Borough votes to help fix bridges
From Staff Reports
Locally elected and appointed officials voted on the following matters in the past week:
Federal
• The House voted 211-198 to pass the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act. It allocates funding for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, provides funding for homeland security, increases funding for NIH, addresses the opioid abuse epidemic, and invests in our nation’s infrastructure needs. The bill also contains previously passed legislation, HR 3219, which provides funding for the Department of Defense, Veterans’ Affairs and national security programs. U.S. Reps. Tom Marino, R-Cogan Station, and Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-Howard, voted yes.
State
• The House voted 103-91 in favor of a no-new taxes borrowing package to help plug the state’s $2.2 billion budget gap. Voting yes were state Reps. Garth Everett, R-Muncy; Jeff Wheeland, R-Loyalsock Township; and Matt Baker, R-Wellsboro. State Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Lock Haven voted no.
• The Senate was out of session.
Municipal
• Jersey Shore Borough Council voted 6-0 to pick up a portion of the costs for the rehabilitation of two bridges in the community. Overall, the borough will be responsible for coming up with 5 percent, or $26,000, for costs to repair the Wilson Street and Hazel Alley bridges. Total cost for fixing the two spans is $535,000. Voting yes were Marguerite Dyroff, Janet Barnhart, Paul Garrett, Barb Schmouder, Sean Simcox and Denise Hurlbutt. Kenneth Scheesley and Mike Zellers were absent.
• Bowman Field Commission voted 4-0 to recommend City Council approve a proposed schedule for games played by Pennsylvania College of Technology at Bowman Field in the spring. Voting were Chairman Lou Hunsinger Jr., Bonnie Katz, Wayne Fausnaught and Frank Lupacchino.
• City Council voted 7-0 to minum municipal pension obligation payments of $3.9 million to cover pensions for police, fire and officers and employees. Voting were President Jonathan Williamson. Randall J. Allison, Joel Henderson, Bonnie Katz, Liz Miele, Don Noviello and Clifford “Skip” Smith.
• The South Williamsport Borough Council voted 9-0 to send an ordinance that would no longer allow recreational vehicles and storage and utility trailers to park on Matthews Boulevard back to the safety committee. Because the borough always has had limited parking, officials have allowed those types of vehicles to park there for years. But complaints about limited visibility, narrow passing and restricted lanes from residents frequenting the recycling center on West Front Street and many of the nearby businesses not being able to get trucks in and out of their properties, created enough reason for a change. But business owners who have parked there for decades voiced their issues with not being properly notified. Voting were Cory Lehman, Robert Cronin, Fred March, Joseph LaRue Jr., John Decker, Carl Nolan, J. Bernard Schelb, Henry Frey Jr. and David Geise.
School District
• The Jersey Shore Area School Board voted unanimously to hire Terry Younkin, part-time food service position at the senior high school, at a rate of $9.90 an hour, and Kim Zell, bus driver with Marden’s Inc.; and grant tenure to Sheena Ambruster, CTE child care teacher, and Melissa Rogers, family consumer science teacher. Voting yes were members Karen Stover, Denise Smith, Kelley Wasson, Merrill Sweitzer, Craig Allen, Mary Thomas and Christopher Fravel. Members David Hines and Loren Koch were absent.
• The Loyalsock Township School Board voted unanimously to hire the following staff: Gerald Gilbody, part-time custodian, $10.95 an hour; Breanna Baysors, Lisa Carlin and Laura Moff, part-time paraprofessionals, $10.60 an hour; Laura Moff, cafeteria monitor, $8.75 an hour; Mackenzie Ford, Srah Kramer and Billie Keiser, long-term substitute elementary teachers from October through January; Karen Johns, $9.50 an hour, and Jillynn Hoffman, $9 an hour, substitute food service personnel; Christine Schaefer, acting secondary head cook supervisor, $12.35 an hour; Allison Gaetano, eighth-grade girls basketball coach, $2,500; Janelle Ziminski, seventh-grade girls basketball coach, $2,500; Heather Holmes and Kirk Bower, volunteer girls basketball coaches; and Michael Frederick, volunteer baseball coach. Voting at the meeting were Edward H. Ade Jr., Maureen Carey, John B. Raymond, Paul R. Watson, Sheila J. Yates, Paul R. Young II. William P. Carlucci, David P. Hornberger and Christina L. Kiessling were absent.
• Montoursville Area School Board voted 4-2 to appoint Dorothy “Dottie” Mathers to the vacant Region 2 director seat. Voting yes were William Ruffing, Jennifer Marriott, Scott Konkle and Robert Logue. Voting no were Karen Wright and Ron Snell. Daniel Abert also was voted in, 6-0, to the vacant Region 1 seat. Voting yes were Ruffing, Marriott, Konkle, Logue, Wright and Snell.
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