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1 SCRANTON CITY COUNCIL MEETING
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3
4
5 Held:
6 Thursday, July 13, 2006
7
8
9 Time:
10 12:00 p.m.
11
12
13 Location:
14 Council Chambers
15 Scranton City Hall
16 340 North Washington Avenue
17 Scranton, Pennsylvania
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23 Lisa M. Graff, RMR
24 Court Reporter
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1 CITY OF SCRANTON COUNCIL:
2
3 MS. JUDY GATELLI, COUNCIL PRESIDENT
4
5 MR. WILLIAM COURTRIGHT, VICE-PRESIDENT
6
7 MS. JANET EVANS
8
9 MS. SHERRY NEALON FANUCCI (left where noted)
10
11 MR. ROBERT McTIERNAN
12
13 MR. AMIL MINORA, ESQUIRE, SOLICITOR
14
15 MS. SUE MAGNOTTA, ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
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25
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1 MS. GATELLI: Okay. Please stand for
2 the Pledge Of Allegiance. Please remain standing for a
3 moment of reflection.
4 MR. MINORA: Roll call.
5 MS. MAGNOTTA: Mrs. Evans.
6 MS. EVANS: Here.
7 MS. MAGNOTTA: Mrs. Fanucci.
8 MS. FANUCCI: Here.
9 MS. MAGNOTTA: Mr. McTiernan.
10 MR. MCTIERNAN: Here.
11 MS. MAGNOTTA: Mr. Courtright.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: Here.
13 MS. MAGNOTTA: Mrs. Gatelli.
14 MS. GATELLI: Present. Dispense with
15 the reading of the minutes.
16 MR. MINORA: ITEM 3-A, MINUTES OF THE
17 VACANT PROPERTY REVIEW COMMITTEE HELD ON MAY 23, 2006.
18 MS. GATELLI: Are there any comments?
19 If not, received and filed.
20 MR. MINORA: 4-A, Motions.
21 MS. GATELLI: Before we start with
22 motions, I just have a few things. As you know, we met
23 with the flood victims over at Scranton High School the
24 other day, and it was a very successful meeting.
25 The people and the Army Corps are going
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1 to meet on a regular basis to work on preventing that
2 area from being flooded again. And I'd like to thank
3 the two gentlemen, particularly that came from
4 Baltimore, Steve Garibino and Kevin Brennan. They were
5 very, very knowledgeable and gave their commitment to
6 our community to work with them. So, I think it was
7 very, very successful.
8 And today we had Mike Washo here with
9 us before the meeting began, he's the minority county
10 commissioner, and I had spoken to him on Race Street
11 during the flood, and Mrs. Evans brought up at the
12 flood meeting the other day the same topic concerning
13 abatements for the people that have been flooded.
14 So, Mr. Washo is indeed bringing that
15 up at the county commissioners meeting, supporting it,
16 and I'm sure that Mr. Cordaro and Mr. Munchak will
17 agree that the people need some type of an abatement
18 for the damage that they have suffered.
19 I've had a request today, I don't
20 normally do this, but I had a request from a friend of
21 mine who said that it was her husband's birthday and if
22 I would please wish him a happy birthday.
23 I think that most of the people up here
24 probably know him. His son is a police officer, and
25 his wife is a very active member of the West Side
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1 Neighborhood Association. It's Jerry Tallo, it's his
2 80th birthday. So, we'd all like to wish the old man a
3 happy birthday, but he's young at heart.
4 MR. COURTRIGHT: Judy, if I could
5 interrupt. I know Mr. Tallo well. I'd like to wish
6 him a happy birthday, but today is my mom's birthday,
7 so as long as we're doing it, I'm going to wish my mom
8 a happy birthday. Thank you.
9 MS. GATELLI: Any other birthdays? The
10 flood cleanup continues. They assured us that they
11 would speedily clean up the debris from under the
12 bridge.
13 The truck ordinance that Mr. Needham
14 talked about last week is on the agenda this week.
15 1502 Cedar Avenue has been cleaned up. The weeds were
16 cut on Oak and McDonough where they were blocking the
17 view of the drivers.
18 The trees were cut and trimmed at
19 Cayuga Park, Hampton Street, East Mountain Road and
20 Yesu Drive, the 800 of South Webster, Fellows Park,
21 Grover Park, the 800 of Taylor, the 800 of Myrtle, the
22 400 of Arthur, the 200 of Lackawanna, the 500 of North
23 Main and Weston Park near the old tennis courts.
24 I also went last evening to a meeting
25 of Channel 61, and the board, as you know, will not
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1 have any funding after December. They have been
2 incorporated and they are looking to become a 501C3,
3 which will make them non-profit. That should probably
4 come some time in the fall.
5 They asked if I would come to City
6 Council and ask the Council for their support
7 monetarily. They have a list of people that they're
8 going to ask, the school board, the federal government,
9 the city, the county and the state, and then they're
10 going to have membership drives and special fundraising
11 events.
12 I think it's imperative that we as a
13 Council support this. This is the only way that the
14 public gets to see our government in action and
15 decisions that are made.
16 The city is very, very active on
17 Channel 61. We have our zoning board, we have our
18 planning commission, and, of course, our Council
19 meetings and the Taxpayers Association that are all
20 city related, not counting all the other things that
21 are shown on Channel 61.
22 So, I would like to make a motion that
23 we support with a $25,000 donation for next year, for
24 2007, to be given to Channel 61.
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
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1 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
2 MS. EVANS: Now, this will be drawn
3 from our 2007 Council budget, correct?
4 MS. GATELLI: Yes.
5 MS. EVANS: Wonderful.
6 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else? All in
7 favor.
8 MS. EVANS: Aye.
9 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
10 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
12 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
13 have it. It's unanimous, Mr. Minora. Thank you very
14 much. And we'll start with motions. Mrs. Evans.
15 MS. EVANS: Good afternoon.
16 MS. GATELLI: And Mrs. Evans and I
17 called each other this morning so we would both have
18 orange on. We want it to be a bright and sunny day.
19 MS. EVANS: Well, like Mrs. Gatelli, I
20 ask for your prayers today for a dear woman, a devoted
21 mother and grandmother and an exceptional volunteer at
22 St. Ann's Basilica who passed away on Monday, Betty
23 Welby. Betty was a good friend to my mother, my late
24 father and to me. As the annual Solemn Novena to St.
25 Ann begins next Monday, she will be deeply missed, but
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1 lovingly remembered always.
2 On Tuesday, as Mrs. Gatelli alluded to
3 a few moments ago, she, Mr. McTiernan, Mr. Courtright
4 and I attended a very important flood meeting at
5 Scranton High School, and although the meeting was
6 largely portrayed by some local news stations
7 incorrectly, it was a productive meeting among city
8 residents, city government, the Army Corps and the
9 Scranton Sewer Authority, and it produced three crucial
10 results.
11 First, Mr. Hayes agreed to place a
12 siren in lower Green Ridge so that residents will
13 receive proper flood warnings; secondly, a plan will be
14 in place by the end of July 2006 to provide temporary
15 flood protection in Green Ridge until completion of the
16 flood project in 2008, and third, regular meetings
17 between the Army Corps of Engineers and the residents
18 of lower Green Ridge will be conducted to discuss
19 progress, problems encountered and to directly answer
20 the residents' questions.
21 By focussing on the understandable
22 anguish and emotion of flood victims, the media failed
23 to report these very important outcomes that the
24 residents who were not present needed to know.
25 I also wish to recognize Deputy Fire
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1 Chief Terry Osborne and employees of Home Depot who
2 assisted in a flood cleanup of lower Green Ridge last
3 Saturday.
4 Home Depot is a good neighbor who
5 generously sponsors cleanup projects across the nation.
6 Thank you all for helping our city residents.
7 Attorney Minora --
8 MR. MINORA: Yes.
9 MS. EVANS: -- have you an opinion on
10 the Hollow Avenue investigation to offer Council today?
11 MR. MINORA: Yes, as a matter of fact I
12 do. I had an opportunity to speak to Mr. Parker and
13 see the survey lines that he had and I looked at it as
14 though it were a court case.
15 I looked at it in terms of what
16 evidence there is to sort of prosecute and what
17 evidence there is in defense of the prosecution.
18 As I understand it, and this is the
19 information I'm going on, what we have is several
20 people who believe they saw trucks on private property,
21 cutting trees on private property.
22 Their opinion as to where that property
23 line is in the woods is extremely difficult without a
24 survey or stakes to determine the line. So, that would
25 be in essence the prosecution's case, an eyewitness
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1 that believes there's a line somewhere in the woods and
2 it was crossed.
3 On the Defense side of that so to
4 speak, as I said, I looked at it as a case with
5 evidence, Mr. Parker had a survey and a statement from
6 Mr. Matthews, I believe his name was.
7 MS. EVANS: Mr. Charlie Matthews, yes.
8 MR. MINORA: I forget his first name.
9 MS. EVANS: Mr. Charlie Matthews.
10 MR. MINORA: Charlie Matthews, thank
11 you, who was there present and specifically said they
12 did not cut trees over the property line, that they
13 were all cut in the right of way.
14 So, as far as looking at it as a
15 prosecution or a lawsuit, it seems to be an unwinnable
16 case for the prosecution, if you want to call it that.
17 The other issue that was raised, as I
18 understand now, last week I specifically asked, I
19 believe it was Mr. Moran, if he believed that trees
20 were cut on private property, and he said, No.
21 So, as far as that issue is concerned,
22 it's obviously a dead issue, and I don't think there's
23 anywhere to go with it.
24 The persons that we believed to have
25 said there was cutting on private property are now
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1 recanting and saying trees were not cut on private
2 property.
3 The remaining issue then is, does the
4 city regularly do this and for whom is more a policy
5 issue in my estimation.
6 That is not something that would
7 involve an investigation, so much as a policy decision
8 between Council and the mayor and how that's done.
9 So, one's a legal opinion and one's a
10 political opinion. My legal opinion is we've got no
11 place to go with the investigation. The political
12 opinion, I put it back in your hands.
13 MS. EVANS: Thank you. I know --
14 MS. GATELLI: Mrs. Evans, just to --
15 I'm not sure if you knew this, but they had said that
16 there was a sewer put in, also, when they talked to us
17 on several occasions, but when I checked that out,
18 they're being assessed for the sewer, so just so you
19 know that part of it.
20 MS. EVANS: I understand that the
21 affidavit signed by Mr. Matthews generally indicates,
22 well, directly indicates that he was directed by
23 Mr. Parker to do this work, and that is the sum total
24 of his affidavit, just to clear that up.
25 But although flooding problems have
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1 occupied much of my time of late, this investigation
2 continues to trouble me. I believe the testimony of
3 Hollow Avenue neighbors and photographs do not lie. I
4 hear their impassioned pleas for a fair solution and
5 equal treatment for all city residents.
6 I read countless E-mails that
7 questioned why a department head will not meet with
8 City Council. This issue is undoubtedly greater than
9 tree removal and clearing a right of way on one street.
10 It permeates every street in our city,
11 it affects all residents and taxpayers. Some are
12 helped and many are refused or neglected, or even at
13 times sadly abused, some receive free demolition of
14 buildings and homes, some jump to the front of the line
15 ahead of others who have waited months or years, and I
16 believe everyone deserves help and every city resident
17 has a right to equal treatment by his local government.
18 If we turn our heads because this is a
19 sticky situation, then we're selling a license to
20 provide other Hollow Avenues. And if we simply accept
21 the findings of a somewhat questionable investigation,
22 we as City Council, we, too, are guilty.
23 And I do respect Attorney Minora's
24 legal opinion. I am not an attorney, and if indeed the
25 solution lies in policy, then a policy needs to be
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1 drafted and passed and adhered to by the
2 administration, by Council, and by all departments that
3 function as a part of city government.
4 And, so, I will make a motion that
5 Mr. Minora would look into such a policy, please
6 investigate what exists currently and if you can see if
7 a new policy needs to be drafted or simply an amendment
8 to a current policy for the consideration of City
9 Council.
10 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
11 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All in
12 favor.
13 MS. EVANS: Aye.
14 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
15 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
16 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
17 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
18 have it and so ordered. And that was unanimous,
19 Mr. Minora.
20 MR. MINORA: Thank you.
21 MS. EVANS: Finally, I have just a very
22 few citizens' requests for the week. Fill potholes at
23 the bottom of Hollow Avenue and at the bridge at the
24 bottom of Hollow Avenue.
25 Rosen Court needs to be paved so that
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1 rainwater will go into the street. Because of a prior
2 paving job, the water travels onto a property at
3 412 River Street and has completely destroyed the
4 homeowner's sidewalks.
5 Eleven and 1200 blocks of Watson
6 Street, in the alley behind the homes in this area,
7 vehicle owners have removed orange stickers placed on
8 their vehicles during a police sweep to address junk
9 and abandoned vehicles. Can the police please check
10 this area again and take the necessary action?
11 And a letter to Mr. Luciani, when will
12 the streetlight be installed on Henry Street? The area
13 is very dark and residents cannot see their yards at
14 night.
15 I understand the project was approved
16 by MEM and Mr. Luciani. In the interim, neighbors are
17 afraid to leave their homes after dusk because of prior
18 incidents that's require police calls. And that's it.
19 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Mrs. Fanucci.
20 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Yes. While my
21 colleagues were all at the meeting with the Army Corps,
22 I, of course, was meeting with PEL, still the only
23 person representing us and trying to find out what we
24 can.
25 I did address them and give them all of
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1 the questions that were asked. I gave them a detailed
2 list from you and myself of questions that we want to
3 be answered.
4 From what I was told, the answers will
5 not be provided until sometime in September. The
6 reasoning for this, and whether or not, you know, we
7 agree with it or not, the reasoning is that they need
8 to update every single year the Recovery Plan and how
9 they feel it needs to be activated. That was their
10 reasoning.
