At the August 5th meeting of Montrose borough, Mr. Lamont noted that the president would be voting in order to make a quorum. Various items were discussed through the meeting, including the community center, and a parking lot name.

During the correspondence center, Mr. Lamont noted that there were letters from eight people who wanted to put wells up in the borough.

During the police report, Chief Smith spoke about ways in which the police’s oldest vehicle had failed inspection. The matter was tabled, as Mr. Chamberlain offered to gather more information.

The new area code overlay began September 21st, it was noted. The new 272 area code would come into effect on that day, and the entire ten digit number would need to be dialed.

David Whalen from Time Warner Cable was present at the meeting, in order to discuss renewal. Federal law required that every cable company had a franchise with a municipality, he explained. He recommended a change to the proposed franchise agreement and offered to address any questions. Mr. Lamont asked about Fox, saying that he didn’t get any news stations out of Binghamton except for YNN. Mr. Whalen explained that there was a Fox which came out of Scranton/Wilkes Barre. They were the predominant station. There had been discussions regarding competition and Binghamton, within the company. As a result a representative from the company had requested that the Binghamton station be taken off in Pennsylvania, and TWC had conceeded. It was also mentioned that TWC had been in negotiations with Channel 12, which was one of two CBS stations. The contractual negotiation talks had failed, and TWC had decided to no longer carry that channel.

Mr. Lamont asked what the reason for a fifteen year contract was. Mr. Whalen replied that they could go down to ten. They didn’t want to go down to five because the company was required to start notifying the municipality 36 months in advance, which was less conducive to a five year contract. It was generally agreed that a ten year contract would be preferable to council, than a fifteen.

Ms. Skinner asked what the average cable bill for Time Warner in this market was. It was responded that the average cable bill came in around $79, but when they came into bundling the cost ran the gamut. She asked him to project down the road what the average bill might be in five year increments. He said that he could probably give her a history of what the rates had been, however he wasn’t willing to do a crystal ball thing.

Mr. Whalen also noted that the company was starting to go digital. The digital adapter was free until a certain year, after which it would be an additional 99 cents a month.

Mr. Lamont asked if council wanted to move to advertise the franchise agreement with the corrections, or if they wanted to wait until the corrections were made and then motion to advertise. It was requested that the representative return, and a motion would be made at the second meeting.

Judy Kelly had come to speak about the borough parking lot. They had come to the meeting with a proposal to name the south lot the Livery Lot. They had checked with the historical society, and there were lots of liveries. It had then been suggested that it be named Post lot. She had taken this to the Chamber of Commerce meeting, and they thought it was a terrible idea, as there were already so many locations with the name Post. This might be problematic for GPS purposes. Another community group had suggested naming the north lot the Livery lot and the south lot the Tannery lot. Whatever the lots were named, Ms. Kelly requested that council name it something, as they would like to put a name in the plan. The names North and South lot were both less captivating of the imagination, and less desirable for GPS purposes. Mr. Reimel made the motion to name the north lot the Livery lot and the south lot the Tannery lot, and the motion was passed unanimously. Mr. Reimel asked if they would have to advertise this. It was unknown if it was required. Ms. Kelly thanked them, and said that they would be back as there were other conversations going on.

Todd Smith and John Puzo were present at the meeting to discuss the Andre’s Apartment project. About a year ago, Mr. Puzo explained, some gentlemen had gone to Mr. Smith to discuss utilizing the Andre’s space for apartment housing. The group had been contacted by the zoning officer, and told that the apartments had to be 2200 square feet. This was a change under the new zoning ordinance; in the past the zoning officer had recommended that they call it a garden apartment, saying it could be under the old zoning then at 1600 feet. Mr. Smith explained that part of the problem was that larger apartments over 2000 feet were more expensive. They asked if there was any room for a variance for smaller apartments. They asked if there could be any leeway, since they had spoken with the codes enforcement officer prior to the new code.

A garden apartment always had been 2,000, Mr. Lamont clarified, smaller was called something else. There was some discussion about this. Mr. Granahan suggested that there was something askew here, as 2,000 sounded like a single family home.

