It was a fairly packed room at the Montrose borough council meeting on March 2, 2015. Prior to addressing any of these visitors, however, council addressed its standard business matters.

During Mr. DiPhillips report, a generator was discussed. Council had asked him to look into a diesel generator, versus natural gas. Diesel, he said, wasn't going to be as effective. He was waiting for one more price quote, there was kind of a discrepancy on the size generator for the building. Mr. Chamberlain asked if putting an extra zone in, which had apparently been mentioned, would effect the load. The secretary said the third zone was in by the time this had been factored.

The other thing Mr. DiPhillips wanted to discuss was the truck. He had taken it up for Mr. Chamberlain to look at it; Mr. Chamberlain in turn noted that it had real frame problems. Mr. Reimel suggested it might be time council move forward on the matter. Mr. Chamberlain asked how long it would take to get a new truck. Mr. DiPhillips offered to call the next day. They would have to finish the season plowing with the existing truck, it was explained. Mr. Lamont confirmed that the front end of the new truck would be compatible with a plow hookup. Mr. Chamberlain said the current truck wouldn't pass inspection as it was, and opined that it had too many issues to want to fix. Council then voted to allow Mr. DiPhillips to move ahead with the purchase.

Ms. O'Malley asked a question, as she had gotten some complaints about parking in the municipal lot. She asked if there were some cars in the lot that weren't being moved when Mr. DiPhillips needed to plow. There were some, it was responded, and he and Chief Smith were addressing this. Mr. Lamont asked if every car was moving every two days or so, as they were supposed to be. Chief Smith said that was why they had towed some in the past from another lot, because people hadn't responded to tickets. Some of the current drivers, it was stated, were about to that point. Mr. Lamont advised the borough employees to move the cars, if they wouldn't move otherwise.

Mr. Chamberlain asked how the salt and cinders were holding up. Mr. DiPhillips suggested that they had used more salt than they had in 25 years. They were pulling from a pile of cinders that had been there since the building was built. In response to further questioning by Mr. Chamberlain, he related that it took $600 or $700 to send the trucks out. They had lost a lot of cinders due to frozen chunks. He had also sold a lot to the county.

During the police department report, Chief Smith asked for questions. Mr. Chamberlain asked about tractor trailers unloading on Maple Street. He said one had been about an hour and a half in front of his business. Chief Smith said he knew there were a lot of exceptions for loading and unloading. Mr. Chamberlain felt they needed to make a point that such trucks needed to park on the Avenue. He knew the weather was bad, but he said if they didn't nip it in the bud now, it was going to be an issue all summer. He said they needed to notify the companies where they needed to park to unload.

The solicitor said that there had been a problem that day up there as well. She said that he had the library road partially blocked, and then an older gentleman had run into it. Mr. Chamberlain said that it needed to be handled with Mazar's that they contact the distributors and discuss unloading. Chief Smith said that they would talk with the restaurant management.

Mr. Reimel said come flea market time there would be another issue. There was an ongoing yard sale. The zoning officer said he had addressed it the previous year. They were very cooperative. It wasn't expected to be a problem.

There was a discussion about narcotics officers' training. The force had five officers who were interested, 4 male and 1 female. This was an annual conference hosted by the Pennsylvania Narcotics Association, which Chief Smith called a really good training. The price included lodging, meals, and everything. Mr. Granahan asked how many of the officers worked other places, and if they were on the schedule each week. It was replied that every one of them was on the schedule each week. A few were also sheriffs, but were not on the task force and the training didn't relate as much to their sheriff position. The sheriff's office paid for the updates for the officers who were also on the sheriff's staff. It was motioned that they send four.

A representative from NBT Bank attended the meeting request for parking space. He said that they were going to be remodeling the bank, and they would like to rent four parking spaces on Public Avenue. The back door for the bank was to be closed, with entrance only to the front. It was thought this would last two months at the longest. There could still be parking in the back, but would have to walk to the front. The request was to reserve the spots at the front, with signs. The bank would pay whatever the borough requested for rent.

