The budget of fifteen million, eight hundred thirty-eight thousand eighteen dollars of the Susquehanna Community School District was unanimously approved during the School Board Meeting held on June 20th. School Board Members also set the district millage at forty-nine point eighty-four for Susquehanna County and fourteen point fifty-two for Wayne County.

The revenue for the budget consists of four million, two hundred seventy-three thousand, four hundred fifty-seven dollars from local sources; ten million, seven hundred forty-eight thousand, one hundred thirty-eight dollars from state sources; and three hundred sixty-two thousand, four hundred ninety-nine dollars from federal sources.

Boy Scout Jonathan Jenkins attended the meeting with his father, David Jenkins (who is also the Assistant Scout Master) to present an offer to the School Board. He stated he is a Life Scout and is going into his junior year at Susquehanna. Jonathan said a Life Scout Project helps a school, community or religious organization and he has chosen the school because of the need for a new shed. The current shed gets very cluttered with the sports equipment and the three to four poles for pole vaulting barely fit.

David Jenkins (left) with Jonathan Jenkins (right)

Jonathan proposed to build a new shed, twelve by eighteen, which would be two foot longer so the poles for vaulting would fit better. It will also provide more storage space since he plans to put in shelves. A new shed would free up space in the current shed to be used for the maintenance tools or other materials to be stored.  He priced out what the materials would cost to do this project, which would be approximately four thousand, five hundred dollars and he would raise the money in donations and fund raising efforts. The shed would be placed on a gravel foundation and the work would take approximately two to three days to complete, with five to six people doing the work. Jonathan said the Boy Scout Organization would cover the liability insurance for the people working on the project. Superintendent Stone and Board members thanked Jonathan for his initiative.

Several personnel were hired; Michele Burke, Elementary for one year only; Kirk Fallon, Elementary Health & Physical Education; Meghan Truskolaski, HS English/Social Studies; Kayle Gerchman, HS Social Studies.

Resignations were accepted for personnel from the food service department, Jr. High Boys Basketball Assistant Coach, Girls Track Assistant Coach and Speech Language Pathologist. One retirement from security/maintenance was accepted.

Lewis Transportation, Ray and Nikki Swanson, and Miller Transportation contracts were approved for extended school year transportation.

Contracted service agreements were approved for PA Treatment & Healing, Merakey Behavior Health, and Waterfront Learning.

An agreement with Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital to provide Sports Medicine services was approved. Superintendent Stone stated they provided an athletic trainer one day a week at no charge. Also approved was the Purchase of Education Service Agreement with First Hospital of Wyoming Valley. Superintendent Stone stated there are certain situations when they need to provide special counseling to students.

Barnes Kasson service of providing first aid and initial assessment for student athletes was approved for the upcoming school session. Superintendent Stone stated they do an outstanding job and he is thankful for the scheduling work and patience of Dave Passetti.

The low bid, provided by Petroleum Traders Corporation at a price of two dollars and thirty-seven cents per gallon, which included the delivery charge was approved. Business Manager Gary Kiernan stated the fuel oil would cost approximately forty thousand dollars more this coming school season.

T. Brennan Heavy Equipment of Carbondale was approved as the vendor to complete the district parking lot restoration, with a bid of thirty thousand dollars.

Endless Mountain Heritage Region Executive Director Annette Schultz was present for the unveiling of a six-foot-high sign depicting more than two dozen historical sites, trails and scenic byways, parks and preserves and river access points in Susquehanna County at the site of the Susquehanna Historical Society. Betty White, Curator of the Susquehanna Historical Society joined Ms. Schultz in the unveiling and stated they were very grateful to the Endless Mountains Heritage Region for choosing their location to place the sign and securing the funds to make this possible.

