There was a special meeting of the Mountain View school board on Monday, June 16th at 8 pm, to discuss the superintendent position.  The superintendent was not in attendance at the meeting. 

The meeting opened with a first hearing of visitors.  Matt Voda, an Emotional Support Instructor at the district, stood and asked to speak in regards to Mrs. Shea.  He said he wanted to speak out publicly to say that he and Mrs. Shea had interactions throughout the hiring process, interview process, meetings with outside agencies, and meetings with parents and students.  He wished, he said, to say that she had been a pleasure to work with, professionally and personally. 

A motion was then made to exercise the board’s right of unilateral termination of the superintendent’s contract pursuant to paragraph 11(e), effective immediately.  This was passed unanimously by role call vote. 

The motion was then made to appoint Karen Voigt, the district’s Director of Curriculum, as acting superintendent effective June 16th.  This also passed unanimously by roll call vote. 

There was a second hearing of visitors, in which no one spoke.  An executive session was announced, which occurred for a half hour before the meeting.  The meeting adjourned shortly after it began, about 8:12 pm.

Prior to the June 9 Montrose School Board meeting and work session, they finished a Finance Committee meeting. When this reporter arrived, the board was ending the meeting with a discussion regarding budget options. There were three outlined, which included realigning elementary certified staff and raising taxes, taking from the reserves from gas revenue, and throwing the budget back to the administration for further cuts. Ms. Follert said the last was not really an option, as the administration had already cut the budget. Mr. Caterson related that the district was taking out over $230,000 from the gas funds, which were earmarked for the PSERS increase. These were non renewable funds, he noted. PSERS costs were only expected to rise. The total budget was up a little bit over 2%, largely due to personnel costs. Mr. Caterson said that he hated increasing taxes, but thought that increasing taxes to the index and not buying anything in order to balance the budget was the best option. The board agreed to pursue that option, then, which involved the realignment of elementary staff.

Mr. Adams and and Mr. McComb provided their reports, speaking of end of the year events. Mr. Owens commended various staff members, along with his student “web lackey” Konstantinos Konstas. He said Konstas was doing a fantastic job, calling him a great resource.

Mr. Boccella then gave his report, noting that senior awards night was scheduled for that Saturday at 6 pm, with Baccalaureate and senior night the next day. He also announced the names of the valedictorian, Myra Lattimore, and saluditorian, Sam Bennicci, calling both of them intelligent, likable, and well-rounded kids.

Mr. Powers was not at the meeting, being in Virginia Beach with the seniors. He had asked, however, that the last time they were doing positive behavior support referrals be noted. There had been over 150 of these since January. An author had been brought in to discuss his book about World War Two, and he called it a very nice day. Mr. Caterson prompted him about other news, and he replied that he was a proud dad. He and his wife had their first baby, mom and baby were healthy, and he was loving it. He thanked the board and said he appreciated their support.

Ms. Lusk related that the business office was preparing for fiscal year end. They were ensuring that bills were getting paid, and they were preparing for audit. The month prior they had done the annual review meeting for the Title 1 program, district wide.

There was a motion on the agenda, it was noted, to award a bid to convert the boiler at Lathrop Street to natural gas. Lathrop Street would have dual fuel burners, in case the gas didn't arrive in a timely manner. The boilers ran a domestic hot water loop as well. Also on the agenda was an agreement with Leatherstocking regarding the transportation of natural gas.

Ms. O'Malley would be receiving the transportation duties, and Chris Tripp had been working with her toward the transition, he stated during his report.

Mr. Caterson reviewed the agenda for the school board meeting, and asked if anyone on the board had any questions. He then asked what those present thought about not having a July board meeting, wondering if they wanted to have a month off. Everybody agreed to this.

Very shortly after the work session ended, the board went right into the board meeting. A visitor raised a question regarding Ms. O'Malley's replacement of Mr. Trip. He requested a meeting between the transportation staff and she and Mrs. Boyce, to follow up on what had been discussed at the transportation committee meeting. Mr. Tripp related that he had taken the pertinent information to her. Another visitor was curious where Ms. O'Malley's salary was coming from. Mr. Caterson responded that it was coming out of the Transportation Director's stipend.

