The Thompson Township meeting on September 7th was packed with local residents requesting Supervisors to consider hiring local police to protect the area.  Residents are upset with all the break-in’s that have been happening within the Township perimeters.  They stated State Police do not have enough manpower to cover the large area in Susquehanna County they are responsible for, and they want their own police force.

Supervisors Rick Wadman, Alex Komar, and Susan Jenkins invited State Trooper Burman to attend this meeting so he would be able to speak with the residents about what has been happening, and what the troopers are doing to solve the problems.  There have been complaints about people dealing drugs, break-in’s, and forms of mischief happening over a long period of time.

Supervisor Rick Wadman said it’s not something they can do in a few days, there are procedures they need to follow such as advertising for police, putting in a cell, purchasing a police vehicle, arranging for a budget to pay the salary, and other items they don’t even know about.  He said they would have to receive the support of the residents in the Township since they would have to create a budget for the police salary, and it may lead to increasing the tax revenue. 

A resident asked if they would be able to put together an agreement like Thompson Borough; contracting another police force to provide the service. Supervisor Alex Komar said contracting would also have to go through procedures of having the residents of the Township agree they needed the extra protection, and (again) create a budget for the expense.  He reported he observes State Troopers cruising in the area, and he doesn’t know if having their own force, or contracting for the service would be enough to curtail the current activity.   They would also have to make sure that the people they hire would deliver the results they were expecting.

Discussion was held for a few minutes on how the judicial system seems to be broken in Susquehanna County.  The police apprehend the criminals, but the criminals receive a slap on the wrist and are not incarcerated.  There is a lack of room in the jails, and a lack of money to support the police and the parole officers.

One resident in particular was very vocal; her house was burglarized, and she has reported repeatedly to the Gibson Barracks regarding cars that have been going down her road at all hours of the day and night at a high speed.  She claims the person answering the phone at the Gibson Barracks has not paid attention to the information she has been providing, and isn’t the nicest person to speak with.  State Trooper Burman suggested she keep a log of the activity and turn it in to an officer at the barracks.  She replied she has a log of thirty days of activity.

Supervisor’s assured the residents that they will look into what it would take to either hire a contracted service, or put together a local force.  They will report their findings at the next meeting, or the concerned residents can leave their personal information, a phone number or e-mail for the supervisors to contact earlier with information.

Supervisor Alex Komar provided the Road Department report.  Erk Road milling is completed, half of Calendar Road is finished, Nichols Road is completed and they have completed the Thompson Borough contracted project. 

Paradigm provided a pipeline safety course on August 31st at the Montrose Bible Conference Center in Montrose.  Supervisor’s Komar and Jenkins attended the course.  Supervisor Jenkins gave a brief summary of the information presented at the seminar.

Joe Hunt and Associates (JHA) issued permits during August for several residents.  A construction permit on Potter Hill Road, a building permit on South Shore Drive, a pool and deck permit, and a electrical permit.  Thompson Township issued permits for AT&T and T-Mobile for their towers on Gillette Road.

A complaint was received last month for a structure that was built at a residence at Wrighter Lake.  Supervisors Wadman and Komar went to check on the structure and they will be sending out a Notice of Violation letter to the residents.  Supervisors stated all residents need a permit before a structure is put on a property in the Township.  Supervisor Wadman said they rode around the lake and found other residents who put up structures without a permit.  They will be putting a notice in the paper stating Thompson Township requires a permit for any type of building, shed, garage, pool, gazebo, septic and so on that is going on your property.  If the resident isn’t sure they need a permit, they can call the Township Building at 570-727-1075 to inquire.  This would be better than having a violation and monetary penalties levied on them.

A letter notified supervisors the Susquehanna County Convention would be held on October 20th.  Supervisor Wadman stated it was important they attend this convention, and six people will be going from the Township.

The next meeting will be October 5th at 7:00 pm.  Residents are urged to attend.

