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Exeter council passes motion authorizing all necessary work linked to explosion.
EXETER – This past weekend’s home explosion was in the hearts and on the minds of many at Tuesday night’s borough council meeting as residents and council members alike praised the efforts of police, firefighters and volunteers who worked long hours in response to the event.
The council passed a motion authorizing all necessary repair work linked to Saturday’s blast to be conducted as needed. Exeter is considering the repair of several damaged sewer mains in the vicinity of the explosion a top priority.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us on this project,” Council President Richard Murawski said. He said he hopes that all or most of the sewer repair can be completed before the beginning of the 2009 school year.
The John F. Kennedy Elementary School is located next to where the home that exploded Saturday on Penn Avenue once stood.
In another matter, the J&K Construction Co. will still have to wait to see whether a moratorium preventing new construction in the Hick’s Creek Watershed area will be amended before it can begin the construction of a subdivision in the Packer Avenue section of the watershed.
In last week’s council work session, attorney William Kerr, representing J&K Construction, asked the council to take up the issue at Tuesday’s meeting. The council, however, did not do so because it has not fully considered the advice of municipal solicitor Harold Ashe.
Kenneth Kizis of J&K attended Tuesday’s meeting and expressed his frustration with council but refused to comment on whether his company would take legal action in an attempt to get around the moratorium.
The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority is conducting tests to determine the effect of groundwater on Hick’s Creek flooding. Although J&K intends to install what it says is a very progressive and effective catch water basin to combat heavy rains, many residents from the Hick’s Creek area remain skeptical.
Joanne Shiner said construction should continue to be halted at least until the study is completed, while Mark Smith felt that the moratorium should remain in effect until the proper pumps are put in place to adequately deal with the overflow of the waterway.
In a separate issue, the council approved a motion to appoint Special Municipal Solicitor Raymond Hassey as the zoning officer for a hearing about the possible construction of a Wal-Mart on Wyoming Avenue.
Mary Pat Coleman, an Exeter resident and member of the community group Exeter First, questioned the legality of appointing Hassey. She said she thought that local municipal code would bar Hassey from the position because of his role as a borough solicitor.
Murawski, however, pointed out that Solicitor Peter Moses found no such conflict within the municipal zoning code.
Despite Coleman’s objection and the voting abstention of council member Joseph Esposito, the motion passed with four votes. Council members John Kizis and Richard Turner were absent from Tuesday’s meeting.