New Beginnings God-Hab held their annual appreciation banquet on Friday, April 16. Pictured is New Beginnings director Dustin Harper presenting graduate Michael Arbelo with his certificate of program completion.
photo provided
New Beginnings God-Hab held their annual appreciation banquet on Friday, April 16. Pictured is New Beginnings director Dustin Harper presenting graduate Michael Arbelo with his certificate of program completion. by Rachel Heitzenrater
[email protected] TROY — Troy Township Supervisors announced a public hearing for this Thursday, April 15, at their monthly meeting Monday. A public hearing will be held on Thursday, April 15, at the Troy Township building on Gulf Road at noon concerning the proposed issuance of a revenue note by the Health Care Facilities Authority of Sayre. At the hearing, the company will go over the costs and expenses of purchasing the Arnot Center at 45 Mud Creek Road. The purchase will be made by North Penn Comprehensive Health Services (AKA North Penn). A more detailed description of the nature of the project and proposed plan of financing will be presented to the public. The hearing is held on behalf of the supervisors and Sayre borough. Other news Supervisors chose a bid for the Cease Road sluice project. Dean Construction won the bid with $60,500. Supervisors also discussed spring road work and plan to purchase dust oil at $1.75/gallon. Tar and chipping will be done as well at $2.35/gallon. The work will be done on various township blacktop roads starting at Tennessee Gas Road toward the east to the township building. Supervisors also motioned to buy an excavator for township work at a cost of $61,000. They plan to buy a Link-Belt Takeuchi from Warner’s. For the Alparon Park update, it was noted that Maple Festival will be next weekend, the 24th and 25th. Supervisors also reviewed two subdivisions, for the Cummings property and the Jones Property. They had no adverse comments about the subdivisions. The next Troy Township Supervisors meeting will be Monday, May 10, at noon at the township building on Gulf Road. by Rachel Heitzenrater
[email protected] CANTON — Canton Borough Council heard from several concerned residents at the April meeting on Monday evening. The meeting is the first to take place in-person as well as Zoom since last year. Resident Arla Moyer had a couple points to address to council. The first was calling out “drug houses” throughout the borough, stating they were not welcomed and they will be forced to leave. The second point she addressed was the speed on South West Ave. She mentioned there are no sidewalks for people to walk on, on South West Ave. and that based on the high rate of speed some vehicles travel, someone would die instantly. “We don’t mind the traffic,” said Moyer, “We mind the speed.” Third, she addressed Councilman George Jennings personally and told Jennings that she did not like how Jennings treated Councilman Dave Groover. She said Groover did not “kiss bottom nor was he a puppet, so no wonder they did not get along.” Moyer stated that she thought Groover was a good guy and very helpful. “He has done a lot and I don’t think he deserved it,” she said, referencing his removal as council president at the February meeting. Finally, she spoke about the plow truck drivers for Canton Borough, stating that they have “managed to get stuck four times on Carlton Street” and they “need to learn better on how to plow.” Later in the meeting, street supervisor David Wilson mentioned that he would like council to approve pursuing a dirt, gravel and low volume road maintenance grant for Carlton Street. Wilson stated that due to the street partially being in Canton Township, they will have to partner with the township as well to hopefully remove excess water that drains down the hill and makes the street icy in the winter. The next person to speak was Darren Roy, a business owner and property owner in the borough. Roy questioned how ordinances were handled, specifically, snow removal, and how the fee schedule was handled. His concern was how the fees were put in place, how they are enforced, and the paperwork schedule was determined because of numerous fines he has received from the codes officer. After Roy finished, businessman, landlord and property owner Alex Schrader spoke about his same issues with the code enforcement and fee schedule. Schrader had snow on one of his properties and was fined $150 by code compliance officer John Raub, who was not present at the meeting. Schrader mentioned that he is not a habitual offender to the ordinance and that “I don’t feel like it’s a good policy” to have someone be fined $150 without warning. Schrader mentioned that he had asked other local boroughs if they had the same policy, to which he was answered no. Schrader asked council to look over the policy and change it. “People did not respond to the warnings,” said Councilman Christopher Schrader, “A fine was put into place to get their attention.” “And it works,” said Administrator Seeley. “I still feel it is an unjust method,” said Schrader. Schrader suggested fining only habitual offenders, but Administrator Seeley said that it could be considered discrimination to only fine those who continually break the ordinance. Roy, on the other hand, wanted to discuss the issues with informing a property owner when they have broken