Shenandoah seeking new borough council member

Aug. 23—SHENANDOAH — The borough council is seeking a new member to fill a vacancy left by the departure of Councilman John Thomas.

At its monthly meeting Monday, the council accepted a letter of resignation from Thomas, who said that work and familial commitments had kept him from consistently attending the monthly meetings and workshops. Thomas did not attend the meeting.

The council is accepting letters of interest for the open position until 4 p.m. Monday.

At 7 p.m. that day, the council will appoint Thomas' replacement at a special meeting in borough hall. That person would serve the remainder of Thomas' term, which ends at the end of the year.

Thomas, an inventory lead at Cargill, will continue to serve on the council until the end of Sunday.

"I would like to give council time to find my replacement," he wrote in his letter, which was read aloud by council President Katie Catizone.

"My work schedule, combined with family commitments, conflict with the scheduled times of the monthly workshops and meetings. I want to wish everyone nothing but the best of luck, good health and good fortune."

Catizone said that Thomas, who was first appointed to the council in 2017, has been "dedicated to the borough for a long time."

"Mr. Thomas has done a lot for the borough and been a tremendous asset," she said.

Also at the meeting, the council approved a contract with Harrisburg-based Conrad Siegel to calculate annuities for the pension fund of borough water authority employees.

All employees of the former Municipal Authority of the Borough of Shenandoah were retained as employees of Aqua Pennsylvania Inc. after the company took over the system last month.

Borough solicitor James J. Amato said that one of the main priorities, upon closing of the sale, was to ensure the pension plan is fully funded. The borough, he said, found it was not "adequately funded" and opted to secure annuities.

"That would guarantee that the people that are vested in the pension fund or are receiving the pension currently will be funded for the rest of their lives," Amato said. "And it guarantees that with no municipal obligation from the borough."

He said that around $300,000 to $350,000 is needed to fill the pension fund.

"All we are doing with Conrad Siegel is hiring them to go out and solicit information from insurance companies," Amato said, "and come back, report back to us, to determine how much an annuity would cost to ensure that the pension fund is available for former MABS employees."

The council also discussed the idea of conducting line painting for new parking spaces on both sides of Main Street from Coal to Poplar. The project would create space for up to 62 vehicles, at a total cost of $6,000 from Lally Pavement Marking, Saint Clair.

Tony Sajone, borough manager, said the contractor is unavailable to do the project until at least the end of September.

He said that owner Francis Lally had advised the borough to hold off on the project until spring, as the colder weather in October would be unfavorable for the painting.

According to Lally, the fresh paint would not "sit right" in cold weather and would be hampered by roadwork in wintry conditions, Sajone said.

The council agreed to wait until spring to take action on the project. Sajone noted the assignment would be among the first that Lally would undertake at that time.

Additionally, the council approved a payment of $1,500 to Jamestown Trust, Flanders, New York, to settle a court case.

Amato said the company had filed a suit against the Borough of Shenandoah, claiming it had demonstrated "non-responsiveness" in providing sufficient documents in response to a Right-to-Know request.

Several of the requested documents, Amato said, were duplicative or "not appropriate," and he said the borough had supplied the necessary information.

"They brought litigation, saying we violated the Right-to-Know law ... and demanded upwards of $8,000 to $10,000 for the alleged violations," Amato said.

After convening in court, he said, the parties agreed on a $1,500 settlement that would resolve the case and result in Jamestown withdrawing its suit.

"In no way should it be considered an admission of any kind of wrongdoing on the borough's part," Amato said.

Public comment

During the public portion of the meeting, resident Shannon Mozdy said that, on her way to work last week, she had seen a deceased man in an area about 100 feet behind her South Main Street home.

She said the area is rife with squatters and "drug activity" and asked what could be done to address the issue.

"I would like to know who's responsible for the cleanup there, how can we help these people who are on the drugs, can we (provide) shelter for them?" she said.

Mozdy distributed informational pamphlets to council members and said she had discussed the issue with Servants to All, a homeless shelter in Pottsville. She noted that the homeless often refuse offers of help from shelters and other services.

Catizone said she had no immediate answers but that she would review information and consider whom the borough could consult. She also encouraged the public to contact the borough if they have any suggestions or ideas.

"It upsets and concerns all of us," Catizone said.

Another resident, Michelle Gulden, asked who is responsible for upkeep of the borough water authority's fire hydrants. After a recent evaluation, Aqua found that 45 of the system's 195 hydrants, or 23%, were inoperable.

The council said it is the water authority's responsibility to maintain the hydrants.

Aqua is in the process of replacing and repairing the out-of-service hydrants and has said it is working closely with local fire departments through the process.

In other business Monday, the council approved:

—A request from the Polish American Fire Company to hold its "Rock the Block" fundraiser on Sept. 29 and 30.

—A request by Joe Bradley, head coach of the Shenandoah Valley Lady Devils soccer team, to hold a can collection at Main and Centre streets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

—Off-street parking for the vacant lot at 115 W. Lloyd St. The lot is owned by Oravitz Home for Funerals Inc.

—The fair housing resolution, in compliance with the County of Schuylkill.

—The promotion of police Lt. Travis Bowman to the rank of captain.

Contact the writer: hlee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6085