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Three quit WH Rec Board in protest
(by Seth Isenberg - August 25, 2010)
by Seth Isenberg
At White Haven borough council’s August 23 regular meeting three members of the Recreation Board, including its president, Tom Szoke, and borough council members Joe Knowles and Linda Szoke, proffered their resignations. Each noted that interference, rumors spread and untrue comments made had offended volunteers lined up to complete the Pine Street Park project, in particular the assembling the new playground equipment. After a short, sharp discussion, council president Harvey Morrison called for a vote and the resignations were accepted.
This was the first major vote taken by new council member Katie O’Donnell, who was appointed at an August 20 special 5 p.m. meeting by a vote of three for her, to one for Pete Swerdon. Voting for O’Donnell were Marge Reilly, Bob Spadell and Morrison, and for Swerdon was Linda Szoke. Joe Knowles was unable to stay for the vote due to work obligations. He had been present, but the Zoning hearing that preceded the council vote ran very long. (That hearing, regarding a possible home-based business in Wood Haven where work trucks are parked over night, took testimony of neighbors in support of the family, and neighbors opposed to the trucks. It was then continued.) The vote to select O’Donnell took place about 6:15 p.m.
Secretary Betty Altero was directed to advertise that there were vacancies on the Recreation board, and citizens should send letters of interest. Donald Shaw, Dennison Township’s nominee for the board, sent a letter earlier in the week asking to be accepted as a member. No action was taken on the Shaw application.
Council was asked to move the playground equipment that was being stored at the Szoke property for safekeeping. When asked about the volunteers who had committed to assembling the items, Tom Szoke explained that after many of them were subjected to “abuse” from other council members and their friends, “no one was left” who would do the work. This comment led to one of several arguments that erupted during the meeting. A point of contention was whether council approved having contractors perform prep-work in Pine Street Park in advance of the playground’s installation. (They had, but during this argument, council member Marge Reilly insisted they had not. Reilly also insisted that the paperwork for the grant for the park was a month late, with Linda Szoke pointing out it was not, and that the June 30 date for paperwork due was for the grant obtained for the demolition of the Community Building.) After re-establishing control, Morrison, on the advice of solicitor Don Karpowich, had council vote to get quotes to have a contractor move the playground equipment. He also led council to vote to advertise for bids for contractors to assemble the items, expecting to award the work at the end of September. The equipment will be moved by Sept. 3.
Repairing the damage caused when the demolition contractor dropped part of the Community Building onto the Clara Holder property was resolved by deducting $850 from the payment to the contractor. The number had been agreed upon after a meeting between engineer Brian Swanson, Atty. Karpowich and Holder. The borough will give the money to Holder and she will hire a contractor of her own to fix the damage, and replant the destroyed bushes. An additional $1,000 was to be held out from Penn Earthworks’ invoice until the company completes the grading, seeding and mulching on the site, and a check was approved for the balance.
Swanson told council that Aqua PA is hoping to have time to dig up its water lines beneath the section of Towanda Street that the borough is planning to pave. More details on this will be shared after Swanson meets with Aqua PA officials.
Atty. Karpowich will try again to resolve the differences between the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad and the borough regarding the retention wall north of the Susquehanna Street overpass. A meeting between engineers and attorneys from the PUC, borough and railroad will be requested. Karpowich will be meeting with surveyor Bob Lamson regarding the unknown ownership for the hillside beside Main Street, facing the White Haven Market. He also called for an executive session for personnel matters regarding the two former streets department employees who recently quit.
Secretary Altero was given permission to take Friday, September 3, off as a vacation day.
Zoning officer Fred Meier reported that along with the ongoing zoning hearing, there is another to be scheduled, plus an enforcement action at Magistrate Feissner’s office. The zoning files will be all placed into a locked cabinet at the borough building. Meier claims that files are missing from before Bob Lamson’s term as zoning officer (he has Lamson’s files).
Also on the subject of zoning, Karpowich wants council to spend at least two more meetings finishing the codification updates. Council may also meet with the zoning hearing board before the work is complete.
Mayor John Klem read the police report for July, which had 131 calls, and 4,435 miles patrolled. He noted that the department will be short one part-timer due to illness, and asked if council would hire another part-timer. Council took no action. A request to buy four new tires to put on the police car was the spark for another argument. The tires would be bought via the state contract, and installed at Garage Time. The money is in the budget. The argument, started by Reilly, was over whether the tires should be bought locally, not through Garage Time. This one was short, with Reilly claiming to have misunderstood a previous conversation. Council approved buying tires via Sandone on state contract, with installation at Garage Time, with O’Donnell, Spadell, Morrison and Knowles voting yes, Reilly voting no, and with Linda Szoke abstaining.
Tax collector Elaine Myers brought in $8,659 in taxes, and District Magistrate Feissner sent a check for $1,598 for collections from July. Bills of $8,093 were approved, the largest being for health insurance from Geisinger $5,404, rooter service at Lehigh Park from Biros $860 (tree roots and a clog), and $356 for oil from Superior Plus to heat the garage.
A complaint letter was sent about water flowing off the White Heaven development across Buffalo Street during heavy rains. Engineer Swanson noted that the drains still have their silt sacks, which might be clogged and cause the drains to not work. He will also look at the gravel road that stops at Buffalo Street, as it is not supposed to be open for traffic.
The next regular meeting for White Haven council is Monday, September 13, at the municipal building on Main Street, beginning at 7 p.m. Attending the meeting were six council members, six officials, two police officers, four citizens and this reporter.
The meeting then went into closed session inside the building, with everyone else outside. Those of us outside could see that another argument had started.
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