Montrose id’s trees for removal

BY PAT FARNELLI, Correspondent

The Montrose Borough Street Department, with the help of retired forester Jim Kessler, has identified 39 trees throughout the borough which are dead, or will be dead within five years.

Council will be recommending a tree service company which will provide the best prices to residents. If you are interested in having a tree cut down, and would
like to have a quote for that service or more information, please
visit the website montroseborough.com; or call the office at
(570)278-2442 Ext. 3.

Ken DiPhillips said that 80 percent of the designated trees are ash, and will require total removal.

A letter will be sent out to property owners whose trees have been identified, asking them if they want to be included in the project. The property owner can keep the felled tree to cut up for firewood, or it can be hauled away and residents can come to the dump and cut up the trees at their own
risk.

A form is available on the website which can be returned by mail, fax, email, or by dropping off at the borough office. About seven contractors have expressed an interest in removing these trees.

By the end of October, the first load of trees should be moved to the firewood area at the dump.

On a related note, about seven trees in the triangular corner lot before the borough building will be cut down, along with a lot of brush. The lot is now the property of the borough, and a “Welcome to Montrose” sign will  eventually be erected on the parcel, after these improvements are made.

Council President Sean Granahan noted that there has been an influx of new residents
in and out of the borough, and there are no means of telling who the “one-percent” Earned Income Tax taxpayers are. “We miss a lot of renters,” he said. It was noted that Berkheimer Associates has been doing a good job of identifying and collecting from these residents.

Montrose Police Dept. Cpl. Andrew Genneken and Patrolwoman Briana Hollenbeck are organizing a “Fill the Cruiser” event to benefit the True Friends Animal Welfare Center.

The goal is to raise funds and collect pet food and other items for the shelter and to help foster a positive image for the police department in the community. A date in September is still to be determined.

The “Fill the Cruiser” will be conducted in the parking lot of Ray’s ShurSave located in the Lake Montrose Plaza. Officers and others will volunteer their time to participate, so that the borough will be covered during the event.

“Our goal is to fill the cruiser with donations that will be presented
to True Friends afterward,” Genneken said.

True Friends has a wish list of items that they need, and a shopping list can be provided to store customers who wish to participate. While pet food is always needed, the shelter also is in need of cleaning supplies like bleach, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes. If citizens would rather make a monetary donation, this would be accepted as well.

A representative from Endless Mountains Heath Center attended the meeting to promote the upcoming “Women Helping Women” breast cancer screening event scheduled for the month of October at the hospital. The event is sponsored by the WHW fund at the Community Foundation, and partners with Cabot Oil & Gas and EMHS. Breast cancer screenings are made available at a reduced rate, and anyone wishing to sponsor a screening can contact the Foundation for information.

Women can register for a screening at EMHS for $200, which will be paid with funds raised for
50 women. In addition, co-pay costs can be helped with, for those with medical insurance. Women can register for a screening by calling Valerie Brewer at (570)278-3801 ext. 1120.

A member of the Montrose Cross Country Booster Club attended the meeting to request the use of Memorial Park for a fundraising event. The park will be used for individuals and/or families to run or walk laps around the track, on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6, 13, and 20.

Harford resident, Jim Shuster, introduced himself to council. He is looking to open a business next to Binghamton Optical in the former Interfaith buildings. It will be known as “Two Dogz and a Guy Brewing,” and he is hoping to open in November. He has been making beer and wines for more than 10 years and holds a brewing license.

The council will be penning a letter to the Susquehanna County Commissioners in regards to their letter regarding input from municipalities on the extent they would like the county to adopt ordinances. The request or input is part of the county’s work to update its comprehensive plan.

The council recognized the Montrose Municipal Authority for 2017. According to the audit notes, the MMA settled a case with Bridgewater Township. It was also noted that Bridgewater residents will be asked to pay an additional $35 per month increase.

These residents are already paying $85 per month, it was noted. The township had asked for a rate study, and this rate increase is a result of that study.

It was reported that JHA Companies has been certified to do commercial code enforcement, and can
be contracted for this service by the borough.