On March 14, the New Milford borough council hosted an informational meeting regarding a natural gas pipeline, with a representative of Leatherstocking present. Mr. Carey introduced the event, saying that the point of the evening was to give all the residents of New Milford enough information to make an informed decision for themselves. He, in turn, introduced Mr. Ainey as the moderator of the discussion.

Mr. Ainey, in turn, provided some background information on the borough’s relationship with Leatherstocking. He explained that Leatherstocking and UGI had both applied for a franchise from the PUC to lay gas pipeline in 13 boroughs, of which New Milford was one. It had come to the council’s attention that neither of the two companies had any specific plans for New Milford borough. Therefore, council members had contacted the PUC and related their concerns, contacted the commissioners, and sent letters to both Leatherstocking and UGI (asking what their plans were for New Milford borough). Leatherstocking had responded with information on plans; UGI had not done so.

Leatherstocking had come before the council members, and told them that they were going to look for an anchor, and that whoever connected on the way to that anchor would be a bonus. The original plan had been to come from the Sutton Road compressor station and connect to the Blue Ridge School District. The only way to get to the school from Sutton Road, then, was through New Milford Borough. Council had been satisfied with this answer, and sent a letter to the PUC recommending that entity choose Leatherstocking for the franchise. Leatherstocking had then come to a meeting, and told them that the school was not going to hook up. The company needed the entire load from the school to make it worthwhile to run the line there all the way from Sutton Road. If they weren’t going to the school, it was said, that put their plans for New Milford into question. Council had felt that the majority of people in the town would be interested in learning about natural gas, and had asked the company what would be the number of hook ups at which Leatherstocking would consider servicing the borough without the school. The company responded with the number of 180.

Mr. Ainey reiterated that it had to be a personal choice, and a decision based on individual benefit. Each person who came in had been given at some point an informational packet, which also explained how to convert their heating system into natural gas. Mr. Ainey related his personal experience with figuring out his economic savings versus the cost of conversion. He also explained that as the PUC regulated the price of gas, in order to raise their rates Leatherstocking would have to go to the PUC.

He then spoke about the process which the borough council had developed. On the front of each packet was an application. Council and borough staff would collect the applications at the borough hall. Mr. Miller, the representative from Leatherstocking presenting that evening, interjected to ask those present to please not put their social security number on the application even if there was a space for it. Mr. Ainey continued on to explain that the borough’s intention was to collect those applications. Then they would hold another public meeting, where vendors would be present.

He introduced Mr. Russel Miller, Vice President of Gas Supply and Marketing at Leatherstocking Gas Company, LLC.

Mr. Miller took the floor and gave a presentation. He explained that he fulfilled the same function at both Corning Natural Gas and Leatherstocking, Corning was a 40% owner of Leatherstocking. He explained that Leatherstocking was formed as a joint venture between Corning Natural Gas Corporation and Mirabito Holdings, Inc., and that the company believed it could provide low cost, clean burning, locally produced natural gas to regional industry and residents.

Between what he said and what was on the slides, it was related that the company was very highly regulated, being a monopoly regulated by both the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in PA and the New York State Public Service Commission. The company’s rate of return was also regulated; the rate of return typically ran between 9 and 10 percent. If they ran over that they had to give money back to the customers.

The plan the company describes was to provide natural gas service in targeted areas of PA and NY. He explained their vision and business model, which he said was really simple, connecting the gas from where it was coming from to the end users and local customers. They did not make money off of the sale of gas, he said, but off the distributions. He likened what he did to charging for the transportation of cabbage as a cabbage hauler. He listed some of the benefits to the industry, saying it was a locally produced energy resource, a form of local economic development, and a potential employment opportunity. Alluding to a popular movie line, he suggested that if businesses knew there was a low cost source of natural gas in the area they would want to be located near it.

