COAL TOWNSHIP - Township commissioners have less than a month to fill the seat of now ex-commissioner Jerry Waugh.
Waugh, 40, of 30 Wilson Ave., Coal Township, submitted his letter of resignation to the board last month. It was officially accepted during Thursday's commissioner's meeting.
Solicitor Vince Rovito said the board had 30 days upon acceptance of the resignation to fill his seat. However, since Waugh's term ends in December and since the November general election is approaching, the board may not fill the seat at all.
The township's vacancy board can make a recommendation for a replacement, Rovito said.
Waugh was appointed to the board of commissioners in 2010 to fill a vacancy created by the death of Albert Santor. He ran unopposed for a two-year term in the 2011 general election and was seeking re-election this November. It's unclear if he has pulled out of the race.
Waugh's resignation letter was submitted days after he was charged with summary harassment and disorderly conduct related to a domestic incident Aug. 17 outside a Sunbury-area bar/restaurant. However, he said the charges had nothing to do with his leaving the board and that he chose to vacate his seat to spend more time with his family.
Commissioner George Zalar on Thursday thanked Waugh for his service on the township board, specifically in the realm of recreation.
"Jerry was doing a real good job with recreation and he was very aggressive with it," said Craig Fetterman, board president.
Reading's donation
Reading Anthracite made good Thursday on a promise to Coal Township.
Richard Morgan, the coal company's head of security, presented township commissioners with a $5,000 check. It was the first of five $5,000 donations the company has pledged to the township over a five-year period.
The funding is expected to be used toward purchases of equipment for the township police department.
It's a result of improved relations between Coal Township and Reading Anthracite. There had long been little relationship to speak of because township officials were frustrated with off-road vehicles being driven on company land and taxpayer funds used to respond to accidents and police incidents on the private property.
Reading Anthracite has since sought Coal Township's assistance in increasing enforcement on their property and, in turn, pledged the donations to offset the burden of the costs of emergency responses.
Grant money
Coal Township has been awarded a $350,000 federal HOME grant to make renovations to 14 owner-occupied homes in the township's eastern end including Ranshaw, Marshalton, Springfield, Excelsior, Coal Run and Saigon.
Any homeowner in the township's eastern end interested in the program can pick up applications at the township municipal building, 805 W. Lynn St.
The commissioners voted to approve a 2013 Community Development Block Grant application to state Department of Community and Economic Development. The township expects to receive $129,309, up from $127,727 received for the 2012 program.
The 2013 CDBG budget is as follows:
- $58,517 for street improvements in Ranshaw, Webster Street between Sixth and Railroad streets;
- $35,792 for demolition of blighted properties;
- $25,000 to leverage the aforementioned HOME grant;
- $10,000 for grant administration.
Karen Parish, a grant consultant of Mullin and Lonergan, Camp Hill, repeated what has often been said over the past several years about the CDBG program: Expect less money next year.
She said the House of Representatives hopes to cut program funding in half, and the president supports minor cuts. The Senate opposes the cuts, she said.
CDBG is an entitlement program, with money awarded to pre-approved communities for revitalization projects, economic development and infrastructure improvements. There is pressure to turn CDBG into a strictly competitive program, Parish said, erasing entitlements that guarantee money annually to communities like Coal Township and Shamokin.
"That would be a mess. You would never see any money for street improvements," Parish said, saying projects for housing and sewage would likely be scored higher that street paving.
The City of Shamokin receives approximately $300,000 as it is a third class city. Coal Township is a first class township and receives less, Parish said.
A multi-million grant application for CDBG-Disaster Recovery Assistance has been submitted and reviewed by the state, Township Manager Rob Slaby said.
Slaby said grant officials have already reached out with follow-up questions about the township's proposal. He expects to learn within the next two months if the application has been approved.
The funding will be used to make improvements to the channels of Quaker Run and Shamokin Creek toward preventing flooding in Ranshaw and Tharptown.
Coal Township did learn it has been approved for two other grants: $39,350 for the police department to combat underage drinking and $20,720 in recycling performance funding. For the former, commissioners thanked Patrolman Joshua Wynn who wrote the grant application. For the latter, commissioners encouraged businesses to submit recycling tonnage receipts that can be used to bolster their annual weights in the hopes of receiving more funding in 2014.
Grant funding opportunities are continually being explored for Lower Anthracite Regional Recreation Committee's project on Trevorton Road. The group is looking to develop a recreation area with athletic fields and walking trails near Mountain View nursing home. Commissioner Gene Welsh said it would cost "hundreds of thousands."
LARRC is also working to develop four additional soccer fields in addition to the one already established in Ranshaw. Welsh said the area will be seeded this fall and should be available for use next year.
The committee is hosting a performance by Dueling Pianos International as a fundraiser. The event will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. Sept. 28 at Brady Fire Co. Cost is $25 and includes food and drink. Tickets can be purchased at Coal Township Municipal Building, 805 W. Lynn St., and Brady Fire Co.