Freeland council votes against liquor license transfer
May 2—By a narrow margin, Freeland Borough Council last week shot down a liquor license transfer for the former Bonomo's Hardware Store on Centre Street.
The Freeland Food Outlet LLC wanted to transfer an existing liquor license from a business at 824 Sans Souci Parkway in Wilkes-Barre to 429-431 Centre St. in Freeland's downtown business district.
The property is owned by Ezzat Aziz, who wanted to renovate the first floor of the building for a restaurant and banquet hall, creating 10 to 15 jobs, said Council Vice President Matt Krone. There are also apartments above the storefront, he said.
Residents raised a number of issues regarding the proposed restaurant, including lack of parking and a nearby busy intersection. They also noted that little has been done to the property, which was retail store space, since it was purchased, Krone said.
Council voted 3-2 on April 22 with Krone and Councilman Joe Murmello voting for the transfer and Councilmen Joe Palko Jr., Bill Youmans and Jim Fisher voting against. The denial can be appealed to Commonwealth Court, Krone said.
Paving/patching
Council hoped to receive a $1.4 million Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant to pave numerous borough streets, but was unsuccessful.
Instead, council will explore applying for a $500,000 low-interest loan through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Bank, Krone said. The interest rate on the loan would be 1.625% for 10 years, and state Liquid Fuels money could be applied to the payments, he said.
Council has lived within its state Liquid Fuels funds means when it comes to paving and patching roads, not using taxpayer dollars, Krone said.
The borough should receive some $338,000 in funds from the American Rescue Plan, but hasn't received direction on how those funds can be used, he said.
Krone would like to see the funds used for paving, but the funds may need to go toward items such as water improvements or expanded broadband. He hopes that some associated paving can be done if the money must go toward other projects, he said.
Changes
Council appointed resident Linda Lindsey to fill its vacant seat, previously held by Jennifer Farley. She will be sworn in at a future date, as Mayor John Budda was not in attendance.
Council also accepted the resignation of its police chief, Kevin Schuetrumpf, who accepted a position with the Crestwood School District. His resignation was effective Wednesday.
Council did not act on a replacement. Krone noted the borough has gone without a police chief in the past, and an officer in charge designation could be assigned with that officer serving as a point of contact.
The resignation leaves the borough with two full-time officers, down from four earlier this year. Council is still seeking applicants for a slot left vacant in the department prior to the chief's resignation.
Ordinances
Council also took action to advertise several ordinances.
One ordinance will repeal a $1 monthly assessment on stormwater bills to fund the Freeland Business and Development Authority.
Two others relate to businesses and contractors. One is a business privilege measure, in which businesses register and pay $75 a year; and another requires contractors to register and show proof of insurance, and will cost them $100 a year, Krone said.
The ordinances allow the borough to keep track of businesses and contractors to protect residents, and are modeled after measures in neighboring communities, he said.
The borough does provide services to businesses, especially those in the downtown business district, Krone said.
Contact the writer: kmonitz@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3589
