Our Opinion: Anthony Lupas plaque at Mohegan Sun Arena will be a conversation starter – for wrong reasons

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Dalton Borough hosts 2-mile-long community yard sale

CLARKS SUMMIT &#8211; Clarks Summit Borough Council will resume the regular May council meeting for the second time at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 26 in order to vote on hiring a new full-time police officer.The vote was initially rescheduled for May 20, but due the death of a councilperson&#8217;s family member, the meeting date changed again. Council&#8217;s May work session, scheduled for May 26, will occur after the regular meeting.At the recessed meeting May 14, council voted to recess the meeting again, and will hold an executive session at 6 p.m. for council to interview all three candidates recommended by the Civil Service Commission, Daniel Coulthard, Patrick Gibbons, and Kevin Yetkowskas, for the full-time police officer position.&#8220;If the Civil Service Commission was recommending the top three people, that third person should have been at the council meeting last week for the interview,&#8221; council member Herman Johnson said.Chair of the Personnel Committee David Jenkins said the personnel committee interviewed all three candidates recommended by the Civil Service Commission. Then, the personnel committee recommended the top two candidates to interview with council, and council interviewed those two candidates during an executive session at the council meeting last week.&#8220;All three should have been there,&#8221; said Johnson.Mayor Patty Lawler and police chief Chris Yarns said there was a need for the vote to happen before the next meeting because of scheduling issues and the potential for additional over time if the full-time officer is not hired soon.&#8220;I&#8217;m concerned June 1 will be here and I won&#8217;t be able to have people to cover shifts,&#8221; Yarns told council. He said he has been unable to schedule officers&#8217; shifts, so part-time officers may plan their shifts around other jobs and plans.In other news, council voted to accept an adjusted bid from T. Brennan Heavy Equipment, LLC to fix multiple manholes on State Street before PennDOT begins paving the road June 22.Council approved the new bid at approximately $60,000, down from the original bid of $117,300 by decreasing the number of manholes to repair to just those located on State Street where PennDOT will pave.Council member Vincent Cruciani asked what the liability may be if the repairs were not made.According to Bob Naegele of Colwell-Naegele Associates, &#8220;the inside of the manholes are deteriorating,&#8221; caused over time by the weight of 18-wheelers and salt getting into the manholes. This could potentially cause the covers to come off, leaving an open hole, which borough manager Virginia Kehoe said has happened before. The repairs will include bolted covers so this will not happen.&#8220;If we don&#8217;t do it now, we&#8217;re going to pay more for it later,&#8221; said Johnson.The vote passed on condition the borough pays for the unbudgeted project in thirds from the capital reserve, general operating budget, and the sewer budget.

Clarks Summit council recesses again, regular May meeting will resume May 26