An era of good feelings pervades the campus of Susquehanna Community School District.  Typically good news isn’t news per se. “The Era of Good Feelings” first made American headlines in 1817 following President Monroe’s goodwill visit to Boston. The current cause of good feelings at SCSD is of a perhaps humbler, but time-tested, origin -- relational trust established between employer and employee, school board and union, administration and faculty. 

Union Representative Kathleen Hinkley summed up that trust when she spoke at the Wednesday, September 17 meeting of SCSD’s school directors.  Ms. Hinkley noted that the union would be negotiating a new contract for teachers this year. She recalled how smoothly previous contract negotiations had been finalized with minimal (two) meetings, and further affirmed that years of close cooperation, understanding of the other side’s position, and mutual goodwill had established an enviable bond of trust and good feelings. That enviable bond of trust, Ms. Hinkley noted, has only rarely been duplicated in other Pennsylvania school districts.

While Ms. Hinkley’s optimism epitomized the evening’s good feelings, it wasn’t the sole source of sanguinity. School Board Secretary Evelyn Cottrell read correspondence to the board: three Thank-You letters, two of which were from Barnes-Kasson Hospital, and one from Endless Mountains Theatre Company.  B-K Hospital thanked the board for their support of its 17th Annual Golf Tournament, and also for the district’s support of their External Evacuation Drill on August 13th.  Endless Mountains Theatre Co. thanked the board for the use of campus buildings for summer theatre camp, during which some 18 students in grades 5 through 12 participated.

In the district’s work session the evening before, Superintendent Bronson Stone gave further reason for the district’s good feelings: PSSA scores.  For grades 3 through 7 Susky students significantly out-performed statewide Reading Scores.  The greatest margins of superior performance (over the statewide average) were at the third and fifth grade levels where district reading proficiency was nearly 10 percentage points higher.  Improvement in reading proficiency had been a district key goal in the last school year.  Superintendent Stone took obvious pleasure in students’ reading improvement and noted the hard work of teachers.

Superintendent Stone further heartened board members with his projection that the campus-based medical clinic could very possibly open the week after Thanksgiving.  Negotiations are on track and presumably a “lease-type agreement” will be crafted with the agreement ready for presentation to the school boars to gain final approval at October’s meeting.

Even Business Manager Gary Kiernan--the district’s hard-driving, reality-based numbers man--had reasons to keep the good feelings flowing.  Kelly & Associates are on campus to audit financial records for the 2013-14 school year, and the district has made its penultimate bond payment this month.  When the final payment is made in March 2015 SCSD will be debt-free, an enviable position few districts can match.  Mr. Kiernan also noted that school real estate tax payments are rolling in at higher-than-expected levels with district tax collectors doing a commendable job. 

On the subject of Homecoming, Mr. Kiernan announced that PennDot now requires the filing of an application to obtain a permit.  Not to worry though, Mr. Kiernan reassured; he had the situation in hand and the permit for the October 10th Homecoming Parade had been granted already.  Henceforth PennDot will require a new application for each parade, and the exact route of the parade must be provided each time.  Mr. Kiernan noted google maps came in quite handy for meeting this obligation. 

High School Principal Carmella Bullick also commented on the Homecoming planning that was in progress.  Then Principal Bullick focused on College and Career Planning, especially in conjunction with the district’s relationship with Cornell University, as well as student field trips to regional businesses, including Mercy Hospital.

Special Education Supervisor Joni Miller noted her interaction with NEIU, her work with early intervention, and frequent travel off-campus.  She also spotlighted one student, Ryan Gorton, who for his Senior Class Project has formulated a program in relation to “Out of the Darkness, Rachel’s Challenge.”  The “Rachel” referred to is Rachel Scott, the first of 13 victims at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado during the events of April 20, 1999.  Most briefly, the purpose of Rachel’s Challenge projects is to provide proactive solutions to classroom violence and bullying.

