It was supposed to have been settled – sort of – last year when litigants living on Tyler Lake Road agreed with the township on a plan to fix the road and end the long-running dispute over water runoff.  The settlement was contingent on timely completion of repairs agreed on between engineers and lawyers on both sides.  Something seems to have broken down.

Solicitor Jamie Hailstone attended the meeting of the Harford Township Supervisors on April 18th mostly to take part in an executive session that followed the public meeting, where the topic was to be the Tyler Lake Road situation.  A couple involved in the suit also attended the public session to complain about the condition of the road, and to ask for explanations of recent work on the road.  The township has been reluctant to put much effort in that area until the legal dispute is resolved.  But Supervisor Doug Phelps said that emergency repairs had to be made to make the road passable.

Roads being the major responsibility of a “second-class” township like Harford, the Roadmaster’s report is always near the top of the agenda.  There was a discussion about fixing the guide rails on Pennay Hill Road at the new bridge.  The bid accepted from Chemung Supply for $3,000 will repair damage caused when a pickup truck hit a rail, and the contractor will remove old cable and posts.

Part of Lower Podunk Road will get a facelift this year.  Roadmaster Jim Phelps will ask the Conservation District for a 50% grant for the work.  Asked about the rest of the road, he said that it was a lower priority and would not be done this year.

The township will solicit bids to renovate the rest of Oliver Road pending another grant award.  Part of the road was done last year; the remaining part, up the hill toward New Milford Township, was severely damaged by water not long after money from an award from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency was spent to fix it up after a prior flood.

The Harford sewer system is undergoing major maintenance and upgrades.  The low-pressure system is more than 20 years old, with many houses still serviced by obsolete pumps, and the plant on Burns Road experiencing some difficulties.  The township is borrowing nearly $2 million to upgrade the plant; final environmental approvals are required before the township can solicit bids for construction.

In the meantime, the township’s engineers, Joe Hunt & Associates (JHA) has developed an inventory of all of the pumps on the system and listed them with recommendations for priority attention.  They are trying to examine each of the installations in detail to determine what parts and service will be needed, and which pumps should be replaced.  JHA’s Jessie Grimm said that in most cases workers will not need access to the house, but they will communicate with residents prior to working on a property.

Mr. Grimm also told the Supervisors that air lines at the sewer plant are badly deteriorated.  Their failure would shut down the plant.  If the plant upgrade can be scheduled fairly quickly, that would suffice to avoid costly emergency repairs.

Supervisor Sue Furney thanked township Secretary Carolyn Jennings, and county and state officials for a grant of $300,000, plus $70,000 from the county, to help with the parts of the system upgrade not covered by the project at the plant.

The Supervisors tabled the selection of someone to mow the grass at the township building and the sewer plant.  They want more details, and want to make sure they pay only for mowing “as needed,” rather than simply weekly.

They will also meet soon to consider specifications for the purchase of a new truck before soliciting bids or locating a vendor.

The annual “clean-up” this year is scheduled for the week beginning June 5.  It’s an opportunity for residents to be rid of  … stuff.  The township is mostly interested in metals that can be sold for scrap value.  Household trash is not allowed.  Electronics are also no longer accepted since the county recycling center does not accept them and there are no known alternatives.  The cost will be $60 for a large pickup load, the same as last year when the township broke even on the program.  There will be an additional charge for tires – none larger than light-truck tires, please.

The next public meeting of the Harford Township Supervisors is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, 2017.  Meetings take place at the township office on Route 547 and begin at 7:00pm.

With the incinerator business out of the way, and the office printer out of whack so that the Treasurer’s report wasn’t available, the New Milford Township Supervisors could dispose of their April meeting on the 19th in short order … all of 7 minutes.

They announced that they, the township Secretary and Auditor, and maybe the Emergency Management Coordinator would be attending the annual conference of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors in Hershey from April 22 through April 26.  Secretary Graham said that the office would be open for regular office hours.

