She said her goal was 1,000 points.  But her real goal was to give away a lot of money.

Isabella Cosmello enlisted her basketball teammates to help her raise a total of $1,176 on the way to accumulating 1,000 points during her 4-year basketball career at Blue Ridge and the best girls’ basketball season in years.  $600 of that was donated to a variety of causes in the Blue Ridge communities.  The rest of it, $576, was given to the Blue Ridge district to support the Leo Club, the lifeskills program, and the nurse’s office.  Ms. Cosmello presented the oversize check to start off the School Board’s July meeting on the 17th, titling her generosity “1,000 Ways to Give Back.”

Isabella Cosmello (center) presents a check for $576 to her mother, Board member Christina Cosmello (right) and High School Principal Peter Supko (left)

Before launching into a lengthy agenda, Board president Chris Lewis called on Brock Gumear, who described his experiences in New York City at a business leadership program hosted at St. John’s University, subsidized by the Board from its annual fund of $1,500 to help students take advantage of such opportunities.

Brock Gumear, businessman of the future.

Next, Mr. Lewis read out a resolution commending the district’s volleyball program for its outstanding record this year, and in particular, volleyball coach Lori Zick, named by the Scranton Times-Tribune its Coach of the Year.  “The kids make me look good,” said she.

Coach of the Year Lori Zick, with High School Principal Peter Supko.

The Board then heard from Jim Martin, representing Friendship House, a mental health services organization based in Scranton, in support of a resolution that requires Friendship House to place 3 staff members at Blue Ridge to provide “community/school-based behavioral health care” for up to 24 students.  The program is paid for out of medical assistance subsidies (mostly federal Medicaid) and will cost the district nothing, except for space and infrastructure services.

And last, but certainly not least, the Board heard the annual report of Food Services Manager Linda Cole-Koloski.  Ms. Cole-Koloski oversees 4 programs: the summer lunch program that now serves 4 sites, including Blue Ridge, the Hallstead library, a 4H day camp in Harford, and snacks for Mountain View; after-school snacks; free breakfasts for elementary school students (about 50,000 breakfasts each year); and, of course, the main lunch program at Blue Ridge.  And she does it all without busting her budget. 

In fact, she ended the year with zero uncollected accounts.  She said that collecting unpaid balances is “a ton of work,” helped by the office staff, and by new technology.  She gave credit to Technology Coordinator Mike Stewart for getting a new system installed that will save about $3,000 a year in software support costs.

Ms. Cole-Koloski also commended Ron Cranage and his maintenance staff for their help overcoming the two major challenges to the food program this past 6 months: the failure of the water supply system, and the long power outage.  “Ron Cranage is awesome,” she said.  “Everybody helped.”  She was “proud to be a part of that” effort to provide meals to children whose homes had no power.

She said that for the first time in 2 years she will recommend no increase in meal prices for the next school year.  She is able to take advantage of government surplus food stocks, and makes meals with whatever she has available, and she has a lot of it in stock.  On the down side, she is exasperated that “we’re so overregulated.”  The federal requirement for equity in school lunch prices boosted prices by 31.9¢ per meal to 37¢ per meal, a difference that totaled some $70,000.

Among her other positive attributes, Linda Cole-Koloski feeds board members at workshops … but not in the summer.  Bummer.  But she promised a reprise of her famous chicken corn chowder and blueberry crisp in the months to come.

As usual, the Board gave the 13-year veteran of the school lunch program (and 36 years of service with the Silver Lake Rescue Squad) a warm round of applause, and their most sincere thanks.

The meeting actually opened with a statement by a recently graduated student who asked the Board to modify its policy that determines who is selected for valedictorian and salutatorian at graduation.  The selections are currently made at the end of the 3rd marking period.  This student said she worked especially hard to improve her grades enough to qualify, but because of the policy she was not successful.  Mr. Lewis and Superintendent Matthew Button said that they would review the long-standing policy for the future.

At that, Mr. Lewis called an executive session that lasted about a half hour.  When members returned, Mr. Lewis announced that at an earlier executive session they interviewed a candidate for Special Education Coordinator, to replace Gail Wnorowski who resigned last month.  The Board is expected to meet a week hence, on July 24, to vote on their choice for the position.

Mr. Lewis said that the second executive session covered the Superintendent’s evaluation, the proposed contract with the Susquehanna County Recreation Center organization to acquire some of the Blue Ridge property, a personnel matter concerning a coach, and a discussion of taking advantage of the services of a qualified staff member as a “school resource officer” (aka an in-school police officer).

