Photo by Brent Addleman
Johnsonburg Borough Council members Louis Imbrogno, left, and Carmen Cannella review the agenda for yesterday's meeting. Borough Council rescinded two resolutions passed at last month's meeting and have a town hall meeting scheduled with State Rep. Matt Gabler on Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. at the borough building.

By Brent Addleman

Editor

JOHNSONBURG – Miscommunication between Johnsonburg Borough Council and State Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Elk/Clearfield) has forced the council to rescind two resolutions that were approved at last month’s meeting and schedule a town hall meeting for later this month.
Borough council had approved a resolution to name the bridge on the U.S. 219 bypass and place a sign along the same highway recognizing Bill Wachob, who had served in the House of Representatives in the early 1980s.
“The borough manager received a phone call from Rep. Matt Gabler’s office,” Council chairperson Harriet Stahli said. “And these were the resolutions we voted on last month. I believe there was some miscommunication between Matt Gabler’s office and the borough. So, for tonight’s meeting I ask that we rescind those resolutions.
“Matt Gabler has also requested we have a meeting on December 22 at 6 p.m. here at the borough building to explain what happened with these resolutions. There was some wording that was not proper. On December 22, Matt Gabler will explain to us what happened and basically we have to start all over.”Stahli explained the miscommunication on the two resolutions.
“The first [resolution] is the bridge down by Kwikfill,” Stahli said. “Come to find out there was wording that was wrong. Council voted on just the bridge being renamed and the resolution was the whole bypass.
“The second [resolution] was the Wachob resolution. That also was not properly done because the family had requested a sign. From what Matt [Gabler] was telling us it has to be a highway. It doesn’t change the address, just the wording on the sign. It has to be put in the form of a bill and put in front of the House of Representatives.”
According to Borough Manager Mary Polaski, some residents have become concerned about the naming of the bypass.
“There has apparently been a petition circulating that people in town did not want the bypass named after any one individual, it should be named after any one individual and that is should be named after veterans,” Polaski said. “Council was under the impression they were just naming the bridge down by Kwikfill. That is all the individual had asked for. But the original bill from Dan Surra had said the whole bypass was going to be named that. So there was a lot of miscommunication. So, Matt had recommended we have a public meeting to get public input as to whether council wishes to name the bypass at all or if they do what they would name it.”
Council Ronald King stressed that all parties involved are in agreement.
“Mary has talked to both families involved in this, so they are all on the same page as us, the Guaglianones and the Wachobs,” King said.

In other news:
- Adopted 2010 budget and 2010 Tax Schedule.
- Adopted ordinance 2009-07, the building permit code, which carries a $10 fee.
- Tabled pump bids to the Jan. 4, 2010, meeting.
- Approved carrying over 10 days of vacation for Police Chief Bryan Parana and five days of vacation for borough employee Tom Imbrogno for the 2010 calendar year.
- Approved request from the county to contribute $698 for the black fly suppression program.
- Received a letter from the municipal authority the organization stating they are going to reinstate the hydrant rental charge to the borough at a rate of $50 per meter.
- Received a letter from the fire department in regards to the hydrant rental charge being deducted from borough money allotted to the department. The department stated they were not “happy with the fee.”
- Received a letter from PennDOT that a road paving project is set to begin and the borough may have to put in handicap curb cuts, according to borough manager Mary Polaski. The borough will be required to put in handicap curb cuts. West Center Street and Bendigo Road are to be paved.
- Approved allowing full-time borough employees to take a vacation day on December 24, Christmas Eve. The borough offices will be closed.