DALTON — At the Feb. 13 borough council meeting, Councilman Albert Propst said in his safety and grants report he is looking for a grant writer for the borough after speaking with a member of Factoryville, which has been writing a lot of grants for its parks and properties. Propst mentioned he is looking into putting a grant committee together and council president Bill Brandt agreed with the idea. Solicitor Frank Block and new council member James Fitzpatrick agreed to contribute in obtaining grants.
“That’s great because I don’t want Dalton to miss it,” said Propst. “Things get older. They fall apart and there’s grants out there. The money’s just sitting there. Dalton could definitely use a lift of some of that.”
Also in his report, Propst mentioned that Dalton received 22 entries for the “welcome” sign contest. He said the council has chosen a design presented by Jess Gard to be placed on the westbound and eastbound lanes of Route 6 & 11 but he still has to see if the sign company will be able to replicate it.
“We got quotes back,” he said. “They look good. They fit right into the budget. We also pick a little bit of style of the sign.”
• In his public relations report, Propst announced he is working with an association of boroughs to update Dalton’s website.
“They (association) have an unbelievable package for $350,” he said. “And we’re going to go with them.”
Propst said the association of boroughs subsidizes the expensive costs and makes it affordable for boroughs to have the infrastructure.
“Hopefully, over the next month, the website will be different (and) better,” he said.
• In his mayor’s report, Aaron Holzman said some people expressed interest in putting their own money into revitalizing the downtown area of Dalton.
“The borough is willing to work with them to get grants to help fix up the sods of the buildings,” he said.
• In his solicitor’s report, Bolock mentioned the trail easement of Countryside Conservancy has been finalized and recorded.
• In old business, Councilwoman Elizabeth Bonczar said during the last ACOG (Abington Council of Governments) meeting Feb. 6, Joyce Hatala, Benton Twp. representative, spoke about hoping to get the towns interested in conserving the beauty of the area. Bonczar also said the concept of sharing equipment among the boroughs was discussed in the meeting. She mentioned each borough should receive one free wi-fi and one free television hookup and that the Dalton Municipal Building is entitled to a free wi-fi and television hookup at no charge. The council members said it’s worth looking into.
• In new business, Props said Gregory Palaskas, a member of the planning commission, filmed and edited a video featuring Dalton residents at Platt Park. He said the video was submitted for a show on HGTV called “Hometown Takeover,” a show that revitalizes the facades of downtown areas, including replacing porches, sidings and doors.
“We made a video,” said Propst. “We got it all put together, and we got it submitted with about six hours to spare before the cutoff. We’re now in a waiting game along with probably 400 other towns across the nation that want to be included in that.”
Propst also mentioned that, during the spring, he will look into making and installing trails which are connected from the Novak property to Streamside Park.