They found it kind of ironic, he continued, that the area was prolific in natural gas development, and all of the natural gas was going to the large areas, who for the most part didn’t like hydraulic fracturing. He admitted that the company didn’t do the work out of the goodness of their hearts, obviously they wanted to make money, but they believed that they could and save the customer money. They also believed that the environment could improve because natural gas burned cleaner.

He reviewed some Leatherstocking rates. If someone went to the company’s website, they would see what rates they were allowed to charge customers. He explained the various parts of the charge, a meter charge, and a cents per cct rate. There was also a contribution in aid of construction (CBOCF), which was a socialized cost that made it easier for everyone who wanted gas to get it. The bottom line was that the average customer cost, using CCF annually, could be $1,670.

There would also be a conversion cost. Switching from propane to natural gas was probably the most economic way to go, followed by fuel oil. He advised each resident to talk to an HVAC professional to ensure that they knew what the conversion costs were going to be and decide if it was an economical choice. He emphasized that not everybody had to convert, it was what was economical for that individual person. People would save money by switching to natural gas, he asserted, but for some people it might take longer.

What the company looked for, he said, were unserved or underserved markets in areas with moderate concentration that were close to a gas supply (such as wells and gathering systems). The latter was something the local area did not have a shortage of. He called it a perfect storm. He said that he thought they had probably had more meetings with New Milford borough than other councils. They decided that they ought to come back and give the borough another look both because the council was upset with them, and because they had gone to bat for the company when asked.

He differentiated Leatherstocking from the big gathering companies. They had a regulated rate of return, and they didn’t have big pockets. It was unlikely someone would see them pay for a big community center like the big companies, but they were in for the long haul.

Once they got the applications back, he said, they would look into what kind of load they would have, the most economic way to get to customers who wanted it, and ways to plan for future growth. Ultimately they would want a multidirectional feed. He used Montrose as an example. They had gone to the school district and the hospital, and the signing of those contracts justified them laying six miles of pipe. Leatherstocking then went to Williams to ask for a contract to get the gas, which was granted. That pipeline was completed in October of 2013. By their estimate they had saved the 16 commercial and residential entities hooked up that far, in aggregate, around $400,000 dollars. The six miles of pipe were in Bridgewater, and probably that much pipe again was expected to be laid in Montrose.

They hoped to maybe be in New Milford in 2015. The intention would be to connect with the Bluestone.

He explained that all construction would have prior approval by NYPSC or PAPUC, and that all projects would have state inspectors involved during construction. The system would be constructed of high density polyethylene pipe, which would not corrode. (The biggest concern with the pipe would be someone punching a hole in it.) The large plastic pipe could operate with up to 124psig. They would use a high density two inch line down the side streets. This was required to be buried 36 inches down, and they had to use conductive wire to help locate it, mark it well, and paint a line on the ground. All materials were inspected; all personnel had to be qualified and could be randomly drug tested. He held up examples of the piping in front of the crowd.

If an adequate number of applications were received LGC would start the engineering and design in 2014. They would then hold a vendor expo for the community. They would build approximately 3.5 miles of pipe from the DTE Bluestone compressor near Carey road, aiming this for the spring- fall of 2015. They would bore under the road.

LGC would contact the customer once an application had been received. They would survey the customer’s property with the owner to determine the service line location. The lawn would be restored to its original condition after work. They would install the service line and set the meter, but the meter would remain off until the house piping had been tested and natural gas appliances were connected and ready to to. He quipped that returning the lawn to its prior condition didn’t not mean perpetual care. The house piping was the customer’s responsibility.

The system could operate up to 124 pounds. Montrose was currently operating at 60. He said there were only ounces of pressure within a home.

Mr. Ainey had invited the first customer that Leatherstocking had when they began in Montrose to give his story. He spoke up and said that everything the representative said was true. After four bills, he related, he had saved near two thirds of his conversion cost. He had no problems with the system, and wouldn’t know the difference over propane except when the bill came.

