Face time returns to Milford Borough meetings
Milford. The borough council once again was able to discuss street paving and gas pipes live and in person.
| 24 Jun 2021 | 01:50
Adriane Wendell, vice president of the Milford Borough Council (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Councilman Peter Cooney (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Councilwoman Maria Farrell (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Borough secretary Laurie DiGeso (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Borough solicitor Anthony Magnotta (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
“It’s so nice to see you again!”
A quiet wonder filled St. Patrick’s Parish Hall as everyone filed in.
After 15 months of Zoom meetings, Milford Borough councilmembers were finally able to leave their digital squares and meet one another, live and in person. In May, Councilman Joe Dooley suggested moving meetings from borough hall to St. Patrick’s Church Hall, which he said is about five times bigger.
Frank Tarquinio, Milford Borough president, guided the council through various discussions and approvals:
● Street closings — The council approved closing portions of Broad Street by the Dimmick Restaurant for the annual Brooklyn Block Party, and East Catherine between the Jive Restaurant and the Bar Louis and the Hotel Fauchere for the car show benefiting the Pike County Historical Trust during the Milford Music Festival.
● Paving — The council approved the paving of Mott Street.
● Gas pipe replacement — The council held a lengthy discussion of gas pipe replacement projects by UGI, including its effects on roads, businesses, and residents. The council voted to have the borough solicitor draft an ordinance about the extent and timing of road repaving after the work is done.
● Repaving — The council agreed to add a catch basin at the Fourth Street side to divert the water into the existing storm water system once the repaving of Cherry Alley is completed.
● Air conditioning — The council approved replacing the split-unit air conditioners on the first floor of the borough office with new units at a cost of $5,900. Frank Tarquinio said, “We’ve been the victim of people not caring for the old borough building.”
● Air quality — The council recommended that Councilman George Lutfy apply to participate in the Local Climate Action Program (LCAP) program, an initiative to measure and improve air quality in Pennsylvania municipalities (dep.pa.gov/Citizens/climate/Pages/Local-Climate-Action.aspx).
● Remote meetings — The borough will send letters of support to the state representatives for current legislation, House Bill 1318, to allow borough meetings to be held remotely during non-emergency times.
For more information about the meeting, please see related story “Milford’s parks and benches get some TLC.”