Richard Gere said it best during the Film Festival the weekend of October 6th, 7th, and 8th in Montrose: “Somehow that movie theater is a manifestation of that, in saving that movie theater in a way it’s saving the sense of community, and connectiveness.” He was referring to an earlier comment: “And you are in a way the future possibility, the small town people of America, who still do these type of things, who still do things together who still care for each other, ask about each other, are there when there is a problem for each other, this would be one of the great shames if this were ever lost.”

Benefit to save the Marquee.

The Montrose Restoration Committee (MRC) has been diligently working towards the revitalization of our rural community through economic development, heritage preservation, and cultural enhancement since their formation in 2000. The committee, consisting of eleven members has been planning the Film Festival over the past year and was able to bring the excitement of Hollywood to northeastern Pennsylvania.

April and Kimberly Holgate serving at the Montrose Theater

The weekend was skillfully orchestrated starting with the showing of An Officer and a Gentleman at the Montrose Theater on Friday, October 6th.  The excitement of the moviegoers and the movie theater staff, April and Kimberly Holgate was contagious.  Richard Gere was in town, and it was thanks to the MRC for putting this event together.

Richard Gere

On Saturday, October 7th people came from near and far to hear Richard Gere speak before the showing of Pretty Woman, and one woman came dressed the part as shown in one of the scenes.  It was made clear that he wasn’t there to speak about himself, but to support the fund raising efforts of the MRC.  Mr. Gere spoke eloquently about his humble background growing up in a small town.  He said: “They are all deeply connected; all of our stories can only exist because they are connected to other people and other experiences, other people’s lives, other people’s emotions, their wishes and their dreams.”

A moviegoer dressed the part

The MRC have partnered with other local organizations with similar preservation interests such as the Garden Club of Montrose, Susquehanna County Library and Historical Society, and the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies.  One of the many things they do that people notice is the downtown area, vibrant with color as the planters are filled with beautiful seasonal flowers.  The flags hanging on the lampposts was another project the MRC were instrumental with planning.

Packed house at the Montrose High School

Over the years the MRC have brought people together by starting and operating the Farmer’s Market on the Green in 1999, then turning it over as their own independent cooperative.  Paint and volunteers armed with a can-do attitude returned fifteen storefronts to their original beauty.  By this effort, PA Downtown Center in Harrisburg created a special Affiliate status of their Main Street program to benefit towns like Montrose that are too small to otherwise qualify for state funding.  This became a reality in 2002.  Walking Tours of Montrose was the collaborated effort with the Susquehanna Historical Society and the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies and can be toured in approximately forty-five minutes.

For more information, or to volunteer or donate please visit the Montrose Restoration Committee’s website at c5.montroserestorationcommittee.org.

School Board President Mary Emmett announced during the School Board meeting on October 9th she has been working with Mrs. Moran during the past few months to compose a teacher’s contract that would benefit all parties involved.  She stated the current teacher’s contract will end on August 31, 2018, and they didn’t want to wind up disrupting the school year with last minute negotiations.

President Emmett stated it will be a five-year contract and the highlights of the agreement are salary and benefits.  Year one through three the teachers will receive a salary increase of two point six percent, and years four and five a two point seven percent increase.  They will continue with the current healthcare benefits with no change to their contribution.  President Emmett stated they would approve the contract tonight (Oct. 9th) but it will not go into effect until September 1, 2018.

Board members thanked President Emmett and Mrs. Moran for the time spent working on the contract.  Board members felt it was a fair agreement to the taxpayers, and teachers.  The School Board unanimously approved the contract at the meeting.

Mr. Kelly presented Sydney Hodges as the October Super Sixth Grader, and stated Ms. Hodges is a member of the Jazz Band, Band, Chorus, Jazz Chorus, Student Council and Drama.  She is flexible, a problem solver and gets along with her peers.

Dr. Elia presented Kayla Dishong as October High School Student of the Month.  Ms. Dishong worked during the summer on her graduation project, which was assisting and organizing the 7th grade orientation program.  She has been on the honor roll all four years of high school, and is a kind, hardworking, thoughtful and compassionate person.

Ms. Dishong plans are to attend Alverna University upon graduating and work towards a career in the mental health field.

Matthew Tighe was also chosen for October High School Student of the Month; unfortunately a scheduling conflict arose and he couldn’t attend tonight’s meeting, stated Dr. Elia.

