By Greg Reedy

Sports Editor

JOHNSONBURG – Johnsonburg Borough Council agreed to drop the issue with ownership and future plans with the Johnsonburg Hotel at its monthly meeting yesterday.
After discussion, the issue was unanimously voted on and the issue with the hotel was dropped without any definitive action done with the building.
Solicitor Elizabeth Feronti said there was a second owner found to the hotel as the first owner had sold part of the property to a male owner.
“It’s all of a sudden become a big mess,” Feronti said. “And to make it better, the taxes aren’t paid for last year. Her name is on the taxes. It’s going to be a legal battle as far as who owns it. I don’t know if we have any real standing on anything. If the borough wanted to own it, we could but I don’t think the borough wants to do that.”
Feronti said a letter was sent back from the female owner offering $1,000 to either fix it up or board it up.
“She said she gave him the hotel but just a small portion of the property,” Feronti said. “She sent us a letter back saying she would give us $1,000 for us to fix it up. The borough would be held liable if anything would happen such as an accident.
They’re stuck with the building, we’re stuck with an eyesore.”
Council vice-president Ron King was adamant about finding a solution to the hotel.
“We’re spending a lot of dollars on that building without owning it that we could be spending on other places,” King said. “The last thing we want to do is getting name or attachment to that piece of property. This thing could blow wide  open and someone could come in and take everything we got. The borough has sent both of them letters to do something with that building. I am asking where you want to go that.”
Adrian Bevacqua said it would cost $500,000 to bulldoze the building. 
Hud Caldwell from the Johnsonburg Municipal Authority said he has been questioned about the functionality of the fire hydrants.
“To my knowledge all the fire hydrants work. They might not have the same pressure,” Caldwell said. “The Johnsonburg Borough fire hydrant rental invoice be billed directly to the Johnsonburg Fire Department and that the Fire Department will make the payment in three increments upon receipt of current flow testing data.”
In other news at the 75-minute meeting:
- Ed Gapinski was named to a vacancy on the Civil Service Board.
- The recreation board needs a new ballroom floor and received permission to bid for one around $20,000 on the top floor of the community center. Ron King said the dehumidifiers are working and the new floor should be fine.
- The borough crew reports “a lot of plowing and salting” on the roads as well as cleaning snow around churches and Market and Center Street. The crew has also hauled snow out of parking lots, helped dig the storm ditch up at the airport and put up bicentennial banners.
- Borough Manager Mary Polaski spoke with Andy Redmond from Domtar, he stated they are working with CHR Trucking concerning the truck tie-up at the No. 5 paper machine. They are working on scheduling appointment times for the truck to come. They are also working on bilingual and trilingual signage. Since they do not own much land near Fuel On, they would like the trucks to be waiting near the No. 5 machine. If this does not work, they are considering leaving two bays open for trucks during tieups.
- Polaski said a letter received from August 2008 states that PennDOT is only responsible for the base and sub-base and surface courses on the roads. We had received this letter when we wrote them about the drains on West Center Street by Memorial Field.
- Polaski said the Army Corps of Engineers is still working with PennDOT and Swank to have the dike on West Center Street repaired correctly.
- The two new Welcome to Johnsonburg signs are done and will be delivered this week.
- The borough received the 2010 Liquid Fuels payment in the amount of $62,856.24. The borough also contacted the railroad concerning the condition of the railroad tracks on Grant Street. Their maintenance man stated that they will wait until spring and see what settles and they will repair the best it the best they can.
- In March, PennDOT will be collecting traffic data on roads. There will be traffic counters on Glen Mayo, Beech, Ash, Spruce and Spring Streets.

- State Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Elk/Clearfield) will be holding constituent hours on March 11 and April 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the borough offices.