Data completed for 911 addressing project; borough applies for energy grant

Kathy Liljequist of GeoComm informed council Wednesday evening that field crews have finished collecting data in the borough for the E-911 standardized addressing project.

GeoComm, an integrated geographic information systems (GIS) and communications consulting firm, has partnered with Luzerne County to finish 911 addressing in the county. GeoComm is verifying and collecting addresses and gathering GIS points in 11 municipalities including the borough.

The county received $480,000, about 50 percent of the funds needed for the project, from the state wireless program. The other half of the costs will be paid for by the county.

Council member Lee Eckert asked Liljequist what would happen on a street such as Machell Avenue where he says some house numbers are out of sequence. She replied that the field crews will point out such information in their data.

Any recommendations for address changes will be sent to the borough which must approve changes before they can be made.

Energy Conservation Grant

Council approved the borough’s participation in the Back Mountain Community Partnership’s inter-municipal cooperation project to apply for a Department of Environmental Protection Energy Conservation Grant through the PA Conservation Works Recovery Grant Program.

The borough’s participation is pending approval from the partnership. Carr said 90 percent of the funding would be covered by the government if the grant is applied for by multiple municipalities.

Sale of borough truck

Bradco Supply Company was the highest bidder at $7,500 for the sale of a used 2000 Ford F-350, including an attached snowplow owned by the borough road department.

Dallas Harvest Festival

A resolution was approved by council designating the intention of the borough to erect overhead banners at the intersection of Route 415 and Main Street in conjunction with the Seventh Annual Dallas Harvest Festival weekend celebration to be held from September 18-20.

Authorization was also granted by council for a borough official to submit a request to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for a temporary road closure of Main Street between Route 415 and Mill Street on Sunday, Sept. 20, for the festival.

Yard waste collection

Council members authorized the appropriate borough official to execute an order confirmation to T.M. Fitzgerald & Associates in the amount of $2,525 for 200 25-gallon yard waste recycling containers with a borough yard waste recycling logo. The purchase is in association with the Act 101 Section 902 Recycling Grant administered through the Department of Environmental Protection.

In the manager’s report, Carr reminded residents that the road department will pick up two 25-gallon containers of acceptable yard waste weekly. Carr said the 25-gallon limit is adhered to and road workers have been declining some containers because they are too heavy to lift.

Gratitude to Boy Scout

Borough council, Mayor Tim Carroll and Carr thanked Steven Luksa, of Boy Scout Troop 281, for the work he performed at Rice Cemetery on Huntsville Road for his Eagle Scout project.

Luksa repaired an old, large sign along with a fence and applied and painted over the rust on the fence. He also did work on the stone steps, trimmed trees around the flag pole, performed general cleanup and placed flags around the cemetery.