Well, At Least It's Not More Property Taxes

Ann Solinsky

By LANE FILLER lfiller@leader.net
 Wednesday, January 26, 2005 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE - City council's work session and meeting Tuesday night
boasted a thin agenda and few controversial points, but members supplied their
own controversy and their own topics in a heated discussion about firehouses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Responding to a recent Times Leader article, Councilwoman Kathy Kane, who
lives in the Heights, expressed anger at the idea that the section of town
will wait 18 months or longer for an open firehouse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ``Be aware that myself and other council members will not let this rest,''
Kane said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Council agreed to spend about $22,000 to repair the heat at South Station,
located on Parrish and High streets. That sparked the comments on the two
firehouses the city closed in 2004, one in the Heights and one on Conyngham
Avenue. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``South Station needs to be done first but we do want to keep the fire
burning on the Heights station, because those people do have a point,'' said
Councilman Michael McGinley. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In response, Mayor Tom Leighton said the Heights had not been placed on the
back burner and was a priority, but the stations still open absolutely had to
be maintained and kept open for the city's fire department to function. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Councilman Phil Latinski argued that another proposed fire station in the
Hollenback Park area, meant to replace the closed Conyngham Avenue station and
the open but decrepit Scott Street station, could be ineffective because of
heavy traffic if it is built in the wrong spot. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And Latinski had another message for council from constituents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``The honeymoon is over, and people want to know where this money is going.
In the last year, we've raised taxes, raised fees, and people want to know
where the money is going. I tell them about downtown development, but they
want to know when money is going to be spent in the neighborhoods where they
live.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In other business, council approved training for several police officers
the city will soon hire and agreed to let the Kniffen O'Malley Funeral Home
demolish a building at 459 S. Main St. to build a parking lot. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

W-b's Firehouse Debate Rages On This Time, Council Members Challenge Mayor On Stations That City Closed In 2004.