11 Also, a lot of the questions I had
12 asked were not readily available. I asked for detailed
13 assessments of finances and things of that nature that
14 they just couldn't give me off the top of their head
15 that they would have to do research on.
16 So, once their data is intake, I will
17 definitely report on that. I had asked them that we
18 were going to be on a recess until September, so I
19 said, please, in the beginning of September, if you
20 could have that to me, I would appreciate it. So, that
21 was where I was.
22 Also, the free swim, I know it's a big
23 issue. I'm sure there's a lot of speakers here today
24 that are all up in arms about this.
25 I do have a lot of questions. I met
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1 with Jeff Brazil this week, and he answered a lot of my
2 questions. I'm also going to try to meet with the
3 mayor at some time to find out if we do not -- you
4 know, the veto, I don't know if that is a definite or
5 not a definite, but if we do not pass this or we do
6 pass this, how are we going to pay for it is the only
7 question I have?
8 I know that UDAG money, from what I
9 gather, we are not allowed to pay salaries with any
10 UDAG funds. That makes me nervous. Lifeguards, people
11 who are manning these places, we need them to be paid.
12 That is the only reason I am looking into this and I
13 need to find out the answers so that we can figure it
14 out.
15 We do have a fund that's readily
16 available from us. The problem with that is, do we
17 take this fund and use it and then not pave a few
18 streets or not do that? So, these are the questions I
19 have, and I just need them answered. And that is all I
20 have. Thank you.
21 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Mr.
22 McTiernan.
23 MR. MCTIERNAN: Thank you, Mrs.
24 Gatelli. Three things. First of all, I'd like to
25 thank Mrs. Gatelli for spearheading the meeting that
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1 was held Tuesday with the Army Corps of Engineers. We
2 were able to see firsthand some of the damage and the
3 suffering that was done as a result of the weather
4 incident we had last week.
5 Those kinds of meetings are very
6 beneficial for us as city officials, that puts faces on
7 the damage. And if you haven't been flooded, of course
8 it's difficult to understand and appreciate that, but
9 more importantly, it also put a face on some of the
10 suffering for the Army Corps of Engineers.
11 I am personally thankful for all the
12 residents that showed up to voice their concerns, and
13 I'm also thankful of the reception the Army Corps of
14 Engineers gave with some promises regarding future
15 communications and updates regarding the flood projects
16 and entertaining some of the solutions from the
17 neighbors. So, I'm thankful for that, Mrs. Gatelli.
18 And two requests, Sue, if you could do
19 me a favor, please, if you could send a letter to
20 Mr. Parker, there are two dangerous situations I think
21 regarding roadways. One is in Forest Glen Drive,
22 there's a depression that has opened up and it's
23 starting to grow bigger and bigger. So, if you could
24 have a crew go out and look at that.
25 And there is a catch basin at 459
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1 Cameron Avenue that is sinking, and there's also a pipe
2 that runs under the road that is deteriorating, so I'm
3 wondering if the department can go out and take a look
4 at that, please. And that's all I have. Thank you.
5 MS. GATELLI: Thank you, Mr. McTiernan.
6 Mr. Courtright.
7 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes. The 1300 block
8 -- what's believed to be the 1300 block of North Sumner
9 Avenue had been closed down almost a year ago. An
10 individual had an accident and hit some tanks, believed
11 to be propane tanks on private property, and the street
12 was closed down, but it was never reopened. And Neil
13 and Sue have been trying to help me out this week to
14 find out who we need to speak to to get that street
15 opened back up.
16 It's my understanding that, you know,
17 we cannot close down a street without Council's
18 approval, and the street has continually been closed
19 down.
20 So, we're working on that with the
21 individuals from Philo Street and in and around the
22 1300 block of North Sumner Avenue, and as soon as I
23 find an answer, I will get it to you.
24 Sue, if you can help me out, there's a
25 large hole right in front of approximately 100, 138
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1 South Hyde Park Avenue. If Mr. Parker can have his
2 people take a look at that.
3 And while I was over there, many of the
4 residents on Hyde Park Avenue are just ecstatic about
5 the job that Jill Foley and Melissa Furcet (phonetic),
6 they're the CommD officers in that area, are doing, and
7 they wanted me to mention that. They're really pleased
8 with the job they're doing there.
9 They're digging a little bit deeper
10 than just looking at people with a bad inspection
11 sticker, this or that, that they're really going after
12 some crime that's over there and the people are
13 thrilled with them.
14 And I'd like to, if you can bear with
15 me, to read a letter, because I've gotten several calls
16 from people from East Mountain, and I asked the one
17 individual to call me -- that called me if they could
18 get with the other neighbors up there and just put
19 something in writing so I know exactly what it is their
20 concerns are, and they had approximately three or four
21 major concerns.
22 And they chose not to -- they don't
23 want me to mention their names, so I scratched out
24 their name, and I will turn this letter over to the
25 appropriate officials when I get down, if I could read
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1 it to you briefly.
2 Thanks for calling me back. Here is a
3 synopsis of what we discussed. There's a ramp on River
4 Street to Route 81, and she writes, I spoke with the
5 State Police. The female that answered the phone told
6 me that the ramp is still in the city, therefore, the
7 jurisdiction our local police.
8 Our concern is in regard to traffic
9 using the ramp. Many times the drivers are impatient
10 and do not want to yield. Drivers have passed on the
11 shoulder to get by the traffic, sat behind you with
12 obscene gestures and horn blowing, or pulled out
13 alongside of you and forced themselves into traffic.
14 The ramp is short. This section of
15 Route 81 is heavily congested and the yield signs
16 should be enforced. So, that particular concern I'll
17 turn over to the police department.
18 The other, it says, Liter on Mountain
19 Lake Road, not just liter, but signs of alcohol use
20 after the weekend and the holiday, there were empty
21 cases of beer, beer bottles and some vodka bottles that
22 indicates the consumption along with people driving.
23 There has been damage to Robinson Park.
24 There are people hanging around the park very late at
25 night and traffic racing on East Mountain Road through
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1 the Yesu development and around Mountain Lake, and
2 they're saying this is increased with the warm weather.
3 They're saying stop signs are basically ignored, as are
4 area where children are playing.
5 Signs were placed on Mountain Lake Road
6 just past the turn from the fire house and now they've
7 been removed, and so we have cars parking there again.
8 And they have concerns about foliage on the western
9 side of Mountain Lake Road. Evidentially there's quite
10 a few dear up there, and they can't even see the dear
11 running out in front of them. So, that, too, that's
12 another one I'll turn over to the police department.
13 And one last one I think we need to
14 give this to Mr. Parker and the police department, it
15 says the intersection of Meadow Avenue and River Street
16 is dangerous. It is not going to be safe just because
17 a light will be installed.
18 Traffic coming from River Street onto
19 Meadow Avenue is met with traffic coming from the gas
20 station and attempting to turn left. They're making
21 this turn. That means they must pull out in front of
22 traffic coming from River, then pull across two lanes
23 to enter into the lane of travel towards Route 81.
24 And the same problem is occurring
25 almost across from the gas station. People leaving the
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1 bank who want to continue on Meadow Avenue are coming
2 out of the bank into heavy traffic and turning left
3 towards Gerrity's crossing the lanes of traffic to
4 continue south.
5 And then they write, I'm not sure, and
6 I guess we'll look into this part, I'm not sure if
7 there is an ordinance or if it was just discussed, but
8 somehow I remember that there was talk that traffic
9 leaving the bank exited on Meadow Avenue and traffic
10 leaving the gas station on Meadow Avenue would be
11 limited to right-hand turns. So, I'll look into that
12 and see if we do have an ordinance for that. I do
13 remember the conversation. I don't know if anybody
14 remembers did we make an ordinance or not. I don't
15 recall. I don't recall.
16 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Well, I think
17 that's when I was on the planning commission, I think
18 that's the project that we did, and I do believe that
19 there's something in writing that they should only turn
20 the right way, yes.
21 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay. And if that's
22 the case, I will also turn that to the police
23 department and ask them if they can take a look at
24 that.
25 And finally, as the light will
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1 definitely correct the situation of people coming from
2 outside of the area sitting at the top of Meadow Avenue
3 not sure when to move but finally do it because of all
4 the horn blowing.
5 So, these concerns are have been voiced
6 to me on many occasions, so I just thought it was
7 worthy of the time to mention them here and hopefully
8 get them resolved.
9 And, again, just like to say happy
10 birthday to my mom, and that's all I have. Thank you.
11 MS. EVANS: Mrs. Gatelli, if I could
12 just add. At least the first three of your requests,
13 Mr. Courtright, I had made already, and so each of the
14 departments would have those letters, and so in
15 notifying them once again, maybe you'd like to indicate
16 that this is a second request.
17 MR. COURTRIGHT: I'll do that.
18 MS. EVANS: Thank you.
19 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. I just forgot
20 a few things, to thank Mr. Parker for replacing the
21 street sign on Genet Street. Someone knocked the pole
22 over and then the sign disappeared, so he did replace
23 that, and Mr. Hazzouri for getting Cherry Street and
24 Palm Street repaired.
25 I don't know if anyone out there knows
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1 that they're doing a major, major construction project
2 in South Scranton redoing gas pipes and water pipes,
3 and the roads are just in horrendous shape. So, he got
4 some of those potholes -- they're making potholes now,
5 and he got those fixed.
6 And the only other thing I'd ask Mr.
7 Minora to look into, I've started to look a little
8 myself, because I have a friend that owns a house in
9 Florida, and she said, Judy, I think I know a way for
10 you to make some money in Scranton. And I said, Well,
11 we'll take any of those ideas.
12 In Florida, the whole state of Florida
13 has what is called the Homestead Act, so that if you
14 live in Florida, you get a reduction on your taxes for
15 the home that you live in. So, out of towners pay a
16 lot more taxes than residents do.
17 Now, I've just begun on the internet to
18 skim the surface, and I did contact someone via E-mail
19 in an assessor's office down in Florida, but if you
20 could also help me, Mr. Minora. I don't know if it's a
21 state thing, if a city can --
22 MR. MINORA: I actually do know a
23 little bit about that. It is a state imposed
24 difference between non-residents and residents owning
25 property, and the idea down there, of course, is six
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1 months out of the year they have an influx of
2 snowbirds, and so all of the people who own
3 condominiums there pay a higher tax than the people
4 that are residents there 12 months out of the year.
5 I suppose if the state did something
6 like that in Pennsylvania, it might help, but I don't
7 think the snowbird works in reverse.
8 MS. GATELLI: But how about the
9 landlords?
10 MR. MINORA: Pardon.
11 MS. GATELLI: People from out of town
12 that come and buy property here? We have a great
13 influx of that, and New York has it, too,
14 Massachusetts, I think. There were a number of states
15 that had it that don't have the snowbird issue.
16 MR. MINORA: Well, there may be
17 something like that, but it's a state enabled act, tax
18 act.
19 MS. GATELLI: Well, we do have some --
20 we will have some connections with some state
21 representatives come January.
22 MR. MINORA: I will look some more into
23 it, though.
24 MS. GATELLI: But, you know, maybe we
25 can check it out, and then for a change, we'd get a
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1 break, the ones that live here. We never get a break
2 on anything. So, you know, I think it's worth us at
3 least investigating it a little bit and see if it's
4 something worthwhile.
5 MR. MINORA: I have some friends that
6 are lawyers down in Florida, so I will speak to them
7 and see if I can get a copy of the act.
8 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Okay.
9 Attorney Minora.
10 MR. MINORA: 4-B, FOR INTRODUCTION - AN
11 ORDINANCE - AUTHORIZING THE PLACEMENT OF SIGNS ALONG
12 THE LACKAWANNA RIVER LEVEE INDICATING THAT NO STRUCTURE
13 MAY BE PLACED WITHIN TEN (10) FEET OF THE TOE OF THE
14 SLOPE ON THE LAND SIDE OF THE LEVEE AND AUTHORIZING
15 FINES AND PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS.
16 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
17 entertain a motion that Item 5-B be introduced.
18 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
19 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
20 those in favor.
21 MS. EVANS: Aye.
22 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
23 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
25 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
.
27
1 have it and so moved.
2 MR. MINORA: 4-C, FOR INTRODUCTION - AN
3 ORDINANCE - AUTHORIZING THE INSTALLATION OF NO TRUCK
4 TRAFFIC SIGNS (EXCEPT RESIDENTIAL DELIVERIES) ALONG A
5 CERTAIN PORTION OF PEAR STREET BETWEEN CEDAR AND
6 PITTSTON AVENUES PURSUANT TO A STUDY RECOMMENDING SAID
7 TRUCK BAN.
8 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
9 entertain a motion that 5-C be introduced.
10 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
11 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
12 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: On the question, I'd
14 like to make a motion that we schedule a public hearing
15 on this piece of legislation next week July 28, 2006 at
16 11:30 and authorize the city clerk to place the
17 necessary ad in the Scranton times.
18 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
19 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
20 those in favor.
21 MS. EVANS: Aye.
22 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
23 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
25 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
.
28
1 have it and so moved.
2 MR. MINORA: 4-D, FOR INTRODUCTION - AN
3 ORDINANCE - ESTABLISHING PERMIT PARKING IN THE 2100 AND
4 2200 BLOCKS OF NORTH WASHINGTON AVENUE FROM GRANDVIEW
5 STREET TO PARK STREET, ON BOTH SIDES MONDAY TO FRIDAY
6 ONLY.
7 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
8 entertain a motion that 4-D be introduced.
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
10 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
11 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: On the question, again
13 I'll make a motion we schedule a public hearing on this
14 piece of legislation next week, July 20, 2006 at 11:45
15 authorizing the clerk to place the necessary ad in The
16 Scranton Times.
17 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
18 MS. GATELLI: All those in favor.
19 MS. EVANS: Aye.
20 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
21 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
23 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
24 have it and so moved.