an ordinance so that it can be addressed immediately. His issue was that, due to the mail, he was not able to get information on a public hearing about his problem until the day of the meeting, only six hours before it was supposed to begin. He asked council and Administrator Seeley if they would consider not only sending by mail, but also email for those who have email. Both residents were invited to the next codes meeting to address these issues. Raub will be looking into other municipality’s fee schedules to get a better idea on how to handle this issue, according to president Shultz. Lauren Schoonover Preston represented the Shade Tree Commission in a presentation for Tree City USA, a program the council has worked with for the past 21 years. Tree City USA is greening communities across the country. This program is a great opportunity to celebrate the importance of an urban tree canopy and improve care of these vital city trees. The Shade Tree Commission announced Morse Arboretum cleanup on May 9, from 9-11 a.m. An Arbor Day celebration will take place on May 21 for the fourth grade at Canton Elementary. Administrator’s Report During this report, council made a motion to approve the Canton Borough Sidewalk/Curb Revolving Loan Program. The loan amount will be $5,200 cap, plus interest of 1.5%. Property owners who have a corner on their property will be eligible to receive an additional loan up to $10,000 total. Owners who have a tree to remove will be able to receive $1,000 additional. Any costs past the amount is up to the owner to cover. A pre-qualification application must be filled out and submitted to Administrator Seeley for review, in which a contract will be drafted up if accepted. Appropriate permits must be obtained before the project. Administrator Seeley noted that the American Rescue Plan Act awarded Canton Borough $183,993. Spring cleanup is scheduled for the week of May 24. “Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful/Pick Up Pennsylvania” event will be held at the park pavilion by the pool on May 1, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Street Department Councilman George Jennings spoke on behalf of Brandon Perry, who resigned from his position. Council voted to advertise for his position as well as a part-time position. This advertisement can be found in the classified section of this newspaper. Administrator Amy Seeley will be looking at backhoe funding and will bring amounts to the next council meeting. Fire Department Scott May reported that there was an 8 p.m. board of directors meeting at the social hall this week. He also announced the date of the annual carnival, which is set for June 22-26. Other news The Library is planning it’s summer reading program: “Tails and Tales,” which is seven weeks of program in the pavilion of the park. Special presenters include a dinosaur program, a unicorn science program, dog grooming and Tanglewood Nature Center. There are grab bags available each week for preschoolers with a craft that goes with the theme that week. The Rialto Theatre is still doing curbside pickup on April 16 and 30th, from 5-7 p.m. outside the Theatre. Cost is $10/bag of popcorn and $1 for theater candy. Exact change is needed. The chamber of commerce announced no Wine & Cheese Festival this year. Instead, there will be a new event planned for June 26, along with the annual block dance. New information will be provided at a later time. The classic car show will be Friday, Aug. 6. Upcoming events for the school include: Senior High chorus concert April 19, May Day program May 3 and the drama club performance on May 7. Councilman Schrader addressed to council that he had complaints from resident Brian Koval, who was absent from the meeting, but spoke on his behalf. Council addressed the complaints in an executive session which took place after the public meeting. They also discussed issues with Zito Media in the executive session. The next Canton Borough Council meeting will be Monday, May 10, at 7 p.m. with location to be determined. by Matt Jennings
Correspondent ALBA — Alba Borough held its monthly meeting on April 12, at 6 p.m., at the Alba church. After reading last meeting’s minutes, Treasurer Tricia Jackson led the discussion on Unfinished Business. First up was the ongoing discussion on the Borough’s desire to set up electronic speed display signs throughout the borough. The hope is that the signs will encourage motorists to maintain safe speeds and will collect valuable traffic data will aid in justifying community improvements such as cross walks, sidewalks, and traffic lights. Jackson has sent a letter and map to PennDOT asking permission to install the signs. Mayor Dale Palmer plans to call PennDOT to ascertain whether the Borough can post signs prohibiting the use of engine brake retarders in the borough, as the noise disturbs residents and the engine brakes would not be necessary if drivers followed the speed limit. The Borough continues to clean out its newly acquired garage. The Borough unanimously approved a $1000 dollar donation to the Canton Township out of the Act 13 fund to help them in their recovery from the February fire. In other business, it was reported that several young people potentially teenagers were wandering around the borough at night on Saturday night and knocking on random doors. Borough residents are reminded to keep their doors and vehicles locked. Also at issue is the borough mail. Due to some issues at the post office, borough mail is delivered to mayor Dale Palmer’s house when it needs to go to Secretary Jackson’s residence. Other citizens have complained about backlog of mail that would arrive at their homes weeks after it was postmarked. The meeting was adjourned at 7:15. by Rachel Heitzenrater
