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A Nanticoke City couple was displaced Saturday evening after a fire
at their Ridge Street home, authorities said.
The fire broke out around 6:34 p.m. at rear 151 Ridge St., the home
of Leonard and Verna Dynterko. It started in a bedroom closet and was extinguished
within minutes, Nanticoke fire Lt. Richard Bohan said.
Damage was contained to that bedroom, but the rest of the home sustained
some slight water damage, Bohan said.
Firefighters helped Leonard Dynterko escape from the home, but he
refused medical treatment at the scene. The couple was expected to stay
with relatives Saturday night, Bohan said.
Assisting at the scene were firefighters and ambulance personnel
from Hanover and Newport townships.
12/28/2007
Nanticoke saves money when state certifies citys
safety committee
Savings equal $9,247, or 5 percent of worker comp insurance bill.
slong@timesleader.com
Nanticoke is entering the new year expecting a little extra cash in
its coffers.
The city will save $9,247, or 5 percent, on its annual worker compensation
insurance bill because the state Department of Labor and Industry certified
the citys safety committee earlier this month, Finance Manager Holly
Quinn said.
The city usually spends about $165,000 on the insurance annually.
About 40 city employees, volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance
members are covered under Nanticokes worker compensation plan.
Declared a financially distressed city in the last year, Nanticoke
has looked for ways to save money without cutting services.
I was excited. I want to save money wherever we can,
Councilman Joe Dougherty said.
We need it to pay bills.
The committee formed in March in an effort to promote workplace safety
by presenting training seminars on a variety of safety techniques to help
prevent illnesses or injury and to increase employee productivity.
Since its inception nine months ago, the committee has presented
a fire extinguisher seminar and taught public works employees how to properly
lift heavy materials.
Men in the public works department now think twice before trying
to lift something that might be too heavy for them and ask for help, Quinn
said.
Each city department has one representative serving on the committee,
which meets once to twice a month to discuss safety classes that can be
offered to employees.
Next year the committee hopes to hold a CPR training class, Quinn
said.
12/25/2007
Byorick progresses as Xavier hoops reserve
College athletics Bill Arsenault - Times Leader
Former Nanticoke Area standout Aly Byorick is seeing action
as a reserve with the Xavier University womens basketball team. But
coach Kevin McGuff sees good things ahead from the freshman.
Aly is a great kid and Im happy she is part of our program,
McGuff said. Like all freshmen, she is in the process of learning what
it takes to become successful at the Division I level. But she certainly has
a bright future here at Xavier.
The 6-foot guard is averaging 11 minutes of action as a backup for the 6-4
Musketeers, who have no seniors and just two juniors on the squad. The former
two-time Pennsylvania all-state selection is averaging 1.3 points a game,
while recording 19 rebounds and four assists. She had eight points and nine
rebounds in 22 minutes of action in a 97-60 victory against McNeese State.
Byorick is the career leading scorer at Nanticoke with 2,271 points. She helped
lead the Trojanettes to a combined 58-2 record during her junior and senior
years.
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| 12/24/2007 Hurdles to revitalization not so high By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com Despite recent setbacks, Nanticoke and Luzerne County Community College officials remain optimistic about the sale of the Kanjorski Center on East Main Street, especially since one hurdle is not as high as expected. LCCC wants to buy the Kanjorski Center for its health sciences center, a project that city, county, college and state officials say will be the keystone of downtown revitalization. Sale agreements are in progress, and a final price has not been determined. Obstacles to the sale include possible delays in a county bond containing $20 million for LCCC projects, the loss of $5.6 million in federal funding for a parking garage and the prospect of having to pay back a $1.8 million grant. We are proceeding with every expectation this is going to move forward, and I have every confidence that it will, LCCC President Thomas Leary said. Good news is that the citys municipal authority, which owns the Kanjorski Center, might only have to pay back a small percentage of the $1.8 million to the federal government in order to sell the building. State Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, recently met with federal Economic Development Administration officials in Philadelphia. They were enthusiastic about the project and committed their full support to helping us complete the deal, he said. Under the terms of the $1.8 million EDA grant used to construct the Kanjorski Center in 1994, the building must be used for economic development. If the building is sold or used for other purposes, the municipal authority either has to get permission from EDA for the new use or pay the money back, according to Paul Matyskiela of the EDA Philadelphia Regional Office. Nanticoke and Luzerne County Community College officials have two options: They can convince EDA to allow the Kanjorski Center to be used for educational purposes, in which case they wouldnt have to pay the agency back. But EDA would still control the building, and it would be subject to federal restrictions. They pay EDA whatever sum to which the agency agrees after submitting an assessment adjustment. Then federal involvement is removed from the project entirely. Matyskiela estimates the city might have to pay the EDA only $385,000, based on the required appraisal of the outside of the Kanjorski Center the municipal authority submitted. EDA is waiting for the authority to add any adjustments to the appraised value of the building. Obviously, if the appraised value of the building goes down, that amount will also, Matyskiela said. City officials were pleasantly surprised to hear that, since they expected to have to fork over the whole $1.8 million. Its news to me, but its very good news, City Administrator Kenneth Johnson said. The cash-strapped city does not have the money, but Johnson thinks a deal should be worked out to pay the $385,000, noting, Weve spent money on things less valuable than this. Paying off the EDA might make more sense, Matyskiela believes. City officials are exploring both options. They made the argument that it was job training; we didnt say no, but we want them to put it in writing and make a case for it. But do they want to have us hanging around? Matyskiela said. Their decision is, basically, what is it worth to you to get the federal government out of your hair? But the decision may have to wait. Nanticoke General Municipal Authority Chairman Ron Kamowski said any deal with EDA is in limbo until the county frees up $20 million for LCCC to buy the Kanjorski Center. The $20 million bond Community colleges have only one funding source in the states capital budget: the Community College Capital Fund. LCCC received $10 million from the state for the first phase of its master plan, and Luzerne County pledged the required $10 million match. But officials fear a complaint filed with the state Department of Community and Economic Development to stop the county from borrowing up to $93.5 million could hold up the project. The amount includes the $20 million total for LCCC. Luzerne County activist Tim Grier, who filed the complaint, said LCCC should have asked the Pennsylvania State Public School Building Authority for a low-interest loan. Then the county could pay back $10 million and the state could kick in its $10 million, without the county having to float a $20 million bond, he said. This authority exists strictly to help community colleges like LCCC with building projects. LCCC bypassed this authority and went straight to the county, Grier said. There was a way cheaper option to go. Leary said he was only recently made aware of the Pennsylvania State Public School Building Authority. He stressed LCCC was following the procedure all community colleges follow, and fulfilled all the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The county has traditionally supported capital projects, Leary said. This is a very ambitious project, but the college followed the protocol which has been established for a long time. This is the funding we are familiar with. No parking zone The biggest blow was the loss of $5.6 million for a parking garage. U.S. Rep Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, re-routed federal transportation funding for the project. City officials now have to steer money away from other projects such as most of a $2.3 million grant meant for paving roads to build the Kanjorski Centers garage. Surface parking near the building is limited. When the Kanjorski Center was fully occupied, the municipal authority ran shuttle buses between it and a parking lot on Lower Broadway. Leary said the college made it clear that in order to move downtown, it needs approximately 375 parking spaces for students and faculty. Main Street businesses also want more parking. Its not a luxury, Leary said. Its a necessity people expect when they come into town. Johnson agreed the parking garage is critical to the project. What LCCC is accepting as a fait accompli (an accomplished fact) is that we provide the parking, he said. We can find another way to do it, but it will be difficult without Kanjorski, municipal authority member Dennis Butler said. We have all the pieces in place, except for him. Kanjorski said lack of the garage should not inhibit LCCCs plans to move forward, a viewpoint contradicted by local officials and himself. On May 10, 2005, Kanjorski wrote in a letter to a former municipal authority chairman: (One) of our top priorities should be the construction of a parking garage to be used by the tenants of the Kanjorski Center and customers for downtown Nanticoke businesses. The language I inserted into the highway bill specifically authorizes use of the funds for a parking garage. Building a parking garage is necessary for the future economic viability of the Kanjorski Center. Yudichak called Kanjorskis idea a parking garage could be built five years down the road preposterous. We have private investors willing to put up their own money in a new restaurant and new commercial space. How do you tell private investors, take a seat on the bench for five years and well see if we can get something for down the road? Yudichak said. How many more years do the hard-working people of Nanticoke have to wait to get help in revitalizing their city? Kanjorski said he took the money away because he heard at a July 2006 public meeting, Nanticokes mayor and council said they didnt want a parking garage. He said he didnt want to see the money lost, noting city officials have a pattern of not using money he obtains for them. That angered city officials, who had frequently stated their intentions of building a garage. They just disagreed with Kanjorski on its size: they wanted to build it smaller. They also wanted a tenant for the center, vacant since October 2005. City officials never said no to the parking garage, never said no to the money, Yudichak said. They said, scale back the parking garage and find us some tenants and some private investment. Nanticoke Councilman James Litchkofski wants an explanation from Kanjorski. Besides Nanticoke being his hometown, we are his constituents. We employ Paul Kanjorski, the taxpayers do. He governs through the consent of the people, not arrogance, Litchkofski said. If he makes decisions that affect the lives of thousands of people, then he needs to get to Nanticoke and tell those people why the money isnt coming. Kamowski is pessimistic about further federal money. If the congressman says we have not been communicating with him, we beg to differ. City officials and Leary have met with Kanjorski, and he told them that the $5.6 million was definitely taken away, and he was going to bring bigger, larger, easier-to-use moneys to the table, he said. The congressman never gave concrete information about where the money would come from. |
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The closing nonprofit Regional Equipment Center gave Concrete City,
located off Front Street in the Hanover section of Nanticoke, to the municipal
authority for a $10 consideration.
Were the proud owners of the deed now, Municipal
Authority Chairman Ron Kamowski said.
The authority is tied up with selling the Kanjorski Center on East
Main Street to Luzerne County Community College for a health sciences center.
Concrete City will be its next focus.
Once the LCCC deal is on its way and moving, we want to look
into turning it into a little upscale residential community, Kamowski
said. We dont want industrial. They would want the land for
free, no taxes, then in 10 years theyd move.
Concrete City, which consists of 39 acres in Hanover Township and
Nanticoke, contained 20 two-family residences built in 1911 by Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western railroads coal division. Homes rented for $8
a month to favored employees of the Truesdale Colliery. Each house is constructed
entirely of poured concrete, which made it unique at the time and
to this day.
