Two drivers crash into Hop Bottom Boro property

BY PAT FARNELLI

Hop Bottom Borough Council dealt with two different cases of accidental damage to borough property at the November meeting Tuesday night.

First, a driver who hit the town hall building recently, causing some damage to the structure which is currently under renovations,  had his day in court on Nov. 2. The judge’s decision was in favor of the borough, reported Hop Bottom mayor Paul Henry.

Next, a young man who swerved his vehicle to avoid a deer hit the borough’s recently completed flood control concrete work, and his insurance is being billed to cover the damages.

A resident informed the council about safety issues on Greenwood Street in the area of the Lutheran church and preschool. She said that she attended a recent open house at the school with her disabled young son, and had difficulty walking home with the traffic, darkness and lack of sidewalk along the road. She wanted the board to check and see if the borough’s sidewalk ordinance applied to this part of the neighborhood.

Mayor Paul Henry said that he checked the various sidewalk ordinances, but that they were designed for the in-town area, not the outskirts.

As the child is a special needs youngster in a wheelchair, the parent needed to travel mainly on the road shoulder, as there are only a few spots with any sidewalk in that area. Council members said they would see what they could do.

The new flood plain maps have been received, which arrived in about the right amount of time, according to borough secretary Deb Norton.

The police report included six issued citations, one missing person, three background checks and five assists to other police departments or agencies.

Regarding the budget, Norton included documents to review, both for written numbers and for a line item breakdown. She explained that the new budget format actually brings in the two capital fund revenues, Impact fee funds and liquid fuels. The estimated impact fee based on what got this year, knowing there was more activity this year. Snow plowing actually cost more than what we had in liquid fuels.

A budget in the amount of $121,633 was accepted with the notion that it would be advertised and voted on at its December meeting. There was also a motion to advertise a zoning ordinance to be in compliance with Act 13.