While good feelings stretched far and wide at the SCSD’s board meeting, Superintendent Stone did note one dark cloud on the horizon.  Susquehanna Community High School is the oldest in the county.  Maintenance and upgrades have done much to keep the vintage 1955 building operating well, but there are some “facilities issues.”  The bell tower is crumbling and bricks need re-pointing. A second, and even more serious issue, is a retaining wall which is bowing.  Alternative options to resolve both problems are possible and will be fully explored before any decision on how to proceed. 

For the record, President Steven Stanford presided over the 7:01 to 7:33 p.m. September meeting.  Board members present were Lori Canfield, Jason Chamberlain, Amanda Cook, Evelyn Cottrell, Carol Jackson, Holly Kubus, Martha Stanford, and Clay Weaver.  Serving up refreshments at meeting’s end was Gary Kiernan.  Cookies, smiles, and good feelings abounded as members slipped away into the cool autumn night.

The next School Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15. 

At the September 18th meeting of the Elk Lake and SCCTC school boards, Mrs. Teel announced that they were planning to change some upcoming board meeting dates.  The career center meeting would be moved from the first to the eighth, and the Elk Lake meeting would be moved to the 20th. 

Mrs. Guiton provided an update on the JCI project.  She introduced a representative of Johnson Controls, who represented the company on the site most every day. He had been hired by Johnson Controls to be the on-site supervisor.  He worked for a sister company to PLD, Keystone Commissioning.   There was a December 31st expected delivery of natural gas still, she reported, and she said Dr. Cuomo had been discussing that with Leatherstocking.  She reviewed the work which had been completed, which included the lighting and occupancy sensors.  The hood controls were done in the high school kitchen, but they were having a difficult time getting the right controls in for food management.  They had all the existing hot water univents reconditioned (cleaned and tested) and converted to digital control.  The boiler plant was up and running, and the components were communicating electronically with each other.  The propane tank was installed and filled.  (Some of the staff had undergone a class on that.)  The propane tank held 14,400 gallons, they had put just over 9,000 gallons in it.

She then spoke about the delays.  These included the redesign of the classroom ventilation system (due to fire codes).  They had gone through three food management designs, before they found one which would conserve energy and be comfortable for people.  The thing which held them up the most was the rewiring of 43 new univents because the factory shipped the wrong voltage control panels.  They had to wait 10 days for parts to arrive and another 10 days to install and test them.  Also the redesign of the wood shop heat represented a hold up. 

She then reviewed some of the work which had been done, by area.  This included all HVAC equipment being recomissioned and converted to digital at the primary school.  Two roof top units were installed and ducted at the secondary school, but they were waiting for room diffusers and grills.  The mechanical contractor was changing over 100 Propex brass adaptors, because they tested a sample of 20 of them and those leaked.  They had thus decided to replace the adaptors everywhere they were installed.  They didn’t know if it was a factory mistake, or if it was an error due to how they were assembled.  The building automation control was called a Metasys system, and JCI was in process of connecting the equipment to it. 

Mr. Tewksbury asked if all of the delays, etc. were going to affect the cost of the project.  She responded that no, the mechanical engineer had additional costs, and JCI was going to absorb the rest of it. 

Mr. Tewksbury asked Dr. Cuomo about the natural gas.  He responded that Leatherstocking had been on site, looking at the route they were going to take the gas.  They were in the process of permitting.  He had been at the Church Street compressor station to look at the site they planned to place their building on.  He said that they wanted the piping done before any frost gets in the ground. 

Mr. Tewksbury asked if any residents in the area would be able to hook into the lines.  Dr. Cuomo responded that eventually they would be able to do so, but he had been told that their first priority was the school. 

Mrs. Teel asked if, with the delays, there was any idea when it would all be finished.  Ms. Guiton responded that they were shooting for everything to be done by October 31st.  They would have liked to have controllable heat on Monday, and they still might have it.  They had previously had uncontrollable heat in the primary center.  The JCI representative said that if all went as planned, a week from Monday they ought to be good. 