The public then asked a series of questions. One visitor asked if, when they came down from Montrose, they would be coming down 706. It was responded that eventually they planned to. The representative said that what made sense to them was to go from Hallstead to New Milford, and then from New Milford up to Montrose.

One man asked if the compressor station would still pump if the power went out. It was responded that while the compressor station would stop running the pipeline itself wouldn’t lose pressure. The borough’s pipeline involved a small enough volume that it might not affect consumers at all. They might not even know it happened.

A resident of Sutton Road asked if they were going to go down that road. When it was responded that they were, he opined that it was a shame the gas was being shipped out, and that he thought it was great that LGC was giving the local residents the ability to hook up. He said that he had been fighting some pipelines running through his land, but if LGC wanted to go through it they were allowed.

Mr. Miller explained that, as they were a public utility, they had the right to go in public land, they didn’t have to get an easement in municipality roads. They could also claim the right of eminent domain if they had to.

A visitor asked if the 180 family units included the township residents along Sutton road. It was responded that it did.

A visitor asked if, as a business owner, she was looking at a higher cost. Typically, Mr. Miller responded, the meter charge was higher, but another charge would be lower.

Another visitor asked if a family had more than one way in which they were currently heating the home they would need to change both. Mr. Miller responded that they did not need to switch everything over at once. One appliance could be switched over to count.

A visitor asked if they had to sign a contract saying that they would be customers for a specific amount of time. Mr. Miller responded to the negative.

He also noted that the company could work out an arrangement with residents where they could limit their heating usage for a time, such as when a household went south for the winter. The meter could also be turned off for periods of time. There was a turn on charge in that situation.

Someone asked if someone who bought a house down the road would have to pay to connect at a later time. It was responded that, due to how the Pennsylvania system was set up, they would not.

When a visitor asked if there was a chance the outlying people would get service Mr. Miller said that if a resident didn’t have cable television and didn’t have cell phone service they probably wouldn’t get natural gas anytime soon.

Customers would have up to twelve months to switch over after a meter was set.

Someone asked how many potential customers the borough had. Mr. Ainey said that they had already received 35% of the applications they needed.

Someone asked who was responsible for safety, for the inspection of the lines going in and out of the lines in the house. He responded that a lot of it depended on a municipality’s codes or lack thereof. She wondered if there was a law, which might, for instance, prevent trouble if there was a problem with the house next door. Mr. Miller reiterated that the utility didn’t do anything in the house.

A visitor asked if the gas system would be affected by a flood. Mr. Miller said that they had to go under the stream bed, usually fairly deep. They didn’t put piping on bridges that washed out., They liked to shut the gas down in areas affected by flooding, as they didn’t want it to vent into the home, though it did happen. If there was a pipe that severed, they had a valve which would sense excess flow. Worst case scenario if a main was severed, they could shut it down to make sure the system was safe.

A visitor said there was some confusion regarding the school. The school had not said no, he related. They were interested in the shoulder months. Otherwise they burned wood chips, which was a good system for the school.

As the meeting was closing, Mr. Ainey reiterated that the reason they needed the apps was to show that New Milford borough wanted the service. Overall, the meeting was informative and congenial.

On March 20th 2014, Hallstead Borough held their monthly meeting. All but one Council member were in attendance at the meeting.

Catch basins and pot holes were a large topic of discussion, as many as twenty-five catch basins around the Borough are either badly damaged or caving in. The Borough agreed to re-do a certain amount of them each year, until they are all re-done. These include catch basins on Wellington Street, Rose Street, Susquehanna Street, Wright and Chase Avenue, Pine and Lusk Lane.

The Borough also noted that they would be paving many roads this summer, as many are in poor condition and the funds are available to do so. These roads include Chase Avenue, Old Route 11, a section of Pine Hill, a section of Railroad, and also a section of Lackawanna Avenue.

Blue Ridge Recreation also sent a letter of correspondence, discussing their Blue Ridge Summer Adventures 2014 program, which provides free community recreation activities for children. Hallstead Borough then agreed to donate $200 to Blue Ridge Recreation, Inc.