One of the school's nurses was present, stating that she wanted to be there to address any comments regarding the modified health program, since there were new administrators. The Modified School Health Program, she explained, came into existence in the district in 1982. By having the level of school nurse staff they had at the district, she stated, they were able to provide physicals in-house. They also had the luxury of having modified the screenings. She said that there were not many schools anymore, which had that level of staff, and she thanked the board for allowing it. They had an increased level of care over a certified school nurse; they could follow students or situations a little bit more closely and had an advanced level of assessment.

A motion was made and approved to enter into a transportation service agreement, as submitted, with Leatherstocking Gas Company, LLC to provide natural gas to Lathrop Street.

A motion was also made and approved to award a bid to O&M Multi-Trade, Inc. of Jessup in the amount of $56,750 for boiler conversion at Lathrop Street. This was one of only two bids which had been received.

A motion was made to approve an Occupational Therapy Professional Services Agreement as submitted with Tier Occupational Therapy Services, PC. It was stated that this was the standard agreement. The agreement was approved at a cost not to exceed $79,000; it wasn't thought the district had ever spent the maximum.

The standard Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth Agreement for Services with PA Treatment and Healing was approved for the 2014-2015 school year. Ms. Staats thought this to be a standard use, it if you need it type of agreement.

The resignation of Lori Lass was accepted with regret from her position of Yearbook Advisor. Ms. Boyce encouraged anyone who hadn't seen the recent yearbook to do so; in general it was spoken of highly.

Seven student workers were approved to work a maximum of 8 weeks, 40 hours per week. They were to be employed in the custodial and technology departments.

The extended school year program instructors were approved, for a maximum of 20 days of work, four hours per day. Staff were approved for the operation of the 2014 summer school programs at Choconut Valley and Lathrop Street schools. The classes were all contingent on student enrollment. A motion was also made to approve summer work time for guidance personnel.

The employment of Jon D. Carpenter and Anthony J. McKennas was approved. The former was approved to a Social Studies/English position, and the latter to a science position. Mr. Ognosky said they had interviewed four candidates, these were the two survivors. He thanked them for their interest in the district. The resignation of Mariah Stahl as half-time French instructor was accepted.

A motion was made to reduce a full-time, learning support instructional position at the junior-senior high school to a half-time learning support instructional position.

A motion was made to transfer the director of transportation position from Christopher Tripp to Elizabeth O'Malley. Also, the motion was made that beginning July 1st Ms. O'Malley would be a full-time twelve-month administrative employee with all benefits per the current Act 93 agreement.

A motion was needed to approve a submitted list of graduates for the class of 2014.

A motion was made to hold a special public meeting of the board of directors on Monday June 30, beginning at 7 pm in the Junior-Senior High School Community Learning Center, to vote on a final budget and conduct end of the fiscal year business.

In response to a question regarding the increase in taxes, it was noted that the board was proposing increasing to the full index, from 43.5 mills to 44.7615 mills. This would represent about $275,000 worth of additional revenue.

There were various topics discussed at the June 18th meeting of the New Milford Township Supervisors. These included natural gas activity, impact fees, and road conditions.

Constitution Pipeline had submitted an ESCGP-2 permit for the construction of a natural gas interconnection pipeline from two points in Susquehanna County to two delivery points: Iroquois Gas in Write, NY and Tennessee Gas in Schoharie, NY. The permit did not stipulate the location of the points in Susquehanna County, at least not that anyone present had been able to ascertain. The plan was for 25 miles of 30” pipe. Mr. Shibley planned to try and learn the unknown locations.

It was stated that Susquehanna Gathering’s plan for a CDP-2 (a compressor station, to be located on East Lake Road) was approved by the Planning Commission. Also, notification was received that CDP1, the compressor station on Sutton Hill, had been declared a non-building subdivision. No portion of the property, therefore, was allowed to have an installed sewage disposal system of any kind, at that time or in the future, per the decision of DEP.

Another notification of DEP decision was noted. A small non-coal mining permit was granted to the Kazmierczack Operation. It was uncertain where this was to be located.