Dr. Cuomo thanked Ms. Guiton and the gentleman, saying that they had worked many, many, hours on this process.  He quipped that he prayed for him every evening, as he was the one who had to butt heads with Ms. Guiton.  Dr. Cuomo continued to say that they had been blessed with good people to work on this project, all in all.  He spoke of the contractors and the maintenance crews.  There were a lot of delays that were not necessarily their fault, including parts shipped wrong from the factories.  

Under the curriculum reports, Mr. Mallery noted the number of items or books checked out of the library over a given time period.  This totaled 7,051, an average of 40 books a day checked out.  He spoke of this after noting Ms. Morahan’s work with the library.  They planned to expand, he related, and include little stands in the library-  including a center where they could work on computers, and an area where they could use origami.

Mr. Mallery also discussed homecoming week, which events included dress up days during the week, a pep rally on Friday and a homecoming dance on Saturday. 

He thanked Mr. Place, with whose assistance they had raised over $2200 during the corn sale.  He went further, explaining that Mr. Place, through the years, had helped the Elk Lake School District raise over $40,000.  Mr. Place said they had a couple of good advisers that year, though he quipped that they didn’t know a lot about corn. 

Mr. Mallery then spoke again about the parent portal.  They were working on rolling out the student portal and parent portal.  What they were going to do was have the students register for their portals the week of October 1st.  They were also going to open up two sessions of parent training on parent educator night.  Mr. Tewksbury asked about parents who didn’t have access to computers.  Mr. Mallery responded that these would receive paper progress reports. 

Mr. Weisgold spoke about the first day, being the first actual day as a principal for him. He said they got all the students in the classrooms, and all home safely so that was a success. He thanked the bus drivers, speaking highly of them.  There was a new pick up and drop off procedure for the parents at the elementary school.  It was kind of like a valet system;  rather than the parents coming in to drop the kids off there would be staff members who would assist. At drop off there would be one entrance and one exit.  He noted that there was over 830 years of experience in just instruction within the elementary staff.  The PTO had done a movie night, and it had gone well.  He thanked them for doing that.  Finally he spoke of the SWEBS, a schoolwide behavioral initiative, which was positively themed. 

Mrs. Staats thanked the board for allowing them to start up the new multi-disabled classroom. She had spoken with all of the parents who had their kids there, and they were thrilled to have them coming to Elk Lake.  She had spoken with special education staff from other schools and they were also pleased that it was available. 

The Head Start Food Agreement was approved.  They provided the Head Start program with snacks and allowed the district to be reimbursed for it. 

With the retirement of Mrs. Heed, the long term truancy officer, the district was looking to recommend Mr. Weisgold to be the truancy officer for the elementary and Mr. Warnero to be the truancy officer at the secondary school. 

Mrs. Teel noted that they had a vote as a district for PSBA officers.  She asked for president and Mr. Tewksbury motioned to back Kathy Swope.  After a unanimous roll call vote, this passed.  She then asked for a motion for vice president, and treasurer, but there was only one candidate for each of these positions.  Finally, there was a motion for an at large representative in the east.  There were three candidates.  Mr. Tewksbury made a motion to go with Mr. Schwartz from Wallenpaupack.  This passed as well.  The board secretary was then to go on and cast the votes.

 A reporter asked if there was a decision made on the boys swimming coach position.  It was responded that they didn’t have a candidate for that role.  There would be no disruptions, however, Mr. Mallery said, as others would run the program until a candidate could be hired. 

Mr. Sible asked about the Scranton districts wanting to start their own league.  Dr. Cuomo said that they had met at a superintendents’ meeting, where they had decided to take it off the table. 

Mrs. Teel then called to order the SCCTC meeting.  A letter of resignation was received from Rebecca Drost as the LPN Clinical Supervisor.  Dr. Cuomo recommended them approving that with regret, and spoke of how he appreciated her filling in and that she had done a good job. 

