Berguson Trucking won first place at last weekend’s 2021 Ryan’s Hope Tournament. (Top photo) the team poses for a photo with their trophy on Sunday. (Left photo) Elijah Dalton throws the opening pitch during the opening ceremony on Saturday. Elijah is a previous recipient of the proceeds for this tournament and has been cancer free for two years, as of June. Second place for the Ryan’s Hope tournament at the Wheel Inn on Saturday, Aug. 7, were Endless Mountains Brace and Mobility and third place was D.R. Mahaffey Electric. Elija Dalton threw the opening pitch at 12:15 on Saturday. Dylan Dowling and Reese Hinman held the American Flag for the National Anthem and Denny Vermilya gave the prayer. Games began in the morning and concluded Sunday.
top photo provided/Left photo by RACHEL HEITZENRATER
Berguson Trucking won first place at last weekend’s 2021 Ryan’s Hope Tournament. (Top photo) the team poses for a photo with their trophy on Sunday. (Left photo) Elijah Dalton throws the opening pitch during the opening ceremony on Saturday. Elijah is a previous recipient of the proceeds for this tournament and has been cancer free for two years, as of June. Second place for the Ryan’s Hope tournament at the Wheel Inn on Saturday, Aug. 7, were Endless Mountains Brace and Mobility and third place was D.R. Mahaffey Electric. Elija Dalton threw the opening pitch at 12:15 on Saturday. Dylan Dowling and Reese Hinman held the American Flag for the National Anthem and Denny Vermilya gave the prayer. Games began in the morning and concluded Sunday. photo by RACHEL HEITZENRATER
Ron Austin took first place with his 1968 Plymouth Road Runner at the Canton Chamber of Commerce Car Show on Friday, Aug. 6. He was given the prize of a Car Quest gift package by Dean Vanderpool. The event had more than 40 entries. Cody Richter was given a Rialto gift package by chamber member Frank Watson. Cody won second place with his 1999 Dodge Durango. Ray Stahl took third place and a $50 Chamber gift certificate with his 1970 red Duster. He is given the Chamber gift card by Treasurer Amy Seeley. by Rachel Heitzenrater
[email protected] CANTON — Borough council voted unanimously to appoint Alex Schrader to the vacancy position on council at Monday evening’s meeting. Schrader will begin on council once he is sworn in, but was absent from last night’s meeting. He will be replacing the vacancy from David Groover, who officially resigned last month. Visitor’s Comments Resident Dean Vanderpool started public comment off by asking Councilman Christopher Schrader and resident Brian Koval to stop wasting time of the public and of council and start only reporting accurate information, with facts to back that information up. “Everyone in the town knows or has heard about the issues... We’ve got it at these meetings time and time again,” said Vanderpool, “I would like to ask you to quit wasting the time of our borough employees on these things. If you have truthful allegations I’m all for that to come to light, but if you have nothing to back up your allegations, please just keep them to yourself so we can get through these meetings. Mr. Koval, we know everything he wants to talk about. We’ve heard it hundreds of times over and over.” Brian Koval was not present at the meeting, but was scheduled for public comment on the agenda. Councilman Christopher Schrader was the next to talk. First, he started off stating that resident Arla Moyer did not have information provided to her about the crisis station set up at the school during the power outage. President Michael Shultz and Brett Neely assured Councilman Schrader that there is a “Code Red” she can sign up for, so that she is alerted about information such as that. Schrader then discussed the June meeting where he brought up allegedly “being called on” by someone to the elections board for alleged misconduct. Schrader then accused Administrator Seeley of having something to do with being called on, or knowing about the call. “These are all assumptions, I do admit, but if the shoe fits, wear it,” said Schrader. Next, Schrader spoke about former employee David Groover and his exit interview (or lack of), citing that he spoke with Groover who was sure he had asked for an exit interview in his resignation. This comment was made in response to Administrator Seeley stating at a previous meeting that she “cannot read David Groover’s mind about an exit interview.” Also, it was mentioned in a public meeting that Groover would not answer any questions to this newspaper until he had his exit interview. “It has yet to happen,” said Schrader, referring to the exit interview. For the next accusation, Schrader alleged that Police Chief Seeley drove by his home while he (Schrader) was mowing his lawn and said (addressing Police Chief Seeley) “You went by and then came back by with your window down, creeping slowly, watching me.” He then accused Chief Seeley of sitting in the office every day and asked him to “go catch real criminal druggies that roam our streets every day, as well as truckers using break retarders in town, people parking in handicapped spots in town or people not following traffic laws I see every day and do something productive to better Canton.” Schrader then addressed last month’s meeting, when he tried to speak. He went on to say that he felt his “rights were infringed upon” when he was told he could not speak at the end of the meeting when he planned to. He told council “I was interrupted by many in attendance, including council members, as well as borough employees,” and noted that there was a motion and