Pictured (l-r) are: Betty White, Curator Susquehanna Historical Society and Annette Schultz Endless Mtn Heritage Region Executive Director

Ms. Schultz stated this was the second sign to be installed in the area; the first is located in Forest City. She said when people came to see the sign they were very excited to see sites they didn't know existed. Placing the signs in historic downtown areas is a great way to get the word out to residents and visitors alike.

The sign was primarily funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Susquehanna County Room Tax Fund administered by the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau. Ms. Schultz said the third sign would be going to Susquehanna Depot Borough, somewhere along the area of the newly created Ira Reynolds Riverfront Park.

Ms. White invited everyone into the Historical Society Museum to see the progress of the renovations and to enjoy some refreshments.

For New Milford Township Supervisors it was a long agenda – 16 items – supervised in fact by interim Township Secretary/Treasurer Nancy Tyler. Even the financial statement had a new look. At just under one hour, it was a long meeting for these gentlemen, and may presage some changes in the township's administration.

The meeting was preceded by a brief executive session, followed in turn by a motion to accept a recommendation by the Township's solicitor. The Supervisors were a little mysterious about the nature of both the executive session and the recommendation, but it seemed to relate to the hiring of an accountant to review the Township's books in order to "get ahead of litigation," in the words of presiding Supervisor Don Shibley, who said the executive session concerned "revised fee agreements."

Moving right along, Supervisor and Roadmaster Jack Conroy asked his colleagues to table an item concerning bids for a used loader the Township wants to purchase as a backup.

Ms. Tyler then reported on some formalities that had been cleared up, including a "Statement of Values" for the Emergency Management Coordinator (who was off on vacation at the moment), ID cards placed in Township vehicles, and the posting of some notices about workmens' compensation and injury notification forms (LIBC-550).

The Supervisors then accepted an updated schedule for payments into the Township's pension program managed by Trustees Insurance and Retirement Services of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS).

PSATS also sponsors a "Youth Awards Contest" that they hope member Townships will support. The program's purpose is "To recognize youth groups that make valuable and lasting contributions to improve life in Pennsylvania's townships of the second class. The awards program encourages greater youth involvement in township government." The Supervisors prefer, however, to support local programs, generally through the schools.

The Township has received 2 "right-to-know" requests. One of them, from an outfit called "American Transparency," asked for employee information, without identifying the purpose of the request. Ms. Tyler said she would research the request, which would also be referred to the Township's solicitor. (From its website, American Transparency's mission is "to limit government power by placing every dime online of all government spending — federal, state, and local — in an easy-to-access manner, empowering citizens to expose and curtail wasteful practices and ensure the more efficient allocation of government resources.")

The other was from a resident who wanted information about the operator of a pipeline through her property. Ms. Tyler would try to find documentation that could be provided.

Bill Furch, representing the Page Lake Sewer Committee, offered the latest information from their surveys and deliberations. They had wanted Mr. Shibley to attend their meeting on June 26th. None of the Supervisors could make that date, so the committee will try to reschedule. The committee is trying to find a way to build – and finance – a sewer connection with the system operated by the New Milford Municipal Authority (NMMA).

The Supervisors reviewed a number of notices from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), including:

• Application from the Pilot Flying J truck stop for holding tanks for a truck washing facility they want to build (the nearby sewage plant operated by the Montefortes has declined to support the facility). This requires a Township resolution, so the Supervisors decided to accept it as long as the Township's Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) approves.
  
  
• A "final report" for a natural gas well pad was rejected because it claimed that a problem with brine release was fixed when it was not.
  
  
• A request to renew an air quality permit for the compressor station on Route 492 east of the Borough.
  
  
• A pair of issues in the Page Lake area relating to a heating oil release; and a possible sewage problem (which was referred to the Township's SEO for review).
  

The Supervisors also received a thick package of information about a lawsuit concerning railroad bridges apparently brought jointly by Wyoming County and Nicholson Borough. Since New Milford Township is thought to harbor only one short railroad bridge, the Supervisors were at a loss as to why they were provided with the documentation.

