TREMONT - It took a young girl to change a borough council vote from a unanimous 'no' in May to a unanimous 'yes' in June.
Gabby Brown, a Tremont resident and Pine Grove Area Middle School student, presented her case June 9 for the passage of a resolution designating all facilities owned by the Borough of Tremont to be "Tobacco-Free" zones.
Brown is a member of Always Contributing for Tomorrow, a school service club. Twelve members of the club recently volunteered to do some clean-up work at a borough playground - spreading mulch and painting two picnic tables. They were alarmed at what they found.
"We want the playground to be safe," Brown said, "but it can't be because of smoking."
According to Brown, 100 cigarette butts were found in the playground.
After noting a variety of statistics involving the use of tobacco, Brown said ACT wants to know why the council didn't pass the tobacco-free zones resolution they had provided to them.
"Tobacco-free parks would make a safe environment for children," Brown said.
Council President Bob Donmoyer said he had been absent from the May meeting and felt there may have been some confusion. Solicitor Chris Hobbs agreed, noting that the council members were not against the idea but there were concerns about the proposal.
The police or a code enforcement officer would need to provide the enforcement, Hobbs said, and manpower means money. He said, however, that an offender cannot be fined with a resolution, but anyone found smoking could be asked to leave the playground.
"If not enforced, the resolution won't help. We'll still see butts," Paulette Yuschock said.
Donmoyer, however, disagreed, stating that the majority of adults will adhere to it.
"(It's) the example we'll set for the kids," Donmoyer said.
Included in the resolution signed by Donmoyer and Mayor Roger Adams on June 10 is a list of the tobacco-free zone designations which include the Robert "Pete" Wiscount Veterans Memorial Park, Poplar Street Park and Playground, Clay Street Municipal Building Playground and the Tremont Community Swimming Pool. The resolution also requires that appropriate signage be posted, and any person in violation be immediately ejected from the area. The council authorized both elected and appointed officials to make periodic observations of the area to monitor compliance and promote awareness of the resolution.
The program is supported by the Health Promotion Council and funded through a grant from the state Department of Health. Angela Morgan, director of Community Coalition and Youth Development, Clinic Outcome Group, accompanied Brown to the meeting which sponsored the "Tobacco-Free Parks and Playground Resolution."
Mowing
A Laurel Street resident said he had kept the grass cut on a neighboring property that has been vacant for some time, but he does not intend to do it this year. Bob Klauser said the grass is two feet high, the back door is open and animals are moving in and out. In addition, he said, the back side the building sways in the wind.
"It's a safety issue," Klauser said.
When questioned by Donmoyer whether he had contacted Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Bruce, Klauser said he tried several times, but Bruce never called him back. Donmoyer informed him the borough's engineer would be asked to evaluate the building.
Since Bruce was not in attendance and his report listed 21 quality of life ordinance violation tickets had been issued and 16 building maintenance violations (left from previous code enforcement officer), Yuschock suggested one of them could have been a high grass citation for Klauser's neighbor.
Councilman Roger Adams suggested the code enforcement officer attend the council's next workshop meeting. According to secretary Linda Gately, Bruce would need to take time off from work. Donmoyer reminded his fellow council members that that was the reason he felt an assistant should also be appointed.
"Enough is enough," Adams said. "If he wants the job, he was told he would need to re-arrange his schedule."
Donmoyer reported he had made five telephone calls regarding code enforcement officer complaints to Bruce and finally made a trip to his home in order to obtain an answer.
Former Code Enforcement Officer Jerry Fasnacht questioned the solicitor about who can enforce ordinances. According to Hobbs, the police can always enforce an ordinance, but when a municipality has a code enforcement officer or a health officer, ordinances relating to their speciality are enforced by them. However, according to Fasnacht, the borough's new quality of life ordinance can be enforced by any council member, and any council member can cite anyone for smoking in the playgrounds.
Pipeline
Adams said he attended the Williams informational event June 9 for the Transco pipeline "Atlantic Sunrise Project" at the Tremont Fire Company. According to Adams, the session provided information for residents who live near the proposed pipeline which will run parallel to Interstate 8l in the area and installed at least 1,000 feet away from the interstate. He estimated between 200 and 250 people were in attendance.
MEM
Hobbs said the attorney for Municipal Energy Managers, the company that provided electricity to the borough for a short period of time and has since declared bankruptcy, has filed a motion for the trustees to abandon property. It's part of the bankruptcy filing, Hobbs said, since the property has no equity.