Concrete City closed in 1924 when Glen Alden Coal Co., which took
over the development in 1921, balked at putting in a sewer system to replace
the concrete outhouses. The homes still stand, reduced to crumbling concrete
shells adorned with paintball splats, target practice bullet holes and graffiti.
The municipal authority will have to work out what to do with the
concrete houses.
We would definitely like to see one of the structures remain
and be restored as a monument to the area. You dont need six or eight
of them sitting around, Kamowski said.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission designated Concrete
City a historic site and erected a marker in 1998. Because of its status,
municipal authority members were concerned about their ability to sell the
property.
That shouldnt be an issue, a PHMC spokeswoman said.
Concrete City was determined eligible for the National Register of
Historic Places 16 years ago, but it has to be re-evaluated, PHMC public
relations specialist Jane Crawford said in an earlier interview.
The owner can sell this property to anyone, she said,
but cautioned, If a developer, for example, is going to use state
or federal funding and state permits, the Historical and Museum Commission
would review the plan because of this National Register eligibility.
That includes permits from the state Department of Environmental
Protection or the federal Army Corps of Engineers, Crawford said.
The agency (PHMC) works with people in this situation for the
best outcome, she said.
12/23/2007
Nanticoke borrows $300,000
The tax anticipation note will cover expenses until tax revenues start rolling
in.
slong@timesleader.com
The city is borrowing $300,000 as a short-term loan in early January.
City Administrator Kenneth Johnson said the so-called tax anticipation
note is common among municipalities to help them cover daily expenses until
property tax payments and earned income tax revenues start rolling in.
While Nanticoke is still considered an Act 47 financially distressed
city, Johnson said the city is doing better with cash flow since earned
income tax revenues recently started pouring in.
Right now we havent even dipped into the sewer fund.
Were paying payroll. Were paying most of our bills through EIT
(earned income tax), Johnson said. Were doing better.
Im much more optimistic than I was a few weeks ago, he said.
Council members approved accepting the loan from PNC Bank during
the monthly meeting Wednesday night.
Officials tried to get competitive bids from other banks, including
M&T. Johnson said even after a last minute phone call was placed earlier
in the week, M&T never submitted a proposal.
But the city will still see some savings in interest costs because
PNC Bank dropped the interest rate to 3.39 percent from 3.59 percent.
When the fed (federal government) dropped the rate a quarter-of-a-point,
I went back to them (PNC) and said could you reissue a new rate, and they
said sure, Johnson said.
He was unsure of exactly how much money the city would save.
The loan must be repaid by Aug. 31, 2008.
The $250,000 short term loan taken out in July at a 4.34-percent
interest rate from PNC Bank will be paid back by Dec. 31. The city will
pay roughly $5,425 in interest for this years loan.
Johnson said the city has enough money to repay the loan.
12/20/2007
Nanticoke officials hope to settle contracts
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
City officials are anxious to settle contracts for Nanticokes seven
public works employees and six clerical employees so they can be sure the
2008 budget is accurate.
The contracts expire Dec. 31. Kenny James, a 33-year employee of
the public works department, urged council on Wednesday to think of the
little guys in the ongoing negotiations.
The only thing were asking for is, be fair, he
said.
Resident Hank Marks spoke up on their behalf, saying the public works
and clerical employees are loyal, and they arent the problem
police and fire salaries are higher.
James agreed, saying he didnt begrudge the police and fire
departments their contracts, but noted, Were the little guys.
We dont have the power of the union.
Public works employees are represented by the Teamsters Local 401,
police by the Fraternal Order of Police Wyoming Valley Lodge No. 36, and
firefighters by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2655.
The public works department has shrunk from 37 employees when James
started in 1974 to seven today. Employees have gone without raises, new
equipment, and undergone several health insurance provider changes, he said.
James, who also sits on the Greater Nanticoke Area school board,
said he understands the cash-strapped citys position. The teachers
contract expired in August 2005 and negotiations are still in progress.
Nanticokes financial recovery plan, drawn up by the citys
recovery coordinator Pennsylvania Economy League, calls for minimal raises
for clerical employees none the first year of the contract and $800
a year for the second and third. It also calls for employees to share equally
in cost increases to their portion of the health care, vision and dental
insurance the city pays for.
Nanticoke would realize bigger savings by raising doctors visit
and prescription co-payments instead of having a premium share, James said.
Council passed the $4.18 million budget 4-1 on second reading, with
Mayor John Bushko voting no.
Tax collector Al Wytoshek wanted to know whether total real estate
tax is 44 or 44.5 mills. A mill is $1 on every $1,000 assessed valuation.
The city levies 30 mills for general purposes and 0.5 percent for
the Mill Memorial Library. Wytoshek sparred with city officials over whether
the debt service millage is 13.5, as he said, or 14 mills as Johnson and
PEL said.
Debt service millage can only be used for outstanding loans. Last
year the city paid off its 1995 loan and part of its 1998 loan, PEL Executive
Director Gerald Cross said, so council lowered the 29.38 debt service millage
for 2007.
Wytoshek said the county tax bills say 13.5 mills for debt service.
Regardless, Johnson said, the 14 mills was properly advertised and within
the law. Unlike for an increase in general purpose millage, municipalities
dont have to petition county court to raise debt service millage,
a fact confirmed by solicitor William Finnegan.
12/20/2007
Nanticokes 2008 budget includes no new taxes
Council members increased the citys earned income tax to 2 percent
earlier this year.
slong@timesleader.com
Council members approved the 2008 budget of $6.7 million during Wednesday
nights regular meeting.
But residents will be happy to know their taxes are not going up.
At least not right now.
Residents will still pay a 2 percent earned income tax, which was
increased earlier this year.
City officials acknowledged the city might need to raise taxes for
debt services in 2009 because the debt service millage was reduced too much
when council members figured the 2007 budget.
In 2006, the millage set aside for debt service was 30 mills, but
it was reduced more than half to 14 mills for 2007, City Administrator Kenneth
Johnson said.
They were able to drop it because they changed the whole tax
structure of the city with earned income taxes, he said.
But from what my finance director has told me and I
dont do that analysis because that is her job she tells me
that the 14 is actually too low.
He said a former council member suggested lowering the debt services
but council lowered it too much.
The citys property tax rate for 2008 will remain at 44.5 mills,
which Johnson said is the same as this years tax rate, with 30 mills
paying for the general fund, 14 mills paying for debt service and 0.5 mill
paying for the library. A mill is a $1 tax on each $1,000 of assessed property
value.
City Treasurer Al Wytoshek asked if the city could leverage a tax
rate of 44.5 mills without getting approval from a Luzerne Court of Common
Pleas judge.
City Solicitor William Finnegan, Pennsylvania Economy League Executive
Director Gerald Cross and Johnson informed Wytoshek the city only had to
appear before a judge for such a request if the general fund tax rate would
be higher than 30 mills.
Mayor John Bushko was the sole vote against the budget, saying he
felt the funds allocated for attorneys fees were too high. He said
if some of those funds were cut the city could apply more money toward capital
projects to fix the citys roads.
12/15/2007
Teacher strike at GNA averted, for now
By mguydish@timesleader.com
The threat of a teacher strike at Greater Nanticoke Area has ended
at least for the short term according to a union official who credits
the progress made in negotiations this week.
Jane Brubaker, of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said
enough success had been made during Wednesdays negotiations to satisfy
the union and prevent a strike that had been threatened to start as early
as Monday morning. A strike was threatened Dec. 3 when the school board
voted to reject a state fact-finders report that offered a compromise
between the latest offers made by each side.
Frustrated with the pace of talks that have been going on since 2005,
the union had urged the board to reconsider and vote to approve the report.
The union voted to accept the fact-finders report.
By state law, the board had 10 days to do so, which meant a second
vote had to occur by Thursday. Since the union must give a 48-hour notice
before a strike, the earliest a strike would occur would be Dec. 17.
The board made no public attempt to meet for a second vote, but a
negotiation session was held on Wednesday. Brubaker said some progress was
made so there would not be a strike on Monday.
But, she added, There is still a possibility that one will
occur in the future.
Though the contract talks have been largely quiet and out of the
public eye, the fact-finders report revealed the chief sticking points,
including the boards effort to have teachers pay part of their health
insurance premium and a change in tuition reimbursement for teachers who
take additional college courses.
12/13/2007
GNA school board, teachers union make progress
in informal talks
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
The Greater Nanticoke Area school board and teachers union negotiating teams
met informally at the high school Wednesday to talk about the recently released
report from the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board fact-finder.
The school board is not going to re-vote on the report, member Robert
Raineri said.
But he indicated the session, which was just between the teams, without
attorneys present, went fairly well.
Were making a little headway here. We need to tweak a
few health insurance issues, Raineri said. Were looking
at raising their deductibles, trying to find a happy medium.
GNA teachers, without a contract since August 2005, took a strike
authorization vote on March 14. The Greater Nanticoke Area Education Association
could give the district 24-hour notice on Friday and start striking Monday.
Pennsylvania State Education Association spokesman Paul Shemansky
said striking is an option, but suggested it may not be necessary if the
two sides keep on with contract talks.
I think negotiations are going to continue to take place here.
Thats a good thing, Shemansky said. I dont think
theyre too far apart.
Health insurance is one of the main sticking points in negotiations.
The report by fact-finder Robert C. Gifford, Esq., a neutral third-party,
took into account contract proposals from both sides.
GNAEA wants to raise deductibles and co-payments for doctors
visits and prescriptions, saying it would cost the district 2.3 percent
less for a traditional plan and 4.3 percent less for a voluntary Health
Maintenance Organization plan.
The school board wants teachers to pay a premium share in 2007-08
of $10 per paycheck for single coverage, $12 per paycheck for husband-wife
or parent-child coverage, and $15 per paycheck for family coverage. In 2008-09,
teachers would pay 3 percent of their premiums, and in 2009-2010 they would
pay 4 percent.
Gifford sided with the teachers, because their proposal offers
plan design changes that will provide cost savings to the District.
Teachers accepted the fact-finders report on Nov. 29. The board
rejected it on Dec. 3. The board had 10 days starting Dec. 5, when the report
was made public, to re-vote. Under state law, both sides must let each other
and the Pennsylvania Labor Relations board know for a second time whether
or not they accept the report.