A letter was received from A. Miller, from the Over 35 Softball League, suggesting a “play at your own risk” sign to put on the building at the ballpark. The Borough agreed that this was a good idea and even decided to put similar signs at other parks in the area. Having said that, it was also noted that these parks close at dusk, therefore there should be no activity going on there after it is dark outside and people who disregard this are in fact trespassing and may be asked to leave.

Southwestern Energy also sent a letter to the Borough. This letter requested that they be able to put a seismic testing device in the ballpark. The Borough stated that they simply did not have enough information regarding when this would happen, for how long, or specifically where they wanted to put the device within the park. The Council then tabled the issue until more information is received, as they absolutely do not want this device interfering with park activities that will soon be resuming this spring.

A number of quotes were gathered from Council members who were looking for a new, large mower to purchase. After reviewing information and prices, a motion was passed to purchase a new Ferris mower at approximately $6500. The new mower also comes with a four year guarantee. Given the good price they received on the mower, the Borough decided that it would keep both of the older mowers as well.

Upon receiving a letter from the local Tax Collector’s office, a motion was also made to raise the Registration Fee from $6 to $10, to keep the amount aligned with other local Registration Fee amounts.

The Borough also wanted to make residents aware that two positions are available regarding Elections in Hallstead Borough. A Judge of Elections is sought, as well as a Majority and a Minority Inspector of Elections, and two clerks are needed, one of each party. The Borough hopes that these positions, some of which are elected positions, can be filled as currently there is no one serving.

Next month’s meeting will be held on the third Thursday of the month, April 17th, at 7:00 PM.

On the eve of spring’s arrival--by calendar, if not observable weather--Susquehanna Community School Directors gathered for their regular monthly meeting. The 7 to 7:45 p.m. meeting on Wednesday, March 19th was jam-packed with approval of plans to move mandated changes, changes reactive to evolving circumstances, and changes inspired by creative design to improve both the educational and administrative processes.

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

Superintendent Bronson Stone with only mildly muted tones of exasperation and displeasure briefed board members on Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) acceptance of new “Chapter 4 regulations.” The implication of these new regulations is a new massive paper-shuffling exercise for the school district which will be “forced to undergo strategic [so-called] planning next year. Between January 2015 and September 2015 the district will need to craft six new plans for implementation in the 16/17 school year.” Regular readers of the goings-on at SCSD will recall that the district was in the final group required to craft “strategic plans” under the old PDE regulations. The district submitted those “final” strategic plans in 2013 and months later finally received confirmation that the state was in receipt of them for filing . . . which was to have been the end of the matter . . . under the old regulations. However, the “old” strategic plans don’t meet the requirements of the new regulations. Nine months of meetings, research, writing, and due diligence to ensure compliance--not to mention the “opportunity cost”--all at taxpayer expense of course, will be a prerequisite to meet the state education bureaucracy’s new regulations. Superintendent Stone was not amused.

A second change necessitated by governmental regulation is the development of SLOs (Student Learning Outcome/Objectives) required under the Charlotte Danielson framework. The focus of the district’s June 10th in-service day will be to develop SLOs, the purpose of which is to objectively measure student progress from the beginning of the school year to its finish. These objective markers are important not only for measuring students’ progress, but in determining evaluations of teacher performance. SLOs will count for 15% to 35% of teacher evaluations, beginning in the 2014/2015 school year. Mr. Stone is optimistic that teachers can complete some 90 to 95% of the SLO development on the June 10th in-service day.

In changes reactive to evolving circumstances, Superintendent Stone explained changes proposed and approved at this meeting relating to district lunch pricing, tax collection, the telephone system upgrade, and Vo-Tech program participation. For the 2014/2015 school year, the lunch price is going up a dime, from $1.75 to $1.85. Of note is the fact that over 60% of SCSD students receive subsidized lunches at either a discounted price or at no direct cost to the students themselves. (There are, of course, no free lunches as most taxpayers realize.)