25 MR. MINORA: 4-E, FOR INTRODUCTION - AN
.
29
1 ORDINANCE - AUTHORIZING AND ESTABLISHING A PROCEDURE
2 FOR THE DISPOSAL OF CITY-OWNED PERSON PROPERTY.
3 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
4 entertain a motion that 4-E be introduced.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
6 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
7 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
8 those in favor.
9 MS. EVANS: Aye.
10 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
11 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
13 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
14 have it and so moved.
15 MR. MINORA: 4-F, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
16 RESOLUTION - ACCEPTING THE GIFT OF A POLICE VEHICLE,
17 VIN NUMBER 2FAFP71WO3X187673 FROM POLICE OFFICER GUY A.
18 SALERNO FOR USE IN THE CITY'S FLEET PURSUANT TO A LEASE
19 AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND OFFICER SALERNO.
20 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
21 entertain a motion that 4-F be introduced.
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
23 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
24 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: On the question,
.
30
1 Mrs. Gatelli. So far we only have two officers that
2 have taken us up on this offer. They have to purchase
3 their own vehicle, and that's what they're actually
4 doing is they're purchasing their own vehicle and they
5 will be using their own vehicle to patrol.
6 So we want to thank them. It's a
7 donation from them to the city, and I'm hoping that it
8 works out and possibly some more officers will take us
9 up on this. So far we have Officer Salerno, who you
10 just read, and Officer Stelmak. So, we have two so
11 far.
12 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else on the
13 question? All those in favor.
14 MS. EVANS: Aye.
15 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
16 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
17 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
18 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
19 have it and so moved.
20 MR. MINORA: 4-G, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
21 RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND OTHER
22 APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS TO EXECUTE AND ENTER INTO A
23 LEASE/POLICY AGREEMENT WITH OFFICER GUY A. SALERNO
24 GOVERNING THE USE OF OFFICER SALERNO'S "PRIVATE
25 CRUISER" AS DEFINED HEREIN.
.
31
1 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
2 entertain a motion that 4-G be introduced.
3 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
4 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
5 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
6 those in favor.
7 MS. EVANS: Aye.
8 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
9 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
10 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
11 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
12 have it and so moved.
13 MR. MINORA: 4-H, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
14 RESOLUTION - ACCEPTING THE GIFT OF A POLICE VEHICLE,
15 VIN NUMBER 2FAFP71W63X168786 FROM POLICE OFFICER ROBERT
16 J. STELMAK FOR USE IN THE CITY'S FLEET PURSUANT TO A
17 LEASE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND OFFICER STELMAK.
18 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
19 entertain a motion that 4-h be introduced.
20 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
21 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
22 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
23 those in favor.
24 MS. EVANS: Aye.
25 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
.
32
1 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
2 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
3 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
4 have it and so moved.
5 MR. MINORA: Item 4-I, FOR INTRODUCTION
6 - A RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND OTHER
7 APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS TO EXECUTE AND ENTER INTO A
8 LEASE/POLICY AGREEMENT WITH OFFICER ROBERT J. STELMAK
9 GOVERNING THE USE OF OFFICER STELMAK'S "PRIVATE
10 CRUISER" AS DEFINED HEREIN.
11 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
12 entertain a motion that 4-I be introduced.
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
14 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
15 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
16 those in favor.
17 MS. EVANS: Aye.
18 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
19 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
20 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
21 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
22 have it and so moved.
23 MR. MINORA: 4-J, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
24 RESOLUTION - APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING LOAN
25 FORGIVENESS, IN FAVOR OF THE SCRANTON CULTURAL CENTER
.
33
1 AT THE MASONIC TEMPLE CONCERNING A CITY OECD COMMUNITY
2 DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT LOAN DATED SEPTEMBER 16, 1999.
3 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
4 entertain a motion that 4-J be introduced.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
6 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
7 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
8 those in favor.
9 MS. EVANS: Aye.
10 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
11 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
13 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
14 have it and so moved.
15 MR. MINORA: 4-K, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
16 RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND OTHER
17 APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS TO EXECUTE AND ENTER INTO A
18 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH ACKER ASSOCIATES,
19 INC. FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR DESIGN
20 AND CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION FOR SCRANTON
21 STREETSCAPE CENTER STREET PROJECT.
22 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
23 entertain a motion that 4-K be introduced.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
25 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
.
34
1 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
2 those in favor.
3 MS. EVANS: Aye.
4 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
5 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
6 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
7 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
8 have it and so moved.
9 MR. MINORA: 4-L, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
10 RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND OTHER
11 APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS TO EXECUTE AND ENTER INTO A
12 LEASE AGREEMENT WITH LACE BUILDING AFFILIATES, LP, A
13 PENNSYLVANIA LIMITED PARTNERSHIP TO ALLOW FOR PARKING
14 FOR LAMINATIONS, INC. DURING THE PENDENCY OF THE FLOOD
15 PROJECT WORK AT THE SITE.
16 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
17 entertain a motion that 4-L be introduced.
18 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
19 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
20 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
21 those in favor.
22 MS. EVANS: Aye.
23 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
24 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
.
35
1 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
2 have it and so moved.
3 MR. MINORA: 4-M, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
4 RESOLUTION - ACCEPTING GRANT FUNDS FROM ACT 101,
5 SECTION 902 RECYCLING GRANT FROM PENNSYLVANIA
6 DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN THE AMOUNT OF
7 $266,892.00 AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND OTHER
8 APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS TO EXECUTE ANY AND ALL
9 DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO RECEIVE SAID FUNDS.
10 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
11 entertain a motion that 4-M be introduced.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
13 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
14 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
15 those in favor.
16 MS. EVANS: Aye.
17 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
18 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
20 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
21 have it and so moved.
22 MR. MINORA: 4-N, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
23 RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND OTHER
24 APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS FOR THE CITY OF SCRANTON TO
25 ENTER INTO A LOAN AGREEMENT AND TO MAKE A LOAN FROM THE
.
36
1 COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM, PROJECT
2 NO. 03-150.4 IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $250,000.00 TO
3 WILLIAM J. FOX D/B/A NATIONAL PASTRY BAKE SHOP TO
4 ASSIST AN ELIGIBLE PROJECT.
5 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
6 entertain a motion that 4-N be introduced.
7 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
8 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
9 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
10 those in favor.
11 MS. EVANS: Aye.
12 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
13 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
14 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
15 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
16 have it and so moved.
17 MR. MINORA: 4-O, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
18 RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF SCRANTON TO
19 PARTICIPATE IN THE LACKAWANNA COUNTY AUTOMOTIVE AND
20 EQUIPMENT CONTRACT TO COVER JOINT PURCHASING OF
21 VEHICLES, EQUIPMENT AND LIKE PRODUCTS.
22 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
23 entertain a motion that 4-O be introduced.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
25 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
.
37
1 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
2 those in favor.
3 MS. EVANS: Aye.
4 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
5 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
6 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
7 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
8 have it and so moved.
9 MR. MINORA: 4-P, FOR INTRODUCTION - A
10 RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT FOR THE TRANSFER
11 CONVEYANCE AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE DAVIS STREET,
12 GREENWOOD AVENUE, AND COREY STREET SANITARY SEWER
13 CONVEYANCE LINE FROM MOOSIC BOROUGH TO THE SEWER
14 AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF SCRANTON.
15 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
16 entertain a motion that 4-P be introduced.
17 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
18 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
19 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
20 those in favor.
21 MS. EVANS: Aye.
22 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
23 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
25 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
.
38
1 have it and so moved.
2 MR. MINORA: 5-A, READING BY TITLE -
3 FILE OF COUNCIL NO. 40, 2006 - AN ORDINANCE - CREATING
4 AND ESTABLISHING SPECIAL CITY ACCOUNT NO. 02.229581
5 ENTITLED PAVING-K ROUTE ROADS FOR RECEIPT AND
6 DISBURSEMENT OF MONIES RECEIVED FROM THE COMMONWEALTH
7 OF PENNSYLVANIA FOR THE STATE SHARE (80%) OF COST OF
8 PAVING K ROUTE ROADS IN THE CITY OF SCRANTON.
9 MS. GATELLI: You've heard reading by
10 title of Item 5-A, what is your pleasure?
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: I move that Item 5-A
12 pass reading by title.
13 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
14 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
15 those in favor.
16 MS. EVANS: Aye.
17 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
18 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
20 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The ayes
21 have it and so moved.
22 MR. MINORA: Item six, no business at
23 this time. Item seven, citizens participation.
24 MS. GATELLI: Thank you, Attorney
25 Minora. You were a fine replacement for Mrs. Garvey.
.
39
1 MR. MINORA: I noticed she had 4-A
2 through P for me. I'm going to talk to Kay about that.
3 MS. GATELLI: And we'd also like to
4 welcome a clerk in our office, Sue Magnotta. She's
5 taking the deputy clerk's place today. He's at a
6 funeral. So, we'd like to welcome Sue. She does a
7 fine job in our office, for those of you who didn't
8 know who she was. The first speaker is Douglas Miller.
9 (WHEREUPON, Councilwoman Nealon Fanucci left meeting.)
10 MR. MILLER: Good afternoon, Council.
11 Doug Miller. I'd like to take this time to thank the
12 following people who made our cleanup at the Dorothy
13 Street Playground a huge success.
14 I would like to start by thanking my
15 mother, Mr. Courtright, Mr. McTiernan, Mr. Narsavage,
16 Mr. Brazil, Channel 16 and The Scranton Times.
17 I'd also like to thank the following
18 members of the Scranton Junior City Council, Jerome
19 Singleton, Katrina Organ, James Piazza, Jackson
20 Lockheed and Michael Garzarella. We all did a great
21 job and the park looks tremendous.
22 Unfortunately, however, though, we did
23 have some bad news we received yesterday. We were
24 informed that the American Flag that we put in the park
25 was stolen. It's a total disgrace that somebody would
.
40
1 steal an American Flag. It's a symbol of this great
2 nation, and for somebody to do something like that just
3 surprises me.
4 We worked very hard that day. It was a
5 hot day. And for something like that to take place, I
6 just think it's disgusting.
7 We're not going to let something like
8 that to prevent us, though, from continuing what we do.
9 We have three cleanups left this summer, and we intend
10 to move forward with them and continue to do the great
11 job we're doing.
12 The crime in our neighbors is getting
13 out of hand, and it's time we do something about it.
14 Citizens speak weekly that we need more patrol officers
15 in the neighbors. These officers may drive through
16 two, three, four times a day, but there are citizens in
17 these neighborhoods 24/7.
18 We need to start patrolling our
19 neighbors. Don't be afraid to take a walk through your
20 neighborhood and check on things and see what's going
21 on. We need to take pride in our community, and it
22 seems to me that there's many people that don't care.
23 An example of what we need is Mr.
24 Narsavage. I don't think a day goes by where he
25 doesn't visit the Dorothy Street Playground. We need
.
41
1 more people like him. He takes pride in his community,
2 and I have tremendous respect for him and what he does,
3 and I wish there were more people like him.
4 Lastly, I'd like to make an
5 announcement. August 3, 17, and 21 at 12 p.m., the
6 Scranton Junior City Council will be meeting here in
7 Council chambers. All meetings will be open to the
8 public. Hopefully we will have a good turnout,
9 citizens to come, discuss any concerns they might have,
10 suggestions. So, we look forward to that. Thank you.
11 MS. GATELLI: Thank you, Douglas. Dave
12 Evans. Where did he go? He's not there? All right.
13 Mr. Bolus, you're next.
14 MR. BOLUS: I'll step aside for Dave.
15 Bob Bolus, Scranton. On the agenda, on 4-E, what is
16 the disposal of city owned property?
17 MR. MCTIERNAN: 4-E, Mr. Bolus, is a
18 procedure for any property that the city owns, and the
19 description in our backup specifies how that property
20 would be disposed of.
21 For example, hardware, computer
22 hardware, that kind of stuff, anything that we're
23 disposing of, and I'm just digging through it, I don't
24 want to give you the wrong numbers, but there are
25 certain dollar figures on values where things will be
.
42
1 put out to bid versus sealed bids.
2 And the tripwire seems to be $20,000,
3 if I remember correctly, where there are sealed bids.
4 Property from zero to $20,000 may only be disposed of
5 by obtaining at least three quotes. Property valued at
6 over $20,000 and up may only be disposed of pursuant to
7 a formal bid advertised in the newspaper.
8 MR. BOLUS: Okay. I was just curious
9 what it meant by that. On the Channel 61 issue, I
10 think Channel 61 is really the only true and uncensored
11 link between the people and its government. It gives
12 all citizens the right of free speech, and Channel 61
13 must not be -- must be preserved to keep the truth
14 before the people, not like in The Times that edits and
15 puts out only what the editors believe the people
16 should read.
17 They're limited in space, so you only
18 see a little bit of really what the truth should be,
19 and you see it from their perspective, not from what
20 the people should see.
21 So, I believe no matter what it takes,
22 the citizens in this city, the businesses, the
23 government agencies, have to preserve this integrity
24 that we the people here have established.
25 So, if it costs money , so what. And
.
43
1 I'll give you some suggestions how we could help out
2 financially. Number one, we're looking at KOZs,
3 non-profits, and of course everybody else to pay their
4 fair share coming into the city.
5 And for years I've raised the issue
6 about the leachate line that goes from the landfill in
7 Dunmore to the sewage treatment plants.
8 Now, they have a right to use the pipe
9 and they pay for pipe and -- there's a couple deals
10 played with this agreement a while back, however, they
11 need permission from us to let the liquid go through
12 there.
13 We could charge a fee for the liquid
14 that goes through there, not the pipe that they put in
15 or what the Sewer Authority charges. We're going to
16 give them permission from the people in this city to
17 allow leachate to go through that line. And you can
18 charge a dollar a gallon, $2 a gallon.
