First Posted: 5/11/2015

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — Resident Bob Mitchell questioned the supervisors regarding the Edella Road bridge project at the May 11 meeting and asked when it is scheduled to be complete. Supervisors were unable to give an answer, as it is a PennDOT project and the department has yet to announce a final plan.

Mitchell also suggested to the supervisors a senior discount be given on future sewer bills. He said he does not believe it fair that seniors be required to pay the same amount as large families who use the services more.

“I’m a senior, living by myself, and I don’t use that sewer plant hardly at all, because I’m very seldom home,” he said. “But these bigger families with four kids in them and things like that, that toilet is probably going like a slot machine.”

Supervisor Mark Dougherty said the sewer costs are not up to the board, but rather the Abington Regional Wastewater Authority (ARWA). He suggested Mitchell attend one of the ARWA meetings, which are held at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month on the second floor of the Chinchilla fire house.

Abington Community Library Trustee and Treasurer Paul Keeler presented the library board’s report for the year and thanked the township for its yearly contribution.

He informed the board that the library is the second highest in circulation in the county, next to Albright Memorial Library, and has 70 to 80 percent of the amount of staff the Scranton library employs. He said the Abington library has the most resources utilized out of any library in the county.

Keeler added the building, which has a generator, also serves as a place of relief during natural disasters.

“In Hurricane Sandy, for example, the library was a place for people to recharge their electronic devices, come in and brush their teeth in our restrooms,” he said. “And a lot of people utilized it just to come in and have a snack and recharge.”

Township resident Seth Blakiewicz, a Boy Scout in Troop 160, also visited the meeting, seeking to fulfill requirements for his Citizenship in the Community badge. The Abington Heights Middle School student stood and introduced himself to the board and Supervisor Giles Stanton gave him a brief explanation of the various roles of those present, inviting him to raise his hand, should he have any questions during the meeting.

Several votes were made, all unanimous:

• The board voted to hire Jeffrey L. Spagna as for a full time police position. Spagna has served part-time in the department since 2010.

• A vote was made to hire the same seasonal employees as last year, as all three are again available: Robert Bauman, Joseph Dolan and Justin Brown.

• The supervisors voted to put the 2015 paving projects out to bid.

• They made a vote to give notice to the current business tenant at the township-owned property on 535 Northern Blvd., for the purpose of eventually selling the property. They also voted to hire Canton Real Estate to appraise the property, both with and without the building, should it be torn down.

• They voted to sign the Portnoff Agreement for the collection of delinquent sewer bills.

The next regular meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, June 8.