In the early evening of Friday, September 9th, a devastating fire swept through Drinker Creek Beverage on Erie Ave., Susquehanna Borough. Fire crews from Thompson, Great Bend, Hallstead, Thompson EMS, Deposit, Medic 701, Susquehanna County EMA, Windsor, Great Bend Hallstead EMS and New Milford Fire responded to the fire but the building, unfortunately, could not be saved.

This is truly a great loss to the community. This 100 year old building and 7 years young business had been a staple in the community and now, local businesses that received their patronage will have to travel into Hallstead or even further to get their beverages and keep their business going as well. No one was injured but there has been no news on whether or not Ryan and Melissa Dubas plan to rebuild or not, but Melissa has made her thanks and appreciation of support known on social media since the tragic fire.

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer. It arrives on a Monday. . . always! So Starrucca Borough's first-Monday September meeting always gets kicked over a day to the following Tuesday. The end result of that one-day dispensation produced an unusually short meeting lasting but 17 minutes.

Present for the post-Labor Day gathering on September 6 were Borough Council President Kirk Rhone and Councilmen Charles Levchak, Louis Gurske, Darl Haynes, Arthur Kopp, Jason Heeman, and Donald Haynes, Jr. Also in attendance were Mayor Mary Ann DeBalko and Secretary/Treasurer Keith Payne.

The 7 to 7:17 pm. meeting, remarkably and historically short by Starrucca standards, elicited not a single comment from the public present. Neither was there an executive session for legal issues. And neither did council make mention of long-standing litigation, excepting its continued existence.

Starrucca's new-found serenity, it must be acknowledged, was not due to some sudden resolution of long-simmering controversies. Rather, it was merely a respite while all sides marshaled their forces and reconsidered their positions since recent off-site skirmishes. The outcome of a new legal offensive in the Court of Common Pleas in Honesdale is currently in some doubt, and it was evident no party with an interest wished to chance a misstep by speaking out of turn. Hence, an uneasy ceasefire held fast, if only for this meeting.

So what did take place during Starrucca's calm? The August Meeting Minutes were approved-unanimously. Likewise, there was unanimous agreement on the Treasurer's Report, and no controversies concerning Accounts Payable. The General Fund balance as of August 1 stood at $19,024.56; it closed at $18,400.29 on September 6. Accounts payable came to $756.92, excluding the $10, 400.29 now owed to Lavery Law.

When President Rhone motioned to pay the bills, excluding the monies owed Lavery Law, council's fissures resurfaced, as in previous months. Councilmen Kopp and Levchak voted with President Rhone to form a plurality for passage. Councilmen Gurske and Heeman opposed. And Donald and Darl Haynes abstained to preclude any perception of conflict of interest. The plurality's position over the past few months is that Lavery Law agreed that payment is customary at the conclusion of the case; since legal actions are not concluded-yet-payment is not due.

Secretary Payne reported 10 items of correspondence to the borough. Only two were of general public interest. The Wayne County Board for the Assessment and Revision of Taxes notified the borough that hearing dates for appeals are scheduled for Monday, September 12. The second item was the returned Building Permit Application for 201 Kellogg Road. The Haynes's family's application was approved.

In Old Business President Rhone again put out a call for any resident interested in serving as the borough's Emergency Management Coordinator. The call has gone out at every monthly meeting since March 7, 2016. All pleas for a volunteer have fallen on deaf ears. The result was no different this month.

Again, no meeting attendee ventured a comment during the Public Participation portion of the meeting. At 7:17 pm. Councilman Darl Haynes moved for adjournment; Councilman Levchak seconded; and unanimity reigned. Starrucca's next monthly meeting is scheduled for October 3, 2016.

Administrators were pleased with the “solid first day” in the words of Superintendent Matthew Button at the Blue Ridge School Board meeting on September 6th, opening day at the schools for the new year.  Business Manager Brian Dolan, who, with Mary Clinton, oversees transportation, pronounced it a “great day,” with very few glitches on the buses despite some 100 changes arriving by telephone in the prior week.