19 And remember, any cost to the landfill
20 is passed on to the states that are dumping their
21 garbage in our backyard.
22 So, I think that should be looked at
23 seriously by Council to add another income to this city
24 that's a generated source on a daily basis. And we're
25 talking millions here, we're not talking a couple
.
44
1 thousand dollars. So, I think we should look into
2 that, Mrs. Evans, is what I said under motions last
3 week, like how to start incorporating things.
4 And I like the thinking that's gong on
5 here now, that's why I like to be more involved with
6 what happens, and that's why I have been involved.
7 It's just like the sale of Montage. We
8 could put a percent of profit on the net profit. Well,
9 we all know in business the least thing we want to do
10 is pay taxes, so we're going to have the least amount
11 of profit that we want to give the government.
12 It should be on the gross sale and
13 there should be no limit to it. We shouldn't put a
14 ceiling and say, Well, we get up to $3 million or $5
15 million or $4 million. It should be a percentage of
16 the gross no matter what goes on. And it's cut and
17 dry. It's simple. And then we're getting back what
18 we've suffered and paid out of our pockets all these
19 years.
20 I think Council needs to talk to the
21 commissioners and let them know our feelings from the
22 city's side that's been supporting this mountain for
23 years, too.
24 You know, we've all taken the loss,
25 just like everybody else. And nobody gave us free
.
45
1 passes to go skiing there.
2 I spoke to Mr. Nasser, as I raised an
3 issue last week, and he did call me back and he kind of
4 set it straight that information he was looking for had
5 never been sent to him by the city. So, that's in
6 process now.
7 And, you know, I'm one that when I
8 speak about somebody not doing the job, I'm also going
9 to come back and say that they are doing their job, but
10 we're going back to the city who's creating the issue.
11 And an issue that I think we really
12 need to look at here, you know, you go to the City
13 Clerk's office, then you got to go to the law
14 department, then you got to go to the treasurer, and
15 I'm learning this from all of the people who are trying
16 to buy properties here in the city.
17 But if I were to ask any Councilperson
18 here today, do you have a list of city owned property,
19 what the city actually owns that's for sale, burning
20 down now anyway, but we don't have a list of that
21 property that's available right now.
22 So, I would propose, like, that we got
23 to look at the properties and look at what delinquent
24 taxes were there, condemnation, demolished properties,
25 not just tax properties, but every single piece of real
.
46
1 estate we own in this city, put it on a list.
2 Because right now, and I think Amil
3 could correct me if I'm wrong, you have to actually
4 find a piece of land and then you got to go to the
5 courthouse and you've got to run here or there to
6 figure out who owns what here. And that's ridiculous.
7 If we have these assets and we bring
8 them together and we know we have a list -- hey Parade
9 Magazine said it's the best place to get a deal, well,
10 let's give them a deal. Let's make it easy for them to
11 give us money, instead of walking away and wasting
12 countless hours and not getting nothing in return.
13 If we sold just one lot today, we paid
14 for free swimming in the City of Scranton, just one lot
15 out of all the lots. I've driven through the Hill
16 Section and places that are boarded, vacant lots, one
17 lot, and everybody swims free.
18 Now, think of that, out of the hundreds
19 of pieces of property here, and we're all fighting over
20 nickel and dime, the mayor wants the veto because it's
21 expensive.
22 Where's he been? Why don't they open
23 their eyes? They're the guys running this city, and
24 let's sell this. It's not let's take care of your
25 buddies here and who's got a deal there. Let's put it
.
47
1 out where we can auction this land at public auctions,
2 and not with your buddies that are the realtors. I
3 mean go to the big boys out of the area that will
4 market this city and bring us the big bucks is where we
5 need to go. If we do that --
6 MS. GATELLI: Thank you, Mr. Bolus.
7 Mr. Bolus --
8 MR. BOLUS: One moment, Mrs. Gatelli,
9 because I did talk and I don't want to take your time,
10 because I do have to run.
11 I would be willing to volunteer my time
12 to head a department in this city to put these assets
13 together and put a group together controlled by Council
14 that we could go in and market Scranton and do it
15 properly where we wind up maybe not paying taxes one
16 day because we used our head and we used our assets.
17 Thank you.
18 MS. GATELLI: Thank you, Mr. Bolus.
19 When I was here with Mayor Connors, there was a book
20 that had all the tax delinquent properties in it. I
21 don't know where the book ever went, but it actually
22 listed the address and all the properties that were tax
23 delinquent. So, I will try to see if I can get that.
24 MR. BOLUS: We have land here.
25 MS. GATELLI: It has to be somewhere.
.
48
1 MR. BOLUS: Exactly.
2 MS. GATELLI: Roseann Novembrino. I'd
3 like to welcome you to our meeting, our city
4 controller.
5 MS. NOVEMBRINO: Thank you. Roseann
6 Novembrino, resident of Scranton. Honorable Council,
7 I'm here today just to describe and tell you what is
8 required by an emergency according to our Home Rule
9 Charter.
10 When there is any kind of a disaster
11 facing the people of Scranton, such as snowstorms,
12 fires, floods, the mayor declares an emergency and I
13 attest to it, I sign it. We have to have that
14 emergency submitted to Council within 24 hours. What
15 that allows the administration to do is to go ahead and
16 get the equipment we need.
17 MS. GATELLI: Excuse me, Mrs.
18 Novembrino. If you'd like to talk, please go in the
19 hallway, thank you, because it's very disruptive.
20 That's okay. Thank you. Go ahead.
21 MS. NOVEMBRINO: Okay. What that
22 allows the administration to do is to hire whatever
23 equipment they need for this particular disaster. I
24 spoke briefly with Director Hayes today, because I have
25 never seen the form that you signed. And what he told
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49
1 me was that is a requirement of PEMA. I never saw it
2 before. Maybe you did. I never did.
3 But that is what is required of an
4 emergency, according to the charter. The mayor
5 declares it, I sign it, and we act as fast as we can to
6 face whatever the outcome in pertaining to whatever
7 disaster we're faced with. And I do thank you for this
8 opportunity.
9 MS. GATELLI: And thank you for
10 clarifying that for us, Mrs. Novembrino. Mary Ann
11 Wardell.
12 MS. EVANS: If I could just add. I
13 think Mrs. Novembrino is correct. I don't remember
14 seeing such a paper either during the Ivan Flood, but
15 I'm so glad that you're here today, because you
16 provided a wonderful explanation for the people of
17 Scranton and for Council, as well. Thank you again.
18 MR. COURTRIGHT: We did sign one the
19 last time, because I remember they had a hard time
20 getting a hold of us. I had to go over to the Comm
21 Center and get it signed, because they couldn't get a
22 hold of Mr. DiBileo or you. Did you sign it? They
23 needed three of us is what they said the last time.
24 So, I did sign one once before, the last flood.
25 MS. EVANS: Well, I never saw that, and
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50
1 I know Kay looked for it in the office and couldn't
2 find any copy of it.
3 MR. COURTRIGHT: They actually had Jay
4 Saunders pick me up and bring me over with it because
5 they couldn't find three of us.
6 MS. WARDELL: Good afternoon, Council.
7 My name is Mary Ann Wardell, I'm a resident of
8 Scranton. I almost don't know where to start here.
9 I'm so upset about some things that's on this agenda,
10 but I'm not going to start there.
11 I'm going to start with the Americans
12 With Disabilities Act. That requires that any public
13 building, that their handicapped accessible entrance be
14 open at the same hours that their normal entrance is
15 open.
16 Now, I called this morning and spoke to
17 I guess it was this young lady, I think, because I had
18 to make sure that entrance down in the back was opened.
19 I have come at night to meetings here
20 and that door has been locked. I have had to walk
21 around the front and get up the stairs, okay?
22 According to the Americans With
23 Disabilities Act, that door has to be accessible at the
24 same hours that the front door is accessible.
25 And, you know, if we're buying cameras,
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51
1 maybe it wouldn't hurt to hook up a camera there with a
2 buzzer and assign someone so you could ring a buzzer if
3 you're back there, someone could see who it is and let
4 them in, rather than having to call.
5 I bring this up now because I know
6 you're going on vacation, but maybe it's something that
7 could be taken care of over the summer.
8 Also, I do not see any handicapped
9 parking in the back where the handicapped entrance is.
10 Now, right at that ramp is the mayor's car, and across
11 the alley there's some directors and that, but I don't
12 see any handicapped parking spaces back there.
13 MS. GATELLI: There is a sign.
14 MS. WARDELL: There's a sign for
15 discharge only.
16 MS. GATELLI: I spoke to Bill Fiorini
17 yesterday and I told him to change that sign for
18 parking. It's funny that you brought that up, because
19 I did bring that to his attention, and I think he did
20 change it already.
21 MS. WARDELL: Well, when I came in
22 today, it's not changed.
23 MS. GATELLI: Well, it will be. And
24 they should mark the street.
25 MS. EVANS: When we approved the
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52
1 parking spaces for that court for administrative use, I
2 had questioned the availability of handicapped spots,
3 and I was told definitively there would not be one, but
4 two, because the request was two. So, I'm very
5 disheartened to see that that --
6 MS. WARDELL: I'm very disheartened.
7 MS. GATELLI: I will send a letter Mary
8 Ann.
9 MS. WARDELL: Okay. Thank you.
10 MS. GATELLI: And I think the street
11 should be marked, too. The street is not marked in
12 blue.
13 MS. WARDELL: No, it isn't. There's a
14 couple of faded blue lines where that discharge sign
15 is.
16 MS. GATELLI: Well, it needs to be
17 redone. I agree with you 100 percent.
18 MS. WARDELL: I am disheartened that
19 I'm finding that this city is in such condition
20 financially that we now have policemen who are going to
21 buy their own patrol cars. That's a disgrace. That is
22 really a disgrace.
23 I'm embarrassed that these men are
24 buying their own cars to patrol. I mean, that's
25 humiliating for the taxes we pay here and the wage?
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53
1 Don't misunderstand me. I think it's wonderful that
2 they're doing it, but I think it's humiliating.
3 MS. GATELLI: I'm going to interrupt
4 you again, and you can have as much time as you need,
5 and you probably know more about it than I do, but in
6 many communities the police officers own their own
7 vehicles, and it is such a deterrent to crime because
8 they park the car where they live, and then people in
9 that neighborhood know, well, there's a police car.
10 So, even though --
11 MS. WARDELL: Is that why we're doing
12 this?
13 MS. GATELLI: Even though you think
14 it's a deterrent, these police officers want their own
15 vehicle. They will take better care of it and they'll
16 have a presence in the neighborhood. So, don't make up
17 your mind too fast that you're against it. We can talk
18 about it. It is a good idea and it works in --
19 MS. WARDELL: I think it's wonderful
20 that they're offering, but to me it's humiliating. I
21 think it's embarrassing.
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: What happened was the
23 police officers came to the administration with the
24 idea. The administration didn't go to them. There was
25 a group of police officers that heard about this in
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54
1 other areas, and they went to the administration and
2 asked if the administration would look into it.
3 They asked me if I would support it,
4 and there was issues that they had to take care of,
5 that's why we had to make the ordinances today, because
6 they had to buy the vehicle, turn it over to the city
7 for insurance purposes, but it was something they
8 wanted. They asked for it.
9 MS. WARDELL: You might want to check
10 on the motorcycles, too. I talked to a wonderful
11 motorcycle policeman yesterday and I said, Boy, I'm
12 glad to see you're out on the street. And are all the
13 motorcycles out? He said, No. Actually I'm the only
14 one. Three of them are waiting for repairs.
15 MS. EVANS: And that is a problem,
16 because I understand from the terms of the agreement
17 the city will provide the maintenance to these vehicles
18 and all repairs, and we know that continuously there
19 are numbers of police vehicles that are out of
20 commission and awaiting repair.
21 MS. WARDELL: Well, that's why I
22 thought these guys were buying their own cars because
23 they didn't have anything to ride around in.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: We have eight on the
25 way, and every two weeks I've been calling the company
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55
1 where we bought them from, and I will check on the
2 motorcycles. I do know. There's only one, Kevin Green
3 is driving the one, yeah.
4 MS. WARDELL: I have another question.
5 I have a favor to ask, I need somebody to check on.
6 The property on Green Ridge Street and Sanderson
7 Avenue, did the city demolish that building?
8 MS. EVANS: Yes.
9 MS. WARDELL: And if so, what was the
10 cost to the city for the demolition of that building?
11 Does anybody know?
12 MS. EVANS: No.
13 MS. WARDELL: Where would I find out?
14 MS. EVANS: I would think probably
15 through either the office of licensing and permits or
16 --
17 MS. WARDELL: Who is that?
18 MS. GATELLI: DPW.
19 MS. EVANS: Mr. Fiorini. I would think
20 the demolition would probably originally, you know,
21 have ban approved perhaps by him, but I do recall it
22 was torn down by the city and --
23 MS. WARDELL: Is that property
24 currently liened?
25 MS. GATELLI: Currently what?
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56
1 MS. WARDELL: Well, if we tore it down,
2 we paid so much money to tear it down, so is that
3 property now liened?
4 MS. GATELLI: I don't believe so.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: I don't think so.
6 MS. GATELLI: And houses were -- a
7 factory was torn down on Bryn Mawr Avenue, too, for
8 townhouses.
9 MS. WARDELL: Is that property liened?
10 MS. GATELLI: No.
11 MS. WARDELL: Why do we give these
12 things away, guys? Why are we --
13 MS. GATELLI: Because they're part of
14 economic development to lure people to come here. It's
15 a small benefit that the city gives them to entice them
16 to build.
17 MS. WARDELL: Judy, we give everything
18 away.
19 MS. EVANS: They're already getting a
20 benefit, yes, a two-year tax abatement if they build.