After some discussion and research it was clarified that the 1,600 feet and the 2,000 feet were lot size, not apartment size. Ms. O’Malley stated that the lot size in total had to be 12,000 square feet. That meant that each apartment had to have a lot size of 2,000 square feet. That included green space and other considerations.

They had asked about a variance. Ms. O’Malley stated that they weren’t asking for a variance, what they were asking for was an exception.

As was, it was stated, the apartments were already planned large, at 1700 or 1800 square feet.

Joe Andre said that the apartments were going to look right. He said that the project was not prepared to take on those expenses until they got approval from council. Mr. Lamont asked them to find out if EDU’s were available. Mr. Andre felt they would still be available, as they still had two from the previous building which they had not let go.

Mr. Lamont asked for just a letter stating that the EDU’s would be available. It was also stated that they had required architectural plans from a previous requester, so they should be consistent.

Ms. Skinner suggested that they come to the meeting on the 19th, when the zoning officer would be there. Mr. Puzo asked if they could get council’s concerns at that time, so that they didn’t keep going back and forth.

Mr. Granahan said that he didn’t think there was a subsection under the required lot size which set the apartment size. If this were true, that it only represented square feet per lot they met the requirements.

Mr. Andres editorialized that the apartments were not small. They were larger than a lot of homes.

Someone had spoken with a municipal authority representative who said that there were no problems with EDU’s in the borough. Mr. Lamont suggested that council take some time and call a recessed meeting for the following Monday night. Mr. Lamont said that they had one of the best lots in town.

Brian Baker requested permission to use the council room for a class. This was agreed to rather rapidly.

The subject of the Community Center was broached. Mr. Lamont said that he had spoken with Ms. Davis that day, and she was very receptive to being their partner in the work to keep the ball rolling. She asked if she could get some sort of an estimate of cost and gave permission for draining the pool and working on carpeting. It was stated that she was willing to share the burden, and that it was not felt that lawyers were necessary. In response to a question by Ms. Skinner, Mr. Reimel read aloud a listing of types of fungi present and their locations. It was suggested that perhaps the conditions, including the presence of the pool, were contributing to the situation and that addressing these conditions could go far toward remediation.

Mr. Pickett said he was against sending their staff to drain the pool, as they were talking about remediation and then talking about sending their staff in. Mr. Lamont said that there was nothing saying the conditions were dangerous. Mr. Reimel stated that there was no black mold. Mr. Granahan said that it was no worse than what was in the basement. Mr. Pickett rebutted, asking Mr. Granahan if he was a specialist. Mr. Reimel volunteered to turn the pump on himself. Mr. Granahan suggested that Mr. DiPhillips be contacted and asked to find the best way to deal with it.

Mr. Granahan brought up again the subject of  protocol for access to the borough secretary. He paraphrased his discussion with the secretary. There were two options: one being that the secretary reported only to the borough president, such that he would have to approve any request, and the other to assign her to the finance committee. As the finance committee was the group that hired her, he felt it would make the most sense to have requests to her go through the finance committee. He just wanted to throw it out for thought. This was according to PSAB guidelines. Ms. Skinner asked about the turnaround time. It was stated that right to know requests had a time line, but a request from another council person would not have a specific time limit. She requested that they address a fair turnaround time.

An executive session was called at 8:36. When it ended there was a recommendation to hire two new part-time police officers. Both were to start at up to 24 hours a week at the standard borough starting rate of $13.00 per hour, for a probation period of ninety days.

Oakland borough council met for nearly 55 minutes on Thursday, August 8, at the Lanesboro Community Center. Along the way President Ron Beavan and Councilmen Jack Agler, Gary Boughton, Dave Dibble, Eric Page, Brian Rhone, and Dave Trevarthan considered three main topics: housing code violations, crime & security issues, and exploration of ideas for a new municipal building.

Routine business was disposed of expeditiously before moving on to Ron Beavan’s presentation of the Codes Report. He discussed five properties, one having made excellent progress in the correction of code violations, and four which appeared completely disinterested in - if not disrespectful of - any semblance of interest in codes compliance. President Beavan noted that he had had long conversations with Code Enforcement Officer Shane Lewis, as well as Magisterial District Judge Jodi Cordner, about one property in particular. He further noted how pleasant Judge Cordner had been, but that she could suggest nothing beyond what the borough was already doing to induce a modicum of cooperation from a particularly recalcitrant and non-compliant property owner.