The township planned to purchase a new excavator on the Co-Stars program, it was announced. The plan was to trade in the skidsteer.

The township planned to host Clean Up Days, from July 7 – July 11. Items would be collected from in front of residences. This was for appliances and electronics only, no household garbage, no tires, no wood, etc.

The township was putting building renovations out for bid. The plan would be to renovate and add approximately 800 square feet to the municipal building. It would bring it to a point of being appropriately handicapped accessible.

Mr. Young had applied for a subdivision, near the camp property. The supervisors said that everything appeared to be in order, and approved it contingent on this still being the case after further review. At that point they would send the standard letter regarding approval with consideration for sewage matters.

Mr. Bondurant noted his attendance at an all day session EMA hosted down in Wyoming County. He also related that he had been notified about approval for a speed change, moving the 35 mile per hour speed limit from the borough line to the end of the municipal complex property. This move was evaluated and approved by PennDOT.

A visitor, Mr. Drann, asked Mr. Bondurant if, at the meetings he attended, the subject of electronic installation sabotage came up for discussion. He related that it was being discussed at the state and federal levels. Mr. Bondurant said that he hadn’t been involved in such discussions, but that didn’t mean the subject wasn’t being discussed at the county level. He said these were discussions which were held regularly at PEMA and FEMA, but not all of the these trickled down to them. He said they had several very involved people at the county level, and that there was a hierarchy of people in the state who had a direct connection to emergency management.

Mr. Drann also mentioned the carrying of oil substances, etc on the railroad. He asked if there were any trains coming through the area containing large quantities of, for instance, methane gas. Mr. Bondurant responded that the county was given a list of potential dangerous cargoes, and opined that the county did a very good job with emergency management, as did the state and PEMA. He felt they were probably about as prepared as they could be, and that preparation extended to the police, emergency response staff, etc.

Mr. Drann said that he had read that New Milford Township was to receive over $500,000 in Impact fees, the second highest amount in the county. He asked if the township had received impact fees for 2012, and how much that was. He also asked how often the funds were disbursed. Ms. Graham responded that they were disbursed once a year, and that from 2012 they had received roughly $400,000. For that year they were slated to receive $515,000, which she corrected, was actually the third highest amount in the county, not the second. Mr. Drann then asked if the supervisors had established projected plans for usage of these incoming funds, which might continue and increase in subsequent years. He knew that there were only certain things they were allowed to use them for. Mr. Conroy responded that they had discussed the subject, that a lot of it would be going into the building, some into the roads, and some into maintaining that which they had already begun. Mr. Drann asked if the public would receive any kind of projection regarding their planned use of the funds. Mr. Conroy responded that when the building was completed they planned to have an open house. Other than that they hadn’t planned to put out any formal plan to the public. Mr. Drann asked for the projected cost of the building improvements, but it was responded that they didn’t know this answer as the project was just going out for bids. Mr. Bondurant related that the township had made a concerted effort to upgrade equipment. Mr. Hunter pointed out that while $500,000 was a lot of money to a person, one kind of truck could cost $200,000 by itself. Mr. Conroy noted that they also didn’t know how many years they would receive the funds.

There was a discussion about potholes. Mr. Conroy related that he had talked with Southwest. He said that he wasn’t going to throw a stone and say that the company had to fix the potholes, as the township was responsible for some of the damage too. Southwest had put probably two foot of fill on the Three Lakes Road, and the potholes had returned that year. Mr. Drann wished to put a word in for pothole improvement or elimination on the Highlands Road. He said that he knew there were multiple factors, but the road in that section was quite bad. When it rained they didn’t know where the potholes were, and in one section motorists had to drive into the oncoming lane to avoid them. Mr. Conroy agreed to look into it.

It was confirmed that Southwest didn’t have any of the roads bonded. Mr. Conroy said that they worked very close with him, everything that they did went through the municipal office. Ms. Graham related how one section of road had been fixed shortly after Mr. Conroy brought it to their attention.

The Susquehanna County Commissioners announce the Courthouse will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2014 in observance of Independence Day. All court related offices will be available.