21 MS. WARDELL: Yes, they are.
22 MS. EVANS: So, I think in some of
23 these cases where we have developers coming in, I think
24 they do -- I would agree with you, I think they have
25 the funds to demolish the buildings.
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57
1 We're being very, very generous as it
2 is, and we really can't afford all these favors.
3 MS. WARDELL: Why are we --
4 MS. GATELLI: The townhouses over in
5 Bryn Mawr, the first ones went for, I might not have
6 the correct figure, let's say $229,000, the next phase
7 now in the same block they're going for $299,000. So,
8 eventually they're going to pay a lot of taxes.
9 MS. WARDELL: Eventually.
10 MS. GATELLI: That's not a KOZ, no.
11 MS. WARDELL: Eventually. Why are we
12 forgiving this loan for the Cultural Center? Is that a
13 redevelopment thing, that we're going to be nice and
14 forgive this loan now, too, because we have so much
15 money now and we don't need it?
16 MS. EVANS: Well, it was only
17 introduced today and it will come to --
18 MS. WARDELL: But why would anybody
19 even bring that up with the condition that this city is
20 in, why would anybody even think -- and we're loaning
21 $250,000 to an eligible project. I hope someone is
22 going to check their credit history before --
23 MS. GATELLI: Yes, they are.
24 MS. WARDELL: Is that a policy now that
25 someone's credit history will be checked before we loan
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58
1 them money?
2 MR. COURTRIGHT: It should be a policy
3 all the time.
4 MS. WARDELL: It absolutely should be.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: And I think it has
6 been. And maybe you're referring to where we --
7 MS. WARDELL: I'm referring to several
8 of the loans --
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yeah.
10 MS. WARDELL: -- that have been given
11 out that now --
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yeah. It was supposed
13 to have been checked. Somebody messed up there.
14 MS. WARDELL: Let me say one last
15 thing. City Council is elected by the people to
16 represent the people, okay? Let me make a suggestion
17 here.
18 Ms. Fanucci has other priorities, I
19 would say. She has missed four meetings, she leaves
20 this meeting. I think it was very inconsiderate of all
21 of you to change your agenda and the way you conduct
22 your meeting to accommodate one person.
23 If she were not able to attend this
24 whole meeting, then maybe you should have let these
25 meetings be at seven o'clock at night. I mean, we
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59
1 understand that you're only getting paid $12,000 a
2 year, and we understand that these are part-time jobs,
3 and we all have other priorities, but I just think this
4 was very inconsiderate to do to all of these people
5 that attend these meetings, and I think she certainly
6 as a representative of us, and she has certainly said
7 I'm elected by the people, she doesn't have time to
8 listen to us.
9 I really think that maybe next year you
10 want to try to keep these meetings at night for June
11 and July if everyone can't attend them.
12 I understand that there are times that
13 there are other obligations you have to take care of,
14 but not consistently. I'm sorry.
15 MR. COURTRIGHT: Mary Ann, it's my hope
16 that -- I'd like to continue them next year in the
17 daytime, because there are individuals that can't get
18 here at nighttime, and now --
19 MS. WARDELL: Billy, you know what,
20 Billy, we've heard that before. You know what, Billy,
21 that's --
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: Could I speak?
23 MS. WARDELL: Sure. Certainly you can
24 speak.
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: And I'd like to
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60
1 continue them next year in the daytime, because there
2 are individuals that can't make it at nighttime that do
3 show up in the daytime, and I would hope that by next
4 year Mrs. Fanucci would have made some other
5 arrangements so that she could stay.
6 MS. WARDELL: Well, that's fine.
7 MR. COURTRIGHT: My reason for voting
8 for having them in the daytime is that, is strictly
9 that. It affords people that cannot come at nighttime
10 during the year, you know, for a month or a month and a
11 half or whatever, and I would hope that she would make
12 some type of arrangements by next year. Maybe she will
13 have vacation time or something by then, I don't know.
14 MS. WARDELL: I'd like to see her do
15 that, too.
16 MR. COURTRIGHT: But that's my reason
17 for wanting to stay for the month and month and a half
18 in the daytime. And, to me, it doesn't matter. I can
19 come day or night.
20 MS. WARDELL: Thank you for your time.
21 I appreciate it.
22 MS. GATELLI: And, Mrs. Wardell, just
23 one more thing, we're all available by telephone and by
24 E-mail.
25 MS. WARDELL: Yes. And you know that
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1 --
2 MS. GATELLI: Anyone at any time can
3 contact any one of us. Mrs. Fanucci does watch the
4 meeting to see what people say, and I'm sure you're --
5 MS. WARDELL: But it's not the same
6 thing.
7 MS. GATELLI: I know. I understand
8 that, but it --
9 MS. WARDELL: I like to face people. I
10 like to look people in the eye when I'm speaking.
11 MS. GATELLI: I do, too, and I see your
12 point.
13 MS. WARDELL: I would prefer to speak
14 to her.
15 MS. GATELLI: We will consider that
16 next summer if it became a problem for too many people.
17 MS. WARDELL: Thank you very much. I
18 appreciate it.
19 MS. GATELLI: You're welcome. Andy
20 Sbaraglia.
21 MR. SBARAGLIA: Andy Sbaraglia, citizen
22 of Scranton. Fellow Scrantonians, Mr. Courtright, I,
23 too, wish your mother a happy birthday.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Thank you, Andy.
25 MR. SBARAGLIA: Okay. I read in the
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1 paper about the free swimming, and most of my time will
2 be spent on that free swimming.
3 Never in my life have I seen -- we
4 collected $52 we raised people in Scranton's taxes and
5 those that work in Scranton's taxes, and people have
6 the gall to say they're worried about the financial
7 support.
8 We give away millions of dollars in
9 this city. I can bring up millions that I know we
10 forgave, grants, all kinds of grants, but still the
11 kids can't afford to swim for free.
12 Now, the demographics of this city has
13 changed. It's back when I grew up. I grew up when
14 there was a lot of immigrants in Scranton. It's now at
15 that point again, and the immigrants in Scranton are in
16 the same position we were in back in the early forties
17 and the thirties. And we had free swimming. We were
18 able to afford free swimming.
19 Scranton gives away more money than
20 we'll ever spend on the swimming complex. We buy the
21 chemicals anyway. We're talking about a few costs for
22 the lifeguards. And I think if I went and checked
23 everything over from what we're getting in for charging
24 these people to swim will find us negligible.
25 All of us believe in the city. You
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63
1 believe in cutting down crime. How best to cut down
2 crime than with the children of the city?
3 This city really -- the people that
4 live in this city and enjoy this city, and you think of
5 people that came back. Why do you think Karam came
6 back here and tried to move Southern Union here?
7 Because the city was like it was today or was it like
8 yesterday? And it was like yesterday.
9 We have people from Home Depot. Why do
10 you think he's building that plant up there? Because
11 he's an Old Forge native and he grew up in this area,
12 but it was the area of yesterday, and not of the area
13 of today. And that's the sad part.
14 The children of this city are our
15 future. They're the ones that are going to come back,
16 they're going to go out, make good somewhere, God knows
17 where, but they're going to go out and come back and
18 they're going to do things for this city.
19 But the way to make them do that is to
20 make them really belong to this city, to make them feel
21 like they had a great childhood in this city. And when
22 they make it big, they'll come back and they'll give
23 back to this city.
24 You saw Weinberg. Why do you think
25 Weinberg -- if you know the history of Weinberg, how he
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64
1 came in with the transit company and how he closed it
2 down, went off to Hawaii, made a billion.
3 But look at the money he's pouring back
4 in this area, because he made money in here, but it's
5 still the money of yesterday.
6 I don't think any of these kids today
7 that are coming through are just going to care anything
8 about the city except to get out of it.
9 So, believe me, if you're going to do
10 something with the city, you've got to do it with the
11 children. That is the most important part of the city.
12 I mean, the school board just borrowed
13 $60 million to improve the kids, but yet the mayor, I
14 don't know why he does not find it in his heart to
15 figure the kids can swim for free, other than the fact
16 is that they had a couple incidents.
17 But like I pointed out many, many times
18 to you, kids are kids. They'll jump on other kids in
19 the pool. If you're in the pool, there's no guarantee
20 that kid ain't going to jump on you, whether he does it
21 intentionally or not intentionally, there's no way of
22 knowing it. But usually they just get excited and jump
23 in the water. And if you're standing there, you get
24 bumped.
25 Now, these are things that happen all
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65
1 the time, but there's no reason in my heart to try to
2 say because of these few incidents, the rest of the
3 kids can't swim or that to have words span like they're
4 roughians and things like that.
5 Kids are kids. Kids aren't grown up to
6 be thieves. They become thieves later in life and
7 criminals. But as children, if they have half a
8 chance, they're going to get on the right path and go
9 on to where they should go on to, and in the end they
10 will come back to the city and do great things for this
11 city.
12 But if we turn our backs on the
13 children for a few lousy dollars, but yet we get great
14 taxes on the people that are paying it, that's not
15 right. Thank you.
16 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Katherine.
17 MS. ROSILKO (phonetic): Good
18 afternoon, City Council. My name is Katherine Rosilko,
19 and I was born and raised in Scranton.
20 Now, we have a nice train over here,
21 the Steamtown National Park, but to me it seems like
22 it's dying. The reason it is dying is because they're
23 not trying to paint them trains that they do have.
24 I mean, I grew up from the Bellvue and
25 we -- I was always by trains from a little girl, and I
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66
1 go to the Steamtown to see that, and people come in
2 from New York, New Jersey, from Philadelphia, from
3 Florida. When they first came here ten years ago, the
4 mall is 11 years old, that place was so packed you
5 couldn't even move, and people would come in and say,
6 What a beautiful place.
7 But a lot of people would like to
8 volunteer to paint. I know you need special paint.
9 It's not like painting your home. But I feel when
10 people come in from out of town, it doesn't make the
11 City of Scranton look good.
12 Because even though it's a federal
13 project and McDade had something to do with it and
14 Mayor Connors and all these people were involved with
15 it, it still does not look good for the city when
16 people come in from different cities and different
17 states and see that we're not even trying to do
18 something with this train.
19 It doesn't help the Steamtown Mall.
20 The mall used to get a lot of business. They had a
21 golf cart that would go up and down the bridge.
22 Mr. Boscov had that brought in himself. They took that
23 away now, because if you go down there, you're really
24 not going to see too many people because they come
25 right -- as soon as you come into the entrance, the
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67
1 first thing you see is these trains.
2 Now, it's not the trains fault. They
3 claim they have no money to do it, but there are
4 students in the University of Scranton, from what I
5 understand, wanted to come down on their own time, buy
6 this special paint, and paint it, and they turned them
7 down.
8 My question is to the City of Scranton,
9 why isn't somebody talking to these people that run
10 this train, Steamtown National Park, and ask them why
11 don't they let these students come down, fix it up so
12 we could be proud of Scranton?
13 It's just like if you went to New York
14 City and you're there for the first time in your life
15 and you saw something that didn't look right. You say,
16 My goodness, what kind of a city is this? Why aren't
17 they doing something?
18 Well, the people from, like, New York
19 or Philadelphia or from Jersey, I mean, there's people
20 even as far as down the south came. I met them all
21 when I was there.
22 They had a man there that had food
23 there, he's at the Italian Festival, and he pierogies,
24 he had potato pancakes, he hot dogs, ice cream,
25 everything. And the people enjoyed it.
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68
1 But this year when they were supposed
2 to have it, they turned him away. They didn't want him
3 to come. See, people will come in and they will go up
4 to the mall.
5 Another thing on this swimming pool
6 situation, I am a daughter of a Veteran. My dad was
7 killed at 27 years old. I was only four. My mother
8 and I used to walk from the Bellvue all the way up to
9 Nay Aug every day and they used to charge $0.50 to
10 swim. Now, I wasn't much of a swimmer, I'd go once in
11 a while, but I used to enjoy the rides.
12 Now, if my mom could have done it, and
13 she was a widow at that time, she's a widow 57 years
14 today, she's 83, why can't these parents say to their
15 children, Look. Go out and get a paper job.
16 My brother was nine years old when my
17 dad was killed. He went out and got a paper route. He
18 worked in Sears, he worked as a copy boy in The
19 Times-Tribune. Today he's in Boston and he teaches
20 law. But my point is, there's always a way to make a
21 few dollars to go swimming.
22 Now, there's another way to work around
23 this, and I don't want to take too much of your time.
24 You have an office where people come and bring their
25 income. Now, if they're that low in situation and
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69
1 they're really that poor, I'd say, Okay. Let them go
2 swim. Give them a pass. But if they could afford even
3 $0.50, because they do have to take care of that pool
4 and they do have to maintain it.
5 And I went up there from a kid, and I
6 loved it. I enjoyed it. The people that ran it was
7 very nice. And like I said, what you need to do is
8 have an office where these people come in with their
9 income, proof of income. And if they really seriously
10 are really in the poverty area, I'm not a rich girl
11 myself, but if they're really down low, then you could
12 probably see if they could pay, like, half price,
13 $0.50. Because it's been going on and on about this
14 fee and stuff.
15 Another thing, and I'm going to go real
16 quick, we do need police protection in the city. When
17 I was growing up there was policemen walking the beat.
18 The union has to understand we do have policemen in the
19 police cars, but we do need policemen on patrol.
20 Another thing is, there's federal money
21 out there, that's state money out there. You have to
22 apply for grants. They're not just going to -- the
23 state or the federal government is going to come and
24 say, Here, I'm going to give you money. You have to --
25 the city has to apply for these grants.
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70
1 And nine times out of ten if you have a
2 crime area, the state and federal government will help
3 you. I know that for a fact, because I know there's a
4 lot of people have applied for different organizations,
5 different things, and they do get it.
6 But they're not going to come in and
7 say, Here, the City of Scranton, I'm going give you a
8 million dollars without you asking for it.