Dr. Elia, Mr. Kelly and Mrs. Dennebaum shared their planned methods of changing the culture for the children attending school during a presentation of the 2016 Student Performance Data.  Dr. Elia stated the goal is to get the children to do the talking and thinking during class.

Mr. Kelly stated, from Pre-K through twelfth grade they are maximizing instruction time, and in the middle school placing the right teacher for the right area.  He stated the Principals are very visible during the day and offer support to the teachers.  Dr. Elia informed the School Board the teachers are onboard with the program, are volunteering and joining in on the thought process.

The 2017 PSSA Math Performance indicated Grade 3 was number one out of forty-two schools, and Grade 4 was number five out of forty-one schools.  Grades 5 and 7 were higher than state average, but Grade 6 fell short at less than one half of state average.

English, Language, and Arts (ELA), Grades 3 and 4 were exceeding state average, grade 7 was equal to, but grades 5, 6, 8 were slightly lower.  Mrs. Dennebaum, serving as the instructional coach to teachers will work on building literacy throughout all levels so they can be life long learners.

Math and ELA time has been expanded to eighty-four minutes, to accomplish the goals they are setting.

The Keystone Performance for Grade 11 indicated students were number two out of twenty-one schools, in Biology they were slightly higher, and in Literature they were slightly lower than state average.  They will continue with planning and processing with the students.

In category Historically Underperforming Students, the students were number one out of twenty-one schools in Algebra, number three out of twenty-one schools in Biology, and in Literature higher than state average.  Mrs. Dennebaum stated they have a lot of students with challenging backgrounds and this is an outstanding outcome.  They will continue meeting their emotional needs and rally around the child to keep their motivation up.

Mr. Kelly stated they are raising the bar by addressing the emotional, mental, behavioral and academic needs of the children.

Superintendent Jessica Aquilina thanked Mr. Kelly, Dr. Elia and Mrs. Dennebaum, stating they are doing remarkable work with the teachers.

The following items were approved at the Boards meeting: A two-year renewal agreement between the FCRSC and the David Approach at a cost of seven hundred seventy five dollars for year one and six hundred and forty dollars for year two.  An eight-session program for Mrs. Moran’s students for Jow Ga Kung Fu, with Edward Tomaine at a cost of five hundred fifty dollars.  Advantage service agreement with Guyette Communication Industries Corporation at a cost of five hundred ninety dollars per year. Government Software Services, Inc. related to the printing of Homestead/Farmstead notices for fiscal year 2017, and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Forest City Police Department for police coverage at athletic and school events effective October 9th.

Tenure was granted to the following personnel; Kayleigh Crockenberg, Daniel J. Lishok, Kelsey E. Loftus, Charlene A. McGraw and Michell Pope.

Rachel Burnis was approved as a homebound instructor, and the following were approved as substitute support staff for the 2017-2018 school year: Susan Kilikowski, Thomas Nebzydoski, Sandra Shager, Brad Medved, Margaret Nichols, and Dominique Jonas.

Superintendent Aquilina thanked everyone for the success in starting the school year; everyone worked hard over the summer.  She thanked everyone for his or her contribution helping at the Steamtown Marathon; there were over one thousand runners.  She also congratulated Dr. Elia for finishing the race, in which he responded thank you for allowing the band to play at the finish line; they gave him the strength to continue the run.

During the course of the Oakland Borough Council meeting held on October 12th a resident in attendance questioned the fairness of the personal tax the Borough imposes on its residents. He stated he has lived in the Borough for many years and each year he pays the amount due, but his question was what percentage of the residents pay this tax.

The resident stated it’s been a number of years since someone has held the position of checking the residents of the Borough.  Throughout those years people have died, moved in and out and he is questioning who is following up on this.  Council responded they currently do not have a person in the position.  They advertised the position but no one responded to the ad.  If people registered do not pay the personal tax, GH Harris retrieves the payment, but if they aren’t registered there’s no way they can currently determine who isn’t paying.

It’s the principal of the matter stated the resident and not the amount of the tax.  He stated it’s not fair if only a small percentage of the town is paying.  He said if Council could not find a person to take care of it, the only fair thing to do is eliminate the tax.  Councilman Doug Arthur said they would have to raise property tax if they eliminated the personal tax, to make up for the loss. 

After a few minutes of discussion between the resident and Council it was decided Council would investigate the amount of money personal tax brought into the borough, and the cost to hire someone to update the Borough’s residents.  This way they could determine what the next steps should be.

