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College Corner: Brad Emerick makes dramatic return to lineup

Feasibility of having a Lake Township Zoning Board to be investigated by a citizens committee

<p>PLYMOUTH TWP. &#8212; Plymouth Township is well on its way to exiting financially distressed status, board of supervisors Chairwoman Gale Conrad said Monday.</p><p>If the state Department of Community and Economic Development agrees during a hearing scheduled for March 10, the township will be exiting the state&#8217;s program for distressed municipalities after more than a decade.</p><p>Conrad is confident that the township&#8217;s distressed status will be lifted, saying that extended conversations state officials have made it apparent that the township is ready for financial independence.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re committed to recovery,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We&#8217;re moving forward in every area.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#8216;Just a mess&#8217;</strong></p><p>Conrad said the return to financial health has been a long one that has required commitment and sacrifice. One, though, she said, that has been well worth it.</p><p>Conrad said shortly after she was appointed supervisor in 2003 she received a call from a police officer on a Sunday morning. He had been attempting to purchase gasoline, and the township&#8217;s credit card had been declined.</p><p>&#8220;I remember meeting him outside my home and giving him $50 of my own money,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I told him to put $25 of gas in each cruiser, telling him to drive as sparingly as possible until we could figure out what was going on.&#8221;</p><p>In 2004, the township began operating under the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, called Act 47, restructuring its debt and moving toward financial health under the auspices of the state.</p><p>Conrad referred to the financial condition of the township at that time as &#8220;just a mess.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;There were hearings with the public, auditors, accountants and attorneys,&#8221; she said. &#8220;At each successive meeting, it became clearer that the township was in trouble.&#8221;</p><p>The township needed to work its way out of $830,000 debt.</p><p><strong>Financially healthy again</strong></p><p>Conrad said the township has finally returned to financial health.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re completely out of debt, our credit has been restored and we&#8217;re providing residents with good service,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We&#8217;re even building a reserve.&#8221;</p><p>Conrad is especially proud that the township has been able to pave all its roads.</p><p>&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t always that way,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But residents were patient, and we&#8217;ve gotten things done.&#8221;</p><p>Conrad likened the recovery to running a home.</p><p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t spend money that we don&#8217;t have,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And all borough officials are committed to never letting any type of financial distress happen again.&#8221;</p><p>Conrad said the supervisors could not have spearheaded the recovery alone, lauding township Secretary/Treasurer Steven Grzymski for his oversight.</p><p>The township faced challenges during the recovery, including flooding in 2004, 2005 and 2011. A fire at the public works garage in 2004 provided additional challenges.</p><p>Conrad said the residents were the real heroes of the recovery.</p><p>&#8220;If there road wasn&#8217;t paved because we were assisting those in flood recovery, they never complained,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They were willing to make sacrifices.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Conrad </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_gale.jpg</photo0><caption0>Conrad </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Supervisor chairwoman confident state will approve move</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Plymouth Township to have hearing on leaving distressed status