9 We need policemen on the beat, and this
10 is for the unions of the police department, we do need
11 them on the beat. And they were there when I was a
12 kid.
13 When I went to school, we didn't have
14 policemen in our school. We were safe. Today it is
15 not safe.
16 I even think of my cousin Chrissy that
17 works at the Scranton School, and I think of her life
18 being a teacher, and I feel these teachers are risking
19 their life, this principal here, and my cousin is
20 Christine Clark, she's a teacher at Scranton High
21 School.
22 And I feel that -- I think that every
23 day when she comes into school, is she going to come
24 home and all the other teachers.
25 So, I think, Mrs. Gatelli, with this
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71
1 $52 tax, somewhere along that line, most people aren't
2 going to get that back. So, somewhere along the line
3 you could take that money and higher policemen and have
4 whoever is in charge, the mayor, to write a letter to
5 the governor, and he's a very nice governor, I met him,
6 and I'm sure they would try to help you get more
7 policemen on the beat, not in the police cars, on the
8 beat walking the neighborhoods.
9 There was just a robbery in the
10 Steamtown Mall. I left five minutes before the
11 robbery. A young girl was down by the Wendy's there in
12 the concession stand there, and she was robbed in broad
13 daylight.
14 Security over there is good, but they
15 can't protect the people. So, we need policemen to
16 walk around. If you see a policeman on the street in
17 the neighborhood, you're not going to be a foolish to
18 go and rob a house, unless you're completely -- don't
19 know what you're doing. I mean out of it.
20 If you go down 81 and you see a state
21 trooper, you're not going to go 80 miles an hour,
22 because you're going to get a ticket and you're going
23 to get suspended if you have 12 points.
24 So, my point is, Mrs. Gatelli, I know
25 you could only do so much, but I feel this way, when I
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1 was growing up we had policemen, we had wonderful --
2 the city was -- we had a booming city. We had stage
3 shows, we had everything. There was so much for kids
4 to do they didn't know where to go first.
5 The problem is we have to get policemen
6 on the beat, and the unions of the police department
7 have to understand we have to have them walking. And
8 if you see a policeman in your neighborhood, I'm sure
9 nobody is going to be hurt on that block.
10 MS. GATELLI: Thank you, Katherine.
11 Bill Jackowitz.
12 MR. JACKOWITZ: Good afternoon, City
13 Council. Bill Jackowitz, resident and taxpayer,
14 retired United States Air Force.
15 If I am incorrect with any of my
16 statements, Council, feel free to stop me and correct
17 me at any time. I'm not here to attack characters,
18 these are only my observations. Am I correct in
19 assuming that Council members are paid for not
20 attending meetings or leaving early?
21 What constitutes an emergency, for
22 example, attending a recital, leaving early so you can
23 go back to work. Are these emergency situation s?
24 My belief is that all five
25 Councilpersons who are aware that Council meetings are
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1 held on Thursdays eleven months out of the year.
2 August is the designated vacation month.
3 Council receives $12,500 a year paid by
4 taxpayers. That equals $1,137 a month, which amounts
5 to $260.42 a meeting. The avenue meeting is
6 approximately three hours long. That amounts to $86.81
7 an hour.
8 MS. GATELLI: Excuse me. I'm going to
9 interrupt you. You said we could interrupt?
10 MR. JACKOWITZ: Yes, I did.
11 MS. GATELLI: Well, I'm going to
12 interrupt, because I know for a fact that every one
13 sitting up here does not just come to a meeting,
14 Mr. Jackowitz. I explained this before. So, for you
15 to say that we get 200 and however many dollars for a
16 meeting is untrue.
17 MR. JACKOWITZ: I was --
18 MS. GATELLI: That's untrue.
19 MR. JACKOWITZ: I was going to -- I was
20 going to refer to that later on during my conversation,
21 so I'll just continue on.
22 MS. GATELLI: Okay.
23 MR. JACKOWITZ: If, for example, a
24 Councilperson only stays for 40 minutes of the meeting,
25 that Councilperson should only be paid $19.29 for that
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1 particular meeting.
2 I feel that Council should set the
3 example for all the citizens, including the non-profits
4 and the tax exempts.
5 Also I would like to suggest that
6 Council meetings be held on Saturday or Sunday, my
7 reasoning being, these days would not interfere with
8 Council members' primary jobs. Most people have
9 Saturday and Sundays off.
10 Also I believe that each Councilperson
11 was sworn into office in January to work for the
12 citizens of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, not to work for
13 themselves.
14 A good leader sets the example and then
15 they lead. A bad leader violates the rules and their
16 oath and tries to intimidate.
17 As far as doing citizens work, other
18 than attending meetings, that is what elected officials
19 do, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. That's why they
20 ran for office for the people.
21 Live up to your campaign promises, set
22 the example, restore the pride, do not take the bait,
23 answer questions, do not make excuses.
24 Every meeting cancelled cost the
25 taxpayers $1,302.10 because of a lack of a quorum. No
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1 work, no pay. That's the real world.
2 1996, Mayor Connors emergency
3 management notified the Red Cross, that information and
4 $1.25 will get you a cup of coffee. Who notified the
5 Red Cross in 2006? Mayor Doherty's administration.
6 As far as waiting for the rain to stop,
7 a tenth grade science student knows that water will
8 recede for a short time and then rise quickly.
9 Obviously Scranton leaders never took science classes.
10 When the flow of water starts, it will
11 not stop. Diverting from one area to another is not
12 the answer. Hopefully our elected officials know the
13 difference between city business and prayer, especially
14 when the speaker states openly that she is going to
15 recite a prayer first. Maybe not paying attention.
16 Coverups lead to trouble. My belief,
17 trouble is about to start in Scranton very soon. No
18 answers, delays, inaccurate information, appointees
19 controlling the city, elected officials, no-shows,
20 vacationing, attending recitals, on and on, no
21 accountability for taxpayers' money, no records, no
22 documentation, Freedom of Information Act ignored by
23 city elected officials and their staff.
24 Amazingly when you contact the federal
25 government, you get answers, because I've gotten plenty
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1 of answers. Thank you.
2 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Go ahead.
3 MR. COURTRIGHT: I just want to say
4 something, and if anybody up here doesn't gree with me
5 100 percent, please say so.
6 I think this Council and Councils
7 before us, this is probably the smallest part of our
8 job, in my opinion, this meeting.
9 I've spent at least, at least, 15 hours
10 a week on the phone to the point where sometimes my
11 wife says to me, Can't you turn that thing off?
12 Because on Sunday the phone rings, and I answer it, all
13 right?
14 I think we all get tons and tons of
15 E-mails to the point where I'm not that good with a
16 computer, I had to get Kay to get the I to clear out my
17 E-mail thing but because I just couldn't accept any
18 more. There was too many in there.
19 I understand that many people have an
20 issue with Mrs. Fanucci leaving the meeting, and I
21 don't disagree with them, but to say that, you know --
22 I get the impression they're saying that this is all we
23 do, the rest of us. I don't believe that's true.
24 I think every one of us -- and we asked
25 for this. I'm not complaining. We asked for this.
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1 This is what we wanted to do. We wanted to be public
2 servants. I go to Lowe's, people stop me. I'm
3 standing out in front of my school on Main Avenue,
4 people stop me. I go somewhere with my wife, people
5 stop me. That's what we asked to do. But it's not
6 just being here three hours a week. That's not even
7 close to being right, in my opinion. And if anybody
8 here disagrees with me, please speak up.
9 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Narsavage. Thank
10 you, Mr. Sbaraglia.
11 MR. NARSAVAGE: I would like to
12 question 4-N on the agenda. Does anyone have the
13 address of the National Pastry Bake Shop?
14 MR. MCTIERNAN: 1303 North Main Avenue.
15 MR. NARSAVAGE: Thank you. I'd like to
16 start out under the same vein that Mr. Doug Miller
17 spoke about, the cleanup that was taking place at
18 Dorothy Street grounds.
19 I'd like to thank the people that were
20 there, Jim, Jerome, Michael, Jackson, especially Mrs.
21 Wendy Kelly, Mr. McTiernan and Mr. Courtright. Thank
22 you very much.
23 I do visit the playground every day of
24 the week. After Saturday cleanup, I stopped there on
25 the way home from a birthday party, everything was in
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1 order. I went back there Sunday, everything was fine.
2 Monday when I went back, the American Flag was gone. I
3 think that's terrible.
4 Some presence of a police officer may
5 help that situation. I know what the police situation
6 is. They're not available. But something has to be
7 done. At least Channel 16 was concerned enough to
8 offer a few interviews.
9 Moving from that to the article in the
10 paper, and I'm going to assume that these quotations
11 that are in here that the people that are quoted, Mr.
12 McTiernan, Mr. Doherty and Mrs. Fanucci are accurate.
13 MR. MCTIERNAN: I didn't read the
14 article.
15 MR. NARSAVAGE: Okay. Then I can't
16 assume that, because God knows I read many things in
17 The Times that just don't jive.
18 However, the fees for the pools, a few
19 people here say that we need those fees in order to pay
20 for guards and chemicals and materials and stuff like
21 that. And if my memory is correct, and stop me if it
22 isn't, I thought I understood that we collected $55,000
23 in fees last year at the Nay Aug Pool. Is that close?
24 MR. MCTIERNAN: For Nay Aug you're
25 looking for?
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1 MR. NARSAVAGE: Yeah.
2 MR. MCTIERNAN: I think Nay Aug was in
3 that ballpark.
4 MR. NARSAVAGE: It's close?
5 MR. MCTIERNAN: Wait a second.
6 $56,000.
7 MR. NARSAVAGE: $56,000?
8 MR. MCTIERNAN: For Nay Aug.
9 MR. NARSAVAGE? All right. Here's a
10 spread sheet for the first four years that the mayor
11 was in office. It covers the payroll at City Hall.
12 Over the four-year period, we
13 experienced a $3.3 million increase in payroll at City
14 Hall, and we're talking about $56,000 that we can't
15 scrape that up and let the kids swim free? It's
16 amazing.
17 The next five days here are supposed to
18 be 90 degrees, the weather is supposed to be. And I'm
19 going to throw this out again, and I said it once
20 before, with the school district's own figures that I
21 used out of the paper, 53 percent of the children in
22 our schools come from low income families, 53 percent.
23 And we're still arguing over an lousy $56,000, and not
24 allow these kids to swim free? Unbelievable.
25 According to this, we must waste
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80
1 $56,000 every seven or eight minutes. And a $240
2 millin long-term deficit? My God, I should drop that
3 down to about four or five minutes. Unbelievable.
4 Mr. McTiernan, again, you know, you
5 said you didn't read the article, but I have to commend
6 you standing by your campaign promise that you made
7 when you ran for office, because the paper said you
8 were in favor of the pool fees --
9 MR. MCTIERNAN: I was.
10 MR. NARSAVAGE: -- when you ran for
11 office, and, therefore, you're in favor of the pool
12 fees now. Okay. Again, I commend you for sticking by
13 your commitments, but I'm also going to ask Council
14 maybe if they could come up with a proclamation for
15 you, because I think you must be one of the only people
16 approximately, I shouldn't say everyone, but that have
17 stuck by their campaign promises in this city. Thank
18 you very much.
19 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Victor.
20 MR. BADRIK (phonetic): Yes. My name
21 is Victor Badrik. I come to the city 36 years ago,
22 301-307 Greenbush Street after one years
23 (UNTRANSCRIBABLE.) This before was not too bad in
24 Scranton where I live. What happened now? What is
25 going on now today?
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1 After the police, people in the City of
2 Scranton, they protect people or murder people or
3 destroy people. I was already five times murdered by
4 city police after five -- 28 years first murdered by
5 cane in -- my private property, and today 99 months,
6 15 days, no judge, no jury, no appeal, no deal.
7 My medical treatment, who gave me my
8 medical treatment today? I lost five times after
9 99 months, murdered by city police. The protection?
10 Last time I was murdered by April 17,
11 was Market Street, Patrick Cavalla (phonetic). They
12 needed five or six vehicles arrest me? For what? I
13 said, like butchers, like butchers they did.
14 They pulled me over and I asked him,
15 What happened? Why are you pulling me over? They take
16 my glasses off, spray my eyes and called another
17 vehicle. What's going on? I'm dangerous? What is
18 danger? Not me. What's going on in this city? Five
19 times I was already murdered by city police.
20 MR. COURTRIGHT: Sir, sir --
21 MR. BADRIK: Thirty-two years, never
22 find a ticket on the street, and the city police will
23 tell you and the neighborhood -- I come in today --
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Victor, Victor, if you
25 stay after the meeting, you could explain to me and
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1 I'll look into it for you, okay?
2 MR. BADRIK: Okay.
3 MR. COURTRIGHT: All right.
4 MS. GATELLI: Stay now. Don't go.
5 MR. BADRIK: Pardon me?
6 MR. COURTRIGHT: Wait until the meeting
7 is over and I will speak with you.
8 MR. BADRIK: Okay. Because Scranton is
9 brutally murdered. I feel like Auschwitz Camp death
10 camp. I remember second World War II where there was
11 S.S. condemnations in the home.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: All right. Why don't
13 you wait until after the meeting and then I'll discuss
14 it with you, okay? All right? All right. Thank you.
15 After the meeting wait for me.
16 MS. GATELLI: Is there anyone else that
17 would like to speak?
18 MR. BADRIK: See, that's the
19 neighborhood (indicating).
20 MR. COURTRIGHT: All right. I'll take
21 a look at if after the meeting.
22 MR. BADRIK: Okay. That's the
23 neighborhood.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay.
25 MR. BADRIK: Last week city zoning come
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1 like the gestapo.
2 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay. All right.
3 MR. BADRIK: The vehicle, they taking
4 my property. Who pay my property taxes?
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: All right. I'll talk
6 with you after the meeting, okay?
7 MR. BADRIK: Okay.
8 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yeah, wait for me.