During Dr. Davis’ report, she spoke about a 70 day intensive health care program.  She said it was a grant they had where anyone could go through the program at no cost for them.  They didn’t leave the program until they were gainfully employed.  They assisted with soft skills.  She said it had been held the previous year and it had gone very well. 

She also reported that the restaurant officially was set to open September the 25th.  She had the calendar and menu there, available for board review at the meeting. 

Some information on the massage therapy clinic was provided. 

Their next class of the LPN course was set to start, and she said that they did have students. 

Cabot had donated $50,000 worth of pipe to the welding program, Dr. Davis related, and it was delivered by Linde (this took seven tractor trailer loads.)  It would be material to last the students several years. 

Free haircuts were to be offered to local veterans in Susquehanna County during the week of November the 10th. 

Health Care Day and Energy Day were both planned for November. 

They were very fortunate, she said, that the SCCTC was featured in the August edition of a publication.  It featured the house project.  She called this really nice, and said they were very pleased.  They had received a call on it. 

Two LPN Clinical supervisor positions were recommended, Karen Killian and Patricia McKinney.  They also requested permission to post a full-time paraeducator for the LPN and Health Care programs. 

At this meeting the board also motioned for their votes regarding the PSBA officer elections, voting similarly. 

The board was thanked.  The meeting was adjourned.

Hallstead Borough called their monthly meeting to order promptly at seven o’clock on the 18th of September. President David Callender and Council Members Jim Canfield, Theodore Loomis, Ryan Stone, and Mayor Esposito were all in attendance for the meeting, as well as one interested member of the public. The meeting consisted of a lot of talk on roads, as well as discussion on the positive impact Mr. Rob Robinson has had on the local community.

Council member Ryan Stone came prepared with a list of issues needing to be addressed. First, the Council discussed that the blacktop is nearing completion and once it is finished they will be seal over intersections and driveways affected. There was much concern, as well, about Susquehanna Street, where the road and bank is being torn up because of large trucks. One Council Member suggested they make the road a one-way, however it is a state road. Upon mentioning this, it was noted that there are still issues with Route 7, beneath the Viaduct, which is also a state road. Council Member Ryan Stone noted that he had left messages with State Representative Sandra Major’s office, but as of yet has had no response in regard to the issue. They will make a second attempt at contacting the office, in the hopes of finding a resolution for these state roads where problems have gone unaddressed by the State.

Ryan Stone also suggested the Council move forward with getting salt before snow flies, as it is expected to take some time to actually get it. Council members agreed that this was a good idea, since in some cases, it has been taking around five weeks to actually get it. Also, Council Member Stone suggested they purchase modified gravel for the side of the road on Old Route 11 and Chase Avenue.

On the top of Elizabeth Street, the Council will also be replacing a grate, where it is worn out and broken and even falls down in the hole. The Council will purchase a new one for $568.

Dirt for the ball field will also be purchased.

Pine Street was also a topic of discussion as Council Members discussed whether or not to swale the blacktop so that water actually runs into the catch basin effectively. The Council noted that it would be cheaper and more effective to do it now rather than later. Furthermore, blacktopping throughout the Borough should be finished this week. The Council noted that if there is extra blacktop it would be used in front of the library.

There was also talk regarding the light poles that don’t work and getting them fixed for the Holiday season so that they can be utilized. The Borough is going to work on trying to get them fixed.

Council members also discussed the merry-go-round on Chase Avenue, with Jim Glasgow citing its poor condition, mostly relating to the concrete holding it in place. He stated that the dirt is loose around the concrete and so it is uneven and loose. However, noting that it is not a safety hazard at this time, it will be revisited in the spring.

Hallstead Borough Council also received a letter from Great Bend Hose Company #1, in regards to the Fire Prevention Program at the Blue Ridge School, in hopes of offsetting the costs of the program. With that in mind, the Council made a motion to donate money towards the program.