Mr. Reimel thought it was counter to the system the borough set up with the meters. He was concerned that to do it would open the door for the county, and for other businesses. Mr. Lamont opined that this would be a permitted system. Mr. Reimel still maintained that they were opening the door, that when the meters were bagged for Christmas the situation had been abused.

When the solicitor was asked for her opinion, she said it did call to mind a time that the county asked her if they could buy monthly parking passes. That had been turned down, as the borough wanted people to come and go and use the meters.

Ms. Skinner said she hadn't realized it was metered parking in the front, and so she tended to agree with Mr. Reimel. He, in turn, explained that the meters had started because businesses had wanted there to be turnover in the spaces. Mr. Reimel thought that there would probably be ample parking during the business hours but he felt to accommodate the request was to open the doors. He said they had fought the county offices and the the people coming for jury duty, and had added more meters up by the green, and he didn't think it was somewhere the council wanted to go. He said if it were his bank he'd be saying the same thing, and as the snow melted that alley ought to become more accessible. So he made a motion to deny the request, and Ms. Skinner seconded it. Mr. Lamont voted nay. The NBT representative thanked them for their consideration.

A representative of their audit firm had been asked to come up and talk about the management representation letter, which talked about the audit and what the borough could and could not do. It set out the obligations because, as Mr. Granahan explained, the company could only audit on what they set out before them, which ought to be accurate. It was a good faith document.

The representative added to this. In order for them to come in, the books had to be ready for them to come in. She knew in the past they had been a couple of months past the end of the year. If the council would like it in a more timely manner, that's what the company would like also. In regards to the management representation letter, she said, it basically just said that the council kept up their end of the bargain.

Mr. Granahan said normally these letters were done in advance. However this time the letter had not been done in advance. So they needed to get it signed. As for timeline, they were technically not out of compliance, as they were in the grace period. They had never exceeded the grace period.

The audit representative said that the borough's treasurer did a good job. Mr. Granahan agreed, saying this was known. Mr. Granahan made a motion to approve the management letter. It passed.

Matthew Warren did a presentation on Goodwill Industries of NEPA. He asked if anyone was familiar with Goodwill retail stores. He said a lot of people knew of the stores. They collected donations, put a price tag on it and sold it back to the public. It accounted for about one fourth of the nonprofit's total revenue. What a lot of people didn't know was Goodwill had about ten other programs throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania that helped people with special needs.

In Montrose they had a program through the office of vocational rehabilitation. He was an employment specialist and a job coach. They helped people with job skills. It was a free service. They helped people fill out applications and talk to employers. If need be, they offered job coaching, where he or a coworker would be on site helping a client learn a task. They coordinated with county transportation. They did negotiations with a manager to see if it was possible that a person work a certain number of hours a week or a certain day. They had two successful placements at Price Chopper, one at Ray's Market, and one at Dandy Mart. Aside from employment services, they also had an adult day center. They provided transportation. They had all sorts of different disabilities that they were helping people overcome challenges. So far he said it had been really successful.

Hopefully in the spring they hoped to do a donation drive, in their parking lot. They hoped to have a retail store up in the area in the future as well. He left some materials with the council. He said if anybody knew anybody looking for a job, or who needed extra help, to refer them.

A visitor, Cynthia Goodman, spoke next, to discuss a proposal. She said this was an idea she had a while ago, but there didn't seem to be a place that could accommodate it. But since they put a bathroom in the park, it opened up the potential. She wanted to do some sort of a family oriented music evening, free, for people in the area to attend. She said it was in the beginning stages. She was considering music that had a wide range of appeal. The music would be offered for free; people would bring blankets and chairs. They could look at vendors being there. She thought it could be called Mid Month Music in Montrose. She didn't know if that was something she would need permits for. She didn't know what it would take to move forward with the plan.

Mr. Lamont said he thought it was a great idea. He didn't know as they would need a permit, but council would want to know the details and they would need a plan. Mr. Granahan said they would want some sense of the impact of the food, want to keep it under wrap. She said there would be cleanup if it went forward.