Hard to tell what changes might be in store for New Milford Township. You can follow the proceedings yourself at the next public meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, July 18, 2018, beginning at 7:30pm at the Township building on U.S. Route 11 north of the borough.

Pictures for the article Staff Changes at Blue Ridge printed in last week's County Transcript, were in error. The captions for Margot Parsons as the new Special Education Director and Elizabeth Vaccaro as a new Middle/High School science teacher were published with the incorrect pictures.

Casey Webster as the new Middle/High School Principal and Shirley Motyka as a new Middle/High School science teacher were correctly labeled.

Below are Ms. Parsons' and Vaccaro's pictures with the appropriate captions.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

New Middle/High School science teacher Elizabeth Vacarro

New Special Education Director Margot Parsons

In sort of a "by the way" comment, at their meeting on June 19th, chair of the Harford Township Supervisors, Sue Furney, announced that her colleague, Supervisor Kyle Payne, was appointed Superintendent of Roads (aka Roadmaster) at an executive session following the meeting in May. The move should help to assuage the concerns expressed by some last month that the Township's road crew was not being properly supervised.

The announcement arose during a discussion prompted by an item on the bill list: $3,704.19 to Express Services. Express Services is the company the Township uses to take on temporary help from time to time. Someone asked if the charge is reasonable for one person for one month, especially since the entry for payroll for the month was only $7,386.54, and the Township employs 2 full-time and 2 part-time members on the road crew. Ms. Furney didn't know for sure if the charge was for only a month, or maybe 6 weeks. In any case, the Supervisors explained that the Township is not responsible for insurance, pensions, workers' compensation, social security, or any other charges or benefits for such help (although there is presumably a fee to the company for the service).

Mr. Payne went on to describe the Township's newest full-time staffer as "very productive," and "the best operator we have." Richard Hitchcock was hired away from Montrose as a grader operator; Mr. Payne recited a long list of Harford's roads that Mr. Hitchcock has already worked in the short time he's been on the job.

Ms. Furney reported that establishing a "Parks & Recreation" as suggested by the local youth baseball organization a couple of months ago, would require a resolution (not to mention members). She and Township Secretary Carolyn Jennings are trying to find a model resolution that Harford might adapt for the purpose.

A resident of the Tyler Lake Road area, a party to the recently settled lawsuit over the reconstruction of that thoroughfare, complained that nothing had been done about the dust on his road. He wondered if the neglect was "negligence" or "harassment." Mr. Payne said that he had directed the crew to spray Tyler Lake Road, promised to find out why it wasn't done, and pledged to have it done soon.

Some months ago a representative of the County Soil Conservation District discovered some anomalies with the DSA (a "driving surface aggregate" developed by Penn State for gravel roads) used to pave Lower Podunk Road some months before that. It seems that the supplier, Popple – since acquired by another company – provided an inferior material. The question now is what to do about it. The consensus seemed to be that the new company (no one knew what company it was) would be hardly likely to make good on the problem. Since the project was overseen by the County, the Supervisors suggested that their only recourse would be to the County Commissioners. Redoing the road could be "very expensive," said Supervisor Dustin Walker. In any case, he said, "resolution [of the matter] is not going to be a quick one."

The Supervisors signed papers renewing the Township's line of credit for the sewer renovation project. They now expect planning, documentation and preparation to be complete for U.S. Department of Agriculture approval of the work (and the money), which is expected to ultimately cost about $1.2 million. The debt is secured, of course, by the land at the sewer plant, not to mention the sewer system's rate-payer assessment authority. Although the sewer system is nominally distinct from the Township, the Township administers it, and the Supervisors are its "board of directors."

Ms. Furney adjourned the meeting barely an hour after it began, announcing another executive session to follow, to consider "an employee issue."

The Harford Township Supervisors will meet next on Tuesday, July 17, 2018, beginning at 7:00pm at the Township's office on Route 547 southwest of the interstate.