Connor said that he had even seen crews around town measuring for the piping that would be required.

In addition to the infrastructure required to supply domestic natural gas (including dehydrating, ordorizing and pressure-reduction equipment) for homes and businesses to take advantage of what could be substantially lower energy costs, such changes could require extensive - and expensive - modifications. Home owners might need to install new furnaces, iron piping and other equipment. Many would have difficulty affording these expenses.

Shane Rumage, Borough resident and for a short time last year a member of the Borough Council, attended the meeting to offer his expertise. In his day job he installs heating equipment, mostly in nearby New York State. He said that as a “proponent” of the initiative he thinks locally-produced domestic natural gas is the “right thing to do for the community.” But he cautioned that the cost for a homeowner in many cases “could be multiple thousands of dollars.” He suggested that the companies be asked to offer financial incentives to help out in some of these economically depressed communities. He said that in New York, the state offers grants through the Building Performance Institute (BPI) to improve energy efficiency. Perhaps Pennsylvania has a similar program?

Council Member Bret Jennings recommended that Council send a letter similar to New Milford’s to the PUC. He also suggested arranging a hearing to bring the community in on the process. In the end, Ms. Guinan was asked to draft letters to the PUC and to the Office of Consumer Advocacy along the lines of the letters received from New Milford.

The Borough has been talking with one or more of the gas development companies about a lease for the town’s parks. Mr. Jennings offered a draft of a lease developed by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for leasing state forest lands. He said the lease contains substantial protections for landowners and could be used as a model for the Borough.

Mr. Jennings is also the Borough’s representative on the board of the Hallstead-Great Bend Joint Sewer Authority (HGBJSA). Attorney O’Connor had sent a letter to last month requesting the Authority’s attention to the repaving of Spring Street once the sewer plant renovation project is complete. The Authority responded that the expense is budgeted. Yet Mr. Jennings isn’t sure where the money will come from.

He said that sewer system subscribers might expect a hefty increase in the flat-rate fee to help pay for substantial cost overruns on the sewer system renovation project. Some of the extra expense resulted from equipment that was no longer being manufactured, but some was from what appeared to be faulty design, including insufficient power supply. Mr. O’Connor suggested that design flaws should be charged to the engineers, or mistakes in the contract to the Board of the HGBJSA itself, perhaps covered by the sewer system’s “errors and omissions” insurance.

In other business, Ms. Guinan was directed to begin preparing bid solicitations for paving on Church Street and the upper part of Washington Street. The process will take at least 2 months because the Borough will have to borrow to pay for the project, and a separate bid process will be needed to determine the interest rate.

Council member and road & parks supervisor Mike VanGorden asked and was given Council’s permission to purchase 35 new street signs for the Borough.

Neither Mayor Jim Riecke nor Officer in Charge Jon Record was present to offer a police report. Last month Council authorized purchase of a Taser (a non-lethal defensive weapon) for about $900; Ms. Guinan was asked to poll the gas companies for help paying for it. Council member Jerry MacConnell wanted to know if the police policy & procedures manual properly covers the use of such a device. No one present knew the answer, so Mr. MacConnell asked to see the manual. He was told that he was not authorized to see it, at which he strenuously objected as a member of Council with oversight of the police department.

There ensued a vigorous debate over the ability of Council to see the manual, which, after all, they approved before they even had a police department. Mr. MacConnell was told that only the Mayor - who directly oversees the police - and the officers themselves are authorized to see the manual. The idea is that malefactors should not have foresight into the procedures the police might take against them. On the other hand, under the current rules, only the Mayor and the police themselves can change the rules.

In the meantime, with the benefit of modern technology, Ms. Guinan was able to contact Mr. Record, who told her that a model policy was included with the Taser equipment (at the moment in a box on her desk), and would be added to the manual when he returned from a trip.

Attorney O’Connor also had some concerns about the use of a Taser by the town’s police department. He was assured that 2 of the officers are already certified to use it. They requested the device after some recent incidents that could have escalated, and they wanted to be able to control such situations without use of deadly force. Only one officer is available on many of their patrols. Mr. VanGorden suggested that, at least on Friday nights, the police be asked to pair up. The Great Bend Borough police are a part-time operation, with limited hours of coverage.

With warmer weather fast approaching, the town is looking to spruce itself up for summer. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter can make flags available for Main Street at a cost of $25 each. It wasn’t clear if this included poles and brackets, and Mr. VanGorden requested wooden poles, since the metal ones “just don’t last.”

There should be warmer weather for the Council’s next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, April 5. All meetings are at the Borough Building - aka the Blue Ridge Senior Center - at the corner of Elizabeth and Franklin Streets.

DEEDS

Jacqueline and Thomas (AKA) Thomas J. Molanda to Robert F. and Tammy A. Korty, in Forest City for $33,000.00.

Lori A. and Lewis W. DeJoseph to Lori A. DeJoseph, in Clifford Township for one dollar.