12/12/2007
LCCC officials worried
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com and bjarvis@citizensvoice.com
Luzerne County Community College officials are concerned delays in state
approval of Luzerne Countys borrowing plan will hold up new projects
in downtown Nanticoke.
The state approved LCCCs master plan earlier this year, and
Phase I is under way. The college was supposed to get $20 million from a
county bond to help pay for it. The state would reimburse $10 million; the
other $10 million is from the county.
College President Thomas P. Leary is concerned about the potential
loss of the countys $10 million share, as well as the effect a delay
in the funding would have on establishing the expanded programs.
At the LCCC board of trustees Tuesday meeting, members approved
a motion by Dr. Thomas ODonnell to refrain from moving forward until
it was certain money would be readily available.
According to trustee and Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak,
if political activist Tim Grier succeeds in his effort to stop the county
from borrowing up to $93.5 million, it would have a direct impact on LCCC.
Id be lying if I said it would not have an effect on
this college, and not a good one, Skrepenak said. We may have
to default on our payment, which would threaten our ability to secure financing.
Still, Leary and Skrepenak expressed confidence funding would eventually
be secured, although it might have to come from other sources.
Leary said the $20 million would be used for:
Continued construction of the Public Safety Training Institute, for
certification of emergency personnel.
Purchase and renovation of the Kanjorski Center on East Main Street
in Nanticoke into a Health Sciences Center for the nursing, dental hygiene
respiratory therapy, surgical technology and Emergency Medical Services
programs.
Equipment for the culinary arts institute, which the college wants
to create in a leased facility to be built by a private developer at Market
and Main streets in Nanticoke.
The college is still moving ahead with a sale agreement and architectural
plans for the Kanjorski Center, Leary said. LCCC had hoped to occupy the
building by January 2009.
In the worst-case scenario, opening would be pushed back a semester
until fall 2009, Leary said.
It may be that Im optimistic by nature, but I believe
its going to happen. So many people have worked so hard that I cant
see it failing, he said.
The Nanticoke General Municipal Authority, which is responsible for
the Kanjorski Center, had hoped the sale could be consummated quickly. The
authority is broke, and has to borrow $45,000 a year from the financially
distressed city for maintenance and utilities.
Luckily, the weathers been with us, so were not
super-buried in utility costs. But its still an in-the-red proposition,
authority Chairman Ron Kamowski said.
Nanticoke Mayor John Bushko said selling the Kanjorski Center is
the first step in downtown revitalization. Several private investors have
expressed interest in new projects because of LCCCs plans.
Were just going to have to pray for the best, because
thats a must for the whole downtown. Thats the key project,
Bushko said of the sale. I guess were just going to have to
wait and see.
12/11/2007
A mission to clean up Quality Hill Playground
By kziolkowski@citizensvoice.com
During the last 10 years, Quality Hill Playground in Nanticoke gradually
became a center for dumping and teenage mischief. Its easy accessibility
to all terrain vehicles and vandals made it a hot target. But one man came
from behind the curtain to turn the local park into a destination for children
of all ages.
Kenneth Gill, 43, is a Nanticoke resident who has lived approximately
100 feet from the entrance to the park his entire life. When he was younger,
the park was thriving with children, local sports teams and families. The
park always had a constant flow of moving traffic until a few years ago
when the grass on the ball fields grew too high, the rest rooms were vandalized
and the equipment slowly decayed due to age. The local Little League stopped
using the field and all attention turned away from the eyesore.
Gill watched as the once flourishing park began to slowly fall apart
right before his eyes and decided to take action. Since the 1950s and 60s,
a group called the Quality Hill Playground Association was responsible for
the upkeep of the park. Since most members of the group had passed on, Gill
decided to take the reigns as president. Through word of mouth, he was able
to gain more than 20 supporters in a short amount of time to join his quest
in revitalizing the park.
Since joining the association in 2000, Gill has lead his group of
volunteers in removing most of the dumped material from the baseball field,
restoring the restrooms, putting up new basketball and tennis nets, repainting
and replacing equipment, cleaning out buildings and erecting a new sign
in front of the park.
Gill and the association applied to the Lowes Heroes program
for the park. Lowes Heroes volunteer teams are made up of employees
from the local store, representatives from nonprofit organizations and concerned
individuals from the community. The teams work with homeowners, community
groups and schools on safety projects. After reviewing his application,
the group spent two whole days repainting the restrooms, putting a new roof
on the sandbox, repainting the exterior of the buildings and installing
new steel doors on the rest rooms. In the spring, Lowes will return
to install new rest room fixtures.
Recently, Gill and the Quality Hill Playground Association have been
running fundraisers such as selling lottery tickets and comedy club tickets
as well as asking for donations from local businesses. Currently they will
depend mainly on the services of volunteers to clean the park in early April,
when they run their annual Easter Egg Hunt. The association has requested
money from the city, but has been told that there are no funds available
for such projects.
Future plans for the park include cleaning out the largest building
in the park and turning it into a pavilion so families can start to enjoy
the park together.
Gill truly exemplifies the meaning of a local hero. His dedication
to the association and the playground, as well as its surrounding neighbohood
is something to be admired.
12/10/2007
Regionalized police force recommended in draft study
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
Three South Valley communities could benefit by combining their police forces,
according to the draft of a study by a regional police specialist.
For the last year, representatives from Nanticoke City and Newport
and Hanover townships have been meeting with the Pennsylvania Economy League
as part of the South Valley Regional Police feasibility study.
Consultant Bryan D. Ross, retired chief of the Berks-Lehigh Regional
Police Department, drafted a report. It estimates the three communities
could save more than $400,000 and have a better-trained force that is more
efficient and more effective at fighting crime. The new department would
provide 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week coverage, PEL Policy Specialist
Joseph L. Boyle said.
The study recommends at least 29 full-time officers, the total number
in the three communities now: Hanover Township has 16, Nanticoke has 12,
and Newport Township has one. Manpower and salaries would not be decreased,
Hanover Township Commissioner Jeff Lewis pointed out.
Almost everybody would be making close to $50,000. Thats
not bad for a cop in Luzerne County, Boyle said.
The only thing officers are not guaranteed is that they would keep
their rank, he said.
Nanticoke Mayor John Bushko is pessimistic.
It doesnt save you any money at all. Not a dime,
he said. I would like to see it work, but there is no financial gain
for us at all.
The combined department would go with the highest salary of the three,
Hanover Township, he explained. For example, in Nanticoke patrolmen are
paid $40,131 a year, while in Hanover Township they are paid $46,076.
Nanticoke was declared Act 47, or financially distressed, by the
state in May 2006. Nanticokes financial recovery plan, drawn up by
PEL, states, The city shall continue to aggressively explore alternative
policing arrangements with special emphasis on the creation of a possible
regional police commission.
Incoming Nanticoke Councilman Jon Metta said from what hes
seen of the study, combining police departments makes sense.
It probably would save money and provide better overall coverage,
Metta said. We still get a vote on how our money is spent, too.
Opinion on regionalization is divided among Nanticokes 12 full-time
officers, Bushko said. A regional department might be better for career
advancement, because theres not much chance for promotion in Nanticoke,
he said.
The officers in a regionalized department would have better training,
which Bushko said he sees as one of the few advantages.
The three communities are experiencing a rise in criminal activity,
Newport Township Commissioner John Zyla believes. A regional police department
with specialized officers could help solve crimes better, he said.
Am I in favor of it? Absolutely, Zyla said. I think
it would be beneficial to our community ... with the expertise we are going
to get. As long as its affordable.
The regionalization report is only a draft, Lewis emphasized. Officials
from all three municipalities say they want more information before making
any decisions.
Were looking into some different options on how we can
structure it (the regional department), Lewis said.
There will be a public presentation of the study by Ross on Jan.
24 at Luzerne County Community College. During a meeting in February, officials
of the three municipalities will discuss whether they want to take the study
further.
It will be interesting to see if it does pan out, since we
have so many variables, Lewis said.
12/7/2007
Bidder asks GNA to table copier contract
By Elizabeth Skrapits - Citizens Voice
A disgruntled bidder questioned the Greater Nanticoke Area bidding process
Monday, claiming it unfairly favored the current vendor for a copier contract.
District resident Robert M. Hughes, representing Edwards Business
Systems of Scranton, asked the GNA board to postpone voting on bids for
a five-year photocopier lease and maintenance agreement.
The only bidder to receive full specifications was the current vendor,
Topp Business Solutions of Scranton, Hughes alleged.
The other two bidders were not given specific information about the
districts needs, such as what kind of computer network it has, or
whether the bid was for unlimited copies.
This at the very least should be tabled, and the information
given to all bidders, Hughes said. This is not a fair contract
for taxpayers.
The board didnt table the vote, but instead approved a contract
with low bidder Topp. Topp bid $277,500, Edwards bid $297,186 and Xerox
of Wilkes-Barre bid $304,900.
The spec sheet that bidders are given contains a bare minimum of
information. Hughes said he asked for more, but never heard from the district
secretary, and GNAs information technology coordinator said he couldnt
call Hughes from a cell phone inside the school building.
Superintendent Tony Perrone said copier specs were available for
three weeks, but Hughes only came to see him four days before bid deadline.
Perrone said he sent Hughes to the people who generally deal with such matters,
and if Hughes couldnt get to them, he should have told Perrone.
Board member Robert Raineri said after the meeting that he would
investigate the bidding process.
Im going to question how that was done, just for my own
satisfaction, he said. We have to make sure these bids are fair
to everyone.
12/7/2007
GNA negotiating teams reschedule meeting for next week
By Elizabeth Skrapits - Citizens Voice
Greater Nanticoke Area teachers and school board negotiating teams didnt
meet Wednesday as planned, due to weather conditions in Nanticoke, school
board member Robert Raineri said.
The two sides will get together next week instead, to discuss the fact-finders
report, which was released publicly on Wednesday.
The meeting will just be between the negotiating teams, according
to Jane Brubaker, the teachers Pennsylvania State Education Association
representative.
Their solicitor will not be there, I will not be there. Its
just going to be a meeting with local folks, she said.
GNA teachers approved the fact-finders report, but the school
board rejected it. The board now has seven days to reconsider.
State law requires that no less than five and no more than 10 days
after the report is made public, the board and union have to notify each
other whether they accept the report or not.
