Snow removal concern, bill brought to council

Montrose Borough Council heard from a downtown business owner at the Monday, Jan. 8 meeting. The owner is displeased with snow removal along Church Street.
Jim Shuster, of 2 Dogz & a Guy Brewing, said PennDOT did not plow parking spaces in front of his store.
PennDOT had been contacted regarding the matter, the borough secretary reported, and said a vehicle had been parked in that area during plowing.
Shuster disputed that account, and told council that if PennDOT was not going to plow, then the borough was responsible, and handed council an invoice for snow removal.
Borough street department supervisor Ken DiPhillips said, “I’ve been doing this for 28 years, they always plow curb-to-curb. Are you sure no cars were parked there?”
Shuster threatened to bring a suit against the borough and the state and told council he was considering pulling his business out of the town at the end of his lease.
Council reappointed Marion O’Malley as the solicitor in the organizational meeting.
But O’Malley has been named by Susquehanna County President Judge Jason Legg to take over the district attorney’s post in an order issued Jan. 5. (see related story on page 1).
So council voted to advertise for a new solicitor and is accepting letters of interest from qualified attorneys.
Sean Granahan was re-elected as president of council.
Council will begin looking at the International Property Maintenance Code and determining which of its provisions it would like to adopt.
The borough is also entering into a month-to-month lease for the public to have access to the parking lot adjacent to the former Lee’s Furniture store on Church Street. The borough will pay $50 per month and maintain the lot after several area business owners expressed concern regarding lack of accessible parking for their shops as well as for caregivers seeing clients at the Montrose Square apartment building.
Councilman Craig Reimel, an owner of that property, abstained from the vote.
Following an executive session, borough employees received salary increases and council voted to advertise for police.