Mandatory recycling, water rate increase coming to Wellsboro

WELLSBORO - On Aug. 10, Wellsboro Borough Council will adopt a mandatory recycling ordinance and a $5 water rate increase per month.

Monday night council approved advertising notices of intent to adopt the ordinance and increase.

Borough secretary-treasurer Sue Stephens said homeowners and residents will be affected first for mandatory recycling, which was mandated by the state Department of Environmental Protection after the borough received more then $10,000 last year for recycling.

She said the nearly 230 businesses in the borough will be "phased in" over the next month to two months. That will give he borough's recycling provider, Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority, a chance to meet with each of the businesses separately to determine their individual needs.

After Monday's meeting, Stephens explained that water rates will be based on different sized meters, thus not penalizing those like the "little old blue-haired lady" who might only use 1,000 gallons compared to a business which might use 5,000 gallons. She said the rate increase still worked out to about $5 per household and business.

The extra revenue, about $93,000, is to be used for debt service.

In other business, council:

Approved closing the alley behind the former Davis Furniture Building, the future site of the multimillion dollar Deane Center for the Performing Arts, to accommodate a 150-seat black box theater, and set up a conditional use hearing for the first phase of the project for 6 p.m. Sept. 3 in council chambers.

John Wheeler, chairman of the highway committee, said the committee agreed that council should allow the Deane Center to close the alley.

Council President Mike Wood said one of his concerns was if the center closed the alley, that it would be giving up a fire break. He recommended a sprinkler system for the facility.

Councilman Terry Bryant also addressed a question about the borough losing liquid fuels money if it lost the alley. However, he said the borough doesn't receive liquid fuels money for alley.

"We're very fortunate to have the Deane Center project," said councilman Rudy Scharf. "It will not only serve Wellsboro, but also all of Tioga County. We at borough council should do our part to make it a reality."

Heard from Rod Prodonovich, site acquisition agent for Pyramid Network Services of East Syracuse, N.Y., about improving coverage for AT&T Wireless by either co-locating on an existing cell phone tower or building a new 195-foot tower on Park Hill.

Wood said he asked Prodonovich to introduce himself to council and was asking Prodonovich to meet with Cox, Stephens and Wood in the near future about the project. Prodonovich said once AT&T had a lease, it would turn the lease over to a tower company, which would own the tower and seek co-location from other companies.

Wood said while his preference would be to have AT&T co-locate with the existing Verizon tower, at the minimum, he'd like to see the two towers together on the same property.