I hope they can come to an agreement, and the board will realize
this is something that will not cause a tax increase. Its well within
their budget, Brubaker said of the fact-finders recommendations.
With in excess of $8 million in their budget reserves, they are in
excellent financial condition.
GNA teachers have been without a contract since August 2005. The
main issues are health care and salaries.
12/6/2007
Fact-finders report for GNA teachers contract
dispute released with report
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board released the fact-finders report for the Greater Nanticoke Area teachers contract dispute on Wednesday.
Salaries and health insurance have been the main sticking points in
negotiations, ongoing since months before the GNA teachers contract expired
in August 2005.
These two issues are addressed in the fact-finders report, along with
the other four roadblocks: credits earned for a masters degree equivalency,
personal leave, tuition reimbursement and early retirement incentive.
Fact-finder Robert C. Gifford, Esq. sided with the Greater Nanticoke Area
Education Association in the matter of health care. GNAEA asked for a higher
deductible and increased co-payments for doctor visits and prescriptions.
On salaries, Gifford recommended increases somewhat more than the district
proposed, but somewhat less than the union proposed.
If you compare what the fact-finder recommended to other (contract)
settlements in Luzerne County, it is very reasonable, said Jane Brubaker,
the teachers Pennsylvania State Education Association representative.
It is very close to what is average to this area. It does recommend
some cost savings to the district.
This is certainly not something that would need to impact the taxpayers
of the district.
Last week, the teachers accepted the report. On Monday, the GNA school board
rejected it by a vote of 6-1. The two new board members abstained from voting.
Within 10 days after the report is made public, the parties are required
by law to contact the board and each other a second time about whether or
not they accept the fact-finders recommendations.
Weve accepted the report. We will not be changing our vote.
We are asking (the board) to reconsider, Brubaker said.
Teacher and board negotiating teams met Wednesday to discuss the report,
but representatives from both sides could not be reached for comment Wednesday
night.
The board has to wait at least five days before re-voting, Brubaker said.
That window gives the public an opportunity to look at the fact-finders
report and make comments, she said.
If the board stands firm on its decision to reject the report, the teachers
could opt to strike.
That is something the bargaining team will be considering, along with
other options, Brubaker said.
The union took a strike authorization vote on March 14, she said. If the
union gives its 24-hour strike notice on Dec. 14, 10 days after the reports
release, teachers could hit the picket lines as early as Dec. 17, Brubaker
said.
Based on the school calendar, she estimated the strike could last two to
five days, depending on snow days. Once it starts, the state Department
of Education calculates the number of days a strike can last so the district
can get the required 180 days of instruction in by June 15 or the deadline
of June 30.
12/6/2007
GNA contract issues released
Salary, insurance among sticking points
mguydish@timesleader.com
After nearly three years of contract talks that stayed under the public
radar, the problems preventing a teacher contract at Greater Nanticoke Area
are in the open, thanks to a state fact-finder report.
The issues at an impasse: masters degree equivalency,
personal leave, tuition reimbursement, early retirement, salary and health
insurance.
The contract expired in August 2005, but the two sides started negotiations
months earlier. The talks garnered scant public attention until Monday when
the school board voted to reject the report. The union had accepted the
report, and has threatened to strike if the board doesnt reverse its
decision.
By law, the board can do so within 10 days of the first vote.
The union asked for fact-finding, a nonbinding process offered by the Pennsylvania
Labor Relations Board, and both sides met with Fact Finder Robert C. Gifford
informally on Nov. 8, followed by a formal hearing Nov. 13. Gifford issued
his report Nov. 26, outlining the position of both sides and recommending
an option in each case.
Masters equivalency: The board essentially wants to eliminate this,
requiring teachers to earn an actual masters degree, rather than the
equivalent number of credits, before they get incentives currently granted.
The change would only apply to those hired after Feb. 21, 2007. The union
wants to maintain the status quo. Gifford proposes maintaining the status
quo.
Personal leave: Teachers get two days per school year with several limitations,
including a buyout at $20 per day at the end of the school year. Teachers
also have the option to convert unused personal days to sick days. The union
wants to change the contract to allow accumulation of up to five personal
days as personal leave. The district contends this would allow
teachers to change personal days into a vacation. Gifford recommends keeping
the status quo.
Tuition reimbursement: The district wants to eliminate reimbursement for
courses taken beyond a masters equivalency, and to keep
the current reimbursement maximum of $130 per credit. The district also
wants teachers who receive reimbursements to remain employed by the district
for three years afterward, or to repay some or all of the reimbursement,
depending on when they leave. The union wants reimbursement increased to
$155 per credit, and to loosen restrictions on eligible online courses.
Gifford proposes increasing reimbursement to $140 per credit and requiring
repayment of all the money if the teacher leaves the district within a year
and half the amount if the teacher leaves in the second year.
Early retirement: The union proposes a number of changes to the existing
system that eliminate some age requirements, alter deadlines and change
retiree health-care coverage. The district opposes the changes, and notes
that the old contract expressly said the entire early retirement offer expired
with that contract. Gifford proposes keeping the system in place with fewer
and more modest changes than the union suggests.
Salary: The union proposes raises that would increase total base payroll
by nearly $1.4 million over five years, with average raises of 4.32 percent
the first year, and 4.09 percent, 3.58 percent, 3.43 percent and 3.25 percent
the following years. The union pointed out that the district has increased
the surplus steadily to more than $5.6 million. The district proposed a
total payroll increase of a bit more than $1 million, with the annual raises
averaging 3.02 percent, 2.87 percent, 2.79 percent, 2.68 percent and 2.55
percent.
Gifford proposes annual raises starting at an average of 3.51 percent the
first year and 3.4 percent, 3.11 percent, 3.03 percent and 3 percent the
following years.
Health insurance: The union proposes a variety of changes in coverage
excluding sharing in premium costs which it claims will result in
savings between 2.3 percent and 4.3 percent depending on the plans chosen
by teachers. The district proposes teachers pay 3 percent of their premium
in 2008-09 and 4 percent the following year. The district notes total insurance
costs have risen between 111 percent and 200 percent since the 1999-2000
school year, depending on which coverage plan you look at.
Gifford proposes adopting the unions changes.
Read the report:
http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/lib/landi/plrb/fact_finding/greater_nanticoke_area_sd__psea.pdf
12/06/2007
Nanticoke council passes first reading of budget
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
City council passed the 2008 budget 4-1 during a first reading Wednesday
night. Mayor John Bushko was the only no vote.
The $4.18 million balanced budget doesnt call for tax or fee
increases. Earned income tax remains at 2 percent, with 0.5 percent for
Greater Nanticoke Area school district. The real estate tax remains at 44.5
mills 30 for general city purposes, 14 for paying back debt, and
0.5 for the Mill Memorial Library. A mill is $1 on every $1,000 of assessed
value.
The only changes to the budget were in police overtime, which was
reduced from $60,000 to $30,000, and firefighters overtime, which
was reduced from $40,000 to $20,000. City officials also added $5,000 for
Nanticokes recreation committee when Councilman Joe Dougherty pointed
out there was nothing in the budget for the newly recreated entity.
The second and final reading of the budget will be Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.
In other business, council:
Appointed Joseph R. Aliciene & Co. to conduct audits for 2007,
2008, and 2009. Dougherty and Bushko voted no because they believed
J.P. Mazzoni, who performed the audit in previous years, should have a chance
to re-apply.
Requests for proposals were sent to eight accounting firms, but Mazzoni
said he never got his, city fiscal manager Holly Quinn said.
Debated and ultimately tabled a resolution for the state Department
of Agriculture to perform health inspections. Dougherty said the city would
lose $4,000 a year by giving up the inspections. Councilman Brent Makarczyk
asked for a performance review of the current health inspector, Margaret
Brezny.
Nanticoke Redevelopment Authority member Chester Beggs told council
there are 11 properties incorrectly listed as belonging to the authority
that taxes havent been paid on for 30 years. They were sold to private
owners who built homes on them, Beggs said. Tax collector Al Wytoshek said
he would follow up on it with the Luzerne County tax assessors office.
12/6/2007
Nanticoke mayor disagrees with budget
slong@timesleader.com
Council approved the first reading of a $4.18 million budget for 2008
Wednesday night. No tax hike is planned.
Mayor John Bushko was the sole vote against the budget. He said there
were several line items with which he didnt agree.
There is nothing in there for capital improvements, Bushko
said. The 100,000 for lawyers is way over budget. I would say you
could cut that in half.
Nanticoke Recreation Board member Jim Samselski asked if money would
be allocated for the recreation board because nothing appeared on the currently
proposed budget.
Councilman Joe Dougherty said the issue had been brought to councils
attention and money would be allocated to the board.
Council must adopt a budget by Dec. 31 but can revise it as late
as February because a new council member, Jon Metta, will be sworn into
office next month.
Council also hired a new certified accountant to handle the citys
audits.
Joe Mazzoni, a licensed certified public accountant from Dallas,
served as the citys auditor for five years, Bushko said.
City workers sent out eight proposals seeking bids for an auditor,
but only Joseph R. Aliciene & Co. of Pittston submitted a formal bid,
city administrator Ken Johnson said.
Another company called inquiring about the offer but never submitted
anything in writing, Johnson said, noting Aliciene came in to meet with
him and discuss what work the city needed completed. The post office did
not return any of the proposals, Johnson said.
Mazzoni said he never received a proposal packet in the mail. Bushko
asked if the decision to hire an accountant could be tabled to allow Mazzoni
more time to submit his paperwork.
But in a 3 to 2 vote, with Bushko and Dougherty voting against, Alicienes
company was hired to a three-year contract with the city to serve as the
citys accountant.
I just wanted him to have the opportunity to bid on it,
Bushko said. I believe it was sent. Things happen in the mail you
dont know.
Aliciene will be responsible for conducting the citys 2007,
2008 and 2009 audit.
Alicienes firm handles the audits for the City of Pittston
and Nanticoke School Board, Johnson said.
Council approved a resolution allowing a liquor license to be transferred
to Robert Hagenbaugh, who plans to open a restaurant at 396 E. Washington
St.
12/5/2007
Nanticoke school strike could occur Dec. 17
Teachers union is waiting to see if school board changes its mind on a fact-finders
report on contract.
By mguydish@timesleader.com
A teachers strike in Greater Nanticoke Area School District could come
as early as Dec. 17, union lead negotiator Jane Brubaker said.
