CLARKS SUMMIT — Recycling Chair Bob Bennett announced during a council meeting April 5 that Clarks Summit Borough will hold its Shred Fest event from 9 a.m. to noon April 22 at Clarks Summit Elementary School.

Four boxes per person will be accepted free of charge, but donations will be accepted. If enough funds are raised, a light will be purchased for the Pocket Park on Depot Street.

According to Bennett, J.P. Mascaro & Sons has volunteered to cover the cost of $450 for the shredder. He added the borough also received donations of $100 from Gerrity’s and Summit Cigar to help offset the cost for the purchase of signs used to promote the event.

Jamie Kresge, of Earl Street, addressed council with concerns regarding trash, including couches, mattresses and chairs, that has been on the curb of a emptied estate for four weeks on the corner of Summit Avenue and Earl Street.

According to borough manager Virginia Kehoe, code enforcement officer Lori Harris reached out to the executor of the estate who is trying to make arrangements to have a hauling company take the trash away.

Borough president Gerrie Carey announced Harris will leave her position this month.

According to Kehoe, Harris works four hours per week in Clarks Green and 22 1/2, on average, in Clarks Summit.

Police Chief Chris Yarns announced the department received a $1,700 Buckle Up Pennsylvania grant for enforcement during daytime and evening hours May 15 to June 4. The project, funded through PennDOT, is dedicated to raising seat belt usage through increased enforcement, public awareness and education.

Kehoe plans to write letters of recognition from council to the Department of Public Works (DPW) staff for their hard work during the blizzard in March.

“I think (Clarks Summit) set an example for other communities to follow,” she said.

Mayor Herman Johnson echoed Kehoe’s sentiments on the job done by everyone involved with snow removal.

“I would like to thank every department that assisted with the snow emergency,” Johnson said. “It was a lot harder to clean up than people realize. It was coming down so fast that we had to stockpile it, then haul it away. The fire department, police department, DPW, borough manager’s office and emergency management department all worked very well together.”

Grant Committee Chair Dave Jenkins reported the borough received a $200,000 Small Streams Grant through the Department of Environmental Protection for the remediation of sewers. Borough officials also applied for a $197,400 grant for creek restoration and a $74,030 grant for pervious paving.

“We’re very grateful to Senator John Blake and State Representative Sid Michaels Kavulich,” Carey said. “They really look out for Clarks Summit.”

In other business:

• Members of the council plan to vote on the hiring of two DPW positions and one part-time police officer during the May 3 regular meeting.

• Members of the council voted, 6-1, to sign the PennDOT Agility Agreement. The program provides a method for municipalities and other partners to work together through agreements where services are exchanged for other services.

• Members of the council voted, 6-0, to approve a three-year agreement with the Clarks Summit Fire Company, upon approval of the borough’s solicitor.

http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_shredder-779850_960_720.jpg.optimal.jpg

By Robert Tomkavage

rtomkavage@timesleader.com

Reach Robert Tomkavage at 570-704-3941 or on Twitter @rtomkavage.