Mayor Ron Beavan relayed the Police Report from Chief Robert Sweet to Council members.  There were a total of fourteen incidents in the Borough during the month of September.  Four traffic stops, two criminal trespasses, one trespassing, two thefts, one parking violation, one criminal mischief, one ordinance violation and two miscellaneous investigations.

Councilman Arthur stated they would be holding a Halloween gathering at Oakland Borough Park on Tuesday, October 31st before the children go trick or treating, starting at 4:30 p.m. and choosing best costumes around 5 p.m.  Trick or Treating is allowable in the Borough between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

At 7:11 p.m. Council retreated for an Executive Session regarding Code Enforcement; they returned at 7:35 p.m. relaying no information from the session to the public in attendance.

Another resident was on hand to speak about his property flooding, but before he addressed the flooding issue he said he would like to thank the Police for responding so quickly to an incident he had by his house.  He said the Chief of Police reacted very quickly and he wanted to thank him for that.

The resident stated on February 25th heavy rains flooded everyone, the water stained all the walls in his garage and ruined a carpet.  He said he lives at the bottom of a hill in a location where he receives an influx of water.  He stated there is a twelve inch corrugated pipe which flows into a catch basin right by his fence.  During the winter months, with the pipe not able to divert all the water, six to eight inches of ice accumulates on Rt. 171.

Jeff Wayman inspected the water issues, and the resident thinks Mr. Wayman has a good solution to fix the problem.  The resident stated he is personally willing to help the issue by putting up a retaining wall, but he would like to know if Council would be willing to correct the drainage problem.  Council stated they would need to speak with Mr. Wayman to hear what the problem is, and what he thinks would correct it before they can commit to any type of work to put in more pipe.  The resident thanked them in advance for any help they would provide in rectifying the issue.

Another complaint the resident had was the new sidewalk installed by his house.  He said he called and spoke to Bobbi Jo Turner at the Susquehanna Housing Authority and reported the sidewalk was settling, so far around an inch.  He said the settling occurred in the same spot where there was a water leak and Leeward worked on the road.  He currently maintains the sidewalk, but he doesn’t want to be held responsible when the sidewalk becomes so damaged it needs to be replaced.  Ms. Turner sent an engineer from the company to review the situation and he reported to Ms. Turner it wasn’t due to the work they did on the road.  The resident wanted Council to be aware of the situation, just in case the sidewalk continues to sink.  Council thanked him for informing them of what was happening.

The next Council meeting will be held on November 9th, at 7:00 p.m.

The Mountain View School Board meeting on October 9th opened a half hour late with the Lord’s Prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, quickly thereafter moving to accept bids for snow removal, fuel oil and wood fuel.  The late start was due to an executive session that Board President Michael Barhite said covered a para-professional position, a student disciplinary matter, and the most recent proposal by the teachers’ union for a new contract.  Mr. Barhite said that the Board had met with the Mountain View Education Association on October 4th and will be responding in due course.

The Board approved a collection of measures submitted by its Finance Committee as follows:

• Authorized American Risk Management Services, Inc., a small consulting firm based in Coraopolis, PA to review the district’s “workers’ compensation coverage, policies and premiums.”
  
  
• Selected Stony Creek Property Services of Kingsley for snow removal at $79 per hour.  Director of Buildings and Grounds Robert Taylor said that Stony Creek was operating with newer equipment than the other bidder who had some difficulty with equipment breaking down last year.  Both bids specified the same hourly rate and all but one member of the Board members were interested in trying a new contractor; Ms. Stine preferred to stay with last year’s contractor.
  
  
• Accepted the sole bid from Mirabito Fuel Group of Binghamton to supply fuel oil for the new year at a firm rate of $1.9038 per gallon.  Mr. Taylor said that the district could use up to about 21,000 gallons of fuel oil in a bad winter.
  
  
• Accepted the sole bid from RGM Hardwoods of Covington Township, PA for wood fuel at a price of $29 per ton, lower than last year.  Mr. Taylor said that the district could use between 800 and 1,600 tons, depending on winter weather.
  
  
• Accepted a bid from Contract Paper Group of Uniontown, Ohio to supply copy paper at the lowest bid price of $22.32 per case.

Mr. Taylor offered a brief progress report on a “request for qualification” surveying a number of companies being considered for a major energy conservation project.  The Board is also considering financing for a broader project to renovate some of the district’s aging infrastructure, including roofs, the parking lots, and the ancient boilers.

