Coolbaugh Township

Board of Supervisors

February 1, 2005 - Page 1                                                                                                           

The Coolbaugh Township Board of Supervisors February 1, 2005 Regular Meeting was held in the Township Municipal Center, in building #3, at 5550 Memorial Boulevard, Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania.

Call To Order

Mr. Frutchey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led those in attendance in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Roll Call

Supervisors present for the meeting included: James H. Frutchey, Jr., Robert B. Hutchins, Gratz Washenik and Robert M. Zito. Richard R. Lockwood was absent.  Also in attendance were: Township Solicitor Jerry F. Hanna and Township Secretary Linda Frutchey.

Statement on the Agenda: The Public will be given an opportunity to speak on each agenda matter.  Public Input is considered at the end of the meeting for other issues.

Approval of January 18, 2005 Minutes

Mr. Hutchins made a motion to approve the January 18, 2005 meeting Minutes and dispense with the reading, noting that there should be an “e” on the name Anne Sincavage on page 8. Seconded by Mr. Zito. The motion carried 4-0.

Authorization to advertise:

Proposed Amendment to the Building Code of Coolbaugh Township, Chapter 4, Buildings, Section 411, Permit

Mr. Hutchins moved to advertise the Proposed Amendment to the Building Code of Coolbaugh Township, Chapter 4, Buildings, Section 411, Permit. Seconded by Mr. Frutchey. Discussion followed regarding the wording of the amendment, whether a Public Hearing had to be held, that Mitch Hoffman of the PA DCED had been contacted to find out about a Public Hearing on the matter, comments from the audience were heard, etc. Following discussion, Mr. Hutchins amended his motion to reflect waiting for Mitch Hoffman’s answer to the question about the need for a Public Hearing. Seconded by Mr. Frutchey. The motion carried 3-1-0 (Mr. Washenik opposed).

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February 1, 2005 - Page 2

Five (5) annual appointments to serve on the Coolbaugh Township Community Partnership Advisory Group

Mr. Zito made a motion to advertise the five (5) annual appointments to serve on the Coolbaugh Township Community Partnership Advisory Group. Seconded for discussion by Mr. Frutchey. Following a lengthy discussion about the terms ending December 31, 2005, Mr. Frutchey retracted his second on the motion. The motion died for lack of a second.

Township Clean Up Bid

Mr. Hutchins moved to advertise the Township Clean Up Bid. Seconded by Mr. Washenik. Discussion followed regarding the days of the clean up, wording of the ad, the Monroe County Municipal Waste Authority’s request to collect computer equipment and anything with a plug for a fee of $5.00 per item at municipal Clean Ups, etc. The motion passed 4-0.

Authorization to forward:

Letter to the Tobyhanna Army Depot re: sewer capacity

Mr. Hutchins moved to send the letter of request for sewer capacity to the Tobyhanna Army Depot. Seconded by Mr. Washenik. Discussion followed. The motion carried 4-0.

Letter to the Tobyhanna Army Depot re: Annual Lease for former property of Wherry Housing

Mr. Hutchins made a motion to send a letter to the Tobyhanna Army depot requesting an annual lease in the amount of $1.00 per year for the fifteen (15) acre site of the former Wherry Housing project. Seconded by Mr. Zito. Discussion followed regarding leasing and maintaining the property in order to beautify the area, put in a walking trail to the Township Park, etc. Comments were heard from the public. The Supervisors determined that the letter can be sent, but it should be held for several weeks, so it does not arrive with the other letter requesting sewer capacity. The motion carried 4-0.

BCM Engineer’s Wasteload Management Corrective Action Plan and Schedule to PADEP

Discussion followed regarding BCM Engineer’s Wasteload Management Corrective Action Plan and Schedule to PADEP.

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February 1, 2005 - Page 3           

Mr. Hutchins moved to authorize BCM Engineers to proceed with the Wasteload Management CAP and schedule of implementation. Seconded by Mr. Frutchey. The motion passed 4-0.

Authorization to issue Purchase Orders

BCM Engineers re: Growing Greener Grant Application

Mr. Washenik moved to approve P.O #4488 in a not to exceed amount of $3,000.00 for BCM Engineers Growing Greener Grant Application. Seconded by Mr. Frutchey. Discussion followed and comments were heard from the public. The motion carried 4-0.

BCM Engineers re: Sewer Issues - Miscellaneous Assignments

Mr. Hutchins made a motion to approve P.O. #4490 in a not to exceed amount of $5,000.00 for BCM Engineers - Miscellaneous Assignments. Seconded by Mr. Frutchey. Discussion followed regarding the Sewer Fund account code number. Mrs. Frutchey was directed to contact the Township CPA to determine whether the funds should be taken from the Sewer Fund or the General Fund. The motion passed 4-0.