The Supervisors also noted the county-wide burn ban in effect from April 22 through May 15.

The township received notice that the application submitted by Adam Diaz to operate a waste transfer facility near the county jail is considered complete, in preparation for the next steps in the approval process.

The agenda listed the routine notices of quarry permits, pipeline road crossings, and water extraction.

Not least, the township received a letter from its neighbors, Great Bend Township, with thanks for assistance during the recent late-winter snowstorm.  Great Bend was short on personnel and was grateful for the help, which also included cinders and a truck.  Ken Bondurant, New Milford’s Emergency Management Coordinator, said that from his own survey, New Milford Township performed among the best in class during the storm.

The next public meeting of the New Milford Township Supervisors is scheduled for Wednesday, May 17, 2017 beginning at 7:30pm at the township office on U.S. Route 11 north of town.

An eagle eye will be guarding the planned expenditure of every cent in Susquehanna Community School District's 2017-2018 budget. With the District's Directors deep into the budget process, close attention continues to focus on budgeting decisions at both the state and federal level. If federal Title IIA (2A) funding is eliminated, as proposed by the Trump administration, $75,985 would disappear from SCSD's revenue. Likewise, Governor Wolf's proposed cut of $50 million from transportation funding would translate into the district's loss of $70,000. Because of state increases to other parts of the education budget the district could realize a net increase of $12,000. That amount would be little more than a rounding error in comparison to the relentless increases in pension costs, and the modest increases in pay and benefits.

All told, SCSD could be looking at a $200,000 hole in its budget for 2017-2018. Nevertheless, Superintendent Bronson Stone announced that, given his analysis, he would NOT be recommending a tax increase to the school board-unless drastic changes occurred in the interim-when the budget is unveiled at next month's board meeting. Mr. Stone favors filling the deficit from the current fund balance, instead.

For the Wednesday, April 19, 2017 meeting, School Directors Steven Stanford, Amanda Cook, Evelyn Cottrell, Ashley Depew, Jamie Koziol, Martha Stanford, and Clay Weaver considered a plethora of other matters over the course of a meeting that lasted just short of three-quarters of an hour. An unexpected issue brought to the fore was the state's tightening of vaccination regulations. Mr. Stone noted that nine currently enrolled students do not meet the state's regulations. Students still not up-to-date on their shots will be barred after April 28, 2017.

But that's not the end of the issue. Mr. Stone noted that according to the district's records 168 students are projected to be out of status on their shots by the start of the next school year, if their parents do not take action between now and then. Any of those 168 students not up to date by the fifth day of school in the 2017-18 school year must be barred from attendance after that date. The district will be publicizing shot requirements in the meantime, and the parents of students needing shots will be notified by missives from the district. Mr. Stone also mentioned the possibility of a school shot clinic being scheduled to bring individuals into compliance.

Superintendent Stone also reported to the school board that the administration had completed a survey of what parents of students would support in the way of the district's summer school program. He noted that participation in summer school, always voluntary, had been declining over recent years. What would parents be willing to support? The answer was, "one four-day week in the middle of summer, with hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m." That week will require four to five teachers and two aides.

Susquehanna alumnus Jeffrey Keyes spoke during the public comment period. He proposed a concert to be held at the high school's auditorium on July 30, 2017, with performance by interested alumni from the graduating classes of 1956 through 2016. His proposal envisioned a chorus of 50 to 100, with regular rehearsals scheduled in the run-up to this unprecedented program. Superintendent Stone and the board asked a number of questions and promised that the request would be placed on the agenda for the May meeting. SCHS alumni wishing to participate in this program should direct their inquiries to Mr. Keyes.

Among the items approved by School Directors over the course of the evening were these:

- Contracting with Kelly Services for substitute staffing purposes for the 2017-18 school year;

- Agreement with Child Evangelism Fellowship of Susquehanna County for release time for the 2017-18 school year;

- Service agreement between SCSD and the Borough of Lanesboro for Campus Safety and Security for the 2017-18 school year;

- Schedule of compensation for Odyssey of the Mind judges and coaches for the 2017-18 school year; and

- Revised Policies 209.2 (Diabetes), and 808 (Food Services).