Councilman Boughton presented the Parks Report. In so doing he discussed the ongoing campaign of vandalism by miscreants in the borough. That led to a rather lengthy discussion as to what steps might next be taken. The steps ultimately agreed upon included innovative security measures to deter, detect, and apprehend lawbreakers in the park. Council unanimously approved the new security measures and agreed to evaluate their success at future meetings, as well the possibility of escalating security further, if necessary.

Also brought up for discussion by Councilman Boughton was the recent incident in Ross Township, where three supervisors were murdered by one of their constituents. Council briefly discussed the possible need for police presence during borough council meetings. While no final decision was made at this meeting, council indicated that it would conduct further investigation into a number of factors, including cost and legal issues, before making any change in current policy.

With Mayor Randy Glover absent from the meeting, neither mayor’s report nor Police Report were available to those in attendance. Other than the security issues heretofore discussed, the only other police matter discussed was the issuance of a citation to a resident for burning painted wood within the borough. President Beavan noted that that was a “no-no” and carried a $500 fine.

Finally, President Beavan and council continued their discussion (from last month’s meeting) of looking into the possibility of a new municipal building for the borough. A couple of possible sites were discussed; their promising attributes as well as liabilities debated; and dates were set for when council members might make on-site visits for first-hand evaluation and analysis. Council agreed that whatever decision was to be made in the matter, theirs would be the result of a carefully considered and deliberative process, unburdened by a need for speed.

Before closing, Secretary Flo Brush read an invitation to council members to attend the Susquehanna County Economic Development Board and the Progress Authority annual breakfast meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 22. Featured speaker for the event is U.S. Representative Tom Marino. Oakland Borough Council members, by every indication, displayed an infinitesimal level of interest. President Beavan proceeded to immediate adjournment.

Next meeting is scheduled for the second Thursday of September, the 12th, in Lanesboro Community Center at 7 p.m.

To kick off Great Bend Borough’s meeting on Monday, August 5th, Lauren Hotaling with the Progress Authority from the Economic Development Services, was there to briefly discuss a KOZ (Keystone Opportunity Zone) application. KOZ’s allow the opportunity to develop certain land with greatly reduced state and local taxes, giving the development a chance to flourish and allows for economic growth. This specific application is in regards to the location of the former Hallstead Foundry, on a 17.4 acre piece of land. No specific comments were made on what type of development may be installed there, but there was speculation that it may be a water treatment facility. The Supervisors are still going over the information provided by the Progress Authority, and must make a decision by October the 1st, which is the deadline for the application.

Regarding roads, Mountain Vista Lane cul-de-sac road work has been stopped until the Borough can decide a method of draining to be used on the road, before obtaining prices on paving the road. Green Valley Road work is still on-going.

While no material bids were submitted to Great Bend Borough, Mirabito has submitted a bid for heating materials, which was accepted by the Supervisors. Two other bids were also accepted from SuitCo and Vestal Asphalt, until a phone call can be made to each, to ensure that the materials could be delivered promptly within a 24-hour window.

Great Bend Borough is still seeking a replacement for a vacancy in the Sewer Authority and also an Emergency Management Coordinator.

Also, the 2013 Upset Tax Sale is scheduled for Monday, September 9th at 10:00 a.m. at the Courthouse in Montrose, PA.

The next Great Bend Borough meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 2nd at approximately 7:00 p.m.

Susquehanna Community School District Board Directors approved the following personnel actions during their regular meeting on Wednesday, August 7, 2013.

 Hired for High School Aide (permanent part-time): Autumn Groover.

Hired for 48-day-Special Education Substitute Teacher: Rebecca Hinkley.

Hired for 48-day Learning Support Aide H.S. Substitute: Nicole Furch.

Hired for the 2013-2015 school seasons: William Szili - Girl’s Volleyball Clock Keeper; Raymond Testa - Football Clock Keeper; Stephen Nayduch & Robin Glidden - Football Ticket Takers; Carol Bushong & Robin Carmody - Football Ticket Takers and Cross Country Scorers.