Next, Hallstead Borough received a letter in regards to “Rob’s Ride.” Rob’s Ride on September 20th, 2014 is in honor of Rob Robinson, owner of Rob’s Market, with all proceeds to be given to the American Cancer Society per Rob’s wishes. According to the Event’s Facebook page the Ride is “In honor of Rob Robinson of Rob’s Market...for his years of service to our local communities, countless contributions and his dedication through good times and bad. Let’s come together and give in his name so that other lives may be touched..” Numerous members of the Council noted their appreciation of Rob, his generosity and kindness, especially in times of great need. President Callender noted that Rob has done so much for the Community, while Mayor Esposito noted his excellent work ethic as well. With that, the Council made a motion to donate to the noble cause. 

Hallstead’s next meeting will occur on Thursday, the 16th of October 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

At the September 17th meeting, the New Milford Township supervisors presided over business in the regular location (despite previous plans to meet in the trailer).  A few items were discussed that evening, despite not much being on the agenda.   

The township had received a $10,000 donation from DTE towards the renovation of the municipal building.  The company had generously offered to help the township out when they heard about the renovation plans. 

A subdivision application for the Monteforte property was noted.  This involved the area of the Flying J. 

The tax claim bureau in Montrose notified the township that they had 10 acres within the township available for upset tax sale. This involved notification that the property had been purchased and the township had fifteen days to object to this.  The supervisors discussed this, as the man would be paying only $3,000 for the property, which was far less than the property was worth.  It would not, then, bring in the proper amount of taxes.  It was suggested that the township’s solicitor be contacted to consider the matter.

Mr. Bondurant spoke about some training; he had attended an all day training put on by the coalition for pipeline emergencies.  It was mostly fire folks and a couple of emergency management personelle in attendance.  It was very informative.  Also, on a Monday night he and two of the supervisors had attended a meeting put on by the various gas industry companies for a call before you dig information session at the Montrose Bible conference.  It noted the dangers of not calling before you dig.  He said that they were fortunate in that area within the township, in that for the most part the underground infrastructure was new. 

The township had also responded to the feds via the county with their annual update of the national emergency management system.  This included information on how they prepared, what they did.  They had to update this information on a regular regular basis to the state and feds, he said.  

Susquehanna Community School District Board Directors took the following personnel actions during their regular meeting on Wednesday, September 17, 2014.

Approved hiring the following personnel for the 2014-15 school year: Michael Lloyd - Jr. High Assistant Football Coach; Alyssa Dooley - Elementary Instructional Aide; Rebecca Hinkley - 36 Day Elementary Substitute Teacher Position; Gary Day - Cross Country and Track Helper Position; Robin Carmody - Girls Volleyball Scorer; Patricia Cottrell, Gina Baker, and Roze DeCicco - Football Ticket Takers. 

Accepted the following resignations: Carly Batzel - Student Council Advisor; Stacy Thatcher - Elementary Aide (effective September 12, 2014); Bridgette McKennas - Jr. High Girls Basketball Clock.

Approved hiring Matt Misiura as a H.S. After-School Tutor.

Approved the following maintenance substitutes: Robert Lehr and Tim Wray.

Approved the following volunteers for Cross Country:  Leanne Woodruff and Gina Baker.

Suspicious Person: On 08/05/14 at 2:45 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to a residence located on the Quaker Lake Road. Two youths were reporting a suspicious person at their home. Upon arrival by police the suspicious person was identified as a census worker, who was gathering follow up information from the area. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Animal Complaint: On 08/08/14 at 11:45 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police were called to dispatch a deer located on State Route 167. The deer had been hit by a car. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer..

Theft: On 08/12/14 at 11:00 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police received a report of a theft that had occurred on 08/11/14 on State Line Road. Upon arrival of police the victim stated that someone stole brand new metal roofing that they had just purchased. The victim stated that they unloaded it at their home and then ran some errands for about two hours. Upon return to the residence the metal roofing was gone. Surrounding agencies were notified of the theft. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer. This case is still active.

Littering: On 08/13/14 at 9:00 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police took a report of littering on Donovan Road. The caller stated that people are dumping their garbage on the roadway late at night. The caller stated that they have picked up several bags of garbage over the past couple of weeks. It is believed that the garbage is being dumped between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. by people driving on the roadway. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report. This case is still active.