second to go into an executive meeting before he could finish what he had to say. “As a council member, I am entitled to speak on any matter of public concern, much of what I had to speak on was already stated in the meeting prior to my tying to speak. I do not need to put my name on the schedule nor do I need to give you any information ahead of time on what I will speak... My rights were impeded by as council,” he said, referring to two individuals specifically. “Two council members broke their oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth. This is an impeachable offense,” said Schrader. “I request that due to their breach of their oaths of office, that Mr. Shultz and Mrs. Ambruch resign from their positions on council. If they do not, further action may be taken.” Schrader concluded his speech by stating that in 21 years, there has “been two common denominators on borough council” that allegedly are causing issues within the borough, stating that he believes are both Police Chief Seeley and Administrator/Secretary Seeley. “The way to get this borough on the right track and to get a better and brighter Canton, is to fix the common denominator.” Administrator’s Report Administrator Amy Seeley noted that she is still working with one resident on their sidewalk loan program. During her report, she also discussed with council about funding for the backhoe. Instead of the original $40,000 council anticipated they were originally going to receive from the United States Department of Agriculture, council will now receive $84,500 in grant money towards the backhoe. Council will borrow $28,285 from First Citizens Bank towards the total. The total project was $112,785. It is a reimbursement program provided by USDA. Seeley also needed to appoint someone as a first alternate for Bradford County Tax Collection Committee, since David Groover was no longer on council. Council voted to appoint Robert Johnson to the position, with Christopher Schrader as the second alternate, which was already established. Administrator Seeley asked council about replacing the old 150th Anniversary banners that are hung throughout downtown. The old ones were purchased in 2014. Seeley noted that Joy Brann and Mary Beth Schoonover designed the four-season flags she presented council and asked council to motion to buy 25 vinyl sets from Rileigh’s. The cost to council will be $4,395 and Administrator Seeley noted they should last about 10 years and brighten up the town. The Church of Christ asked council if they could close down part of North Minnequa on Sept. 25 for an annual event from noon to 4 p.m. Council granted permission. Police Department Police Chief Seeley noted that he met with District Attorney Ondrey about the county’s drug task force. He noted that though the county will head the program, Pennsylvania’s Attorney General’s office will fund the program. He asked council to agree and sign the policy memorandum of understanding, which states that the AG’s office will reimburse the borough council on all costs related to the program. Street Department Dave Wilson noted that he has been busy working on West South Avenue, fixing a ditch. Council also voted to hire Cody Hickock at a full-time position beginning this week at $14.01 an hour, with a probation period of six months. Code Enforcement John Raub spoke about the codes meeting that took place last week and the discussion of the SWEEP Appeals Hearing process. He told council that he feels the hearings are basically public meetings and that the hearings need to be formal and ran as such. Raub asked council if he could apply for his own ORI number which lets the FBI know what statuses govern a background check. Raub stated he needed this so that he could file at the magistrate level for a non-traffic citation. “Code violation needs to be a summary offense, not a criminal,” said Raub. Fire Department Fire Chief Scott May noted that the fire board had a meeting Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. Fire board meetings are the second Tuesday of every other month at the social hall. Emergency Management Brett Neely has passed his background check and is now recommended by PEMA for the Emergency Management Coordinator position for the borough. Other news The annual Council of Governments annual dinner meeting is Monday, Aug. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the First Christian Church of Alba. For the library, the summer programs are finished. Preschool learning will begin after Labor Day. School aged programs are in the planning stages and will be advertised soon. The Rialto Theatre hired a new manager. They are looking at possible events for the fall but are in the early talking stages still. Amy Seeley noted that the Canton Chamber of Commerce has officially been approved for purchasing what was the old Boyd Building next to the Main Street Park. On Sept. 25 and 26, the Fall Foliage Tour of the Mountains Motorcycle Event and Classic Motorcycle Show will take place throughout town. The fire department will also host a poker run. Frank Watson noted that he and a few others have begun to do promotional videos on local restaurants and pubs for the upcoming event. President Shultz noted that school is starting in a couple weeks. Council then went into executive session over a complaint made by resident Brian Koval. During the executive session, they found that the complaint was not founded and did not act on it. The next Canton Borough Council meeting will be Monday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. at the borough building. 8:30 - D.R. Mahaffey vs. Alcoholics Anonymous
