Liability issues dominate Rice Township council meeting

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WEST PITTSTON &#8212; Council members appointed Kevin Lescavage to a two-year term on council at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.The addition of Lescavage comes after current council member Charles Alfano resigned from a two-year term after he was elected to both a four-year and two-year term during the elections last November.The two-year term is set to expire Jan. 1, 2018.Letters were submitted by Lescavage, Ellen Quinn and Rosa McKraken explaining why they wanted to serve on council.Lescavage was approved by a 3-2 vote, with Judy Aita and John Hood voting no and Peter Albano being absent from the meeting.Council President Brian Thornton said Lescavage was the most experienced of the three candidates as he served on council from 2006 to 2009.&#8220;All three candidates are terrific people and upstanding citizens,&#8221; said Thornton. &#8220;But, he by far has the most experience with public works, equipment and helping us purchase used parts for police cars. He would do massive searches on the internet and find parts out on the West Coast and get things dirt cheap for us. He saved a ton of money for us.&#8221;Having served with Lescavage on council before, Thornton is eager to be able to work with him again.&#8220;He&#8217;ll be a great asset to our public works department,&#8221; said Thornton. &#8220;He&#8217;s got a good set of eyes for the borough residents when it comes to trucking, excavations and trenches. He&#8217;ll be watching all of these projects going on.&#8221;Council members also approved the filing of a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Grant application for a seniors playground on Susquehanna Avenue.The playground will serve as a way for senior citizens to stay active and have fun in the process.Aita, who came across the idea for the playground on the internet, presented the idea to state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, to ensure his office would back the project before presenting the idea to council.While she does not have an exact amount for the grant, Aita said she does not anticipate it being more than $35,000 &#8212; which the borough has to come up with half of.The deadline for the grant is April 13, but Aita said they will not know if they awarded it until the fall.&#8220;I&#8217;m optimistic, and if we don&#8217;t get the grant this year, we&#8217;ll just keep applying for it,&#8221; said Aita. &#8220;But I&#8217;m going to be more positive than that.&#8221;In other business, council members accepted:&#8226; The resignation of part-time police officer Christopher Biscotto.&#8226; The resignation of Mary Musinksi from the Parks and Recreation Board.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Jimmy Fisherjfisher@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Jimmy Fisher at 570-704-3972 or on Twitter @SD_JimmyFisher</shirttailMeta></div>

West Pittston council appoint Kevin Lescavage to fill vacant two-year term