Once they got to it, Board members accepted most of the 26-point agenda, except for those that required some board members to abstain for personal conflicts.  Among the items approved:

• A contract with WVIA for the “Enhanced Scholar Program” for 3 years (through 2020).  The contract provides access to video programs of a variety of types for all grades.
  
  
• A “Data Exchange Agreement” that formalizes some arrangements between “C.A.F.E.” (Creative Adventures For Education), a local non-profit organization that organizes the 6th-grade trip to Washington each spring.  The arrangements bring the district and C.A.F.E. into alignment with federal information privacy regulations.
  
  
• The annual “Dual Enrollment Agreement” with Lackawanna College; this one covers a wide variety of available courses, including college-level math and science, writing, psychology and sociology.
  
  
• A Letter of Agreement with the Scranton-Lackawanna Human Development Agency for support of the federal Head Start program for the next school year.
  
  
• A Letter of Agreement with The Meadows Psychiatric Center, for mental health services at a rate of $65 per day per referred student.
  
  
• An agreement with Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth with PA Treatment & Healing (PATH) in pursuance of the state’s Act 48 governing the education of disruptive students.  The agreement does not seem to specify the costs of the provided services.
  
  
• A Letter of Agreement with the Northeastern Intermediate Unit #19 “to provide professional development & instructional services to Faith Mountain School” for students eligible under Titles I, IIA and IV at a cost of over $10,000 for services and staff.  Faith Mountain Christian Academy is a Christian school in New Milford.  The agreement specifies that the services will be provided in a “secular, neutral and non-ideological” environment.

            The board is also offering a slate of changes to its policy manual for 30-day review, including the following, exclusive of minor clarifications and textual modifications:

• The handling of student medical records.
  
  
• A new policy covering the “management” of food allergies.
  
  
• Dealing with possession, use or sale of tobacco by students at Blue Ridge.
  
  
• Prohibition of skateboards, mini-bikes, motorcycles, ATVs “and other unauthorized vehicles on school property.
   
• The authority of school officials to search students, their property and lockers is established.
  
  
• Student government, including the student council, and right of student petition.

A 5-point addendum was attached to the agenda to include the following:

• Another agreement with Friendship House “to provide Mental Health Counseling and Consulting Services” for the next school year at a total maximum cost of just under $50,000.
  
  
• A contract with Quad3 Group for a site engineering student at a cost of $13,500.
  
  
• Measures to purchase a Ford F-550 truck with accessory equipment from Barber Ford, Inc. for $58,550, and a 14,000-pound utility trailer from Powell’s Sales and Service for $4,999 were tabled for future consideration.

The next scheduled meeting of the Blue Ridge School Board will be on Monday, August 21, 2017.  All meetings are held in the cafeteria in the Elementary School.

Superintendent Dr. Jessica Aquilina introduced the 2017-2018-school calendar, noting the students first day of school will be September 19th.  Due to construction the students would not be able to occupy the building before the proposed date, she stated during the school board meeting held on July 17th.  Superintendent Aquilina when questioned stated if the school does not use the ten snow days, graduation will be held on June 8th; if ten snow days are used the proposed graduation date will be June 22nd.  Teachers will be starting on September 12th in preparation of the students starting on the 19th.  The calendar is available to view on the schools website.

A construction change order was approved for a total cost of sixty-six thousand, one hundred sixty-one dollars by the school board.  Superintendent Aquilina stated Principal Dr. Elia felt it was best to keep the seventh and eight grade students located in their own area separated from the high school.  Wasted space between classrooms will be eliminated to accommodate an additional classroom for this additional expense.

The school board accepted the resignation of Lorne Powell effective immediately, and President Mary Emmett stated she was an asset to the board, advocating all students and she will be missed.  Ms. Powell represented Region 2, Herrick Township and the school board plans to publically interview interested parties at the August school board meeting.

The Lady Foresters softball team was recognized for winning District 2, Class 1A Championship with the presentation of jackets.  Three players were chosen for All Stars, and Superintendent Aquilina said they were very proud of the team and thanked the coaching staff.

Forest City Varsity baseball team was recognized for achieving the first round of state playoffs, and three players were chosen for All Stars with the presentation of jackets.  Superintendent Aquilina thanked the coaches for the dedication and work with the players throughout the season and stated how proud they were of the team.