Russ Kresge Township Engineer re: consultation -  Building #2 Renovations

Mr. Hutchins moved approve P.O. #4491 in an amount to be determined for a consultation with Township Engineer Russ Kresge regarding renovations in Building #2. Seconded by Mr. Frutchey. Discussion followed and comments were heard from the audience. The motion carried 4-0.

Strunk - Albert Engineering’s request for reimbursement ($1,097.50) re: additional cost incurred with the Standby Generator Project

Mr. Hutchins made a motion to pay Strunk - Albert Engineering $1,097.50 as reimbursement for additional costs incurred with the Standby Generator Project at the Road Department, to send a letter to Strunk - Albert expressing displeasure over receiving the bill after approval was given to pay Farruggia Brothers’ final bill, and to authorize Township Solicitor Jerry Hanna to proceed with trying to recover the money through the bonding company, continuing with what he had already started. Seconded by Mr. Zito. Discussion followed and comments were heard from the public. It was determined that sending the letter to Strunk - Albert should be deleted from the motion. Mr. Hutchins confirmed amending the motion to delete reference to sending a letter to Strunk - Albert. Seconded by Mr. Zito. The motion was called and carried 4-0.

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February 1, 2005 - Page 4

The Township Historical Association’s request for donation re: renovation of boxcar -  Mill Pond #1 Ice Company

Before the Board was a letter from the Coolbaugh Township Historical Association informing the Supervisors that the Historical Association made $522.57 in profits at the 2004 Coolbaugh Celebrates festival. In a previous arrangement, the Board agreed to match the amount of their profits, all of which will be donated to the Mill Pond #1 Ice Company for renovation of the boxcar. Mr. Washenik moved to donate a one time contribution in the amount of $525.00 to the Historical Association in support of their donation to Mill Pond #1 Ice Company for the renovation of the boxcar. Seconded by Mr. Zito. The motion passed 4-0. It was announced that the annual Ice Harvest on Mill Pond #1 will be held two weeks from Saturday on February 19, 2005 from 9 a.m. until about 3 p.m.

Current Obligations

General Fund                                     $ 96,078.38

Sewer System Fund             $ 11,995.63

Total Disbursements            $108,074.01

Mr. Frutchey announced that the recent ice storm generated extra costs associated with materials and manpower: 1500 gallons of diesel fuel, 300 tons of salt, 400 tons of anti-skid and 50 hours of overtime. Mr. Zito moved to approve the Current Obligations in the amount of $108,074.01. Seconded by Mr. Frutchey. A brief discussion followed regarding the anti-skid. The motion passed 4-0.

Other Business

Community Development Block Grant

Before the Board was a Memo from Coolbaugh Township Community Partnership (CTCP) Director, Dagmaris Cabezas, informing the Supervisors regarding availability of funds for capital construction through the above referenced grant program, which might assist the Township in renovations at the Municipal Center. Mr. Hutchins made a motion to move forward with having the CDBG as one of the CTCP projects under the direction of Dagmaris Cabezas. Seconded by Mr. Frutchey. Discussion followed regarding the CDBG being a single application that can be done in-house. The motion was called and failed to pass 2-2 (Mr. Frutchey and Mr. Hutchins voted “yes” and Mr. Washenik and Mr. Zito voted “no”).

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February 1, 2005 - Page 5

Letters to Non-profit Organizations

Mr. Washenik read portions of a letter signed by Supervisor Richard Lockwood and CTCP Director, Dagmaris Cabezas, and sent to groups receiving project support from Coolbaugh Township. The purpose of the letter was to inform these various organizations of the first Working Group meeting of the CTCP scheduled for Friday, February 18, 2005. Each volunteer group and service organization occupying community space in the Municipal Center are expected to designate one (1) representative to attend Working Group meetings. Other groups working on projects initiated through CTCP are also invited to send representatives. A Participation Form was attached for completion. A lengthy discussion followed regarding the designation of representatives to the meetings and whether any letters with the phrase “the Board of Supervisors” should be sent out on behalf of them without prior approval, etc. Comments were heard from the public.

Replacement of Radio - Emergency Services

Due to the accidental loss of an emergency services radio during the ice storm, discussion followed regarding the need to replace it at a cost of $800.00 with free programming (P.O. #4489). Two (2) other quotes were obtained. Mr. Frutchey, Emergency Services Coodinator, stated that, if needed, he could call Mr. Lockwood for verbal approval of the P.O. Discussion followed as to whether verbal approvals should be accepted, etc.

Board of Supervisors Executive Sessions

Mr. Frutchey announced that an Executive Session was held on January 31, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. re: Interviews for a Zoning Officer, and that an Executive Session would be held after the meeting re: Pending Litigation.

Public Input

Ice Storm Statistics

Mr. Frutchey read a report from the Monroe County Control Center documenting all of the calls that came in during the ice storm compared to normal activity at the Center.

Thanks to Emergency Services Personnel

Cathy Rodriquez, present in the audience, stood up to thank all of the emergency services personnel who responded during the ice storm and expressed appreciation for the work they do all through the year.