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Thursday, March 06, 2003 Page: 5A
HOME RULE COMMISSION
Panel OKs rules for
officials’ appearances
NANTICOKE – Members of the county’s Government Study Commission voted
Tuesday on the proposed council’s ability to require or request appearances by
elected county officials.
Commissioners agreed council should be able to request an appearance by the
county executive; however, that request need not be acknowledged. In the case
of other elected county officials – the district attorney, controller and
sheriff – the majority of study commissioners agreed council should be able to
require they appear before council with any applicable reports. The study
commission included the condition that those appearances not exceed two times
per quarter.
Although not an elected official, the county manager might also be required
by council to attend any council meeting with reports, the commission agreed.
The next study commission meeting will be 7 p.m. March 12 at Luzerne County
Community College.
Kalen Churcher
WILKES-BARRE TWP.
Transfer of liquor
license approved
At Monday night’s meeting, Wilkes-Barre Township Council:
Approved the application of Lehigh Valley Restaurant Group for the
intermunicipal transfer of a liquor license to Red Robin Restaurant, which
will be located at the Wilkes-Barre Township Marketplace in October.
Established a minimum fine of $500 for any nonresident or third party who
puts garbage out for collection on a residents’ property. The maximum fine is
$5,000. A resident who allows a nonresident to place garbage on their property
for collection is also subject to the fine.
Tabled an ordinance looking into abandoned vehicle fines on public and
private property. The council is considering fines from $50 to $500 for
abandoned vehicles.
Resident John Grencavage also stated that the newly installed sidewalks on
Spruce Street were improperly constructed because the concrete is cracking.
Mayor Carl Kuren said he is aware of the problem and that the township
engineer Daryl Pawlush will have the contractor replace them in the spring.
The financial report in the amount of $50,734.58 was approved. In addition
the township received First Union Arena ticket proceeds for January amounting
to $48,370.
Council members approved an application to install and operate a traffic
signal at the access road to the Wilkes-Barre Township Commons development in
the location of where the Target store will be constructed.
Councilman Gary Polakoski brought attention to the condition of the former
township high school on Casey Avenue. Polakoski said if the Wilkes-Barre Area
School District does not want to maintain the building properly, they should
turn the building over to the township.
Kuren stated that he was approached recently by two school directors and
both promised that the school building would be turned over to the township
last January, however, at the last minute, they didn’t have enough votes to do
so.
The township will send a letter to the School Board stating that if they
don’t want to maintain the building, the township will take it over.
Bernadine Elick
EXETER
Council advised
to reject trash bid
Borough Solicitor Joseph Carmody advised council at Tuesday night’s meeting
not to accept United Sanitation Inc.’s low bid for the borough’s one-, two- or
three-year option garbage contract because of technicalities.
He suggested they rebid the contract or award it to the next lowest bidder,
the borough’s current hauler, Apex Waste Services, which is $141,821 higher.
Officials of United Sanitation Inc. said they might not be interested in
doing business with the borough at all since council voted to rebid. “I’m
trying to save the borough $50,000,” said Leo Glodzik III. “If my bid’s not
accepted, I don’t know if I’ll be interested next time.”
United Sanitation bid $157,700 for the one year contract, $328,779 for two
years and $510,791 for three years. Apex bid $211,140, $428,614 and $652,612
and J.P. Mascaro & Sons bid $220,000, $443,000 and $676,000.
The largest difference is between United’s and Mascaro’s 3-year bid –
$165,209
Carmody said the name on the required bid bond check submitted by Glodzik
read United Sanitation Network Inc., but Glodzik’s company is called United
Sanitation Inc. It’s an omission that gives council the right to reject the
bid, he said.
“In my opinion it’s more than a discrepancy. It’s fundamental,” said
Carmody. “It disqualifies you.”
Council decided to table awarding the bid at last month’s meeting because
it said it had never heard of United Sanitation and wanted to investigate the
company. United Sanitation is the trash collector in Avoca, Luzerne,
Hughestown and parts of West Pittston.
Glodzik said now that his competitors know how much he bid, they have the
opportunity to match or go lower than his bid and doubts he will rebid for the
contract.
Scott L. Gomb