9:15 - Mustangs vs. Hillside 10:00 - Berguson Trucking vs. Outlaws 10:45 - The Fockers vs. Devils Rejects 11:30 - Stingers vs. SVT 12:15 - 12:45 Opening Ceremony 12:45 - Endless Mountains Brace & Mobility vs. Winner game 1 1:30 - Bench Warmers vs. Winner game 2 2:15 - Winner game 3 vs. Winner game 4 3:00 - Drakes Dingers vs. Winner game 5 photos by RACHEL HEITZENRATER
(Right photo) The Troy Fair Prince and Princess competition took place in the lower meadow tent on Saturday. Winning the positions were Princess, Kendall Calkins (far right) and Prince, Levi Fritsch (left). (Left photo) Wesley Liberati tries his chance on the mechanical bull at the Troy Fair on Thursday. More fair photos can be found on page 15. A full page spread of photos can be found in this week's paper. Also, we have a 2021 Troy Fair album up on our Facebook page. by Rachel Heitzenrater
[email protected] TROY— Troy Borough Council met for their regular meeting on Thursday, July 29, at the school’s administration building to discuss street repair projects throughout town. Borough Manager Dan Close reported several street repairs that needed to be made throughout the borough. The first is Redington Ave., where a drain needs to be placed to stop spring water that has been coming out at the street surface. Council will need to secure a permit from the Bradford County Conservation District for this project, if the discharge will be directly into the stream. The next project is East Main Street, to replace an existing sluice pipe. No permitting is needed for this project. Prospect Street should have a two-inch black top wearing surface or tar and chip from Weigester Street to Sugar Creek. The black-top surface is preferred, according to Close. High Street needs the installation of a frame and bike safety gate over an existing drain. Exchange and King Streets both need black top patch replacements for recent line repairs. So far, 23 manhole frames and lids have been replaced throughout the borough. Three more will be scheduled. There was a boil advisory on July 21. The advisory was the result of a water main shut down to repair a leak discovered while the gas company was replacing their lines behind Gannon Insurance on Canton Street. Waste Water Treatment Plant Close discussed the grit removal project at the waste water treatment plant, stating that the design phase is on-going with no project cost estimate yet available. The borough engineer is currently working on the building design and the equipment installation requirements for bidding. He does not yet have a firm date for equipment delivery. Other news The Department of Environmental Protection has issued the permit for the operation of the Waste Water Treatment Plant over the next 5 year period. A copy of the draft is available for public review and comment for 30 days and can be obtained by contacting the borough office. It may also be viewed in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Close also informed borough council that the treatment plant’s wet well pump had to be replaced. The old pump will be rebuilt and stored for back-up. Ordinance enforcement updates were also discussed at the meeting. Two separate properties are violating multiple borough ordinances on garbage, junk and junk cars. One property is on East Main Street and the other was on Exchange Street. “One violation was brought to our attention by a staff member and the other is from a community member,” said Close. “We are logging anything (complaints) that comes in.” At the May meeting, council took bids from the public on their used equipment. Close reported that all equipment has been purchased and paid for and taken from the property. The total amount for the used equipment came to $14,613.08. Close reported to council an update on a trailer purchase he had been looking into for the mini-excavator. Because there is a back-log on where they planned to purchase from, he suggested buying one for $7,240 at Fayette Trailers in Athens, where it is ready to go. It is a 20 foot, 14000 GVWR trailer that is already on their lot. Council approved. Regarding the recent loader purchase, he is still waiting on a possible delivery date from Warner’s. Close noted that the borough council needs to establish meeting dates/times with the Troy Township Sewer Authority. The matter is regarding the treatment plant, which is partially their responsibility. Close said he will work with Council President Jason and the Township Authority on the schedule. The 2022 Pension budgets and Minimum Municipal Obligation for each are currently being prepared and need to be approved by council soon no later than Sept. 30. The next Troy Borough Council meeting is Thursday, Aug. 26, at 3:30 p.m. by Rachel Heitzenrater