Ms. Goodman was to pull things together, and come to the next meeting with some sort of a plan. Ms. O'Malley didn't think it would be a bad idea to toss it to the zoning officer for a moment. He was present, and said that he wasn't certain, at the moment of repercussions.

Also, Ms. Goodman said, April was Sexual Assault Awareness month. The Women's Resource Center was looking to put teal ribbons on the lampposts in town. They would put them up and take them down. She wondered if they needed permission. The secretary just asked that they not put them around the parking meters, because then people thought they didn't have to pay.

Mr. Watts, the zoning officer, said he had recently encountered the change of use ordinance in the zoning law. This involved a lot of work on the part of the zoning officer, before a change of use was approved. Mr. Granahan said that was purposeful, as they didn't want a lot of changes of use. Mr. Watts said he thought of a building on Public Ave. that was at one time a walk in retail, and became an office. That would be considered a change of use, which required a lot of things to be addressed. It wasn't always as simple as signing a form, according to the ordinance. There were a lot of line items that had to be addressed for a bigger change of use to take place His concern was the amount of work it could take to do properly. The fee schedule stipulated a $15 charge. He said that would be about right for signing a form, but there were going to be situations that would likely cost a lot of his time. He didn't know if that would mean a look at a change in fees, or if they could put wording in that allowed for additional fees to be the responsibility of the applicant. This kind of protected the borough.

The second thing Mr. Watts wanted to address was a situation where an applicant came to the borough and was looking for a permit. He took the application and never returned it, yet the work had begun. The zoning officer had visited, and a notice of violation was sent. The permit was granted, and they still hadn't been paid- the applicant had forgotten to pay. So for a $45 fee, there was a lot of work on the zoning officer's end. He suggested the borough could put a section in stating that if someone did the work and staff had to chase them to get things done properly, the fee was doubled. Mr. Lamont didn't think they were issuing permits until the fee was paid. The secretary responded that it got complicated now that it went out of two buildings.

Mr. Lamont said he liked the idea of the proposed changes. The zoning officer noted that this wasn't for the average person who just didn't realize a permit was needed.

Mr. Lamont spoke up regarding the deer ordinance. He had gotten a catalog in the mail and there were more products to keep the deer away than there were flowers to attract them. The solicitor asked if they wanted to know what she thought. She said there was an issue of due process with the ordinance, and it would be hard to enforce. She had gone on the game commission website, gotten the name of the local enforcement officer, and spoken to him for a long time. He had given her the name of the biologist who covered that area, and felt it would be hard to enforce an ordinance about feeding the wildlife. He said he thought it was more of a management area, than something to slap an ordinance on. The enforcement officer and biologist might speak to council, she said, if they told her what they wanted. Mr. Granahan said the goal was to get the deer out of town.

At the March 5th New Milford borough meeting, there wasn't a march 5th borough meeting.  Due to a lack of quorum, no decisions could be made that evening for certain.  What there was, however, was an information session from Leatherstocking representatives regarding the proposed entrance of natural gas to the area in the summer of 2015. 

This reporter walked into this presentation in progress.  The Leatherstocking representative had a preliminary map, which he displayed for the presentation.  The intention was to connect to Carey Road, down Sutton Road, up 848 into eleven, and then come up Main Street and off of Main Street onto other streets.  It would come off DTE Bluestone Compressor Interconnect.  The gas would be odorized, the pressure reduced, and then it would go down the roads and into the borough of New Milford with probably a 6” main.   He had an example of the main, which he passed around.  It could operate at about 125 psi, though if the system was like it was in Montrose it would probably run at like 70 or 75 psi.  Down the side streets into the borough they would probably run a 2” main.  This was still rated up to 125 psi.  He also had an example of this pipe, along with a connection and service line.  The service line to the homes would be different still.  It would be no shallower than eighteen inches.  All of this would be pressure tested before they actually put gas on the main.  They had been doing it in Montrose without any real issue.  He then clarified that there had been some issues, he wouldn't lie, but they didn't have to deal with the gas main.  