And with regard to taxes, the board approved exoneration of the District Tax Collectors from the collection of unpaid school taxes for the year 2013. That exoneration relieves tax collectors from trying to collect taxes thus far uncollectible so increased pressure at a higher level can be applied. Closely related, Superintendent Stone’s presented a revised tax collection policy at their March 18 work session, and approved this evening. The revised Susquehanna Community School District Tax Collector Policy has a three-pronged focus: (1) ensuring accountability through the establishment of separate accounts; (2) establishing provisions for timely deposits and payments; and (3) establishing a mechanism for enforcement of tax protocols. The district is successful in collecting school taxes at an overall rate of only 89% presently.

Regarding the telephone system upgrade, implementation is scheduled for the week of July 7, 2014. The upgrade takes place at arguably the slowest period of the year and the district’s redundant T-1 line and analogue systems will be operational to continue phone service even as the upgrade is implemented. The district’s total monthly phone bill thereafter will be $2,102.53. That looks a huge number, but it is off-set by an 80% reimbursement, leaving the district’s budget with an actual bottom-line cost of $420.51 per month. The upgrade in phones was dictated by the obsolescence of the district’s current system.

SCSD’s participation in the county’s Vo-Tech has always been at the one-year program level, chiefly because SCSD’s campus is the furthest from the SCCTC campus. Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year SCSD will offer both one-year and two-year programs at the SCCTC. There are caveats related to successful Keystone Exam completion; however this is a big step forward for SCSD students who want more than the one-year program previously offered.

The creative changes approved by the school board related chiefly to scheduling and what would be done during those schedules. Superintendent Stone presented to the board his draft schedule for the 2014/2015 year. In a major departure from past years, “Meet the Teacher Night” will replace “Open House,” and it will occur on Thursday, August 21st, during the week BEFORE school starts. K-4/K-5 orientation will be held simultaneous with Meet the Teacher Night. Mr. Stone noted other features of next school year’s schedule: school begins on August 25, and the first two weeks are four-day weeks; school graduation for the class of 2015 is set for June 13, 2015; and sufficient school days are built into the schedule such that only unusually numerous storms or cataclysms of Biblical proportions would consume enough snow-days to delay graduation. Board agreement was unanimous.

And in a schedule-related initiative long the dream of Superintendent Stone most of the elementary school will shift from a five-day to a six-day scheduling cycle. What this means is that elementary students will be scheduled to the same cycle as those in high school and this change will support the professional staff working in both buildings. Most elementary students will have gym class 36 more times per year than in the past. “Also, students in grades three to six will have specials in art, music, library and technology on a quarterly basis,” Mr. Stone said. Overall, the elementary school’s shift to six-day scheduling will allow for greater focus on performance-based projects and more consistency in instruction.

During the public comment period a party of meeting attendees brought up a further creative change to which the board responded by listening closely, asking questions, and agreeing to take up the issue at the next work session (on April 8th). The party of attendees consisted of six female students, all members of the SCHS J-V or Varsity softball teams. Their request was for a change in the school’s softball uniforms, the pants specifically. Three of the six students spoke. They were poised in presenting their written statements and answering all questions put to them by board members. Their logical presentation as to why the school should permit a change in pants color from white to black was compelling and board members gave every appearance of providing them equitable relief at next month’s regular meeting. President Stanford thanked them for bringing this matter to the board’s attention, even as board and audience applauded their initiative.

Other actions taken by the board included three roll-call votes with unanimous results for:

• Approving the 2014/2015 proposed NEIU #19 budget of $963,646 with a District Contribution of $11,560.96 (a projected increase of $0).
  
  
• Approving the Management Team Agreement for 2014/2015 to 2017/2018.
  
  
• Approving the Non-Instructional Agreement for 2014/2015 to 2017/2018.
  