School Board members approved an agreement with US Fire Insurance Company, which would provide K-12 Voluntary Student Accident Insurance up to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.  Parents will be able to choose their own plan that would determine the price of the coverage.

Susquehanna County Housing and Development payment in lieu of taxes agreement was approved whereby the Depot Street Duplexes will be exempt from real property taxation, but will provide payment in an amount not to exceed twenty percent of the taxes, which would otherwise be imposed upon the property.

A letter of agreement with The Meadows Psychiatric Center providing educational services Monday through Friday was unanimously approved.  FCRSD will pay sixty-five dollars per day for this service.

School board members approved an alternate education for disruptive youth agreement for services provided by PA Treatment and Healing. The daily rate of service is sixty-eight dollars, and seventy-three dollars for special education students.

An agreement with NHS School, which will provide services to children with Autism and/or Emotional Disturbance, was approved.  Various costs are associated with this agreement, dependent upon the type of services provided. 

Comprehensive Consulting Service Inc. agreement, to perform drug and alcohol testing on-site August 1, 2017 through August 1, 2018 was unanimously approved by the board.

Career Cruising, a web based self-exploration and planning program for K-12 that drives students to recognize their full potential in school, career and life was approved at a cost of three thousand, four hundred seventy-five dollars.

School Board members approved hiring Paula Prescott as a Paraprofessional, and a three percent salary increase to staff per Act 93 with the exception of Dr. Elia who will receive his increase on the date of his anniversary.

Wayne Memorial Hospital to provide “In School Walking Program” was unanimously approved for the 2017-2018 school year.  Registration is required with a five-dollar payment for all new registrars; people re-registering do not have to pay the fee if they still have their badge from the previous year.

Board members approved expenses for President Emmett to attend the PASA/PSAB School Leadership Conference, to be held in Hershey in October.

Superintendent Aquilina spoke briefly on the topic of school bullying.  She said the school is working towards reviewing the guidelines, revising if necessary and providing information on how to anonymously report bullying activities.

A behavioral health school based behavioral team will be in place come September, with three full time employees, valued at one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars free of charge stated Superintendent Aquilina.  She said a full presentation would be given at the September school board meeting.

The back to school carnival is slated for September 13th, from five thirty to seven.

Harford Township has been having trouble finding a reliable supplier of the stuff known as DSA – driving surface aggregate, a material developed by Penn State that has to be applied with a paving machine, offers a much nicer and more stable road surface than dirt and gravel, and is cheaper than asphalt.  It’s cheaper, that is, if you can get it.

The township wants to resurface the remaining parts of Stephens Road (about a mile of it) but their primary supplier of some types of road materials, New Enterprise Stone & Lime, so far hasn’t been able to get their DSA certified by the state, and the township can’t use state funds to use it unless the supplier is certified.

So there was some consternation when the Supervisors at their July meeting on the 18th opened the sole bid for DSA from a certified supplier, Schaefer Enterprises of Deposit, NY at a cost of $388,000 for delivery to the job site.  The FOB cost would be only $138,000, so the additional cost would be for transportation all the way from Deposit.  What to do, what to do?

The Supervisors decided to table the issue for the time being, including a bid from Barhite Excavating for $20,950 to pave Stephens Road with the stuff provided by the township, which doesn’t have it.  Supervisor Dustin Walker suggested that millings recently recovered from state road work be used instead, then topped with two coats of tar and chips.  Roadmaster Jim Phelps said that that approach was doable, with some help from other outside suppliers and contractors, but that he would need more details about just what was to be done, since Mr. Walker seemed interested in resurfacing more than the one mile in the original proposal.

So a special meeting was scheduled for August 29 to open bids based on specifications that Mr. Phelps is to come up with as soon as possible for the tar-n-chip approach.  The special meeting is necessary so that the work could get underway before about October 15, when summer work comes to an end in preparation for winter.

In the event that they decide when and where to use the millings, they received several quotes for dozer work to lay them down.  The winning low bid was from Brozonis Excavating at $95 per hour.

The township’s solicitor, Jamie Hailstone, in attendance primarily for consultations about the Tyler Lake Road litigation, reported on discussions with Southwestern Energy about concerns raised by PennDOT with the intersection of Plank Road and U.S. Route 11.  Southwestern has suggested paving the entire length of Plank Road up to the Lopke quarry, a distance of about 1.1 miles.  They estimate that a 1/3 share of the work might cost about $300,000, with the township, Southwestern and PennDOT sharing in the total cost.