Fleeing or Eluding Police Officer:  On June 20th, three individuals - Destiney Presto of Carbondale, a 15 year old juvenile, and a 14 year old juvenile - stole a car in Wyoming County, abandoned it, and then stole a truck.  The trio then fled in the truck into Susquehanna County. Troopers attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver would not stop and a pursuit ensued.  The trio abandoned the vehicle in Dimock, PA and led troopers on a foot pursuit.  All three were apprehended in the Dimock area.  The combined effort of law enforcement personnel, along with the residents of Dimock, resulted in the quick apprehension of all involved.  PSP was assisted by the following agencies:  Detectives from the Susquehanna County District Attorney's Office, the Montrose Police Department, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, the Susquehanna County Probation and Parole, the Susquehanna County Sheriff's Department, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.  Presto was charged with Criminal Conspiracy, Endangering Welfare of Children, Recklessly Endangering Another Person & Resisting Arrest. The juveniles were charged with similar type charges.  Presto failed to post bail and was remanded to the Susquehanna County Correctional facility.  The juveniles were also put into placement. 

Crash:  On June 22nd at 5:50 am Britney Rohmann of Hallstead was traveling east on Church Street in that borough.  As the vehicle traveled through the underpass, it struck a center bridge support.  The vehicle spun counter-clockwise and came to rest facing a northerly direction in the east bound lane.  The operator was taken to the hospital prior to the responding trooper's arrival. 

Commercial Vehicle Crash:  On June 21st at 8:22 pm Robert McCarty of Muncy was traveling east on Snake Hill Road in Jackson Township when his Kenworth truck tractor turned right onto Slocum Road too soon, causing the trailer to track past the roadway and strike the po9le.  The utility pole snapped and caused the upper half to break and down the power lines.  The truck remained parked until Penelec was able to free the combination.  The driver was utilizing a seat belt; no injury was sustained. 

Burglary:  On June 22nd at 1:50 am Pennsylvania State Police responded to a report of a burglary in progress in which Kory Wheeler of Lehighton was found to be inside the residence of a Uniondale couple; he stole numerous items, as well as cash.  The individual was immediately taken into custody and was later arraigned on charges of Burglary, Criminal Trespass, Theft, Theft from a Motor Vehicle, and Receiving Stolen Property at DC 34-3-02. 

Crash:  On June 20th at 11:05 am Dustin Shanahan of New Milford was traveling south on Sr 0092 in Lenox Township when his vehicle traveled off of the roadway, causing it to roll onto the driver's side.  A seat belt was in use; no injury was sustained. 

Theft:  The police are investigating the theft of a mailbox from a Lathrop Township location between the 18th and 19th of June.  Anyone with information is asked to contact this station. 

Hit and Run:  On June 21st at 6:30 am an unknown person was traveling east bound on TR945, Great Bend Turnpike, in front of a Gibson Township home.  The road in question is a dirt covered roadway with no separation of the travel lanes.  At the time of the collision the roadway was dry with no significant weather event occurring.  At this location, the vehicle was driven from the roadway, impacted a mailbox, and fled the scene.  The driver fled the scene prior to police response. 

Theft:  On June 20th at 3:58 am a Susquehanna woman left her cell phone on a table at the Flying J Truck Stop and someone stole it.  The phone was an iPhone 5 valued at $550.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Theft:  On June 19th between 7 and 7:30 pm a Great Bend woman left her wallet in a shopping cart.  When the victim returned to the cart the wallet was nowhere to be found.  The wallet contained miscellaneous cards and approximately $3.00 in cash. 

Access Device Fraud:  A Clifford Township woman reported monthly charges from Trans Union and Experion Credit Agencies for services she did not authorize. 

DUI:  On May 11th at 2:51 pm Adam Macazan of Susquehanna was traveling South along Sr 171 from Erie St. when the operator overcompensated while negotiating a curve tot he left.  The Dodge 1500 Ram traveled from the southbound lane, across the opposing lane, across the sidewalk, through a metal fence, and then down an embankment.  It then rolled over while traveling down the embankment.  The truck came to a rest on its roof facing south, alongside the east side of the church building.  The operator was later discovered at the residence of his parents and placed into custody for DUI.  He was also treated at Barnes Kasson for numerous minor injuries.  The truck was towed form the scene by French's Towing. 

