web1_FooteAvenue.jpg

Duryea Borough Council looking to improve traffic visibility on Foote Avenue

ballot-32201_1280.png

Letter to the Editor: Voter intimidation against the law; if you see it, report it

PLYMOUTH &#8212; The Plymouth Borough Council passed an ordinance permitting very small outdoor fires between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.Councilman William Dixon, who ultimately voted in favor of the ordinance allowing fire pits, said he was concerned residents would burn larger fires, using cardboard or garbage.&#8220;That&#8217;s not going to happen,&#8221; Council President Gary Koshinski said. &#8220;This will be contained fire pits with 1 square foot and no more than 2 feet high.&#8221;Koshinski said citations would be issued for fires outside the permitted time frame or that violated the ordinance&#8217;s provisions.The council also approved an offer by the borough to purchase property located at 17-19 East Main Street from MPL Development.The gross purchase price for the property should the deal go through was set at $30,000.Council also approved retaining services of Attorney Timothy O&#8217;Reilly to serve as the partial arbitrator for the police and fire department arbitrations at a rate of $200 per hour.&#8220;This is just standard procedure,&#8221; said Kochinski. &#8220;We&#8217;re still in negotiations with both.&#8221;In another matter, Dixon told the council that nine properties had been reassessed for a reduction of $710,000 in taxable property.&#8220;This will mean $4,000 less in property taxes paid to the borough,&#8221; Dixon said. &#8220;I just want the council to be aware of that when doing the budget for next year.&#8221;Dixon said he had been to a meeting of representatives of the West Side Landfill Authority.&#8220;We didn&#8217;t keep up with our obligations,&#8221; said Dixon, referring to the authority as a whole.In other matters, the council:&#8226; Closed the street light fund at First Keystone Community Bank with Koshinski saying those funds were now dispersed from the liquid fuels account.&#8226; Accepted a quote from Sportsystems to replace a basketball backboard and four rims at the Barnes Street Park for $1,058.&#8226; Hired Dorothy Woodruff as temporary clerical staff at the rate of $16.23 per hour.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Geri Gibbonsggibbons@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Up nextThe next meeting of the Plymouth Borough Council will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 15 at 6 p.m.</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</shirttailMeta></div>

Plymouth to permit fire pits