Mr. Hailstone later offered a reasonably detailed assessment of the Tyler Lake Road situation, reporting on a pre-trial conference with the judge that very day.  The parties have two choices: a full-blown trial, or asking the judge to determine what to do.  Mr. Hailstone said that the township has offered an engineering plan, but that the plaintiffs (2 families with property along the road) have no plan except to object to the township’s plan. 

“We thought this was settled a long time ago,” said Mr. Hailstone with some exasperation.  A “settlement” was reached last year, but it depended on the plaintiffs being more or less satisfied with what was to be done.  Apparently they weren’t.  Mr. Hailstone now says, “there is an end in sight.”  Uh huh.

The plaintiffs have 14 days to respond with their choice: trial or the judge decides.  Mr. Hailstone also noted that the grant that was used to do the original work that became the basis of the plaintiffs complaint has been extended pending the outcome of the litigation.

The Supervisors have been mulling for some time over the purchase of a new truck for plowing and heavy road work.  Mr. Walker said that the one they’re considering, a Peterbilt, would cost about $170,000 fully equipped.  A visitor suggested that a larger tri-axle might be a better long-run choice, but of course would be more expensive.  The Supervisors gave themselves permission to buy the truck in advance of final specification; Roadmaster Phelps said it could take 4 weeks or more to have the thing built, so, with winter approaching (!) time is important.

The truck would be paid for from funds accumulated in the special account earmarked for “impact fee” money from natural gas activities as distributed by the state.  The township recently received $383,328.71 as the annual impact fee distribution.  Secretary Carolyn Jennings said that the amount was a little lower than last year, by about $20,000.  In Harford, the impact fee money is handled separately under the assumption that what the state gives, the state can take away.

Supervisor Sue Furney reported that all of the township’s outstanding debt related to the sewer system has now been consolidated into “one big loan” of about $2 million.  Paperwork related to the USDA loan and the DCED grant supporting the project to renovate the 21-year-old system is moving along.  In the meantime, the township will purchase more pumps to replace some of the failing originals and to supply new construction.

Mr. Phelps asked the Supervisors to consider adding another insert to the sewer system bills in the next cycle.  He said that the engineers have discovered more and more baby wipes and diapers clogging the system and threatening blockages.  Despite what the packaging for these products may say, the Harford sewer system is not designed to accommodate such materials.

The township recently received 3 letters from PennDOT with information about proposed projects to replace bridges and culverts in Harford.

And finally, the August Supervisors’ meeting has been moved up.  It is now scheduled for August 8, 2017, beginning at 7pm in the township office.  Incidentally, the Supervisors were asked why some money couldn’t be spent on a new, larger office, say from the impact fee account.  Ms. Furney said that the Supervisors had considered such things, but decided that the money was better spent on the roads.

At their July meeting on the 21st, the New Milford Township Supervisors set the schedule for the annual “white goods” cleanup: during the week of September 11 the township will accept almost anything you want to throw away – except household garbage, furniture, tires, liquids (paints will be accepted) or brush and yard waste.  Call the office if you’re not sure what they’ll take.  There is no charge for the pickup; just notify the township office where you are.

Township Secretary Julene Graham reported on meetings with the township’s financial advisors and township employees on some modifications to the pension program overseen by Summit Financial, Nationwide Insurance, and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) as trustees.  The township offers a “defined benefit” plan that guarantees a minimum retirement income.  Until now the plan’s assets have been invested in fixed-income products that earn only modest interest.  Under the new “diversified” plan the investment strategy can be more flexible, to include up to 50% in equities, and the plan’s features can be changed at any time.  New Milford Township currently has 8 full-time employees covered by the plan, as well as two former staff already collecting pensions.

Supervisor and township Roadmaster Jack Conroy reported on progress developing specifications for a ¾-ton utility truck that will be purchased through the state’s COSTARS program.

And Emergency Management Coordinator Ken Bondurant reported that recent training events were successful.  He was especially impressed with the program put on by the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The “budget” sheet with income and expenditures for the month was not immediately available.  Ms. Graham did say that the township recently received its annual “impact fee” payment in the amount of $672,691.09, up from over $605,000 last year.

New Milford Township Supervisors meet on the third Wednesday of the month, beginning at 7:30pm at the township office building on U.S. Route 11 north of town.  The meeting are generally brief, so get there on time.