  
• Also approved by the board was the rate of $170 per day for substitutes who attend the 4th grade camping trip. The pay is double the daily substitute rate because substitutes are at the camp on duty both day and night. Substitute teachers will be used this year, instead of only taking additional full-time teachers as was custom in the past.

The board also conferred upon High School Principal Mark Gerchman the title and position of Supervisor of “Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment.” In response to the board’s unanimous approval, Superintendent Stone shouted, “C-I-A!” Laughter erupted and light-hearted collegiality continued to meeting’s end. With meeting’s end came the double reward of double-chocolate brownies served up in generous portions by the ever genial and gentlemanly Gary Kiernan.

School Directors gather for their next board meeting a week earlier than originally scheduled, on Wednesday, April 9th, at 7 p.m.

At the beginning of the Elk Lake School Board meeting Mrs. Teel welcomed Dr. Cuomo, who was sitting in the superintendent spot to get experience prior to him taking the position over officially.

Mr. Leon Williams thanked the school and administration for giving him his diploma. He had been given a diploma at the meeting prior.

During the administrators' reports, Mrs. Staats said that special education was still battling the access debate. Access monies were still being denied to certain districts. The matter was going to the senate. She was hoping that action would be made soon.

Mr. Mallery congratulated LaAanna Farnelli on her Regional Orchestra participation. He also noted the Scholastic Team, for fighting their way to the finals in the 34th Annual Scholarship Challenge hosted by Choice 102 Radio in Sayre, Pa. Three Student Council students had gone down with students from Hazleton, met with governor Corbett, and they were planning to do a commercial about safety during prom time. He also spoke about a motivational speaker who was scheduled, Alvin Law, who was coming via London, stopping at Elk Lake, then continuing on to Toronto, and Australia.

Dr. Cuomo related the report about the Elementary School. Johnson Control had already been at work in the elementary building, he said, and they had begun to upgrade the lighting. They put sensors in the room which took about eight days to figure out the traffic in the room. They had also started taking PSSA's, and the two events corresponded. He read aloud an e-mail to him, which came from an instructor who overheard a student. This student had thought the sensor was a camera, and stated that he thought the school was carrying the PSSA's a little far. Actually, Dr. Cuomo expanded, more than one student thought they were cameras.

During the personnel portion of the meeting, various positions were filled. Dr. Cuomo recommended Laurie Evans for the position of Assistant Business Manager. He next recommended Mr. Marc Weisgold for the position of elementary principal. Finally, he recommended Kevin Jones for the position of Maintenance Supervisor. All three motions passed.

Dr. Cuomo also asked to post the positions of Dean of Students, Assistant Maintenance Director, and Superintendent's Secretary, along with summer program positions. The district was to run its own extended school year program that year, rather than the NEIU running it as it had in the past.

The first payment to JCI was motioned, in the amount of $1,679,072. Dr. Cuomo asked the board for permission to open a bank bond account. Mr. Tewksbury confirmed that the million dollars would be available through the bond by the 31st, when the first payment was due.

The final capital Project Payment for the upgrade to the doors was then motioned, in the amount of $33,700, with an additional expense of $2,618. Dr. Cuomo reiterated that the doors were operating.

Mr. Tewksbury asked if anyone had heard anything from Harrisburg about the reimbursement for the Career Center project. Mrs. Teel said that there had been an e-mail regarding a legislator who was wanting to propose a law that would free up enough money to at least give the districts 75% of what was owed to districts which were far along in their projects. He was making an attempt through the legislature to get some money freed up. She thought the e-mail may have come through PSBA.

The Elk Lake School was a site which had been used as an emergency shelter facility in the past, and the Red Cross wished to formalize this use for the future by means of an Emergency Shelter agreement. He said that the school was the community's, and asked the board's permission to approve the agreement.