Board members haggled for a while over the wording of a policy covering gate entrance fees for public events.  It seems that the issue is more complicated than it might appear at first.  Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Christopher Lake pointed out that plays and musicals must charge for tickets in order to cover royalty fees.  And Superintendent Karen Voight noted that PIAA requires an entrance charge for playoff games.  The Board doesn’t want to charge senior citizens, veterans and the disabled; but, for example, who defines what a “senior citizen” is?  In the end the adopted policy will say that there “may be” a charge for athletic events.

Dr. Lake and Ms. Voigt reported on efforts to familiarize students with police and fire services.  The State Police are trying to improve their image, and Ms. Voight said that their K-9 unit has been asked to visit the schools.

Dr. Lake announced that Halloween would be celebrated in the Elementary School on Friday, October 27 rather than on the actual day, which would be fall in the middle of a week.

And Ms. Voight is organizing a field trip to the Tri-Cities Opera production of Glory Denied, a contemporary opera about the Vietnam War to be produced in November, on a date close to Veterans Day.

The Board is looking at a timeline for next year’s budget that will begin at the meeting on January 22, 2018 with a decision whether or not to consider raising tax rates beyond the state-defined index.  The decision will determine whether or not a taxpayer vote will be necessary to approve the budget that they hope to adopt by February 12, 2018.

The Mountain View School Board will meet next in public session on Monday, October 23, 2017 beginning at 7:00pm in the conference room in the Elementary School building.

Margaret Biegert attended the meeting of the Susquehanna Depot Borough Council, held on October 11th to inform Council the Susquehanna Community Development Association (SCDA) would like to take over the Downtown Community Revitalization Project.  She stated she was previously involved with the five year plan for Main Street and she would like to see it progress through the SCDA. 

The downtown area has seen great progress through the diligence of Councilman Roy Williams, who is the Codes Enforcement Officer for the Borough stated Ms. Biegert.  She was hoping Council would permit the SCDA to spearhead the project, and she is hopeful at least one person from Council along with business people in town would join the SCDA in this venture.

President Joe Varsik said it would be a good idea to have someone give the revitalization the push it needs to get started.

Councilman Dana Rockwell asked Ms. Biegert how many people were on the committee; Ms. Biegert replied there are six board members plus volunteers.  Councilman Rockwell said he would recommend recruiting more people from the community in the twenty to forty year old age bracket.  Ms. Biegert stated she would love to have younger people working on this project.

Ms. Biegert also requested Council create a separate bank account with the roughly eighteen thousand dollars already earmarked for the revitalization.  She stated keeping it in the capital account; the money may unknowingly be allocated to other expenses if new people took over the board.  Council unanimously approved the SCDA to spearhead the Downtown Community Revitalization Project, and to place funds in a separate account.

A resident provided Council with a quote for trimming the trees on Main Street, from Exchange Street to the bridge.  He informed Council it was the same company that trimmed the seventeen trees a few years ago.  They did good work, and have a bucket truck, which is needed for the job.

Councilwoman Barbara Larsen and another resident requested use of the grounds surrounding the Borough building for a vendor fair, to be held on October 21st from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. She said the vendors would remove any garbage and require no electricity.  Councilwoman Larsen stated all the money charged to the vendors would be donated to Trehab.  She said they are going to try and make it an annual event, offering for sale homemade crafts and companies such as Thirty-One.  Council unanimously approved the use of the grounds for this event.

The budget needs to be established for the 2018 Fiscal Year, and Council discussed the best date and time when Council members would be available to meet.  After a few moments it was decided they would meet on Wednesday, October 25th at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the needs of the Borough for the following year.

The Borough Secretary put in a request for a new computer, and stated John Ord would clear out all information on the old one.  She said it would cost approximately one thousand dollars to purchase a new computer, and to clear out information on current computers that are outdated and are no longer in use.  Council unanimously approved the purchase and service.

President Varsik stated the Police Department would be purchasing a refurbished computer at a cost of three hundred and fifty dollars. 

In the Police Report, Chief John Creamer relayed there were eighty-seven incidents during the month of September.  Seven of those were arrests, two for outstanding warrants, two assaults, one grand theft auto and two possession charges.

In the Code Enforcement report, sixty-eight calls were handled, twenty-three Notice of Violations, thirteen Citations, two Building Permits and one Demolition Permit issued during the month of September.

Councilman Roy Williams reported on the status of the Ira Reynolds Riverfront Park project, stating the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was still continuing the work and would probably be there until spring.  They’re getting ready to start the utility trench, and putting conduit in for the lights.  DEP is bringing in general fill to do some hydro seeding with Rye grass to stabilize the ground for the winter.