They would have to identify the sewer and water lines and ensure that what they wanted to do wouldn't interfere with what was in existence.  A visitor asked what the deepest they would go was, he said they could go 14' deep if they needed to, to avoid something which was already there.  Typically they went no shallower than 36 inches for the main. 

He gave an example of the bills being sent out at that time in Montrose.  He said they typically read one month and estimated one month.  If a homeowner didn't like the estimate, they could call and say something, if they thought it was inaccurate.  He explained the bill some, pointing out the breakdowns and gave the current bill details.  There was the gas cost.  There was also a $20 a month service charge.  This came into play only once the meter was set and the homeowner was using natural gas, regardless of how much gas was used.  There was a delivery charge of $.65 per cf, as delineated by the PUC.  This was what they paid their overhead with, including the salaries and benefits of employees.  There was also a charge of $.30 per ccf.  Everybody got this charge for ten years, from the time the gas was turned on.  If a resident signed on after that, and the desired building was more than 50 feet away from the line, then they would have to do an individual surcharge calculation onto a specific service.  

What the surcharge did, he explained, was help them pay off the capital investment of putting the line in the ground to get more customers.  He said that most places wanting gas within that ten years would get it at no additional charge.  He said technically he believed the way their rate structure was set up they were supposed to serve those wanting it, though if someone was far away the operations people might have a problem with it.   It was one of those undefined things. 

A visitor asked how many times they could go to the PUC for a rate change.  He said that typically they would only go to the PUC if they were under earning.  The review was a calendar year.  They had the option of going in every six months. 

A visitor asked if they had typically found if the gas price went down, would the delivery charge typically stay the same.  It was responded that it would. 

New Milford, he said, had gotten the numbers that the company was told they were going to get.  No one was going to bump them out of line.  The company planned to start building in August. 

He gave information on system design.  All construction would have prior approval by NYPSC or in PA the PUC.  All projects would have state inspectors during construction.  All employees and sub contractors would be drug tested and have proper operator qualifications.  All pipes would be pressure tested.  He showed pictures of how the cutting and installations might go.     

The utility owned everything up until the outlet of the meter.  He said Leatherstocking wouldn't fix a gas leak in the house, all they did was make it safe.  If there was a gas leak in the house, he stated, the homeowner should never call from the house.  If there was a gas leak then even using the cell phone or flipping a light switch could cause a spark.  He said it was very unlikely, and rarely happened. Natural gas was lighter than air, and it would rise.  He said natural gas was the safest delivery system for energy that they had. 

Propane dealers, he noted, weren't regulated by the PUC.  Natural gas was. 

He said there was a bunch of safety information on the website.  They gave first responders training every year. 

The other thing they needed to discuss, he said, was that there were two kinds of road.  There was a road that was public, where they could get on and put things in, and they didn't need an easement as they had right of way.  However, on roads like Union Street or Johnson Street there was surface use only; the municipality had the right to get on the road and plow, but they couldn't give them the right of way to put line in.  He believed that when they put the sewer and water in they had people sign an easement, so they could put the pipe in.  He felt they needed to have a discussion regarding how to approach this.

It was pointed out that the water and sewer had been mandatory hookup.  It was pointed out that to lay gas line, they needed an easement from the property owners.  They could do the eminent domain thing if they had to to get around this, but they couldn't put the line in for a long time if they did, and they didn't want to do it.  This hadn't been a problem in most of Montrose. 

He said seventy million homes were heated with natural gas, calling it a safe, known entity.  (He did, however, tell a cautionary tale of a home which exploded in Corning in recent years, where someone tried installing their own water heater.)  There had been gas distribution in the country over for 100 years. 

Mr. Ainey said he had looked at the initial design, and it appeared 28 people wouldn't be hooked up.  However, the representative said they were going to try and get everyone hooked up.  The planned start date was August. 

Mr. Ainey asked what they would have to do as a council.  He said the biggest hurdle he saw was that people had trouble coming up with the money to do the switchover.    Mr. Ainey talked about the difficulty in getting a contractor out to give a quote.  The Leatherstocking representative thought it might be different now that it was more real.