Mike Faillace, an industrial arts instructor at the school, thanked the board for the years and years of support they had shown for the industrial arts program. He said that as they looked around at other communities, they could see that programs like the one at Elk Lake were being cut. He thanked the board sincerely for their support again, saying it was unparallelled at any other school. He spoke of the difference the program had made in students' lives, citing employment and graduation benefits. Calling it one of the most difficult decisions he had made in a long time, he announced with regret that it would be his last year in the position as he planned to turn in a letter of retirement. Dr. Cuomo spoke highly of Mr. Faillace then, saying that the job he did wasn't about work it was about relationships. He had instructed many students in life skills which couldn't be instructed out of a book, Dr. Cuomo said, and thanked him for his service. Mr. Faillace, in turn, again spoke very highly of Elk Lake, stating that there was nothing to compare to it.

A visitor asked if the metal shop program was going to continue upon his retirement. Dr. Cuomo said that this was something which was being considered at that time. The budget had to be considered, as did the resources both for the present and the future.

The visitor asked how they could justify cutting the program when they were hiring a bunch of other positions which didn't have anything to do with students in the classroom setting. Dr. Cuomo rebutted by saying that the school was a system, the various parts of which impacted students in a variety of ways. He related ways in which the positions which had been approved that night were, in his opinion, critical positions which did affect the kids.

Mrs. Teel said that the governor had not been kind to education. She said that he had basically not raised their subsidies for going on four years, and that Elk Lake was not alone in that. She said that a lot of things were coming out of the budget that did trickle down to the classroom, not because they wanted to take them out but because they were forced to. She said that they were not saying that program would be going away, but there were tough decisions to be made.

Dr. Cuomo spoke further about that. He said that over the past several years there had been many positions which had not been replaced upon a staff member's retirement. He was not disagreeing that this was a great program, he said, but unfortunately the powers that were at the state level might not have the same values about educational goals there.

A visitor said that it wasn't just education, the whole state had an issue.

Mr. Place asked if the class of 2014 had a senior trip planned. Mr. Mallery responded that they were going to Virginia.

The career center meeting opened at 8:01 pm. Dr. Cuomo asked again for permission to hire the same people to the administrative positions as were approved at the Elk Lake meeting. It was clarified that 25% of each of these positions was to be paid by the Career Center.

Susquehanna Community School District Board Directors took the following personnel actions during their regular meeting on Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

Approved the following additions to the substitute teacher list: Leonor Maston, Heidi Page, and Meghan Dooley.

Approved Maria Cina and Mina Chandler as additions to the substitute aide list and substitute food service list.

Approved Lisa Slocum and Lisa White as additions to the substitute food service list.

Approved the following additions to the substitute bus driver list: Betty Jean Carey, Jessica Ferg, and Sandra Babuka.

Approved hiring the following personnel for the 2013-2014 school year: Kristi Rossi - Track Helper; Lauren Reddon - Jr. High Softball Co-Coach; and Kim Marco - H.S. aide (from March to the end of the year).

Approved hiring the following personnel: Tammy Heller - H.S. guidance clerical position; Kyle Cook - Track helper for the 2013-2014 season; and Ryan Gilleran - After-school tutor teacher.

Approved Brett Deakin as a volunteer with varsity baseball.

Approved Teresa Wilson (for Track) and George Hubal (for Jr. High Softball) as volunteers for the 2013-2014 school year.

Accepted the following resignations: Autumn Groover, H.S. aide (effective March 7, 2014), and Dawn Steele & Jami Hyndshaw, 5th and 6th grade girls basketball coaches.

Accepted Stephen Nayduch’s intent to retire from teaching at the end of 2013-2014 school year.

Approved Carol Bushong’s resignation as football ticket-taker for the 2014-2015 season.

At the somewhat short March 19th meeting of the New Milford Township, only the supervisors, the secretary, and the press were present. The business was comprised largely of notifications about activities within the township’s environs.