9 MR. BADRIK: Okay. Thank you.
10 MR. SPINDLER: Good afternoon, Council.
11 Les Spindler, city resident. I'm glad I could be here
12 today. The only reason I could be here with this new
13 change is because I'm on vacation. And I want to
14 address that first.
15 Moving citizens participation to the
16 end of the meeting is the most ridiculous idea this
17 Council has ever come up with, and it shows a lack of
18 respect and concern that most Council members have for
19 the citizens of this city.
20 After all, it is the citizens of this
21 city that put you all in office. I think it's a slap
22 in the face to the citizens of this city for someone to
23 leave during citizens participation.
24 If someone doesn't have the time to
25 stay and hear what the citizens have to say, they
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84
1 should resign immediately. And I am referring to
2 Mrs. Fanucci.
3 When Mrs. Fanucci got her job with the
4 governor's office, she knew the meetings were at
5 noontime. She should have made arrangements to be
6 here.
7 And like I said, it's a slap in the
8 face to the people that put her in office, and she
9 should resign immediately. And that goes for anybody
10 else up there that cannot stay to hear the citizens.
11 And I hope the citizens remember when she comes up for
12 election next time. That's all I have to say on that
13 subject.
14 Next, Mrs. Gatelli, was the pit bull
15 legislation looked into at all?
16 MS. GATELLI: Attorney Minora.
17 MR. MINORA: Yes. You can't
18 distinguish between dogs. You can legislate according
19 to size of dogs based on, you know, their weight and
20 then have requirements for fencing and things of that
21 nature, but it would not be specific as to one type of
22 dog.
23 So, it might be something that a vast
24 majority of people who have dogs of about the same size
25 would not be in favor of. That's a judgment you'll
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1 have to make.
2 MR. SPINDLER: Well, they do it in
3 Pittsburgh and Monroeville, so if they can do it there,
4 we can do it here. They make stipulations for people
5 that have pit bulls and other dangerous dogs.
6 And speaking of the two pit bulls that
7 attacked my dog June 1, they were out loose the other
8 night again when I went by the house. Nothing is being
9 done about these dogs.
10 Can I finish? There's a wooded area
11 across the street from where these people live, and
12 they take them over to the woods to go to the bathroom
13 unleashed, which is a city violation. We have a leash
14 law.
15 And if somebody is walking by when
16 those dogs are loose, it could happen what happened to
17 me or a young child could be attacked. Something has
18 to be done with these dogs. Mr. Courtright, I --
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: I checked into your
20 situation there, Les, and you weren't here last week so
21 I couldn't tell you. The officer that responded to
22 your call has got in a pretty serious car accident, so
23 he's off, and there's an assignment number for your
24 call.
25 But at the time that I checked in, I
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86
1 don't know it to be true now, but at the time I checked
2 in we did not have a, for lack of a better word, dog
3 catcher working at the time.
4 And my understanding is, and if I'm
5 wrong, I'm sure somebody will correct me, and it's my
6 understanding is that's who would cite the individual,
7 would be the animal control person.
8 And at the time when I checked in,
9 which was last week, we did not have one working. I
10 don't know if we have one right now or not. I couldn't
11 honestly tell you.
12 But that's where your situation lies.
13 There is an assignment number for the case. If you
14 need it, I can get it for you. And I'll check into it
15 further to see if we've gotten an animal control
16 officer now or not. We did --
17 MR. SPINDLER: I just hope it's not
18 forgotten about. I won't let it be forgotten about.
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: No, I didn't forget
20 about you, I just -- that's how far I got.
21 MR. SPINDLER: They're let loose all
22 the time, and it's a dangerous situation.
23 MR. COURTRIGHT: I would call the
24 police. If you see them loose, I would absolutely call
25 the police and tell them and let them document it.
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1 MR. SPINDLER: Well, at that time -- by
2 the time I came back from seeing them that night, they
3 were back in the house.
4 MR. COURTRIGHT: All right. But if you
5 think -- if there's a particular time they do it or
6 whatever, please --
7 MR. SPINDLER: Well, as a matter of
8 fact the other night when I saw them was about the same
9 time that my dog was attacked, so maybe they have a set
10 time.
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: Keep an eye out and
12 call them and then they'll respond and maybe then we
13 can do something. They've got to be on a leash.
14 MR. SPINDLER: Okay. Last time I was
15 here I spoke about the Weston Field parking lot being a
16 mess. Did anybody look into that being paved?
17 MS. GATELLI: I sent Mr. Parker an
18 E-mail on that. I haven't heard a response yet.
19 MR. SPINDLER: It seems like he never
20 responds to E-mails, because everything I've asked he
21 hasn't responded to.
22 Has Council looked into writing new
23 legislation to make swimming free at Nay Aug? Are you
24 going to do that? You have the right to write
25 legislation.
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88
1 MS. GATELLI: Do we, Attorney Minora?
2 MR. MINORA: I'm sorry. I didn't hear
3 the question. Write legislation as to what?
4 MR. SPINDLER: To have free swimming at
5 Nay Aug, to override the Recreation Authority. You
6 have the power --
7 MR. MINORA: We passed legislation
8 making it free at all the others --
9 MR. SPINDLER: Not Nay Aug.
10 MR. MINORA: -- but Nay Aug, because
11 Nay Aug was a different -- will you listen? Because
12 Nay Aug is a different situation that is governed by
13 the Recreation Authority. They're a separate municipal
14 body.
15 MR. SPINDLER: The Recreation Authority
16 had no power whatsoever. They're appointed officials.
17 Council is elected officials, they have power to write
18 legislation. The Recreation Authority has no power to
19 write anything.
20 MR. MINORA: And you have that on good
21 legal authority?
22 MR. SPINDLER: Yes, I do. I've been
23 told by other --
24 MR. MINORA: Let me see it. Let me see
25 it.
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89
1 MR. SPINDLER: I don't have it in
2 writing.
3 MR. MINORA: Okay.
4 MR. SPINDLER: I've been told by --
5 MR. MINORA: When you get it, I would
6 love to look at it.
7 MS. GATELLI: And if you're right, Les,
8 maybe you will be the next Council solicitor.
9 MS. EVANS: Mr. Spindler, I believe
10 there is legislation on a state level that's
11 considering a number of measures concerning municipal
12 authorities, including --
13 MS. GATELLI: The sewer and the housing
14 and the parking.
15 MS. EVANS: Right. Including the
16 ability of a municipal governing body to dissolve such
17 authorities.
18 In the interim, however, you know, I do
19 agree, Council has the ability by virtue of the Home
20 Rule Charter to write legislation. I think the problem
21 that you face at this point is that very likely you
22 would not have four Council members who would be
23 willing to support that legislation.
24 MR. SPINDLER: Well, you won't know
25 until we do it. You had four votes to have the free
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1 swimming at all the other pools. You won't know until
2 you try. All right. Moving on.
3 Lastly, the article in the paper
4 yesterday about Mrs. Evans not being notified about
5 signing the decoration to be a disaster, state of
6 emergency, I'm sorry, who does Ray Hayes think he is to
7 say that he didn't think Mrs. Evans had to be
8 contacted? Why did he go out of his way to contact the
9 other four members of Council and leave Mrs. Evans out?
10 If anybody should have been contacted, it's Mrs. Evans.
11 She's the one person on that Council that is
12 110 percent behind the people of this city, and she
13 should have been the first one contacted. That's all I
14 have to say about that. Thank you.
15 MS. GATELLI: Thanks.
16 MS. EVANS: Thank you, Mr. Spindler,
17 for your support. I do -- I do realize that Mr. Hayes
18 as acting mayor was certainly quite busy during those
19 initial days of flooding.
20 I did actually receive the declaration
21 in my mail the following day. I think it occurred
22 June 28, and it was at the meeting of June 29 that I
23 found that document in my mailbox.
24 And honestly, I do not feel slighted.
25 My concern is not with a signature, but my concern is
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1 that a public official elected by the people of this
2 city had absolutely no knowledge of an emergency
3 situation.
4 In other words, did I know about it, of
5 course, was I out there visiting homes, of course, but
6 I just think it's most unwise boarding on dangerous for
7 an administration not to contact all elected officials
8 and provide the information. That's all. Thank you.
9 MR. DAVIS: Assalaam Alaikum.
10 Ms. Evans, you need not worry about being slighted. I
11 think they've learned that by now.
12 You started here by saying equal
13 treatment under the law. That's a problem that I'm
14 having with 53 percent of our kids that are going to
15 school, where most of the funds that go to the school
16 or go to the city or go to the county are because 53
17 percent of our population is low economic developed,
18 low economic people, persons, population. I realize
19 that, yet, we don't have the same services allotted to
20 them as we do to others.
21 Okay. I had to tell -- I have to say
22 something to DPW. I thank you very much for finally
23 paving Olive Street, the 400 block of Olive Street.
24 With the number of kids and the number of cars that
25 pass there every single day, they hit into one of those
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92
1 potholes, you don't have control of your car, that
2 means a kid can be hurt, and I thank you for doing it
3 finally. And I appreciate it being done even now.
4 I was over there the other day as the
5 kids were going to camp and they were out there doing
6 Olive Street, and I thanked them personally, because it
7 needed to be done.
8 But there's a problem that we have when
9 you go to the parks, when you go to Nay Aug Park, I've
10 gone there several times, I've taken pictures, as a
11 matter of fact.
12 There's a policeman there. He's
13 receiving a salary. We have lifeguards who are getting
14 fantastic tans, so much so that they're not watching
15 the kids. They're getting tans. But that's all right,
16 because they do have the ones that are on post at the
17 times when they're supposed to be.
18 Number three, the diving boards at Nay
19 Aug Park have not been repaired as of yet. Now, if
20 this is a park that is being controlled and valued by
21 the recreation department, I would say they're doing a
22 very poor job. And I think that perhaps you four, or
23 if you can get her to come with you, I mean, she might
24 be working, but if you get up there and look at these
25 things, check these parks out, check these pools out.
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1 Why do we need a policeman, when the
2 people that are there are very small amounts. I was
3 there at three o'clock in the afternoon, I was there at
4 seven o'clock in the morning, I was there later at
5 six o'clock just as they got ready to close.
6 The attendance is not that great at Nay
7 Aug. It just isn't at the present time. I don't know
8 what kind of money they're taking in, but for what
9 they've deemed to be a cleansing of all those
10 undesirable people with the fund or with an amount, I
11 think you're losing time, you're losing space, and
12 worst of all, we're losing kids.
13 Now, if you want to put a policeman up
14 there, maybe he should walk somewhere else, I don't
15 know. Maybe he should be on a task force somewhere
16 with the rest of the communities, but we didn't need
17 him up there.
18 Because usually the kids that go there
19 are well controlled. You've already said that. You're
20 charging them, so you got rid of all the riff raff, as
21 was said.
22 But I'm saying like this, the kids
23 don't like the situation, and something has to be done,
24 because now we're tearing our kids apart. We're
25 separating them. We're discriminating them. We are
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94
1 segregating them, that's the word, segregating them.
2 And I don't think it's fair, I don't think it's
3 equitable, and I don't think it makes for a better
4 future. All right. I've got too long on that.
5 The other thing that you mentioned was
6 the funds that it takes to -- for the school, for the
7 recreation to do these things like take care of the
8 pool.
9 Tell me something, they're in charge of
10 all the pools, aren't they? Don't they have total
11 control over all the pools in our city?
12 MS. EVANS: No.
13 MS. DAVIS: Oh, really?
14 MS. EVANS: You mean the Recreation
15 Authority?
16 MR. DAVIS: Yes.
17 MS. EVANS: No, they don't. They
18 control only the Nay Aug Pool.
19 MR. DAVIS: They don't hire the
20 lifeguards for all the other pools?
21 MS. EVANS: No. All of this is
22 contained in the city's operating budget. There is a
23 category that lists all of the revenue and expenditures
24 for the Parks and Recreation Department, and it is
25 through the city's operating budget that chemicals are
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95
1 purchased, that lifeguards are paid, et cetera.
2 MS. GATELLI: I have a solution for
3 you. If you take a bucket and say Donations, you'd be
4 surprised at how many people in this city would give
5 donations for such thing as expenses in each of our
6 pools, in all of our pools.
7 They think that this is a service that
8 you're performing for them. They don't mind giving
9 them -- maybe it won't be a dollar, maybe it won't be
10 $5, but it will be something, and they'll feel
11 responsible so that when they go in there, they will
12 respect the place, also, because they're paying to go
13 in there like everybody else everywhere else.
14 Give them that chance to be equal.
15 Give them that chance to feel proud of themselves for
16 what they get, and I think you will have a solution.
17 You will be surprised. Thank you.
18 MS. SHUMAKER: Marie Shumaker. First
19 I'd like to open by saying, I hope that you are working
20 on an ordinance that deals with pool maintenance, since
21 there is currently nothing that covers that in the
22 ordinances and that would give some authority to Mr.
23 Fiorini's people to go out where they're stagnant
24 pools.
25 The prime reason I'm here today,
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1 though, again, is back on, I guess what was Item 6-F on
2 last week's agenda, who was it that recommended the yes
3 vote? Can you tell me? I don't -- the minutes aren't
4 available online yet. That was for the $250,000 loan
5 to, oh, what are their names. Yeah, to Pisanos. Who
6 was it?
7 MR. COURTRIGHT: It must have been
8 Mrs. Fanucci, because it's economic development, and
9 that's her committee, so maybe she --
10 MS. SHUMAKER: So, she's not here to
11 respond, but I do have several questions, because that
12 --
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: I'll try to answer
14 them for you.
15 MS. SHUMAKER: Well, again, we're back
16 to the need for policy. There is an office of economic
17 development, yet the office of economic development did
18 not pay. I did receive a letter after I was here last
19 week, as I E-mailed each of you, did not pay for the
20 demolition of those properties at 530, 532 and 534
21 Moosic Street, nor the clearing of the trees and the
22 leveling. So, somebody else in the city must have paid
23 for it, since --
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: The DPW did. The DPW
25 tore it down.