[email protected] TOWANDA — Bradford County Commissioners declared April 11-17 Telecommunicator’s Week in Bradford County at their April 8 meeting via ZOOM. “We thank them for all that they do,” said Commissioner Daryl Miller, “They do a lot more than talking a 911 call.” Commissioner Doug McLinko spoke about the John Mosser Community Center opening soon. Other news Commissioners also opened bids for the Bronson Road Roadway Improvement Project at the meeting and will announce the winner of the bid at the next meeting. The bridge has been closed since 2018, according to commissioners, and the project will work in the approach of the West Burlington Township bridge. Commissioner Daryl Miller also announced some upcoming vaccinations. The first vaccination announced is specifically for veterans, their spouses, and caregivers. The vaccine clinic will be Thursday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Towanda American Legion. Eligible patients may pre-register by calling 570-830-7074 Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The next vaccine clinic will be at the old K-Mart parking lot in Athens Township April 14-16 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This clinic is open to patients categorized in the 1B and 1C categories determined by the Department of Health. Walk-in patients will be accepted on the last day, should there be availability. Commissioners also addressed Children and Youth Services questions at the meeting. Service Access & Management, Inc. will be taking over the department in May. The mission of Service Access & Management, Inc. is to help people throughout our service area enhance the quality of their lives by effectively and efficiently managing and/or providing needed, accessible and individually satisfying human services. They plan to address the shortage of employees when they take over. Before closing the meeting, McLinko reminded the public that April 19 will be the one-year anniversary since former commissioner Ed Bustin passed away. The next Bradford County Commissioners meeting will be Thursday, April 22, at 10 a.m. For more information, go to www.bradfordcountypa.org/commissioners. by Rachel Heitzenrater [email protected] CANTON — Canton Area School District board members approved a preliminary budget for the 2021/22 school year on their Zoom meeting on Thursday, April 8. Business Manager’s Report The budget is set at $17,783,502 with revenues at $17,222,531, according to business manager Mark Jannone. About 1.4 million is the result of expending some of the COVID ESSR funds “It’s abnormally inflated this year,” said Jannone. “As well as the revenue actually. We are still projected at a deficit of about $500,000.” “We are not raising taxes for the 21/22 school year. We are trying to use the COVID relief funds in the most efficient way in order to minimize the financial impact on our taxpayers,” said Jannone. At the finance committee meeting, Jannone and the committee broke down the expenses to be paid with the ESSR money, with approval from the board per the budget. The two items they discussed were a new truck for the maintenance/cafeteria to haul lunches and ionizers at each of the air handlers and duct work throughout the buildings (145 units). “All the air that cycles through the building go through these air units,” said Jannone. “These devices will kill any living organisms in the units: viruses, mold, for example.” Superintendent’s Report Gov. Wolf announced that $4.9 billion in federal aid is expected to go to K-12 schools, according to Dr. Eric Briggs. It’s provided by the American Rescue plan to help with elementary and secondary school relief. At least 20% of the money needs to go to “learning loss” and social and emotional academic needs of unrepresented students. Funds must be used by September 2024. The application process will be posted on the website. Pennsylvania Department of Education will use the remaining $500 million ESSR funds for interventions that address learning loss and summer and after school programs. “That 20% is going to be about $500,000 for this school district,” said Briggs. He said he will be presenting to the community in the coming weeks how they plan to gather baseline data on the “unfinished learning.” The elementary and high school has partnered with Thompson’s Apparel on affordable Warrior apparel. Profits are shared between the elementary and high school. Patrons can buy the apparel online and have it shipped directly to them or pick up at the store at 10 West Main Street. To order, go to www.canton.k12.pa.us/spirit-store. The Title One Family Night at the school was a success he reported. “We’d like to thank all of the families that showed up to support the students.” He said they continue their evaluation observation process in the schools. Teacher of the marking period is Michelle Harkness. “Thank you for going above and beyond for our students.” Chorus concerts were