An annual Pesticides application report from the Lakeside Outing Club had been sent to the township. It was quipped that if it was annual, it must be the first annual, because they didn’t remember seeing it before. The notice was summed up as DEP informing the supervisors that they didn’t use any pesticides.

There had been an air quality general permit application from Popple Construction. This was just notification.

Southwestern Energy applied to drill three more wells on a pad, being Innes North 2H, 3H, and 4H. The township received notification that they were applying for more permits.

A reporter asked if they had any comment on the meeting in the borough the previous Friday night regarding Leatherstocking coming to New Milford. There had been talk of the township that evening, and township residents were present. Although the supervisors hadn’t attended the meeting, it was stated that they would be interested in signing the township buildings on. The secretary stated that everything they had put in recently could be converted to natural gas; the supervisors were planning for it. The generator would stay on the LP gas, Mr. Conroy clarified, so that if something happened and the gas was shut off they could still have a generator.

Theft: On 02/05/14 at 7:25 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police were contacted about a dog being stolen. The resident who lives on North Shore Drive reported that his ex-girlfriend took his German shepherd. Upon further investigation it was found that the incident was a civil matter.   Officer Levi Tiffany was the responding officer.

Alarm/Security: On 02/19/14 at 8:55 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to an alarm located on South Longford Lake Road. The alarm was accidently set off when the home owner left the residence to walk his dog. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report.

Alarm/Security: On 02/20/14 at 9:35 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to an alarm located on West Wilkes Barre Turnpike Road. Upon arrival at the scene it was found to be a false alarm. Susquehanna County Sheriff’s Department responded with Chief Timothy Burgh.

Structure Fire/Arson: On 02/23/14 at 6:30 a.m. Silver Lake Township Fire Department responded to a structure fire located at 60 Lake Front Road. Upon investigation by the Silver Lake Township Fire Chief and the Pa. State Police Fire Marshall, the fire was ruled an arson. The structure was considered a total loss.  On 02/24/14 Silver Lake Township Police joined in the investigation of the arson. Silver Lake Township Police are asking that anyone that may have information on this incident, please contact our department or the Pennsylvania (Gibson) State Police. This case is still active. Chief Timothy Burgh is the investigating officer.

Alarm/Security: On 02/27/14 at 2:40 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to an alarm located on Barney Road. Upon arrival it was found to be a false alarm. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Assist Resident: On 02/27/14 at 1:40 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to a residence located on Lake Sophia Road. The caller stated that they accidentally locked themselves out of their home. The resident was taken to a nearby neighbor’s house and a lock smith was called.  Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Silver Lake Township Police responded to some medical calls in the township to assist the Silver Lake Township Ambulance for the month of February.

Any information or questions for Silver Lake Township Police, please call 570-278-6818 or email us at silverlaketwppd@epix.net, all information will be held strictly confidential. You can look at the Silver Lake Township Website at www.silverlaketwp.org, to see all Silver Lake Townships' news, profiles, and resources, including the police reports.

The Susquehanna County DOMESTIC RELATIONS Section has outstanding BENCH WARRANT’S for the following individuals as of 10:35 a.m. on March 21, 2014:. Duane M. Aldrich, Sharon Baker, Timothy J. Brennan, Cody A. Cook, Benjamin D. Fassett, David J. Fischer, James Gerard, Justin T. Giberson, Francis M. Hagemeyer, Jr, CeeJay B. Halstead, Jon W. Hanson, Timothy M. Holmes, Todd J. Layton, Charlie J. Legere, Casey M. Lehman, Derrick Lezinsky, Robert J. McCrone, Ronald N. Mitchell, Andrew J. Muscarelle, Mary Perschau, Matthew J. Peters, Chad A. Ralston, Jeffrey A. Ransom, Scott A. Russell, Bruce A. Schurr, Andrew Sepanek, Todd J. Slater, Eric J. Snell, Nathan C. Strohl, Frederick Swingle, III, Justin S. Thompson, Steven G. Warner, Richard C. WhitneyPlease contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.