Also hired were Thomas Kubus for Assistant Girls Volleyball Coach; and Chris Norris as Substitute for Maintenance/Security.

David Bell was approved for the 2013-2014 school year as Varsity/JV Boys Basketball volunteer.

Food Service Manager Linda Cole-Koloski appeared before the Blue Ridge School Board on the evening of August 5, as she does at least once a year to report on her operations and explain food pricing for the upcoming new school year. And, as usual, she received warm appreciation for her tireless efforts to manage the service efficiently and effectively. This year she expressed some exasperation at the complex federal and state regulations that are forcing her to raise meal prices once again, over her own better judgment.

Ms. Cole-Koloski first described her summer operation, supported entirely by government programs and at no cost to the district. Her staff served over 2,000 meals at the Blue Ridge campus this summer. She also provided 150 lunches at the Hallstead library, and another 200 snacks at the Montrose library, all of it free to the children served.

She then went on to explain the pricing scheme for meals for the new school year to begin on September 3, 2013. Lunch prices for elementary students through 3rd grade will increase by 25¢ to $1.75; prices for grades 4-8 will remain the same, bringing lunch prices for all grades K-8 to the same level. Lunches for the older students will rise to $1.95 to cover increased costs of larger meals and more fresh vegetables and fruits.

Ms. Cole-Koloski would probably prefer not to raise prices at all, and could probably do that as she had for some years were it not for the so-called “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.” Because the government subsidizes meals for eligible low-income children (Blue Ridge does, after all, provide free breakfast for Elementary School students), they want to ensure that families who are not eligible – and presumably more affluent – pay more to help out. This they call “equity.” At least the schools need not reach the desired price levels all at once. But prices must rise at least 10¢ per year.

At the same time, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education have proclaimed that children must be offered healthier food, including 2 vegetable items and a selection of fresh fruit. So not only must the district comply with complex formulas for determining meal prices, but Ms. Cole-Koloski must juggle menus into the mix while still holding prices at reasonable levels. She said that she will be shifting to a 6-week menu cycle in order to cope.

The Food Service program at Blue Ridge has always paid for itself, at least since Ms. Cole-Koloski took over. Not so for the rest of the district’s operations, whose expenses are at the mercy of the taxpayers. To that end, and because the state reopened its budget (generously providing an additional $5,500 or so to Blue Ridge), the School Board reopened its own budget to accommodate some new expenditures.

According to Business Manager Loren Small – who characterized the new budget as a “work in progress” – the modified budget shifts $200,000 from a debt-service fund to a cabling project that will replace virtually all of the networking infrastructure. Another $125,000 will be allocated to transportation for special needs students. Bids are expected on the cabling project by August 26, so the Board will have more accurate figures by the time of its next meeting on September 9th when they will vote on the final (final) budget. In addition to the shift of funds from debt-service, the new budget draws from the anticipated year-end fund balance (surplus). The revised budget does not increase tax rates or revenue from taxes.

The new budget will have to accommodate a new position in the Special Education department. The “Management Team Compensation Plan” calls for a new Special Ed Instructional Supervisor (as well as Joe Conigliaro’s new position as Assistant Principal covering all grades). Curiously, the “Management Team” is not considered to include either the Superintendent or the Business Manager, whose salaries are not listed in the schedule. In fact, the Board recently held a private session to evaluate the Superintendent’s performance, a process that Mr. McTiernan called “accurate and fair.”

The Board went on to accept a bid by RGM Hardwoods to provide wood chips for the heating plant at a price of $40 per ton. Mr. Small said that he and the Maintenance Supervisor had visited another bidder’s facility but found their product – mulch from pipeline logging operations – “unsuitable.” He said that because of the type of furnace, the district requires clean, dry wood chips with a moisture content less than 40%.

Members also accepted preliminary contract provisions with Lewis Busing for providing transportation for special activities off campus. The proposed contract includes a provision for an additional fee which would be added for events requiring 2 (or more) buses that would leave the campus during regular bus schedule activity. The contractor explains that for the occasional trips called for under this separate contract, a bus would have to be kept available, and special provisions for locating an available driver would have to be made. The Board will have an opportunity to consider the final contract in September.