[email protected] LEROY — LeRoy Township Supervisors met to discuss road conditions at the Aug. 2 meeting. A resident, Mr. Hamilton wanted to inform supervisors of the Chesapeake trucks that will be running water on Sunset Road in the township for about a week. He requested that due to the size of the road, that there be a “one way in, one way out” on the road. He also asked about the township re-applying oil after the trucks are done, to which Supervisor Jason Krise noted that they have a road agreement with Chesapeake for this type of situation. Bonney Road’s dust oil was re-applied and completed, as well as the hanging guide rail on Mountain Road. Other news Supervisor Ted Tomlinson noted that the application for the American Rescue Plan Act is completed and he is awaiting to hear back about how much the township will receive. Supervisors voted against dust oil for private driveways, due to liability issues. Supervisors were notified of LeRoy Quarry’s DEP permit for portable crushing. Fall cleanup for the township will be Saturday, Oct. 2. Supervisors discussed the August work schedule for township employees and have decided to look into renting a boom mower to remove any low hanging tree limbs throughout the township. Supervisor Tomlinson will check pricing and available dates to rent a boom mower. The road crew just finished grading and mowing throughout the township. Mountain Road as well as Lilley Hill Road were also rolled due to their road condition. The next LeRoy Township Supervisors meeting will be Monday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. by Matt Jennings
Correspondent CANTON — Canton Township formally accepted several bids for its forthcoming new equipment garage this fall. The Township had put out spec packages for bids on constructing the doors and heated floors of the building and received one bid, from Bardo Cox & Miller for the amount of $287,493, with Rich Bardo in attendance. The township accepted the bid. Also up for bid were the HVAC, electrical installation, and plumbing of the building. Local business Schoonover’s Plumbing and Heating was the only bidder for those installations. The Township accepted Schoonover’s bids of $47,950 for electrical work, $59,500 for HVAC, and $46,600 for plumbing. The steel building had been purchased for $282,567. The Township’s line of credit at First Citizen’s bank still has a balance of $705,000 available for use. Supervisors have not received any further information or final determinations from Adjuster’s International regarding their insurance settlement. The adjuster assigned to the case has been on vacation and took paternity leave in recent months. The Posting Meeting Agendas Act 65 of 2021 takes affect at the end of the month. The Township will be required to post monthly meeting agendas 24 hours before the meetings take place. To facilitate this, Secretary Elnor Blaney was authorized to purchase a metal locked shatterproof display case that will display meeting agendas at the township office. ![]() LeRoy Heritage Museum will host the fourth annual Barclay Mountain Heritage Day on Aug. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event will be held at the community grounds next to the museum located at 257 Mill Street in LeRoy. The event will be held rain or shine. Barclay Mountain Heritage Day will highlight the mountain and educate visitors about its history and topics relevant to its history, which is part of the mission of LeRoy Heritage Museum. At the same time, proceeds raised from the event will benefit the work of local history preservation and education in which the museum is very active. Barclay Mountain Heritage Day will feature free programs and entertainment all day beginning at 10 a.m. with the opening of the Pennsylvania Woodmobile. The WoodMobile is a traveling exhibit that provides information on the state’s forest resource and the state’s forest products industry. Visitors to the exhibit will see how the forests of Pennsylvania have shaped the history of the state and nation, learn how today’s forest differs from 100 years ago, touch the various hardwood species produced in Pennsylvania, and use touchscreen technology to interact with various threats to the forests such as invasive insects and plants, diseases and white-tailed deer. They will also learn about Pennsylvania’s forest products industry, see how products are made, learn how the forest is managed in a sustainable fashion, and experience how common and unusual forest products touch our lives every day. “Noggin Hill,” Philadelphia’s popular band specializing in old-time, bluegrass, and Americana will perform from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on the field. Energy Transfer, who is responsible for installing the natural gas pipeline from Sunfish Pond, through Carbon Run, and on to Barclay will discuss the work they do when running a pipeline through a challenging area. At 12:15 p.m. they will present a half-hour program in the main program tent titled, “Navigating the Path through a Historical and Ecologically Sensitive Landscape.” At 1 p.m., Henry Farley, President of the Bradford County Historical Society will present a PowerPoint presentation on “The Irish of Barclay Mountain” under the main program tent. With many years of research on the Irish in Bradford County, and his connection to Irish ancestors, Farley will discuss the role of Irish immigrants in the history of the mountain. Award-winning educator and musician, Van Wagner, will delight the audience with the program, “The History of Elk in Pennsylvania,” at 2:30 p.m. followed by a concert of heritage music presented by Wagner at 3:30 p.m. also under the main program tent. All those interested in these programs/concerts are advised to bring their own camping chair for seating if they wish as seating is limited. Throughout the day, exhibitors will be sharing and demonstrating from their own tents or tables throughout the grounds, both inside the community building and out. Some of these include the Endless Mountains Primitive Outdoorsmen; Bradford County Conservation District (bark peeling and the tanning process); Pennsylvania Game Commission; Che-Hanna Rock & Mineral Club; Susquehanna Valley Audubon Society; Pennsylvania Lumber Museum; Bradford County Historical Society; Abandoned Pennsylvania Coal Mines Facebook page administrator, Kyle Fowler (coal mining tools and equipment); Chief Oil & Gas; Energy Transfer; Historian Mary Ellen Kunst, and more. In addition to exhibitors, various vendors will be onsite selling their work, including local reproduction railroad station signs, town signs, woodcrafts, soap, playing cards, leather belts, metal signs, and other products. The Flying Cow food truck will be on hand to take care of your lunch needs. LeRoy Heritage Museum will also be selling ice cream sundaes and cones, along with cold drinks, inside the community building. An outdoor dining tent and an indoor dining area will be furnished for those wishing to relax and enjoy lunch. There is no credit processing available on the grounds so visitors should plan accordingly. The current museum on Mill Street, as part of its collection, houses the largest number of Laquin artifacts available for public display anywhere. Stop by and see the museum for the final time in its current location before it moves to its new facility. The museum and its gift shop, where local history books and souvenirs can be found, such as t-shirts, postcards, Bradford County History Playing Cards, and more, will be open during the event. Admission to the museum is a donation to benefit the work of the museum. A donation box will also be available at the program tent for those wishing to support the work of the museum. The first 50 visitors to the gift shop who are descendants of Barclay Mountain families who once lived on, worked on, or had a cabin on the mountain will receive a free special edition 2021 BMHD commemorative button identifying them as a “Descendant.” Parking for the event will be available on the lower field on the community grounds and the adjoining Whitehead field at the rear of the grounds. There is also limited parking available on Mill Street but the museum requests that visitors please respect our neighbors and do not park in or block driveways or mailboxes. Handicapped parking will be available at the event entrance. The event offers free admission and free parking. This is made possible by 16 sponsors including Premier Sponsor: Chief Oil & Gas; Maple Sponsor, Energy Transfer; Walnut Sponsors, Schoonover Plumbing & Heating Inc. and H. Rockwell & Son; Hemlock Sponsors, Kellogg Mountain Rod & Gun Club, First Citizens National Bank, Chemung Canal Trust Company, William & Beverly Smith in Memory of Charles Batterson, Ray & Jeannine Kozen in Memory of Watson L. Barclay, Tom & Ann Carl in Memory of Frank Holcomb, Betty VanNoy in Memory of Katie Ryder; and five Pine Sponsors that will be acknowledged on the banners on the day of the event. We will also acknowledge all those who sponsored our online event held in 2020 during the pandemic with a separate sponsorship banner at this year’s event. More information about Barclay Mountain Heritage Day may be found by visiting www.leroyheritage.org, and clicking on Visit Us and then on Barclay Mountain Heritage Day; or by calling 570-364-5003. Check out our special promotional video for the event and other details on our website. Don’t miss this exciting event! by Matt Jennings
Correspondent CANTON — Canton Borough’s Code Committee’s meeting on Aug. 2 opened with codes officer John Raub discussing a recent SWEEP Appeals hearing. Raub felt unsatisfied with how appeal hearing was held and thought that a change of format was necessary to prevent what is essentially a non-court trial from turning into a public meeting. Committee members agreed with Raub that a resolution could be passed to “codify” the format of the meeting to keep it orderly while giving people their chance to appeal any SWEEP citations they receive. Raub also recommended using a stenographer for such hearings, which the board agreed with. Amy Seeley said she would look into arranging stenographer times. Next, Raub discussed how the Codes Office prosecutes violators at the magisterial court level. During a recent training exercise with other municipal codes authorities, Raub was made aware of a different process than the one currently employed in Canton. Currently in Canton, if the Borough’s Codes Office feels the need to prosecute a citizen for egregious codes violations, the individual is named in a private criminal complaint and potentially charged with a misdemeanor crime. It was brought to Raub’s attention “there’s a better way than what we’re doing.” Raub was advised to file on behalf of the Codes Office for an ORI (Originating Agency Identification) number that would allow him and any future Codes Officer to issue non-traffic citations to bring someone to magisterial court. ORI numbers are issued to many levels of law enforcement from district attorneys to local police departments and they help the FBI track crime data. The change would also lower the severity of offenses citizens are charged with, as some now are charged with misdemeanors. Instead, the change would mean any violation that goes to magisterial court will simply be a “summary offense.” This change will require solicitor David Brann to make some changes to certain code ordinances in order to better reflect the new enforcement protocols. When asked for public comment, local business owner Alex Schrader expressed concern with the scale of certain fines issued by the Codes Office. Schrader argued that some offenses don’t warrant a fine as high as $150 and that he had spoken to several other property owners and wanted to make sure “we want citizens to know we have their back.” The committee took Schrader’s concerns under consideration. |
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