The union members voted unanimously last school year to authorize
a strike, meaning the negotiating team can call for a strike whenever it
feels it is necessary. The only legal requirement is to give the district
48 hours notice.
Union President Deborah Zaborney warned the district Monday night
that a strike was likely after the school board voted 6-1 with two abstentions
to reject a fact-finder report that the union had accepted. The Times Leader
had incorrectly reported the vote was 8-1, but new board members Tony Prushinski
and Frank Vandermark Jr. abstained.
Theyve been negotiating for three years, and I know the
report just came out, Prushinski said Tuesday, adding that he had
seen the report but did not get a chance to scrutinize it closely before
he was sworn in as a board member Monday. I didnt think it would
be fair to anyone to make a judgment without knowing more.
The union contract expired August 2005.
There are a number of tentative agreements that were reached
on some issues, Brubaker said, but a few major sticking points stalled
the process, prompting the union to request that both sides submit to state
fact-finding. It can be requested by either party and its usually
used when youve reached a point where youve got to change the
dynamics to move the parties forward.
A fact-finding hearing was held Nov. 13. Before that, the last negotiating
session had been Sept. 26, Brubaker said. When the report was issued, both
sides had 10 days to accept or reject it.
The union approved it, contending it was fair and that the district
could afford it without a tax increase. Now that the board has rejected
it, both sides have 10 days to reconsider their votes. If nothing changes,
the process is over.
Brubaker said the union is waiting the 10 days to see if the board
reconsiders its vote before deciding whether to call a strike. That would
mean a strike wont happen until Dec. 17 at the earliest.
The fact-finding report becomes public record after either side rejects
it and officially notifies the state Labor Relations Board, which oversees
the process. Department of Labor spokesman Christopher Manlove said the
notification came late Tuesday afternoon and that the report would probably
be available this morning.
12/5/2007
Kitchen fire damages Nanticoke home; no one is injured
Times Leader staff
A pot of boiling oil left unattended resulted in a structure fire Tuesday
night.
The fire at 269 Mountain View Drive sparked at about 9 p.m. No one
was injured by the fire and the family was not displaced.
It was a kitchen fire. It started on the stove: unintentional,
Nanticoke Fire Chief Mike Bohan said.
Bohan said the kitchen is pretty well destroyed but that
the rest of the first floor of the home received mostly smoke and water
damage.
12/4/2007
Nanticoke steps closer to strike
By Elizabeth Skrapits - CVoice
Greater Nanticoke Area teachers could be the next in the county to go on
strike, depending on what happens in the next 10 days.
The school board voted 6-1 with two abstentions on Monday to reject the
fact-finders report, which is drawn up by a neutral third party based
on contract proposals from both sides. Greater Nanticoke Area Education
Association members voted last Thursday to accept the report.
Now that the board has turned the report down, it has 10 days to reconsider
and take a re-vote.
Its time now to meet in the middle and find a compromise thats
fair to all, GNAEA President Barbara Zaborney told the board after
the vote. If you dont reconsider
the next step in an impasse
resolution is a strike. The choice is yours.
New board members Tony Prushinski and Frank Vandermark, freshly sworn in
by Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker, abstained from voting on
the report.
Jeff Kozlofski, just re-appointed as board president, was the sole yes vote.
His vote drew cheers and applause from the more than 200 people, mostly
teachers and supporters, who partly filled the high school auditorium.
The six board members who voted against the report did so because they had
to accept it as a whole, board vice president Ken James said.
They apparently didnt agree with parts of it. The fact-finders
report will most likely be made public after the Pennsylvania Labor Relations
Board is notified of the boards decision, said Robert Raineri, a member
of the school boards negotiating committee. Until then, he couldnt
discuss the reports specifics.
Zaborney said the fact finders recommendation was for a five-year
contract. However, Greater Nanticoke Area teachers have been without a contract
since August 2005.
We will be back at the bargaining table two years from now. Just two
years, Zaborney said.
Health insurance and salaries are main sticking points, as they are in the
two other Luzerne County districts without a contract, Lake-Lehman and Northwest
Area. Both of those teachers associations held brief strikes in June,
and Lake-Lehman teachers returned to the classroom Nov. 9 after a second,
19-day strike.
Greater Nanticoke Area teachers were willing to make changes and compromises
for the fact-finders report, said Jane Brubaker, the teachers
Pennsylvania State Education Association representative. The recommendations
in the report would not require a tax increase to fund, she said.
The teachers union will wait to see what the board does during the
next 10 days and make plans accordingly, Brubaker said.
After the meeting, Kozlofski urged the two sides negotiating teams
to sit down together just to talk. Raineri said the boards negotiating
team has requested a meeting with the teachers, which will most likely take
place this week.
Kozlofski is optimistic.
In my opinion, theyre getting together, theyre
going to negotiate, theyre going to settle this, he said.
12/4/2007
For Acker, a smooth road from GNA to St. Joes
Bill Arsenault - Times Leader
It didnt take long for Sarah Acker to get adjusted to womens
major college basketball.
The 6-foot-3 center from Nanticoke Area has played in all six games
and started five for St. Joseph, which is 4-2 after a 65-58 victory against
Manhattan on Sunday.
Acker played 22 minutes and finished with six points, five rebounds,
three blocks and two assists.
On the season, Acker is averaging 26.7 minutes. Shes second
on the team in scoring (10.7 ppg.) and leads in rebounds (9.0) and blocked
shots (nine).
Sarah has been a great addition to our team, coach Cindy
Griffin said. Her size and ability to rebound have meant the most
to us thus far. She is becoming a steady offensive threat around the basket,
as well.
Griffin doesnt see Acker slowing down as the season progresses.
We expect Sarah to continue to improve her off hand and her
understanding of post defense and compete with some of the best post players
in the country, Griffin said.
12/4/2007
Teacher strike threatened in Nanticoke
Ralph Nardone - Times Leader
Greater Nanticoke Area teachers threatened a strike at Monday nights
school board meeting.
What prompted the threat was the boards refusal to accept a
state-appointed fact-finders report presented to them, which outlined
recommendations to alleviate a contract impasse.
The voted 8 to 1 against acceptance of the report.
The specific details of the recommendations were not available.
The union did not set a strike date, but Barbara Zaborney, president
of the Greater Nanticoke Area Educators Association, told the board
the fact-finders recommendations are more than reasonable
and said a strike will happen at an opportune time. She would
not elaborate.
Nanticoke teachers have been working without a contract since August
2005, according to Jane Brubaker of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
Zaborney said the recommendation did not require any tax increases
for the district. She added the education association membership voted overwhelmingly
to accept the recommendations even though they included significant compromises.
We are an important part of the school district, Zaborney
said. We are professional educators offering the best possible education
for the residents and taxpayers.
She added the teachers helped the district in the past when money
was tight, agreeing to wage freezes and other concessions. However, she
noted the board promised them their sacrifices would be remembered.
That time is now, she said.
Board president Jeff Kozlofski, who cast the only vote to accept
the fact-finders report, said he thinks it is a fair deal for
both the district and the teachers.
Nobody wins if there is a strike, Kozlofski said. The
biggest losers are the district students, he added. However, without accepting
the unions offer, essentially the whole negotiation process is back
to square one.
Kenny James, vice president of the school board, stressed the board
wants a fair contract for the teachers.
He pointed out the district is one of the poorest in Luzerne County
and whatever agreement is made has to work for the community as a
whole.
12/3/2007
Difficult financial decisions in Nanticokes future
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
Nanticokes budget and financial recovery plan dont call for
laying off employees.
But in the future, as costs go up while the financially distressed
citys income stays the same, council and Mayor John Bushko might have
to make difficult personnel decisions.
At present, layoffs are a remote possibility, Councilman
James Litchkofski said.
Councilman Bernie Norieka says expenses are already reduced to bare
bones, so personnel is the only major place left to cut costs.
Out of every dollar the city takes in, 75 cents goes for salary and
benefits particularly in the police and fire departments a
sizeable chunk of the budget, he said. Council should look at personnel
reduction, whether it means freezing hires, through attrition, or layoffs,
Norieka said.
Police and fire personnel cant be laid off under their contracts,
which are up for negotiation next year. Clerical staff and public works
department employees could be cut. Their contracts expire at the end of
this year and currently are under negotiation.
The public works department, at seven men, is already understaffed,
Litchkofski said. As soon as their contract is settled, the city can start
subcontracting out services such as pothole patching to save money and free
the men up for other work, he said.
Nanticokes $4.18 million 2008 budget is balanced, and does
not contain any fee increases or new tax hikes. Residents already pay an
earned income tax of 2 percent, twice the normal rate, because of the citys
distressed status.
The higher income tax will help the city for a while, but Pennsylvania
Economy League representatives predict that within five years, expenses
will overtake revenues. As with household budgets, costs for necessities,
including utilities and health insurance, go up, but the amount of money
coming in stays about the same.
During a budget discussion last week with representatives from the
PEL, Nanticokes financial recovery coordinators, Norieka asked if
cutting two of the citys six clerical employees would help. There
are two in the tax office, one collecting refuse fees, two in the economic
development office, and one in the police department. PEL Executive Director
Gerald Cross said laying off two employees only saves $50,000.
Bushko strongly opposes the idea. Clerical salaries range from $19,000
to around $28,000, making them the lowest-paid employees in the city, he
said.
Besides, the city really only pays for three of the six, he said.
Greater Nanticoke Area pays one tax office workers salary; one community
development salary is paid for through federal Office of Community Development
funds, and refuse fees cover their collectors salary, Bushko said.
Although it costs the city $17,000 for one Blue Cross/Blue Shield
family plan, three of the six clerical workers take buyouts. They get $2,000
from the city, Bushko said.
He doesnt think raising the buyout to $4,000 while making the
other employees pay $50 to $100 per paycheck toward their health insurance
premiums will save the city money.
Incoming Councilman Jon Metta said he couldnt tell what the
future will hold. Good contracts should help prevent layoffs, as well as
monitoring overtime and following the recovery plan, he said.
12/3/2007
Nanticoke worker hours at issue
Councilman wants clerical staff to join other city employees in working
a regular eight-hour day.
slong@timesleader.com
Some city officials want to ensure all employees work a standard eight-hour
day.
The citys financial recovery plan adopted by council last December
requires all full-time city employees work at least 35 hours per week.