The Board also approved a refund of real estate property tax for one landowner in New Milford Township. According to the petition and explained by Mr. Small, the property was assessed tax of $1,521 when the mineral rights were sold in 2010. The petition claims a refund because, under rulings by the state, since there was no production from the property at the time, the value of the mineral rights was zero; hence, no tax. The petitioner asked for $760 from the school district; the other half would be claimed from the township and the county.

The Board also heard from Lauren Hotaling representing Progress Authority, “an economic development organization serving Bradford and Susquehanna Counties.” The Progress Authority has contracted with the County Commissioners to locate economic development opportunities, and Ms. Hotaling was presenting the possibility of designating the old Hallstead Foundry property a “Keystone Opportunity Zone” (KOZ), which would free a developer from taxes for up to 10 years. She said that such a developer might be induced to make an annual “payment in lieu of taxes.” She was not, however, able to explain why the district would entertain such a tax abatement proposal considering that a company called Equipment Transport is already cleaning up and developing the site.

The Board gladly accepted a proposal to build a 24x24 pavilion outside the 5th-grade classroom area that would be funded by the Parent-Teacher Organization and Elementary Student Activity Funds. The area would have available power and a concrete floor, and could be used for outdoor classes in good weather.

Middle/High School Principal Matthew Nebzydoski reported that advanced placement numbers for the past school year reached record levels for Blue Ridge, including the number of students taking and passing the AP exams. He said that the entire staff is now qualified to teach reading within their various disciplines.

And finally, Board President Laurie Brown-Bonner said that, while the new Fund Raising Committee is short some $1,700 of the minimum needed to open an account with the Community Foundation, an unidentified donor has offered $1,000 if the Board and Committee can come up with the additional $700. She also read a note from a student who benefited from the Committee’s efforts with a scholarship allocated from the proceeds of its first golf tournament.

By the way, adults served lunches at the school will pay $3.25 for a meal in the coming school year, up from $3.00. If you attend a meeting of the School Board you can get a bottle of water and a cookie or two absolutely free, regardless of age or ability to pay. You’ll have your next opportunity beginning at 7:30pm on Monday, September 9, 2013. All meetings are held in the cafeteria in the Elementary School. Where else?

That was the exclamation of Susquehanna Community School District Business Manager Gary Kiernan at the board’s Wednesday, August 7 meeting. Why was the summer so great? We’ll get to that momentarily.

Present for the district’s meeting were board President Steven Stanford, Evelyn Cottrell, Jason Chamberlain, Amanda Cook, Carol Jackson, Holly Kubus, and Martha Stanford. Board members Clay Weaver and Lori Canfield were absent.

From the board’s 7:00 p.m. start, rapid-fire motions for approval of the previous meeting minutes (of June 19), the Treasurer’s Report, the General Fund Bills, the Food Service Report, the Activity Report, and the Athletic Report proceeded. All were unanimously approved. Secretary Evelyn Cottrell read correspondence to the board, which consisted of a letter from Kimber-Morgan Foundation announcing the awarding of $5,000 for the purchase of new computers for the sixth grade. Superintendent Stone reminded the board that the district had made submission for a Constitution Pipeline Grant late last year, and this was the fruit derived from that seed.

The great news of summer continued with Elementary Principal Bob Keyes’ report of average school attendance of 33 out of a universe of some 50-plus possible during the summer session. He also noted that the annual orientation for K-4/K-5 students is scheduled to be held at the elementary school on Wednesday, August 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Representatives of various social service agencies will be on hand to make parents aware of the kinds of services available to students and families.

Gary Kiernan enthusiastically exclaimed, “It’s been a great summer!” at his report’s opening and closing. He noted that Brian T. Kelly & Associates would begin work on the district’s 2012 school year in a few short weeks, and that they had an offer (later approved unanimously by the board) on the table to provide audit services for the 2013, 2014, and 2015 school years at a cost of $20,400 per year. And although the (federal) IDEA funding had been cut $15,000 to a total of $75,000, the increase in state funding of $69,000 to the district was sufficient to close that line-item gap.