Councilman Rockwell asked about the tree wells. He said it looks like there will not be enough space for the walking path.  Councilman Williams replied they would be discussing that issue in the next meeting of the various organizations involved with the project.

The generator work was completed before Council’s meeting, stated Councilman Williams.  He reported the Community Board was inspected and the paperwork faxed to Penelec.  Hopefully the board will be operational by next week, stated Councilman Williams. 

Mayor Chris Maby discussed with Council during their monthly meeting held on October 10th the location of the new sidewalks.  There were several locations slated that are in crucial need, but due to a cut in funding Council members wouldn’t be able to provide all locations with a sidewalk.

The Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) had one hundred and eighty thousand dollars available for communities to fund needed projects.  Council and the Mayor identified areas throughout Lanesboro based upon the condition of their current sidewalk.  Mayor Maby said Lanesboro will be receiving ninety thousand dollars of grant money and the Borough does not have enough money to fund the remaining sidewalks that need replacement.  DeNinis Construction out of Binghamton submitted the only bid received for the project with a cost of one hundred forty-five dollars and eighty-five cents per foot.  This would allow for six hundred and twenty feet of sidewalk.

After several minutes of viewing the map of the project, and discussing the current conditions of the sidewalks, Council identified the area they would choose.  Mayor Maby stated they would turn in the information to Bobbi Jo Turner at the Susquehanna County Housing Authority to move forward with the Grant.

Council turned the discussion towards Convent Street and a project of widening the road from eight feet with two-foot gravel shoulders to eighteen feet, which would allow two cars to pass on the road.  Harmony Township stated the cost would be thirty thousand dollars to expand the road with dirt and gravel for approximately one half mile length.  Council voted unanimously to proceed with the project.

Chief Jim Smith presented to Council and the Mayor the Police Report for the month of September.  The Police Department provided Lanesboro with one hundred forty-two hours, with a breakdown of four court hours, and eleven contracted hours to Thompson Borough.  Other hours reported were one hundred thirty-six for the school.  The Police Officers had twenty-three incidents, six traffic citations and ten traffic warnings in Lanesboro.  In Thompson Borough Officers provided eight patrol hours, three call out hours with one traffic arrest and five traffic warnings.

The patrol cars need to be replaced, and Chief Smith stated he is still looking into on-line purchases, but the cars he was interested in were selling too high in cost.  He informed Council and the Mayor he would keep on checking the site for a good deal.

The Chevrolet patrol car is overheating, and one of the officers believes it’s a fan causing the issue.  The air conditioning unit has not been functional, which may be associated with the same problem.  Chief Smith will take the car to Clevelands Garage to be looked over.

Chief Smith asked Council and the Mayor if they would be receptive to hiring another part-time Officer.  He stated there are currently four part-time officers and one of the officers only works two days a month.  Chief Smith stated he has an officer in mind he would like to hire.  This particular officer will be moving closer to the Borough in the near future, and he may be interested in working a few days in Lanesboro.  Mayor Maby told Officer Smith to keep them informed when the officer moves and whether or not he would be willing to work in Lanesboro.

During the last storm the tractor windshield broke and other damages occurred to the cab.  Mayor Maby stated he obtained a quote for a new cab, a little different from the one they currently have.  A soft cab would cost approximately twenty-three hundred dollars.  Council and the Mayor discussed the price and the need for the replacement cab, since they use the tractor to cut the grass and snow blow the sidewalks in town.  Mayor Maby will contact the insurance company to see if the damage could be filed as a claim, this way they would only have to pay the deductible of two hundred and fifty dollars.

Council members and the Mayor discussed how the road was sinking deeply on Grand Street at the August meeting, and the retaining wall settling was disturbing the road surface.  Mayor Maby contacted Wayco Inc. to report the damage and they sent a crew up, but the repair wasn’t completed to their satisfaction.  When the Mayor contacted Wayco again the representative said the damage must have been coming from a leak of the water line under the road.  Pennsylvania American Water Company was contacted and they sent a representative to conduct a test for a leak, which (after testing) disclosed no water leak in the line.

A lengthy discussion followed and Council and the Mayor decided they would turn this situation over to their Solicitor to handle, since the road needs to be repaired correctly and Wayco Inc. isn’t addressing the issues.

The next meeting will be held on November 7th, at 7:00 p.m.