Most of the citys employees do work eight hours a day with
a paid lunch, but not all.
Nanticokes six clerical employees are considered full-time
employees. They work 30 hours a week and receive city-paid health insurance
benefits, accrued sick leave, two weeks of paid vacation time and 22 paid
holidays.
The six women work 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a paid hour for lunch in
the citys refuse department, tax collection office, community development
and police department.
Councilman Bernie Norieka wants them to work a standard work day,
just as he said they would in a private sector job. Thats an additional
hour a day per employee, he said.
If they dont like it they can go look in the private
sector and they will see there are no other benefits, Norieka said.
He said he knows he is not popular right now with employees, but
he said he is representing the taxpayers. Somebody has got to take
a stance and we have to get the city back on its feet.
He said the city needs to find ways to cut costs, but it appears
that can only be done by looking at personnel costs.
Seventy-five cents out of every dollar goes to pay employees
salaries and benefits, said Norieka, who was appointed to council
in April after former councilman Bill OMalley resigned.
He wants to improve the efficiency of the office staff by increasing
the hours and realigning staff to help the code enforcement department.
With the office staff working longer hours, more paperwork and city
functions will run smoother by maybe realigning some of the office staff
into other departments, including code enforcement, Norieka said.
Incoming councilman Jon Metta, who will replace Norieka on council,
said he believes the city needs to follow the recovery plan because it cant
afford not to.
It is very tight. We cant go out of the plan, he
said.
Although he wont be sworn in until January, Metta has attended
nearly every public City Council meeting and workshop to keep abreast of
the citys issues. As a councilman, he will oversee the citys
finance department.
Supporters of the clerical staff, including Mayor John Bushko and
city treasurer and tax collector Al Wytoshek, said its not the workers
fault that they work fewer hours than other city employees. Bushko has served
on council for 14 years.
Wytoshek, a former council member, said former administrations offered
the employees perks when the city couldnt always offer a pay raise
during contract talks. Its not the girls fault they got
all the benefits because we were looking to pacify them cause we knew
we didnt have the money to pay them extra.
City administrator Ken Johnson said the salaries range from about
$19,000 to $30,000, plus benefits.
Johnson is actively negotiating with the clerical staffs union
officials, but no determination has been reached regarding additional salary
compensation or the exact working hours.
Morale concerns
Worried about staff morale, Johnson said he respects the workers
because he knows they work hard and didnt ask for these additional
perks.
The perks, he said, were granted through contracts with previous
administrations.
Jim Murphy, an agent for Teamsters Local 401, which represent the
citys street department and clerical personnel, declined to comment
Sunday because of ongoing negotiations.
Bushko and Wytoshek believe the office staff should be compensated
appropriately for the additional hours they are being asked to work.
I dont think anybody should have to work an extra hour
without extra pay, Bushko said.
The recovery plan does not provide for a pay raise in the first year
of a new contract. It does provide an $800 pay raise during the second and
third years of a contract. The contract ended last year, but it was extended
for a year with no pay increase. So they have worked one year already without
a pay increase.
If the city does agree to increase the clerical workers salaries,
it must also be approved by the citys financial advisors, the Pennsylvania
Economy League and the state.
Any proposed settlement would be reviewed to determine its
effect on the city and its budget, said Jerry Cross, PEL executive
director.
Johnson said he just wants to ensure the municipal building is open
the necessary hours to be more convenient for Nanticoke citizens needing
to pay their bills.
The function of city government is to provide services,
Johnson said.
The more convenient we can make those services, the better
it is for the citizens of Nanticoke.
Whats next
What: Nanticoke City Council meeting
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Municipal building, 15 E. Ridge St.
11/29/2007
Nanticoke Area Notes
By Pam Urbanski
K.M. Smith Elementary School institutes Pre-K Counts
program
Pennsylvania has made great strides in serving young children through
early childhood initiatives such as the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program.
Established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the program
gives children an opportunity to get a head start in the classroom. Seventy-five
million dollars was made available to Pennsylvania school districts for
the program.
Diane Klish, director of the Family Center in Nanticoke, wrote the
grant for the Nanticoke program and was fortunate to receive it. Nanticoke
Area is just one of six schools in the county that was awarded the funding.
In Pennsylvania, the push is on to initiate early learning standards.
All schools are really trying to standardize their kindergarten
programs so that when a child enters kindergarten, no matter where in Pennsylvania,
the student is expected to know certain skills and learn certain academics,
Klish said.
Were really excited about this new program. It gives
our youngest children an opportunity to get ready for the kindergarten classroom,
she said.
Klish said that, at first, the emphasis is placed on socialization.
We teach our children many things including how to get in line, how
to take turns, how to treat their classmates and teachers with respect and
empathy, she said.
Continuing, she said, In addition to socialization, children
learn important skills such as holding a pencil and scissors correctly,
cutting, colors, how to spell their first and last names and more.
The Pre-K Counts program is housed in the K.M. Smith Elementary Center.
There is one teacher and an aide. The program runs five days a week and
children go to class two and a half days a week. Parents can chose from
two different times: morning sessions are from 8:20 to 11:05 a.m. and afternoon
sessions are from 11:40 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. The program is free.
For more information or to enroll your child in the program, call
the school at 735-3740.
Tax rebate period ends
Nanticoke City Tax Collector A.J. Wytoshek announced the rebate period
for 2007 school taxes and school per capita taxes has ended.
Taxes are payable Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and
1 to 4 p.m. at the tax office in the Nanticoke City Municipal Building.
Mail-in payments will not be accepted by postmark. Nanticoke City property
and city per capita taxes are now in penalty value, which ends Dec. 15.
Anyone needing assistance or an appointment should call 735-2800.
Santa is coming to town
Santa Claus will make a stop in Nanticoke on Sunday, Dec. 9. The
Santa parade will start at 1 p.m. at the Nanticoke Area High School and
finish at Patriot Park where the Christmas festivities will be held.
There will be horse and buggy rides and sounds of the season will
be provided by the Greater Nanticoke Area choir. There also will be fun
activities, surprises and, of course, a gift from Santa.
The event is sponsored by Nanticoke Civic Pride.
Basketball bus trip set
The Nanticoke Recreation Board is sponsoring a basketball trip to
see former Nanticoke Area High School standout Sarah Acker play on the college
level. Sarah plays for St. Josephs University. The game is Sunday,
Feb. 24. St. Josephs will play George Washington University. The buses
will leave from the Nanticoke Area High School parking lot at a time to
be announced. Cost is $20 per person or $25 per person if you would like
a T-shirt. Reservations must be made by calling Mike at 735-7421 or Jim
at 735-8108. Reservations are due by Feb. 15.
11/28/2007
Nanticoke officials launch cost-cutting effort
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
City officials, aided by financial advisers, went hunting for ways to trim
next years expenses.
They discovered their cost-cutting options are limited, and even
laying off city employees wont help.
Council, Mayor John Bushko, city administration and representatives
from the Pennsylvania Economy League, Nanticokes financial recovery
coordinator, met Tuesday to go over the $4.18 million 2008 budget. The city
is having a hard time meeting expenses in 2007, which cuts into next years
budget.
The city raised its share of earned income tax from 0.5 percent to
1.5 percent this year, but money didnt come in as anticipated, and
neither did real estate tax. PEL expected county-wide reassessment to take
place by 2008 instead of being postponed, research associate Harry Miller
said.
In addition, higher health insurance costs a 15 percent rate
increase instead of 10 percent and spending more than planned on
a city administrator and for legal fees helped bust the budget.
The citys main expenses are for police and fire departments,
but their contracts have minimum staffing levels that must be met, Miller
said. Councilman Bernie Norieka suggested laying off the refuse money collector
and an employee from the tax office.
That would only save about $50,000, PEL Executive Director Gerald
Cross said. Instead, Miller suggested clerical employees duties be
shifted to the public works department and code enforcement office.
The officials decided to slash overtime in half. Police overtime
will be reduced from $60,000 to $30,000 and firefighters from $40,000
to $20,000.
Since changes to the budget are minimal, the city wont have
to re-advertise it. Council plans its second vote on the budget during the
regular meeting Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.
11/23/2007
Nanticoke takes action to smooth Kanjorski Center
transition
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
The Nanticoke General Municipal Authority board voted to take over the Kanjorski
Center from the Nanticoke Redevelopment Authority, in hopes it will pave
the way for an easier sale to Luzerne County Community College
LCCC wants to buy the Kanjorski Center to turn it into a health sciences
center. Transferring the property from the redevelopment authority to the
municipal authority would streamline the sale process because the college
will only have to deal with one entity, the municipal authoritys solicitor
Joseph Lach said.
When the Kanjorski Center was about to be built, a September 1993
agreement among the city and both authorities gave each of the three parties
a specific role in the creation of the office building.
The citys role was to obtain the grants and other funding to
construct the center, then sign the money over to the municipal authority.
The municipal authority had charge of developing, constructing, leasing
and managing the office building, which was to have Travelers Insurance
Co. as its first tenant.
The redevelopment authority was tasked with acquiring parcels of
land on East Main Street and putting them together to form the development
area for the center. The redevelopment authority then held the deed to the
property.
The 1993 agreement gives the municipal authority the option to purchase
the property from the redevelopment authority at any time for $10, with
written notice of its intention. The redevelopment authority then has 30
days to transfer the deed to the municipal authority.
Redevelopment authority board member Steve Buchinski, who sat in
on the municipal authority meeting, said his boards solicitor, Susan
Maza, would have to interpret the agreement. However, Lach said he believed
the agreement was very straightforward.
In my personal opinion, not only is it legal, but it make sense,
Lach said.
Besides streamlining the sale, in a city with a population of under
10,000 and limited resources, it doesnt make sense to have responsibilities
for the downtown projects spread out in different directions, Lach said.
It seems unreasonably cumbersome to have all these different
groups trying to get something done, he said.
Municipal authority board member Dennis Butler wants city officials
and the municipal and redevelopment authority boards to continue to work
together on their common goal: the sale of the Kanjorski Center and related
downtown revitalization projects.
11/21/2007
Rates dip for health trust schools
Costs will drop next year and probably for next 2 or 3 years.
guydish@timesleader.com
While theres no dollar figures attached yet, members of the Northeast
Pennsylvania School District Health Trust will see their health insurance
rates drop not only this coming year, but also probably for the next two
or three years.