Mr. Kiernan also beamed when extolling the features of the district’s new zero-turn John Deere riding lawn mower, which had been purchased for just under $14,000 (and priced some $5,000 less than the best price available outside the Co-Star Program). Another great summer moment came with the pricing for the district’s 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SE at huge discount that reduced the district’s cost to $21,869. Yes, “It has been a great summer!”

Facilities Manager Donnie Norris spoke up to say that the grounds were now 95% ready, and all grounds and facilities would be at 100% before school opens. He noted that the grounds had been aerated, sprayed, mowed, and variously rehabilitated, as necessary, to get them in great shape.

In his report to the board, Superintendent Stone noted that he had received a mailing from an area legislator this very day, and he found it necessary to issue a clarification. The newsletter, he said, indicated that SCSD had received a $396,000 increase in funding from the state. He explained that $327,000 of that amount went to PSERS, the teacher’s retirement system. (Any increase in the state’s contribution to PSERS is mandated by a formula set by the state - and not a discretionary increase in funding to school districts.) The remaining $69,000 is the actual amount of increase to the school’s budget to meet basic educational funding expenses for the 2013-14 school year. And that $69K increase, he stressed, comes after a cut of more than a million dollars to the district during Governor Corbett’s first year in office (2011).

Under new business the board approved “All Hazards Plans” for both the elementary and high school buildings. The plans, just completed in July, prepare the district for virtually anything that can go wrong so that timely and effective responsive actions can be anticipated and effected when necessary. The plans provide for virtually any contingency, ranging from natural disasters to armed intruders.

Adding to that layer of security, board members approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between PSP and Lanesboro Police Department - and the SCSD for the 2013 - 2015 school years. Superintendent Stone, in recommending approval of the MOU, noted that these agreements run for two-year periods, and that with Lanesboro Police already scheduled to be on campus for every day of instructional education, police now had an agreement that allows them to react nearly instantaneously.

Expenditure approvals by the school board included utilization of the PA-ETEP, an electronic teacher evaluation portal, or the 203-2014 school year at a cost of $2,240; purchases of the zero-turn riding lawn mower and Dodge Grand Caravan SE for the bargain prices previously mentioned; as well as the creation of two new “Initiative Support Personnel Positions” for the 2013-2014 school year, with compensation set at a rate of $2,500 per position.

Approval was further granted for Bridget O’Neill to attend the annual Financial Aid Conference for School Counselors at Marywood University on November 8; and for Superintendent Stone to attend all NEIU #19 PAC, county, and superintendent meetings for the 2013-2014 school year.

Other actions approved by the board included: The MOU and Agreement between Susquehanna County “Juvenile” Probation Dept. & SCSD; Student Assistance Program Agreement between TREHAB and SCSD for the 2013-2014 school year; Institution of the Differentiated Supervision Plan, as presented to the board; Approval of Richard Norris as deputy tax collector for Oakland Township; Luzerne County Community College use of high school facilities for fall 2013 classes (at no cost to the school district).

At 7:26 p.m. Treasurer Martha Stanford motioned; Jason Chamberlain seconded, and the board unanimously agreed to adjournment of August’s meeting. Board members agreed, “It WAS a great summer!” as Gary Kiernan passed out brownies topped with icing and nuts - and offered double-helpings to all takers.

Next SCSD board meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, will find school back in session and herald the imminent arrival of fall.

The Susquehanna County DOMESTIC RELATIONS Section has outstanding BENCH WARRANT’S for the following individuals as of 11:30 a.m. on August 9, 2013: Thomas D. Earley, David J. Fischer, Douglas R. Heath, James Karhnak, Kay L. Knolles, Whade A. Koch, Jean M. Larson, Todd J. Layton, Charlie J. Legere, Lawrence M. McGuire, Ronald N. Mitchell, Andrew J. Muscarelle, Frank T. Perera II, Mary Perschau, Bruce A. Schurr, Desiree L. Shifler, David J. Shiner, Eric J. Snell, Tessa E. Thomas, Steven G. Warner. Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.