Jonathan Stankiewicz

According to the Pennsylvania State Police, Jonathan Bruce Stankiewicz, 27, is wanted in connection with a Burglary/Theft at the Diaz Farm/Penn Can Restaurant, Harford Township.

The accused is wanted on charges of Burglary and Theft in the amount of $4,400.00. There is an active arrest warrant for the accused. The accused is approximately 6’01 tall, he has brown hair and brown eyes. The accused is known to wear glasses. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the accused is asked to contact PSP Gibson at 570-465-3154.

No soup this time.  But there were cookies, and brownies and punch for the youngsters gathered with their families to receive Citizen of the Month awards from the Elementary School prior to the Blue Ridge School Board’s business meeting on March 2nd.  Special Education Coordinator Barbara McCain introduced those who attended, and thanked their families for instilling attitudes that lead to such exemplary behavior.

  
Outstanding Seniors Marisa Rumage and Dustin Ralston

With neither of the school principals available, Ms. McCain went on to introduce a pair of outstanding seniors, Dustin Ralston and Marisa Rumage.  Proud papa and Board member Shane Rumage beamed as his daughter told her audience that she expects to study radiology at Broome Community College next year.

Once the business meeting itself got under way, members wasted no time passing a 17-point agenda in one swell foop – except for 3 items.  Most of the agenda covered routine personnel actions.  The Board typically excepts the transportation bills so that 3 of its members (Fred Lewis, Chris Lewis and Christina Cosmello) can abstain from the vote due to potential conflicts with their busing businesses.  Chris Lewis also abstained from a vote on his own candidacy as an “athletic volunteer.”

The Board also voted to table a motion to renew the District’s relationship with Murphy, Dougherty and Company which performs annual financial audits.  Board President Laurie Brown-Bonner said that the agreement presented by the firm would increase the fee each year over the agreement’s 5-year term and Ms. Brown-Bonner wanted to negotiate a lower figure, if possible.

On the recommendation of the administration, the Board also rejiggered more than $3 million in allocations originally approved in November 25, 2013 as a result of an audit.  They simply rearranged the distribution of fund balance and reserve funds resulting from prior year surpluses.

Ms. McCain reported that an audit of her operations by the Pennsylvania Department of Education generated only a single action plan for special education, a first for many districts.  The special education programs at Blue Ridge had been in “probationary status” since the last audit, according to Ms. McCain.

With Superintendent Robert McTiernan having announced his acceptance of the executive director’s job at the Instructional Unit (#19), he was asked when he would assume his new duties.  He replied that since the retirement date of the current director has not yet been established, he didn’t know when he might be leaving Blue Ridge.

The next public meeting of the Blue Ridge School Board is scheduled for Monday, March 30, 2015, a workshop to begin at 7:00pm in the cafeteria of the Elementary School.  Since the Board will probably be considering more of the budget for next year, there may be soup … or maybe not.  Check the district’s website for the latest information.

Thompson Township Supervisors are dismayed with the way the roads in Thompson Borough have been maintained with the snow this season.  It was decided at the Wednesday, March 4  meeting to pen a letter to the Thompson Borough Mayor informing him that the roads are dangerous, icy and snow covered.  The Supervisors are very concerned for the safety of the people dependent upon the fire and ambulance services in the area, along with the volunteers that need to reach the station.  The company that the Borough has contracted with has not efficiently cleared the roads of the snow; they remain snow covered with deep ruts in some sections that the fire and rescue trucks need to travel on.  During the month of February, there were no cinders or salt spread on the roads and they remain a hazard.

One of the Township Supervisors reported they had an issue with the hydraulic cylinder on one of the township plow trucks that needed to be replaced this week.  Powell’s, in Justus was able to repair the truck in record time and the repair was covered under warranty.

The auditors handed in the 2014 Auditor’s Report on Monday, March 2nd with no major deficiencies noted in the report.