Add to that what has become an annual habit of giving members one-month
without paying premiums equivalent to another 8.5 percent decrease
and the Trust is finally providing the kind of taxpayer savings promised
when it was formed in 1999, Executive Director Andrew Marko said.
Next years rates will be, on average, 4.1 percent less than this year,
Marko said, the biggest rate reduction in the Trusts history and the
third in a row. While it wont be certain until sometime next year,
members will also likely get one month free of premiums. Much of the savings
are possible because of a hefty surplus of about $12 million and a constant
search for ways to save more, Marko said.
Its a sharp change from the early, turbulent years of the Trust marked
by double-digit increases and multimillion-dollar deficits.
The goal of the trust has always been to bring stability to districts
without interfering with benefits, and we have reached that goal,
Marko said. We expect to maintain this level for two or three years
at least.
The Trust was formed by 10 school districts, two vocational-technical schools
and the Luzerne Intermediate Unit, but Dallas and Pittston Area school districts
withdrew this summer, claiming they could save more money on their own.
Five months later, the Trust announced the changes in insurance premiums
each member will pay this year, and all but one saw decreases ranging from
1.5 percent to 7.8 percent.
While the Trust initially planned to spread costs evenly among districts
and set a single rate for all, that plan was scuttled early, and each gets
a slightly different premium, so each has a slightly different change in
the premium annually.
Marko said Tunkhannock Area will see a 0.5 percent increase while the rest
will see the following decreases: Hanover Area, 6.4 percent; Lake-Lehman,
3.8 percent; LIU, 5.3 percent; Greater Nanticoke Area,
4.4 percent; Northwest Area, 7.8 percent; West Side Vo-Tech, 2.9
percent; Wilkes-Barre Area, 1.5 percent; Wilkes-Barre Area Vo-Tech, 2.5
percent; Wyoming Area 7.6 percent; and Wyoming Valley West, 7.6 percent.
Marko said that, barring some major change, members can also expect
one month without a premium, which amounts to several hundred thousand dollars
for most.
We expect to maintain stability, with zero increases or even
decreases for the next three or four years, Marko said.
11/16/2007
GNA board OKs plan for school improvement
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
Greater Nanticoke Area School Board approved a plan Thursday for Nanticoke
High Schools second year of state-mandated school improvement.
To comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law, students take
the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests to determine their reading
and math abilities. Districts must make adequate yearly progress goals in
test participation and school attendance.
Nanticoke High Schools problem is with reading proficiency
in economically disadvantaged and special education students, according
to the Department of Education.
As part of the plan, teachers will use the states Adopt
an Anchor program, Superintendent Anthony Perrone said. It enables
teachers to align their curriculum with PSSA standards to help prepare students
for the tests.
Principals will do classroom walk-ins each day to see how the teachers
are doing, Perrone said. The principals will submit weekly reports.
Im happy we have a plan and are moving forward,
board member Pattie Bieski said.
She thanked federal funds coordinator Michael Pawlik for his work.
Greater Nanticoke Areas Educational Center and Elementary Center
received warnings from the state for test performance. The problems concern
reading and math for special education students at the educational center
and reading for special education students at the elementary center.
In other business, board member Robert Raineri said teachers contract
negotiations are in the fact-finding process, where a neutral third party
looks at both sides proposals and makes recommendations.
It should end Nov. 26, after which the teachers union and school
board will have 10 days to vote on the fact-finders report, Raineri
said. He expects the board to vote during the Dec. 3 meeting.
Greater Nanticoke Area teachers have been without a contract since
June 2005. Health insurance and salary increases are main sticking points
Hank Marks of the Greater Nanticoke Area Taxpayers Association said
most full-time teachers dont know how well they have it.
Theyre well-paid, have top-shelf benefits, and only work
180 days a year, Marks said.
He also noted, Our education is not very good as far as test
scores are concerned, which provoked a few indignant noises from the
audience.
11/16/2007
GNA random drug testing policy gets initial approval
slong@timesleader.com
The Greater Nanticoke Area School Board approved the first reading of
a random drug-testing policy during its meeting on Thursday.
At the request of district officials, state troopers used drug-trained
sniffing dogs to inspect the high school on Oct. 13 while the building was
in lock-down. There were no drugs of any kind found, Superintendent
Tony Perrone said.
Specifics of how the entire drug-testing policy will work and how
often the testing will be conducted are still being ironed out, but Perrone
said the district will use a private medical lab to conduct the testing.
We are trying to make this a drug-free school zone, he
said. It will just be athletes now, but eventually it will be extracurricular
also.
Parents must sign a waiver to allow for the testing or their child
wont be allowed to participate on the districts sports teams.
Students on prescription medication would not be subject to penalties
that would be enforced on students who test positive for illegal substances,
Perrone said.
Officials also approved the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
improvement plan.
The plan, which is required to be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department
of Education, describes the districts testing standards and what activities
it will use to help students improve their standardized test scores.
School board member Patricia Bieski said the district has a long
way to go to improve the scores, but at least it is now moving in the right
direction.
I am glad we are not just talking anymore and are moving forward
to improve the PSSA scores, she said.
Further details of the plan were not available.
11/15/2007
Nanticoke Redevelopment Authority stops short of approving
contract with architectural firm
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
The redevelopment authority board postponed voting to approve a contract
with architectural and planning firm Facility Design & Development Ltd.
for downtown improvements, saying they want more answers.
The contract is for streetscaping Main and North Market streets, including
new sidewalks, streetlights, parking, planters and benches. It would follow
recommendations in the strategic plan the Scranton-based architectural and
planning firm prepared for Nanticoke and unveiled in April 2006.
The streetscaping is part of an overall plan for downtown redevelopment,
the cornerstone of which is the sale of the redevelopment authorityowned
Kanjorski Center on East Main Street to Luzerne County Community College
for a health sciences center.
LCCC also wants a culinary arts center constructed on the site of the city-owned
senior center at Market and Main
streets. Since city and state officials expect the projects to bring millions
of dollars in private investment downtown, they want to give its main streets
a new look.
Municipal authority Chairman Ron Kamowski signed off on the contract with
Facility Design & Development at the authority's Oct. 22 meeting.
The redevelopment authority met two days later, but members wanted to wait
until city council voiced its support and authority solicitor Susan Maza
checked over the contract. Council gave the OK on Nov. 7.
The redevelopment authority wanted a few items in the contract changed or
clarified. Redevelopment authority Chairman Chester Beggs called for a joint
meeting with the municipal authority.
"I don't want to sign anything and have more money problems,"
he said.
The other members agreed. They would like a representative of Facility Design
& Development to be present at the upcoming meeting.
The authority's main question was how much the project will cost. The firm's
fees
would be 10 percent of the budget, based on available funds, the contract
states. Maza said the wording was vague. She said the board should be given
a specific budget amount with a breakdown showing how it could be used.
The $15,000 Facility Design & Development would receive on signing the
contract is already covered.
State Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, did not attend the meeting, but said
earlier the municipal authority had received a $100,000 grant for professional
services related to the downtown projects. The grant can cover architectural
fees, legal fees, site preparation, the appraisals, and anything else needed
to get things ready, he said.
But funding for the project itself is still being worked out.
U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, DNanticoke, took away $5.6 million federal transportation
funding from the redevelopment authority The money was for streetscaping
and a parking garage for the Kanjorski Center.
11/15/2007
Nanticoke officials gear up for contract talks
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com
To stay on budget and follow the financial recovery plan, city officials
will have to gear up for tough contract negotiations next year, including
taking away some employee perks.
"Act 47 is not a bed of roses, and it's not a cure-all," Gerald
Cross, executive director of Nanticoke's financial recovery coordinator
Pennsylvania Economy League, told council. "The responsibility still
rests with the city fathers."
Under state Act 47, the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, distressed
municipalities like Nanticoke have to pass a balanced budget for three straight
years. The $4,183,677 budget for 2008 that council and Mayor John Bushko
passed in preliminary form on Wednesday is balanced.
"This is the first reading and numbers could change," Bushko said.
Revenue is mainly from earned income tax, increased last year from 1 percent
to 2 percent, with 0.5 percent going to the Greater Nanticoke Area School
District.
The biggest hike in expenditures is $110,000 for legal fees, up from $20,657
in the 2007 budget. Bushko thought the amount was excessive.
But Joseph Boyle, PEL policy specialist, said the city chose the amount
to plan for labor lawyers' fees, with four employee contracts expiring.
The clerical staff and public works contracts, which expire Dec. 31, are
in negotiations, and talks will start next year for police and fire contracts,
up Dec. 31, 2008.
Personnel expenses make up 75 percent to 80 percent of the budget, PEL research
associate Harry Miller said.
Labor costs got the city in financial trouble in the first place, Miller
said. Nanticoke's financial recovery plan calls for extensive changes to
new contracts that will save the city money.
The subject of the six members of the clerical staff was particularly thorny.
Clerical salaries are in the "low $20,000s," fiscal manager Holly
Quinn said.
But clerical staff get benefits fully paid by the city - health insurance
is approximately $17,000 a year per person - 22 paid days off, two weeks
of vacation, several sick days a year and pensions, Councilman Bernie Norieka
said.
In addition, clerical staff work six-hour days. The recovery plan calls
for them to work an eight-hour day, with one hour paid lunchtime.
It isn't fair for them to have their hours increased, with only an $800
a year raise allowed them by the recovery plan, tax collector Albert Wytoshek
believes.
They should have been working seven hours a day all along, Norieka said.
Bushko, agreeing with Wytoshek that $800 wasn't much, said the staff signed
on for six hours.
Cross said most people in Nanticoke earn less than $50,000 a year. He pointed
out that residents wouldn't like paying higher income taxes so city employees
could have higher salaries and benefits.
"Poll the citizens of Nanticoke next time you're out, and see how they
feel about the working conditions (in city hall)," Cross said.
"That'll fly like a lead balloon," Wytoshek admitted.
Bushko requested another meeting to go over the budget line by line. He
hopes to cut expenditures, he said.
"Unless you're willing to talk personnel reduction or benefit reduction,
there's not much we can do," Miller said.
11/15/2007
Nanticoke rolls out '09 budget
slong@timesleader.com
The financially distressed city currently in Act 47 status got its first
glimpse at the 2008 budget during a specially called meeting Wednesday night.
The $4.18 million budget is a 23.3 percent increase over the 2007 general
fund budget of $3.38 million.