DUI:  On June 10th at 9:27 pm Jarred Tennant was found asleep in his vehicle at the McDonald's Parking Lot in Great Bend township.  Further investigation led to the arrest of the accused for DUI. 

DUI:  John French of Susquehanna was taken into custody for driving under the influence after being stopped for a traffic violation where he failed to stop for a stop sign in Oakland borough. 

Burglary:  Between the 14th and 15th of June, Ross Feed of Kingsley was forcibly entered through a northern boarded window.  Once inside the structure, perpetrator(s) proceeded to rummage through shelves and drawers, removing monies from within.  Said act was done without authorization.  Anyone with any information is asked to please contact the police.  The investigation was ongoing as of the time of report. 

Crash:  On June 14th at 10:33 am a Chevrolet Cruze was traveling in the parking lot of the Great Bend Sunoco at the same time as an F150 was parked, getting fuel with a trailer being pulled behind it.  A pedestrian was standing near the trailer when the Cruze struck it.  Great Bend Fire and EMS responded to the scene. 

Crash:  On June 13th at midnight Cody Church of New Milford was traveling westbound on Cosmello Road when he lost control of his F250, which struck an embankment and a tree off the north side of the westbound lane before coming to its final uncontrolled rest area.  The driver fled the scene, and was located on June 14th.  A seat belt was in use; injury was listed as unknown. 

Theft from a Motor Vehicle:  The police are investigating a report of a theft of an inspection sticker from a vehicle located in Great Bend Township.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

DUI:  On May 25th Terry Mortenson of New Milford was the operator of a vehicle as a traffic stop was initiated.  Mortenson exhibited signs of intoxication and was placed into custody for DUI. 

Burglary:  Between the 11th and 12th of June, one or more perpetrator(s) gained forcible entry into Jenny Leigh's restaurant and stole approximately $40 in cash from the cash register. Anyone with information is asked to please contact the state police. 

Crash:  On June 19th at 7:10 pm Joesph Riley of Montrose was traveling northbound on Sr 2053 in Dimock Township when his vehicle exited the roadway after the driver unsuccessfully attempted an avoidance maneuver to miss a deer in the roadway.  After impacting the deer, the vehicle began a clockwise rotation and made driver's side impact with a tree.  The driver was extracted from the vehicle by mechanical means and transported via ambulance to Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City.  A seat belt was in use; moderate injury was sustained. 

Disturbance/Disorderly Conduct:  On June 10th at 1:28 pm a Meshoppen man and a Tunkhannock man engaged in a dispute on Karmazin Road in Jackson Township which escalated to the point of summoning the police and ambulance to the area. 

Criminal Mischief:  On June 10th, between 10:30 am and 6 pm a criminal mischief incident occurred in which one or more perpetrator(s) arrived at a scene in Springville township, punctured a radiator, and fled the scene.  The victim was Stafursky Paving Company of Archbald.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

If you have information regarding any of these incidents, please contact the police at (570) 465-3154.

The Susquehanna County DOMESTIC RELATIONS Section has outstanding BENCH WARRANT’S for the following individuals as of 9:50 a.m. on June 20, 2014: Duane M. Aldrich, Shawn J. Bedford, Anthony M. Choplosky, Tina M. Clark, David J. Fischer, James Gerard, Jeremy W. Hall, Todd J. Layton, Charlie J. Legere, Casey M. Lehman, Derrick Lezinsky, Robert J. McCrone, Ronald N. Mitchell, Jordan L. Payne, Matthew J. Peters, Veronica D. Phelps, Eric A. Pike, Sherri M. Rosa, Bruce A. Schurr, Todd J. Slater, Anthony L. Smith, Frederick Swingle, III, Tessa E. Thomas, Justin S. Thompson, Donna N. Tunstall, Robert J. Twilley, Steven G. Warner, Kevin H. Welch. Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.