First Posted: 2/21/2014
After years of meeting inside the Dalton Fire Hall, the Dalton Council had their meeting at the old Penn Star Bank building for the first time on Feb. 19.
Board president Gus Vlassis listed suggestions to the board members about renovating the inside of the Main St. building.
“We need to go out and get more furniture for us to hold meetings and to have a working operation,” Vlassis said. “If any of you have any ideas of where we can go, where the best place to go, what kind of furniture you are thinking of, we need to get our heads together on that one.”
The board must decide on a name for the building. Vlassis asked board members to write their own suggestions on a piece of paper, and give them to secretary Jo Ann Davies.
“We might have a consensus here of what the name will be,” he said.
A painting, which currently hangs on one of the building’s walls, was also discussed. According to Vlassis, it was loaned to Dalton Council by resident Dottie Metz and her family.
“It’s a picture that was given to her (Dottie) when she left the bank (where she worked),” he said.
Vlassis said the picture will continue to be a property of Metz and her heirs and will remain hanging in the building. In the event where the Dalton Council no longer wishes to hang the picture or if Metz dies, Vlassis said the picture will be returned to Metz’s heirs. The board voted to accept the picture as a loan.
Vlassis then asked the board to bring the tile mosaic, which was made by Lackawanna Trail elementary students, from the Dalton Public Library. He suggested hanging the mosaic on the building’s wall.
“It’s a picture of a station, a conductor, and a train in a big mosaic form,” he said.
The voted to hang the mosaic in the building.
Board member Bill Montgomery announced bids from local carpet stores for a 28-ounce rug to put on the building’s floor.
“We have two bids at this point and several in-person bids,” he said.
According to Montgomery, one bid was from the Dalton Carpet Company ($2,720) and another was from Connelly’s Home Improvement ($3,640). The in-person bids were from Lowe’s and Home Depot.
The board voted to choose the Dalton Carpet Company.
In other business, Vlassis went through a sheet of committees prepared by Montgomery.
“What I like to see done by each committee is a set of bullet points with goals and objectives,” he said. “What kind of things are necessary or what the committee should be working on.”
Vlassis also told board members they should be as transparent as possible.
“Whenever possible, we should communicate with each other,” he said. “If you’re going to send an e-mail to me, send it to everybody.”