According to Hobbs, he is still waiting to see if there will be any funds remaining, but whatever there is "will be peanuts." He said that Tremont is lucky since some municipalities have lost $500,000 and $700,000.
Police
The police department responded to 45 incidents during May: eight civil, two domestic, four harassment, a dog at large complaint, a juvenile run away, a mental health suicidal, a stolen vehicle, stolen mail, four thefts and an underage drinking. The officers made two ambulance and five other police department assists, plus attended one district justice hearing. Two nontraffic citations were filed.
Mayor Roger Adams reported the county will be running tests on the new police radios to determine where the problem spots are. He also said that he's been accused of telling kids they can swim in the creek.
"That's false," Adams said.
Since kids are using some of the borough streets as their playgrounds, Adams said drivers should be on the look-out.
There's a basketball net on Clay Street, even though there are basketball nets in a tennis court not too far away, he said. Since an area of Laurel Street is also used as a playground and there are several bus stops, another stop sign had been erected several months ago upon the urging of residents as a way to slow down traffic, which they claimed comes "flying" down the mountain.
Adams requested residents with police problems call him at home.
"Don't come to the council meeting 'bad mouthing' the police," he said.
He also suggested grass and weeds be kept cut.
"I can enforce ordinances and I will," Adams said.
Adams is currently checking on some items regarding parking meters. He said calls to Harrisburg have not been returned, though he discovered there is a free class on calibrating parking meters which he said should be done every five years.
Adams said he is also traveling around town seeing what needs to be done.
"I don't want to hear you're being picked on," Adams said.
He concluded his report questioning why people have a hard time understanding the sign "No Parking Here To Corner."
"That's what it means," Adams said.
Fire company
Fire Chief James Koppenhaver reported the company responded to seven calls in March, 13 in April and two in May. Since the chief had questions concerning workers' compensation, Gately suggested Koppenhaver meet with the workers' compensation representative in October when the annual review is performed.
The fire company held two meetings to prepare for the Schuylkill County Firemen's Convention, which will be held in 2016, which is also the 200th anniversary of the Borough of Tremont. Koppenhaver said the first meeting was for organizations, and he was disappointed with the response.
In other company news, Koppenhaver said that the condition of properties 200 feet away from the recent fire in Pine Grove showed that you can have good equipment, but you also need good water (pressure).
"Some fire hydrants in Tremont don't meet code," he said.
Along with good equipment and water, training is also important. At this time, Tremont firemen have a total of 460 1/2 hours of training and, according to Koppenhaver, will hit 1,000 hours by the end of the year.
Pool
James Scheibly reported the swimming pool is up and running. He said the old pump was serviced and running well.
He said the pool is losing two to three inches of water each night, and he is working on identifying the problem in order to get it fixed.
Press
Although it was not an agenda item, Yuschock asked whether the council president or the secretary reviews and approves newspaper articles before they are printed. According to Yuschock, she didn't appreciate the personal jab that was printed in the paper about an exchange between herself and the mayor during the May meeting. She suggested the press only report the news in the future. However, according to Hobbs, it was said at a public meeting and can be reported.
According to the article, Yuschock said she could not see the speed control lines that had been painted. The mayor responded, "If you can't see them, you need glasses."
In other business,
- Sen. David Argall, R-29, will visit the borough July 14 and will meet with residents from 8 to 9 a.m. in the council meeting room.
- The council approved the installation of an air conditioner supplied by Natalie Zimmerman in the Aerobics Room, providing it meets Bill Mindler's approval.
- Koppenhaver recommended the borough erect a sign forbidding jumping off the Pine Creek bridge.
- The council adopted a floodplain ordinance and approved W. Pryce Parker as the borough's floodplain coordinator.
- Residents eligible for cost-free assistance up to $20,000 for housing repair, which addresses health, safety, code violations, energy inefficiencies, accessibility modifications and lead-based paint hazards, should call Schuylkill Community Action at 570-622-1995 for information. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- The council approved the Tremont Fire Company's annual craft fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 23, rain or shine, on the main street sidewalks.
Resignation
Donmoyer closed the meeting by informing members that he would be resigning from council for personal reasons effective June 30.
"I've enjoyed my time on council," Donmoyer said, "but things came up that are more important."
Since Donmoyer had not submitted a letter, Hobbs advised the council not to advertise the vacancy before the seat was available.
"Since you're making it known to the public," Hobbs said, "you don't have to advertise."
Donmoyer also thanked the council for its generous donation to the United Church of Christ in memory of his wife, who passed away recently.