The meeting started a little late, following an executive session that Board President Chris Lewis said concerned personnel issues, including resignations.  One of those was added to the original agenda: secondary school counselor Susan Cawley announced her intent to retire.

Otherwise, the meeting was remarkably brief.  An agenda of 11 items and some administrator reports took less than about 20 minutes.  Most of it was routine.  Tricia Gilboy was granted sabbatical leave for half of the year; she will be replaced by Trishalaine Piechocki in the 2nd grade.

The Board also approved the election of several officials to Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) boards.  The PSBA is the lobbying organization and consultancy for the 501 school districts across Pennsylvania.  None of the candidates were known to Blue Ridge Board members.

Mr. Lewis read an e-mail from Marywood University announcing that the Blue Ridge Middle School Band had been selected to participate in a Junior Wind Band Celebration attended by some 40 band directors from around the state.

And Harold Empett, the Blue Ridge Board’s representative to the Northeastern Instructional Unit #19, reported that Mountain View hopes to start a music program for stringed instruments in cooperation with nearby universities that will be open to students from around the area.

Special Education Director Gail Wnorowski reported that Blue Ridge’s special education programs have been pronounced “in compliance” by Federal and state regulators.

Mr. Dolan said that the concrete in the floor in the cafeteria, installed over the summer as part of the project to fix a broken sewer line, still has not cured.  Once that happens, new tiling will be placed.

Fred Lewis, a Board member and owner of a school bus business, said that the radios in the buses were a “great” improvement; Mr. Dolan concurred, saying that the 2-way communication helped to smooth opening day.  Mr. Lewis said that some drivers now refer to the Blue Ridge transportation program as the “Clinton Bus Lines.”

And Board President Chris Lewis thanked everyone for their hard work over the summer, in particular the maintenance staff, and the development of the improved transportation program under the new longer-term contracts.

The next public meeting of the Blue Ridge School Board is scheduled for Monday, September 26, 2016, beginning at 7:00pm.  Meetings are generally held in the cafeteria in the Elementary School.  Check the calendar on the district’s website for the latest information, including schedules for committee meetings.

The meeting of the New Milford Borough Council held on September 1st pertained to business as usual, and the meeting ended earlier than normal.

It was reported that residents are becoming aggressive towards people who are feeding the stray cats.  Council members stated they couldn’t allow the situation regarding the cat’s to get out of hand, and were distressed to hear people were becoming aggressive.  Several minutes of discussion on newspaper articles were held, on how other communities were dealing with the feral cats.  It was determined the best way to handle the situation was to catch, neuter, and release the cats.  So far four cats have been caught and neutered and Borough officials will continue to try and remedy the situation.

Mayor Scott Smith, during his report stated the bank by the park looks very nice.  He said he would also like to thank Councilman Ken Carey, the Parks and Recreation Committee and Chuck Welsh for all the work they do.  The park looked wonderful this past summer.

Council approved an expense of fourteen hundred forty-five dollars to have Custom Pools and Spa from Carbondale winterize the pool for this coming season.

Also approved by Council was a portable light that will be supplied to the Blue Ridge Triplets football league to be used for their practice.

Council President Rick Ainey announced he heard construction would start in 2017 for the Garden Style Apartments by the Susquehanna Housing Authority.

It was announced that Commissioner MaryAnn Warren presented to Council President Rick Ainey the Citizen of the Year Award, during the Susquehanna County Economic Development breakfast.

Lanesboro Borough Council sometimes has short meetings with little business. That wasn't the case at Lanesboro's Tuesday, August 9, 2016 regular meeting. Present for the hour-long meeting were President Dan Boughton and Councilmen Dave Glidden, Tom Nitterour, and Dale Rockwell, along with Mayor Chris Maby and Police Chief Jim Smith. Councilwoman Christa Beamer and Secretary/Treasurer Gail Hanrahan were absent.