Motor Vehicle Accident: On 08/13/14 at 5:20 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to a report of a M.V.A. on Tripp Lake Road. The caller stated that a tree fell on their vehicle as they were driving. Upon arrival by police the accident investigation showed that the vehicle was driving on Tripp Lake Road and a tree fell down on top of the vehicle. The vehicle suffered major damage and no injuries were reported. Officer Josh Hale and Chief Timothy Burgh were the responding officers.

Theft: On 08/13/14 at 9:00 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police took a report of a theft that occurred between 08/07/14 and 08/12/14 at a residence located on the Brackney Hill Road. The home owner stated that they had just purchased 2 new bikes for their young children. The home owner stated that someone removed the bikes from their property during the night hours. This was the second time that their children’s bikes had been stolen in a month. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report. This case is still active.

Motor Vehicle Accident/Non reportable: On 08/14/14 at 10:15 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police were dispatched for a report of a M.V.A. on Arrowhead Lake Road. Upon arrival by police it was found that a pickup truck had backed up into a ditch. The vehicle was pulled out of the ditch and no damage or injuries were reported. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Burglary: On 08/14/14 at 6:20 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police were dispatched to a burglary that had occurred on Quinn Road during the daytime hours. Upon arrival of police it was found that the actor/s forced their way into the residence. Several items were taken including firearms and damage was done to the home. Officer Levi Tiffany was the responding officer. This case is still active.

Assault: On 08/20/14 at 5:00 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police took a report of an assault that took place at a residence on the Lake Sophia Road on 03/29/14. Officer Levi Tiffany took the report. This case is still active

911 Hang-up: On 08/22/14 at 11:30 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police were called to a residence on McCormick Road for a 911 hang-up call. Upon arrival by police it was discovered that the phone line was disconnected. There was no problem at the home. The phone company was contacted and repairs were made. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Reported Shots Fired: On 08/25/14 at 12:00 a.m. a resident located on Twin Lakes Road called police to report gun shots in the area. Silver Lake Township Police talked to the home owner who stated that someone was outside his residence during the night and drove up the road and fired several gun shots, and then left the area. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report. This case is still active.

Alarm/Security: On 08/28/14 at 7:50 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to an alarm located on Sweeney Road. Upon arrival of police the area and home were checked and all appeared secure and ok. Officer Levi Tiffany was the responding officer.

Burglary: On 08/29/14 at 5:00 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to a residence located on State Route 167. The caller stated that they just arrived home to find that someone had broken into their home. Upon arrival of police it was found that the burglary had taken place during the daytime. The actor/s forced entry into the residence and stole several items including a firearm. Damage was done to the home in several areas of the residence. Officer Josh Hale and Chief Timothy Burgh were the responding officers. This case is still active.

Assist other Agency: On 08/11/14 and 08/26/14 Silver Lake Township Police responded to assist Montrose Police on 2 incidents.

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

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 10:00 AM on September 19, 2014: Jack Akers, Shawn J. Bedford, Brent V. Birtch, Edwin Blaisure, Jennifer Blassingame, Anthony M. Choplosky, Tina M. Clark, Christopher J. Clark, Anthony Cokely, Christopher D. Cole, Eric J. Darde, James W. Donahue III, David J. Fischer, William T. Frye, Jr, Jeremy W. Hall, Jeremy Halstead, Nathan Hollister, Matthew E. Holmes, Todd J. Layton, Charlie J. Legere, Derrick Lezinsky, Robert J. McCrone, Vincent J. Petriello, Veronica D. Phelps, Roy G. Rink, Anthony L. Smith, Joseph W. Sutton, Frederick Swingle, III, Tessa E. Thomas, Kurtis Tracy, Donna Tunstall, John H. Walter, Steven G. Warner, Pati Welch, Kevin H. Welch, Jamie L. Williams Sr., Richard D. Williams. Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.