The 2008 budget does not include any higher taxes, sewer or refuse fees.
But there is also no plan to fund capital improvements, which frustrated
Mayor John Bushko, who has been actively seeking to get the roads and sewer
lines fixed.
Higher health care costs, repayment of state loans and labor benefits under
current union contracts account for the largest increases in the budget.
Medical insurance costs rose 14.7 percent for 2008, City Administrator Kenneth
Johnson said. The city pays 100 percent of the costs for full-timers and
their families.
A series of no-interest loans scheduled for payback to the state next year
were expenses, which could not be put off, also increased the 2008 budget.
A $200,000 loan and a $70,000 payment on the 10-year, no-interest loan from
2006 must be paid next year, Johnson said.
The police department's budget increases $161,694 and the fire department
budget increases $281,183 over the next year due to "significant wage
increases under the current bargaining agreements," Johnson said.
Bushko proposed going line by line to review each department.
"Unless you are willing to talk labor, benefits and the number of employees
reduction you won't reduce the budget tremendously, and some you can't touch
because you are under budget contracts," said Henry Miller, a senior
research associate for the Pennsylvania Economy League.
Taxes were raised earlier this year when the city adopted a commuter tax
of 1.33 percent and raised the earned income tax to 2 percent. Luzerne County
Court of Common Pleas Mark Ciavarella on Tuesday approved the city's request
to maintain the new tax rate approved in the spring.
The city expected to receive $1.7 million this year by increasing the income
tax in late spring, but as of Sept. 30 only $580,673 had come in.
Johnson and PEL officials believe most of those 2007 taxes, an estimated
$736,667, will come in next year by April 15.
Johnson and PEL think an additional $1.02 million will be generated from
the higher taxes in 2008.
The city council is hoping to pass the budget by Dec. 19.
11/13/2007
Need for appraisal questioned
slong@timesleader.com
An appraisal of the exterior of the Kanjorski Center will be conducted
within the next two weeks in an effort to keep the downtown renovation project
on track. The building, owned by the Nanticoke Municipal Authority, is part
of a plan to move some Luzerne County Community College programs into the
heart of the city.
The Kanjorski Center appraisal is expected to cost $3,000, according
to Ron Kamowski, authority chairman.
Other city-owned structures, including the Senior Citizen Center,
which also may be purchased by LCCC, will be appraised at a later date,
state Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke said .
Kamowski would not release the names of the other sites because the
authority hasnt decided which properties should be appraised, he said.
A $100,000 state community revitalization grant will pay for appraisals
and other behind-the-scenes work, including legal fees, and will be used
to acquire properties needed to proceed with the three-pronged, $21 million
project, Yudichak said.
LCCC wants to move its health sciences program into the Kanjorski
Center and its culinary arts program into the Senior Citizens Center by
2009.
A private restaurant developer, yet to be named, has expressed interest
in working with the culinary arts center by opening a restaurant in downtown
Nanticoke.
The federal Economic Development Administration requires an appraisal
on the Kanjorski Centers outer shell to determine the buildings
value before it can be sold to the college.
We need an appraisal to determine the monies owed to the EDA,
Kamowski said.
Results from the appraisal are expected to be presented to the authority
in about two weeks.
Nanticoke City Administrator Kenneth Johnson doesnt see the
need for an appraisal since the property is being transferred from the municipal
authority to the community college.
Its not the cost that bothers me. Whats the appraisal
for? Why do they want an appraisal? Johnson said. We are going
to be transferring this to LCCC, another public entity.
When the Kanjorski Center was constructed 13 years ago, the federal
EDA paid $1.8 million toward the total cost.
The money was provided with the stipulation that at least a portion
of the original funds be repaid to the EDA if the building is sold within
20 years, Kamowski said.
An interior appraisal will not be conducted because the college is
expected to spend $6 million on renovations that would make it suitable
to house the health sciences program with dental labs, faculty offices and
classrooms.
U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, said hes working with
the EDA office to reduce the buildings cost so LCCC can purchase it
at a reasonable cost.
We are trying to get a waiver or reduce the amount, Kanjorski
said, noting he would assist LCCC to help it qualify to buy the building.
He said he is planning to meet with the economic development officials
after the appraisal is complete.
Earlier this year, Kanjorski rerouted a $5.6 million federal allocation
from the Nanticoke project to the Hotel Sterling in Wilkes-Barre and another
project in Lackawanna County. He said he feared the 11th Congressional District
would lose the funding because Nanticoke officials were taking too long
to complete the deal.
City council members Brent Makarczyk and James Litchofski insist
the $5.6 million still belongs to Nanticoke.
City, county and school officials have made numerous requests to
Kanjorski to redirect the money to Nanticoke and the municipal authority.
Makarczyk and Litchofski said they believe the appraisal is a smokescreen
being used by Kanjorski to keep the federal money away from his hometown.
Its even been brought up that it could be a delay tactic
until the bill gets passed and the money be removed from our possession,
Makarczyk said.
Kanjorski said he is working to find additional funds for the project.
Its not the cost that bothers me. Whats the appraisal
for? Why do they want an appraisal?
Kenneth Johnson
Nanticoke City Administrator
11/13/2007
Schools gang up on staph
Institutions stress hygiene to combat drug-resistant infections.
mvough@timesleader.com
After two school districts reported cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus, local schools are taking measures to prevent students, faculty and
staff from becoming infected. Cases have been confirmed in the Wyoming Area
and Wilkes-Barre Area school districts.
Most are trying to prevent infection through education. Some are sending
home informational letters and good-hygiene tips to parents and educating
their employees on the spread of the bacteria. One local university recently
installed automatic hand sanitizers in the dining hall.
MRSA is a bacterial infection that is resistant to certain antibiotics,
but it can be treated. The elderly are most prone to the infection because
of weak immune systems, but anyone can become infected. The infection is
generally spread through direct contact. If someone has an open wound, the
bacterium is able to penetrate the skin, causing the infection, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When the students from the Wilkes-Barre Area School District contracted
the infection, Andrew Kuhl, director of secondary curriculum, said officials
informed parents.
Superintendent Jeffrey Namey sent parents an eight-page letter that explained
what happened and included information about the disease, its symptoms and
instructions on how to stay protected and how to keep areas clean, Kuhl
said.|
Employees were briefed on the disease.
Meetings were held for all faculty and they were given the same type
of information the parents received for their use for their particular building,
Kuhl said.
Younger students were taught how to properly wash their hands, Kuhl said.
The nurses had the kids sing their ABCs while washing their hands
so they knew they properly washed their hands long enough.
At Kistler Elementary School, where one case was reported, district officials
sanitized the building.
We are doing that in all of our buildings, Kuhl said. Our
staff has been taking precautions right along. I feel we were well-prepared.
There have been no reports of MRSA in the Greater
Nanticoke Area School District but officials are taking precautions. We
have not had any issues, which is good, said Sandy Najaka, registered
nurse at the high school. We are using disinfectants and wiping down
tables, desks, gym equipment and things like that.
Nanticoke administration sent letters
to parents, telling them there have been no MRSA cases in the district,
Najaka said.
We told parents to make sure they
teach their children basic hygiene such as covering their mouth when they
cough, washing their hands, not taking drinks or eating other peoples
food. Common-sense things, she said.
The school has a hygiene education program
that teaches the younger children about general hygiene and discusses communicable
diseases with the older students.
Nanticoke Webdesign note: Go to www.gnasd.com
to read letter.
Misericordia University had a quick response, too,
according to Charlotte Slocum, director of student health services.
She said the school placed automatic hand sanitizers in the dining
hall and added more in the health center and weight rooms.
Misericordia is discouraging students from sharing razors or soaps
and suggests students wash their bed sheets and laundry frequently. If they
become sick, they are encouraged to visit the health center immediately,
Slocum said.
Wilkes University is using MRSA as an educational tool.
It is important to note that weve taken this national
news of MRSA and staph infections as an educational opportunity by informing
our students and staff about the signs and symptoms and how to prevent it,
said Christine Seitzinger, associate director of marketing communications.
A four-page document of information regarding MRSA was sent to all
students on campus, she said.
Little People Day Care School Inc., Wilkes-Barre, has always followed
a strict cleaning regimen, said director Christine Lupcho.
Weve been doing what weve been doing, and so far,
so good, she said. Our toys are always cleaned, usually a couple
times a week. We have cleaning people come in every night. We follow our
state regulations; we have to keep everything really clean to begin with,
which weve been doing.
Signs and Symptoms
How to Stay Healthy
Red bumps such as pimples or boils
Deep, painful abscesses or pus-filled lesions
If a wound is not healing even with the use of treatment,
contact a physician immediately.
If not treated, these wounds can cause infections in bones,
joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs, which
can become life threatening.
Take daily showers
Continually wash hands throughout the day
Keep open wounds properly covered until healed
Do not share food or drinks with other people
Sanitize toys that may be shared among more than one child
Sanitize commonly touched areas around the home
Athletes should shower immediately after practice or a game
Information collected from the Pennsylvania Department of Health
and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
11/13/2007
Same but different
Former Ships Inn now Maps
By Ron Bartizekrbartizek@timesleader.com
The nautical theme remains, but everything else about the former Ships
Inn restaurant has been given an upgrade at the new Maps that opened
in mid-October.
Nanticoke is a town of traditions, said owner Pam Hardesty,
in explaining the continued seafaring decorations that include maps on the
wall. But dont think thats the origin of the name Maps
also is the possessive of Pam backwards.
We flipped it around, Hardesty, 45, said, and it worked
right out.
The once-popular spot has been spruced up inside and out, she said. Hardesty
bought the building that had been closed for two years, then got to work.
Weve completely remodeled everything, with new booths,
new carpeting, all new lighting, fresh paint and a new canvas awning,
she said. With 50 seats, its cozy.
The restaurant has a full bar and liquor license. That will come in handy
for manager Joy Kelly, who Hardesty said is known for her signature perfect
Manhattan. Kelly, a family friend, has catered private parties in the region
for many years.
Co-owner Tosha Hardesty, Pams daughter, will be in the kitchen. From
the Nanticoke High School class of 2000, she is a graduate of the Culinary
Institute of America and was most recently a sous-chef at Skytop Lodge in
the Poconos.
She wanted to bring her skills back to the community, Pam Hardesty
said.
The menu will be fine dining, Amer