Also approved by Directors was an addition to to the district's Policy 122, "At the present time, the Board recognizes and adheres to the P.I.A.A. policy which requires that a student pass four (4) major subjects to be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics. However, the district's standards are higher and include extracurricular activities such as dramatic presentations, and after school club activities, which hold after-school practices or events more than one night per week. Students who are not passing four (4) major subjects shall be ineligible to participate in optional/voluntary (meaning not required by or an element of the curriculum open to/required for all students) band and chorus concerts/events or field trips that occur during the school day."

Superintendent Stone made particular note that the District is still experiencing a chronic shortage of part-time nursing staff. RN and LPN-qualified personnel are encouraged to apply for employment. Mr. Stone noted that due to the ongoing shortage of nurses (certainly from the district's point of view), Kelly Services cannot provide substitute staffing for nurses. Beyond that, some nursing-qualified personnel are also needed for field trips.

During the course of the public comment period PASR officials read citations recognizing Mrs. Andrea Sanders, Teacher, and Mr. Kyle Cook, Instructional Aide, as winners of the Lauretta Woodson Award. (See separate story.)

When the meeting concluded, Business Manager Gary Kiernan swung into action with the District's trusty cake server. The evening's treat, for board and public alike, was spice cake with icing-a most scrumptious delight for all who could partake.

Susquehanna Community District Directors next meet on the third Wednesday of May, work session to be held on the Tuesday preceding at 7 p.m.

And in personnel actions ...

Susquehanna Community School District Board Directors took the following personnel actions during their regular meeting on Wednesday, April 19, 2017.

Approved accepting the following Intent-to-Retire requests: Sharon Lubaszewski - K4 Teacher - end of the 2016/17 school year; and Debbie Norris - Kindergarten Aide - July 31, 2017.

Approved hiring the following: Andrew Bennett - Varsity Softball Emergency Scorekeeper - 2017 season; and Joe Burke - Boys Grade 5 & 6 Elementary Basketball Coach - 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons.

Approved, pending all appropriate clearances, the following as Chaperones: Pamela Jones, Amye Pelly, Julie Burns, Liane Fabrizi, Stacy Huyck, Amanda Williams, Kevin Davis, Kylie Slocum, Lisa Stone, Amelia Heath, Paula Greene, Jamie Koziol, Craig Benson, Brandon Sanders, Joe Burke, Jamie Stone, Joe Staria, Tiffany Maby, Jill Soden, Ashley Depew, Abby Carpenter, Jodi Orner, Nicole Norton, Cindy Lovuolo, Kathleen Hilling, Bobbie Jo Norris, Shannon Price, and William Iveson.

Approved, pending all appropriate clearances, the following as Camp Counselors: Devin Breese, Ivy Christensen, Amber Dubanowitz, Mike Ervin, Alyssa Hubal, Benedict Kane, Tim Latz, Brad Palmatier, Sarah Serfilippi, Nicole Sherman, Justin Stanford, Emily Staros, Jessica Staros, and Samuel Tripp.

Approved accepting the following resignation: Stephen Nayduch - Varsity Boys Head Track & Field Coach, effective immediately.

Approved transferring the following: Jeff Hall from Junior High Girls Track & Field Coach to Varsity Boys Head Track & Field Coach for the 2017 season only, effective immediately; and Alice Rhone from Track & Field Assistant Coach to Junior High Girls Track & Field Assistant Coach for the 2017 season only, effective immediately.

Approved accepting the following resignation: Joe Eger - Part-time Maintenance, effective April 4, 2017.

NOTE TO READERS: The phrase "pending all appropriate clearances" is directly linked to state law, effective January 1, 2015, requiring a heightened level of investigative background checks for all volunteers, district employees, and contractors.