held in March and were a huge success. Band concerts took place this past week. June 14-July 1 in the Elementary school (Mondays-Thursdays) will be the extended school year service program. This will take place 8:30-11:30 a.m. The Special Olympics have been cancelled this year due to the pandemic. Other news The board approved a contract with Boggs Hi-Tech Solutions for a $10,000 upgrade to the sound system. This specific upgrade is “phase 2” of the project, which will improve not only the speakers, but the sound panel as well. They hope the work can be completed before the high school’s drama production in May. The board also approved three field trips for the end of the year: a band field trip, a science club trip and the annual senior trip. During committee reports, school board member Neal Palmer spoke about his concern with BLAST, stating he thinks there is not enough transparency with the department. BLAST offers a wide range of services and programs for students including Early Intervention, Alternative Education, and more and serves Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, and Tioga Counties – with approximately 30,000 students. “Neal has been very transparent with me in sharing his concerns,” said Dr. Briggs. He also reminded the board that he and Jannone do look over bills from the department. “It’s run with a ‘my way or the highway’ type attitude,” said Palmer. Because of confidentiality reasons, Palmer did not go into much detail. The board did briefly discuss whether they have the option to look elsewhere for services, but have not made an official decision. A virtual finance committee took place on March 16. An executive session of the board was held prior to this meeting. The next Canton Area School District Meeting will be Thursday, May 13, at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria of the high school. by Matt Jennings
Correspondent CANTON — Canton Township met on April 12. A representative from Morton Buildings gave a presentation on a potential new Township garage building. The proposed building would measure out to 48 feet wide by 104 feet long and 20 feet tall and utilize wood beam “pole barn” construction techniques. The building could accommodate five 16 feet wide by 14 feet tall garage doors on the southern side of the building and one on the western end. Morton would include warranties on the building such as a 50 year snow warranty and 50 year warranty on the support columns among others. When asked by Mark McMurray how long construction of the building would take the representative stated it typically takes two months to acquire the right permits for the building and would take two weeks of construction followed by concrete. Total estimate for the building with the necessary heated concrete floor would come out to $572,000. The Township then called retained architect Larry Foor to discuss the details of Rich Bardo’s proposed steel-frame building. Bardo’s estimate cost was around $512,000 but that did not include the heated floor and the building would take about 12 weeks to complete. The Township voted to advertise in local newspapers over the next few weeks with exact specifications from Morton’s proposal to collect bids for the new building. Foor will go over the bids and determine if they meet necessary requirements for the Township to accept or deny the bid. Foor will plan to attend next week’s meeting to consult with the township. The Township also plans to put one of its burned-out trucks up for auction online in lieu of taking an insurance settlement for the vehicle. Advertisements for the auction will be in future newspaper editions. The Township will meet again next week on April 19 at 8 p.m. by Rachel Heitzenrater
[email protected] BRADFORD COUNTY — All around the county residents are making the decision on whether or not they would like to get the COVID-19 vaccine. So far, there have been three options of vaccines available to the public: Johnson & Johnson’s, which is a one-shot vaccination, the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech, which both are two-shot vaccines. Bradford County Emergency Management department has been working with Pennsylvania’s Department of Health officials on vaccine rollouts for the county. The DOH has used a “rollout plan” for “phases” of when the shots are available to the public and when shots will be distributed to the county for residents. In Bradford County alone, there are federal allocations in Towanda and state and federal allocations in Sayre, according to the map on the DOH’s website. Sarah Neely, Emergency Management Coordinator, stated that there has been some discrepancy on what the public knows about the vaccines and the timeline as to when the county actually has available appointments for it. “Our healthcare partners have been amazing, but they are supposed to get weekly distributions of the vaccine and sometimes those vaccines don’t show up when they’re supposed to,” said Neely. “It seems to be lately the second doses. According to the website, the Department of Health has two phases, with phase one having three subcategories. Phase 1A is the first vaccine distribution step. The vaccine is currently being distributed to: Long-term care facility residents and health care personnel including, but not limited to: • Emergency medical service personnel • Nurses • Nursing assistants • Physicians • Dentists • Dental hygienists • Chiropractors • Therapists • Phlebotomists • Pharmacists • Technicians • Pharmacy technicians • Health professions students and trainees • Direct support professionals • Clinical personnel in school settings or correctional facilities • Contractual HCP not directly employed by the health care facility • Persons not directly involved in patient care but potentially exposed to infectious material that can transmit disease among or from health care personnel and patients • Persons ages 65 and older • Persons ages 16-64 with high-risk conditions as identified by the CDC Opens In A New Window “As part of our targeted vaccine efforts, we also are vaccinating teachers and child care workers and frontline groups that became eligible on March 31: Law enforcement, Firefighters, Grocery store employees, Food/agriculture workers,” the website reads. Currently, the state is in phase 1B, which opened April 5 and includes: • People in congregate settings not otherwise specified as long-term care facilities, and persons receiving home and community-based services • Correctional officers and other workers serving people in congregate care settings not included in Phase 1A • Education workers not covered under the special initiative, including those in higher education • U.S. Postal Service workers • Manufacturing workers • Clergy and other essential support for houses of worship • Public transit workers Phase 1C opens April 12 to include individuals not mentioned above. All individuals not previously covered who are 16 and older and do not have a contraindication to the vaccine (note that at this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech product is approved for those age 16 and 17). The second phase is scheduled to be implemented on April 19, but Neely says that’s going to be nearly impossible. “While it’s well and good that the Governor has this new rollout plan to have everyone vaccinated by April 19, I don’t foresee that ever going to happen due to not getting the current vaccines we need in order to finish Phase 1A patients.” Her worry is that people may not even be able to get the second dose of the vaccine in time, which has a time limit of 4-6 weeks from the time of the first shot. Retail pharmacies also distribute vaccines, but have yet to administer second doses for a lot of patients because of this reason, and also due to contract changes. Though there is an option to set up appointments in Sayre, that is open to anyone who would like to get a vaccine, even those in Philadelphia, according to Neely. Regional sites are also set up and Neely says the closest one is in Luzerne County. Each individual has the choice on whether or not they will get the vaccine, but Neely says in order for things to “go back to normal” she think more people will have to get on board and get their vaccination. She recommends that anyone considering the vaccine to do their research beforehand and be knowledgable before making the decision and make the right decision for you. “People need to understand the April 19 date is for them to schedule an appointment, not necessarily get the vaccine,” said Neely. “With no official distribution number for the vaccines and when they will actually be delivered to the clinics, it is hard to predict when those scheduled will actually get their vaccine but it will allow the state a hard number to meet the demands of the clinics.” She said that Tioga County has a site in Wellsboro that is available for appointments. How do you feel about getting the vaccine? Let us know! Write a letter to the editor and email it to [email protected]. photos by Matt Jennings
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. On Friday, April 2, A Rally for Survivors took place at the Bradford County Courthouse. Commissioner John Sullivan read the official proclamation declaring it Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Commissioner Darryl Miller spoke briefly about encouraging victims to come out, saying for all the people that do come out, there are a lot who don’t. Commissioner Doug McLinko addressed the crowd affirming his commitment to bringing those guilty of sexual assault to justice with the fullest extent of the law. State Rep. Tina Pickett highlighted the great work community organizations like the Abuse and Rape Crisis Center do for victims. The CASD Drama Club is busily preparing for the May 7 and 8 performance of Godspell 2012. Godspell opened off-Broadway on May 17, 1971, then revised with up-to date props and musical style in 2012 while keeping the integrity of the message intact. This is a musical, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, with a series of parables using storytelling techniques and a hefty dose of comic timing. Join the cast and crew on May 7, at 7 p.m. or May 8, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The matinee at 2 p.m. is a sensory performance with reduced visual and audio stimulation. Godspell will be performed in the Nelle Black Westgate Auditorium. Tickets are available from participants and at the Canton Administration office. Cost is $8 for adults, seniors (over 60) and students $6. We will encourage compliance with the CDC guidelines that are suggested at the time of the performance. |
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