Kevin P. Jervis to Kevin P. Jervis, in Lenox Township for one dollar.

Naomi Root to Brett E. and Melissa K. Newton, in Springville Township for $50,000.00.

Jerry and Dorothy M. Matthews to Rosanne and Franz J. Fearnley and Marie C. Episale, in Liberty Township for $170,000.00.

David H. and Mary Anne Nye and Joan Iannone to David H., Charles, Jr. and Donald Nye, Nancy Posten and Joan Iannone, in Forest Lake Township for one dollar.

Herbert G. Flavell to Herbert G. and Karen L. Flavell, Kathleen M. Bodrato and Cynthia E. Demmer, in Franklin Township for one dollar.

Helen H. (AKA) Helen Baglino (estate) to Mary Weaver, John and Robert Baglino, in Great Bend Township for one dollar.

Julann E. and Stephen J. Rice to Craig A. Coll, in Little Meadows Borough for $108,000.00.

Bernard and Shirley Berg to Noble Marcellus LP, in Jessup Township for $10.00.

Kendall L. and Lorraine P. Mitchell to Eugene, Keith, Kevin and Dean Mitchell, in Rush Township for one dollar.

Peoples State Bank of Wyalusing to Allison Hollister, in Dimock Township for $153,000.00.

George A. Welch to Arnold and Dawn Marie Bennett, in Silver Lake Township for $158,835.00.

Cornelius R., Jr. and Colette C. (AKA) Colette Offringa to Timothy Loomis, in Bridgewater Township for $257,500.00.

Audrey A. Halliday to Halliday Family Irrevocable Trust, in Springville Township for one dollar.

Audrey R. Halliday to Halliday Family Irrevocable Trust, in Bridgewater Township for one dollar.

Audrey R. Halliday to Halliday Family Irrevocable Trust, in Bridgewater Township for one dollar.

Gail Posten and Vera Brooks to Gail Posten and Vera Brooks, in Montrose for one dollar.

Rose Atherholt (estate) to David P., Jr. and Eric Atherholt, in New Milford Township for one dollar.

Jeffrey, Sr. and Maureen Hopkins to Jeffrey, Sr., Maureen and Amy Hopkins, in Dimock Township for one dollar.

James Penedos and Charles Welles to Springville Schoolhouse Art Studios LLC, in Springville Township for one dollar.

Donald R. Edwards (trust by trustee) to Clifford Plaza LLC and Sequoia Property Group LLC, in Clifford Township for $850,000.00.

Roy and Suzanne Schermerhorn to Troy and Nicole Schermerhorn, in Harford Township for one dollar.

Veronica L. Deffler to Richard E., Jr. and Robert Daum and Terri S. Madigan, in Apolacon Township for $75,000.00.

Wesley J. and Dolly M. (by POA) Merritt to Wesley J. Merritt, in Lenox Township for one dollar.

Elizabeth Fancher to Mary M. Mulligan, in Montrose for $84,500.00.

Marjorie Kessler and Peter Haskins French and Martha Kessler Huckins to Marjorie Kessler French and Martha Kessler Huckins, in Harmony Township for one dollar.

George G. Plomchok to George G. Plomchok, in Lathrop Township for one dollar.

Joseph J., Jr. and David B. Svecz to Joseph J. Svecz, Jr., in Herrick Township for one dollar.

Karen C. Richards and Cobert F. Christensen to Bremer Hof Owners, Inc., in Herrick Township for $100.00.

Bryan W. Bigelow to Debra E. Haslett (FKA) Debra E. Hack, in Great Bend Township for $30,000.00.

Richard and Diane Wheeler to Amanda Roe, in Harmony Township for one dollar.

Jeffrey W., William J. and Mary Ellen Wynnyk to David J. and Denise E. Schaefer, in New Milford Township for $139,000.00.

William J. and Mary Ellen Wynnyk to David J. and Denise E. Schaefer, in New Milford Township for $1,000.00.

BENCH WARRANTS

The Susquehanna County Domestic Relations Section has outstanding bench warrants for the following individuals as of 10:52 a.m. on March 2, 2012.

Cristina M. Barron, Tonya S. Birchard, Christopher Brenner, Michael Robert Brown, Beverly A. Carvin, Jonathan Fathi, David J. Fischer, Nichole M. Jones, Kay L. Knolles, Lee Labor, Todd J. Layton, Charlie J. Legere, Derrick J. Lezinsky, Michael Maryasz, Corey A. Maynard, Mark C. McCarey, Erica Y. Mead, Connie M. Mitchell, Ronald N. Mitchell, Jeremy Presson, Anthony Reed, Perry Rohan, Christie L. Sheptock, David J. Shiner, Eric J. Snell, Jermaine J. Stanfield, Sr., Timothy M. Taylor, Justin S. Thompson, Robert J. Twilley, Steven G. Warner, Jamie L. Williams, Sr., Jesse J. Yachymiak, Kelly L. Yarbrough.

Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.