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1 MS. SHUMAKER: On whose authority?
2 MR. COURTRIGHT: On the mayor's
3 authority. Maybe I could shed a little light on this.
4 I have questioned this quite a bit. I think what
5 happened was Mr. Pisano and the mayor struck a deal
6 that if he were to come in there and develop that piece
7 of property, that he would receive these services, and
8 so that was a deal between the Pisanos and the mayor.
9 MS. SHUMAKER: Doesn't the Council have
10 to approve these kinds of things?
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: No. It's solely up to
12 him, so we have no say on that.
13 MR. SHUMAKER: I mean, this is
14 ridiculous. I paid to have properties demolished, and
15 I wouldn't ever have thought of going to the city and
16 asking the city to --
17 MR. COURTRIGHT: It was told to me it
18 was for economic development.
19 MS. SHUMAKER: But, again, you approved
20 -- this group approved a $250,000, quarter of a million
21 dollar loan, to this thing, I'm assuming it's for the
22 development of these properties, and there's been
23 nothing gone through the planning commission yet. Is
24 that policy?
25 MS. GATELLI: It doesn't have to go
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1 through the planning commission.
2 MS. SHUMAKER: It doesn't have to
3 through? Anybody can do anything they want?
4 MS. GATELLI: Well, unless you're going
5 to subdivide it and make a big project. It's existing
6 buildings and they're going to use the existing
7 buildings. You don't have to go through the planning
8 commission for that.
9 MS. SHUMAKER: Then why was the land
10 cleared? Why did those building have to be demolished
11 and the land cleared?
12 MS. GATELLI: That's for parking.
13 MS. SHUMAKER: That's just going to be
14 a parking lot?
15 MR. COURTRIGHT: I believe so. I'm not
16 100 percent sure.
17 MS. SHUMAKER: Well, I certainly think
18 a policy needs to be drafted where you have cost
19 benefit analysis, you go through specific rigors and
20 penalties if you lie on the cost benefit analysis,
21 checking on credit. There are certain things,
22 priorities.
23 If the DPW went in there, I could point
24 out a lot of blighted properties that I'm sure on the
25 OECD list, yet this property just jumped right ahead of
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1 that. And I don't think that's fair, I don't think
2 it's right, and I think if the mayor is the one who
3 approved it, he should be ashamed of himself.
4 It's been cleared. And what was the
5 big rush? It's been cleared for several months, and I
6 don't see anything happening there. So, I don't
7 understand the big rush. I don't understand why some
8 people are more equal than others in this city. I
9 think it's sad.
10 MS. EVANS: Well, it's unfortunately
11 called pay to play, and I'm not referring to one
12 circumstance, I'm referring to multiple, multiple
13 circumstances, cronyism, whatever you'd like to call
14 it. That's why some people jump ahead.
15 MS. SHUMAKER: That's why I left this
16 town in 1964, and I hoped to shake the dust from my
17 feet and never return, but circumstances have forced me
18 back here, and it's only gotten worse. And I will tell
19 you, that is why people leave.
20 I spoke to a young man last night and
21 he said, I cannot wait to get out to college and put
22 Scranton behind me. I will never come back. And a lot
23 it is because of this. His family has had problems,
24 too, clearing right of ways, getting sewer lines. They
25 see it done for one and not for the other and they say,
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1 This is not where I want. Now, they may very well find
2 these things exist other places, too, but this is
3 what's chasing people out of town. It's not anything
4 but the cronyism.
5 MS. EVANS: Well, if I might add, I
6 think there are two other factors, although that is --
7 they're all equally important. That, as well as the
8 wage tax, and the third which ties into it, there
9 simply aren't jobs for our young people.
10 And the better paying jobs, let us say
11 the white collar job, again, are awarded most often not
12 on merit, but on politics and nepotism.
13 MS. SHUMAKER: Well, it's all part of
14 the same thing. And my personal feeling after
15 observing this for some time is that it's by intent,
16 because right now government is the biggest employer.
17 If people had other choices to go to
18 private industry and make a decent wage, they would go
19 in a heart beat, but as long as government is there,
20 they're going to be puppets because they're scared to
21 death to lose their jobs or have a relative lose their
22 job, and that stinks to the high heavens. Thank you.
23 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Chris.
24 MR. SLEDZINSKI: I'm going to bring it
25 down, Buddy.
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1 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay.
2 MR. SLEDZINSKI: Billy, I got a
3 question just for you, Bill. These firemen in the City
4 of Scranton, I'll tell you, they're doing a good job
5 around here, Bill. Tell them to keep it up down there.
6 Thanks, Bill.
7 MR. COURTRIGHT: Thank you, Chris.
8 I'll tell them.
9 MR. LYMAN: Raymond Lyman. Oh, Bob
10 McTiernan is out. Okay. Number one, Judy Gatelli, any
11 information on that light on the 300 block of Phelps
12 Street? It was approved by UEL or whatever that is.
13 MS. GATELLI: I think Kay was checking
14 into that light.
15 MR. LYMAN: That they approved it to be
16 installed.
17 MS. GATELLI: Yeah, they're approved,
18 but we have no control over when they're going to put
19 it up.
20 MR. LYMAN: They said it was approved,
21 and you guys said that you need the money. And it
22 needs to be installed, because we have so much
23 vandalism. My mother's car got vandalized, and we want
24 it installed.
25 MS. GATELLI: Well, you will have to
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1 ask Mrs. Garvey when she comes back.
2 MR. LYMAN: I don't know when -- I
3 don't know where she went. And we're tired of waiting.
4 I mean, this is almost going for six weeks now, and you
5 said four weeks.
6 MS. GATELLI: Six weeks? We have
7 people waiting two years, Ray. So, you know, you have
8 a little time to wait yet.
9 MR. LYMAN: I mean, it's ridiculous.
10 MS. GATELLI: This MEM, I don't
11 understand why they take so long, but --
12 MR. LYMAN: Well, if Mayor Doherty
13 could go to Italy and he could spend to go there, he
14 could spend money to put a light up.
15 Now, Mr. McTiernan, you got that
16 information I asked?
17 MR. MCTIERNAN: No. The audit didn't
18 come in yet.
19 MR. LYMAN: Well, when is the audit
20 coming in?
21 MR. MCTIERNAN: As soon as they submit
22 it.
23 MR. LYMAN: Because our group wants to
24 know on that and I'm supposed to go to the meeting and
25 they want to know where that information is.
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1 MR. MCTIERNAN: When it's available.
2 MR. LYMAN: When is that? Okay. Judy,
3 can you tell Sherry -- she said this month about the --
4 that meeting she goes with Harrisburg, she's supposed
5 to get the audit from them.
6 MS. GATELLI: From the PEL?
7 MR. LYMAN: From the PEL, yeah, that
8 audit. You know, Mrs. Evans, what I'm talking about.
9 MS. EVANS: Yes. She actually under
10 motions today explained that she had a PEL meeting this
11 week and that she did pass along to those officials all
12 of the requests that were made by the citizens of
13 Scranton over the past several weeks at City Council
14 meetings.
15 MR. LYMAN: Yeah, because she said she
16 was going to give me a copy of the audit. Now, I'm
17 going to ask, since I'm not a member of the Scranton
18 Lackawanna Taxpayers, you're a member, Judy, I'm asking
19 them for an emergency meeting since that sale -- it's
20 not done. The people of Lackawanna County could still
21 have a chance to go to the county about the sale of
22 Montage, you know, about Sno Mountain. You know what
23 I'm talking about --
24 MS. GATELLI: Uh-huh.
25 MR. LYMAN: -- that Sno Mountain could
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1 still be stopped. Those people do not know how to run
2 that mountain. They only know how to run water parks.
3 A friend of mine who went up there,
4 they're only going to buy 14 or 15 those blowers that
5 blow snow up there. Other than that, they are not
6 buying nothing else. They're only going to concern on
7 the water park, you know, the water thing. Other than
8 that, they're not going to concern anything on that --
9 the ski resort.
10 MS. GATELLI: Did you attend the county
11 commissioners meeting?
12 MR. LYMAN: Yes, I was there. But the
13 last one that they had with the other bidder on the
14 third, they were more --
15 MS. GATELLI: Qualified?
16 MR. LYMAN: -- qualified on running ski
17 resorts. And I think the Lackawanna County Taxpayers
18 Association should have an emergency meeting, and I
19 will attend this meet, if they have it, and I think you
20 should come, and we have a couple members that were --
21 some of them are gone, there's one still here, should
22 attend. I don't know Ozzie Quinn's phone number, I'm
23 not a member, but that should be important.
24 Now, number two, a friend of mine asked
25 me this, the junior City Council should have a
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1 newsletter, like that stolen of the flag should be in
2 there, other coming events that they're going to have
3 cleanings. Here's an idea for a cleaning. How about
4 the park down on Capouse, you know, down at Chip
5 Feldman Field, you know where I'm talking about, where
6 Earl lives, I should say where he used to live. That
7 needs to be cleaned down there.
8 MS. GATELLI: Well, I'm sure they'll
9 take that into consideration.
10 MR. LYMAN: The swings, that needs an
11 upgrade on swings and the teeter-todders and stuff like
12 that, and I think the Junior Council could do some
13 planting down there.
14 MS. GATELLI: Who's the president of
15 the Pine Brook Neighborhood?
16 MR. LYMAN: Jerry Richardson and Mary
17 Chilipko and they don't do nothing down there.
18 MS. GATELLI: Please don't do that.
19 You can talk about public officials, but don't talk
20 about people that aren't here to defend themselves.
21 MR. LYMAN: Well, I'm not --
22 MS. GATELLI: I mean, they're
23 dedicated.
24 MR. LYMAN: I know they're dedicated,
25 but --
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1 MS. GATELLI: I don't know Mary well,
2 but I know Jerry, and, I mean, he has been doing that
3 many years.
4 MR. LYMAN: Me and him --
5 MS. GATELLI: Well, if you don't hit it
6 off, that's fine.
7 MR. LYMAN: It's not --
8 MS. GATELLI: There's some people that
9 don't hit it off with each other, but we're all human
10 beings and we all have to respect each other.
11 MR. LYMAN: Judy, let me tell you
12 something --
13 MS. GATELLI: I don't want to hear it
14 because I know you're going to say something very
15 negative.
16 MR. LYMAN: It's not negative against
17 Jerry, but he'll say something about -- you know what
18 happened -- what you did to his.
19 MS. GATELLI: Yes, I know, and that's
20 okay, that's fine, that's fine.
21 MR. LYMAN: He will never forget that.
22 MS. GATELLI: That's okay. No problem.
23 I was doing a job.
24 MR. LYMAN: I defend you.
25 MS. GATELLI: And there's also another
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1 gentleman here that will never forget it, but when I
2 did my job for the city, I did my job.
3 MR. LYMAN: But I asked him to help me
4 with the catch basin on Phelps Street, and you know I
5 come here week after week about that catch basin. I
6 asked him, Oh, I can't help you. And I said, Pine
7 Brook -- Phelps Street is part of Pine Brook. Oh, I
8 can't help you.
9 But he had the city down on New Street
10 for the sewer, so I ran down there and I asked them,
11 You guys can't come down and help us? Oh, no, no, no.
12 There were no orders down there. I called Sue this
13 week, and I was screaming.
14 MS. GATELLI: Sue will send a letter
15 for Phelps Street, she will send a letter for you.
16 MR. LYMAN: And I even called the Sewer
17 Authority.
18 MS. GATELLI: The city fixes the catch
19 basins.
20 MR. LYMAN: We can't do nothing about
21 it. We can't do nothing about it.
22 MS. GATELLI: They'll take care of it.
23 MR. LYMAN: I called that George
24 Parker, that's all you get is machine, machine. The
25 only way I catch George Parker is down here by the
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1 lottery machine. That's where you catch him, buying
2 hot dogs and lottery tickets.
3 MS. GATELLI: All right. Thanks, Ray.
4 MR. LYMAN: I'll see you.
5 MR. NAVARSKY (phonetic): Good
6 afternoon, City Council. My name is Tom Navarsky, and
7 I just have one question about the Granito development
8 there. What is the economic progress for a parking lot
9 for that section? You stated that it was --
10 MS. GATELLI: Well, it's for the
11 parking lot, yes, that's what I understand. I don't
12 really know. I'm just assuming that.
13 MR. NAVARSKY: I can't understand how
14 they can get a loan for just parking lot.
15 MS. GATELLI: No. The loan's for the
16 buildings. The loan is not for the -- well, maybe it
17 is for some of the parking to pave it. I'm not
18 positive.
19 MR. NAVARSKY: Well, it was stated here
20 just a few minutes ago that it was for a parking lot.
21 MS. GATELLI: No. The trees were taken
22 down for the parking lot, not the loan. The loan is
23 for the business for job creation.
24 MR. NAVARSKY: The way it was stated it
25 was for a parking lot. I thank you.
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1 MS. GATELLI: Well, if that's what you
2 understood, I'm sorry that you misunderstood that. Is
3 there anyone else that cares to speak before Council?
4 Do we have a motion to adjourn?
5 MS. EVANS: So moved.
6 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
7 MS. GATELLI: All in favor.
8 MS. EVANS: Aye.
9 MR. MCTIERNAN: Aye.
10 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
11 MS. GATELLI: Aye.
12
13 (MEETING WAS ADJOURNED.)
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1 C E R T I F I C A T E
2
3 I hereby certify that the proceedings and
4 evidence are contained fully and accurately in the
5 notes taken by me on the hearing of the above cause and
6 that this copy is a correct transcript of the same
7 to the best of my ability.
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LISA M. GRAFF, RMR
11 Official Court Reporter
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