Lanesboro resident Colleen Wilkes requested and was granted time on the agenda. She requested Council to permit use of the Community Center as a new meeting home for the Nellie Jane DeWitt Chapter of the BPW (Business & Professional Women). The group meets once monthly (on a Thursday night). Council discussed the request and voted unanimously to permit BPW use of the facility per Mrs. Wilkes's schedule request through June 2017.

During the public comment section of the meeting several residents made public comment. One requested completion of road work on Side Avenue; the second requested permission to establish Geo-cashing (a GPS treasure hunt) in Luciana Park. A third requested Police look into the livestock operation at a property on Viaduct Street. The final speaker, a resident from New Milford, presented council with a draft resolution opposing establishment of a toxic waste incinerator in the county.

In response to these public comments, Mayor Maby indicated that he was aware of road work details that required completion for safety reasons, and he promised to oversee prompt completion of the road work within the next few days, particularly on Side Avenue, Grand and Convent Streets.

Concerning the GPS treasure hunt, council members had a few questions, but no objections. The initiative costs the borough nothing and no obligations are being imposed upon borough government. Council voted unanimous approval for Miss Amanda Cook to proceed with project.

The livestock issue on Viaduct Street involves chickens-new chickens, chickens not authorized to live where they presently reside. Some years ago the borough approved a zoning ordinance permitting resident chickens, horses, and livestock in the borough to continue their residency, but prohibiting the introduction of new livestock into the borough, except for the few farms located on the outskirts. Mayor Maby asserted that he would provide Chief Smith with a copy of the borough's zoning ordinance (maps included), so that Chief Smith could carry out enforcement actions, as necessary.

New Milford resident Kevin Phillips spoke eloquently for several minutes about the clear and present health hazard to all county residents should a toxic waste incinerator be permitted to operate in this county. Should the model resolution prepared by environmental attorney Mike Ewall be adopted at a future Lanesboro Council meeting, it would have the effect of putting Lanesboro borough on record "urging the Supervisors of New Milford Township and the Susquehanna County Commissioners to adopt a Clean Air Ordinance setting forth requirements for any new waste burning facilities to use continuous emissions monitoring for releases of toxic and other chemical pollutants to the air, requiring real-time online disclosure of such emissions data, and setting the strictest possible emissions limits to protect our region's air quality and the health of our region's people." President Boughton assured Mr. Phillips that council would review the document.

Chief Smith presented the Police Report for the month of July. It showed 44 traffic stops, resulting in the issuance of 14 citations and 30 verbal warnings for the following infractions: speeding (22), equipment violations (12), inspection violations (3), stop sign violations (2), careless driving (1), failure to dim headlights (2), and failure to use turn-signal (2).

Overall, Lanesboro PD put in a total of 232 hours, with 4 court hours, and 16.5 contract hours billed to Thompson. Arrest incidents involved the following type cases: (a) Drug arrest (possession/case open), (b) Harassment by communication (case closed), (c) Suspicious vehicle (case closed), (d) Harassment (case closed), (e) ATV's on roadway (case closed), (f) Criminal mischief (case closed), (g) possible elderly abuse (case closed), and (h) ATV's fleeing and eluding arrest (case open).

That last case, while still open, resulted in police confiscation of a 2008 model year ATV. The ATV was abandoned by its suspect driver in the midst of hot pursuit. Chief Smith is patiently waiting for the ATV owner to come forward to claim his property.

Also, Chief Smith mentioned the frequent citing of bears in the borough. Two bears have already been rounded up and relocated to new habitats outside borough limits. One of the bears still frequently sighted in the borough is known to be an adolescent male bear old enough to live on his own. Chief Smith noted his ongoing concern for both the bear and for motorists. Since the bear is black distinguishing it after sunset can be difficult, particularly for drivers speeding at Jail Hill's curve. Drivers, he advised, should slow down and use heightened caution during night-time driving.

Lanesboro's next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13, 2016.

NOTE TO READERS: This article was prepared shortly after Lanesboro's August meeting. A major thunder/lightening storm on Thursday, August 11 took down the computer with this story. File recovery recently completed permits the present publication of this article.