Supervisors discussed the possibility of putting in a park next to the Borough Building.  They would apply for a grant to provide funding for this project, but are exploring the needs and wants of the township residents.  It was decided they would contact the voting office to see if a question regarding the park would be able to be added to the ballot for the primary election in May. Once it was determined people would want to have a park in that location, an architect would be contracted to draw up plans that would include a pavilion, benches, swings, slides, and barbeques.  They are also exploring the possibility of tying in the park with Rails to Trails which borders the area. 

Harassment: On 01/02/15 and on 01/20/15 Silver Lake Township Police were contacted for reports of harassment at a residence located on the Silver Creek Road. Upon arrival of police it was determined to be a civil matter. The lawyers for the parties involved were contacted by the police and the situation was resolved. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer. 

Criminal Mischief: On 01/06/15 a resident located on John C. McNamara Drive reported that someone broke their side window on their vehicle and tried to get into the vehicle. The owner of the vehicle did not find anything missing at the time but damage was done to the vehicle. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report. The case is still active.

Miscellaneous Investigation: On 01/08/15 Silver Lake Township Police responded along with the Silver Lake Fire Company and Ambulance to a residence located on Lonford Lake. The owner of the residence reported a strong odor of gas inside the home. Fire Company arrived on scene and handled the incident. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer

Motor Vehicle Accident: On 01/12/15 .Silver Lake Township Police were dispatched for a report of a possible Motor Vehicle Accident on the Laurel Lake Road. Prior to the arrival of police the owner of the vehicle had called Bennett Auto to pull out the vehicle. Police arrived on scene and the vehicle had already been pulled out of the ditch. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer. Case is still active.

Motor Vehicle Accident: On 01/14/15 Silver Lake Township Police took a report of a possible motor vehicle accident or disabled vehicle. The vehicle was located on the Brackney Hill Road. Upon arrival by police the vehicle was completely off the roadway. No one was around the vehicle and the vehicle was marked disabled.  Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer. This case is still active.

Disabled Vehicle: On 01/14/15 Silver Lake Township Police were dispatched to a disabled vehicle located on John C. McNamara Drive. The Township Road Crew came out and cindered the road and the vehicle was able to get on its way. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Miscellaneous Investigation: On 01/17/15 Silver Lake Township Police took a report of a township resident receiving harassing phone calls. The phone company was contacted and an investigation is ongoing. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report.

911 Hang Up: On 01/21/15 Silver Lake Township Police were dispatched to a 911 hang up call located on Pop’s Hobby Lake Road. Upon arrival of police it was found that the phone lines at the residence had a problem.  The phone company was contacted by the home owner. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Animal Complaint: Silver Lake Township Police while out on patrol on State Route 167 found a dead deer lying in the roadway. The deer was removed from the roadway and Penn Dot was notified for pickup.. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Silver Lake Township Police responded with The Silver Lake Fire Company or Silver Lake Ambulance a couple of times during the month of January.

Any information or questions for Silver Lake Township Police please call 570-278-6818 and leave a message 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. For all emergencies calls or if you need an immediate police response, dial 911.

The Susquehanna County DOMESTIC RELATIONS Section has outstanding BENCH WARRANT’S for the following individuals as of 10:00 a.m. on March 6, 2015

Jeremy E. Anderson, Sr., Shawn J. Bedford, Shiloe M. Benedict, Allen S. Bowman, Michael J. Burger, Brian N. Carter, Anthony M. Choplosky, Tina M. Clark, Ronald S. Cook, Brian M. Decker, Benjamin D. Fassett, David J. Fischer, Justin T. Giberson, Charles R. Groover, Timothy M. Holmes, Lyle J. Hugaboom, Leo A. Lasuer, Todd J. Layton, Joshua S. Lee, Charlie J. Legere, Derrick Lezinsky, Daniel M. Mangin, Matthew J. Peters, Warren N. Petersen, Vincent J. Petriello, Veronica D. Phelps, Mark Salsman, Desiree L. Shifler, Tessa E. Thomas, Kurtis Tracy, Steven G. Warner, Kyle D. Wilbur, Jamie L. Williams, Sr.

Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 4050 with any information on the location of these individuals.