COAL TOWNSHIP - Coal Township street department employees will receive pay raises under a new three-year contract approved by township commissioners Thursday night.
Seven of the 11 workers classified as street department employees who currently earn more than $16 per hour will be granted 50-cent per hour raises, while the other four employees who currently earn less than $16 per hour will receive an 80-cent per hour increase.
The contract, which runs from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2015, also increases longevity pay for employees with at least five years of service from $50 to $65, adds Veterans Day as a paid holiday and increases life insurance coverage for all employees from $50,000 to $75,000.
Voting to approve the contract were township commissioners Craig Fetterman, George Zalar, Gerard Waugh, Eugene Welsh and Bernie Rumberger.
In other business
The board amended the curbside recycling contract with Coal Township Rescue Squad that consolidates the schedule from four to two weeks per month, beginning Feb. 1.
The new recycling program will include clear glass containers, bi-metal cans and aluminum cans being collected the first Saturday of the month in Bunker Hill, Luke Fidler, Marshallton, Springfield, Sagon, Upper Sagon, Coal Run, Ranshaw, Excelsior, Tharptown and Trevorton Road. The same items will be collected the third Saturday of the month in the Edgewood, Fairview, Ferndale and Burnside areas.
The rescue squad will be paid $1,000 per month under the amended recycling contract that expires Dec. 31, 2012.
Fetterman, who serves as board president, reported the township recycling center generated a net profit of $38,660.38 in 2011.
The commissioners agreed to increase the pay of recycling center coordinator Charles Shuey from $12.85 to $15 per hour.
Ryan Stoud was hired as a part-time attendant at the recycling center at a rate of $8.54 per hour.
Township manager Rob Slaby reported Berkheimer OneSource in Bethlehem will be printing the township's tax bills this year. He said the former vendor, Data Pro Inc., Montoursville, went out of business.
Waugh said police will be increasing patrols in the areas of the Arch Street and Springfield playgrounds in an attempt to curb a recent vandalism and graffiti spree.
The commissioner said video surveillance cameras may be installed at the playgrounds if the problems continue.
Waugh commended Scott Dunn and his 14-year-old son, Jared, for their outstanding work in displaying hand-carved Christmas characters and other holiday decorations at the Tharptown playground.
The commissioner also praised the efforts of township roadmaster Bill Kuzmick and other members of the street department for their assistance with the holiday project that has become a great tradition over the years.
Fetterman said the commissioners are hopeful Shamokin Area School District retains Patrolman Chris Lapotsky as the school resource officer at the elementary school and middle/high school. School board members recently voted against retaining the position, but the issue is scheduled to be further discussed at their next meeting.
Fetterman praised the efforts of township police for resolving 82 percent of the littering and dumping complaints received by officers in 2011. Police Chief William Carpenter said 33 citations were issued for illegal dumping last year.
The commissioners passed a motion to change the status of Matthew Henrich from probationary to full-time police officer after he successfully completed his one-year probation period in November.
The board authorized the advertisement of an ordinance that amends a section of the township code to include utility trailers and tow dollies as vehicles that cannot be parked on township streets between Sept. 15 and April 15 and cannot be parked during the other months of the year for more than 72 hours.
Paul Leshinskie was appointed to serve on the Coal Township Police Civil Service Commission.
The board reappointed James Sanders as sewage enforcement officer for the township on an as-needed basis and named Ken Young as the alternate officer. Slaby said the township only paid approximately $200 for Sanders' services last year.
Michael Carpenter was reappointed to a five-year term as a Coal Township representative on the Shamokin-Coal Township Joint Sewer Authority.
Zalar was appointed to represent the board on the township police pension board.
More efficient sewer plant
At the beginning of the meeting, township resident Leroy Zalewski told the commissioners they should consider the possibility of constructing a greener and more efficient sewage treatment plant like the $64.5 million facility being built in Milton.
"Milton's plant will be self-sufficient after so many years and it would definitely be better than the one they plan to build in our area," Zalewski said.
Waugh commended Zalewski for his recommendation. Even though the design work for the new sewage treatment facility that will serve the township and City of Shamokin is complete, Waugh and Fetterman said it would be a good idea to conduct a public workshop meeting about the feasibility of Zalewski's proposal.
Welsh noted a lot of money has been spent on engineering and other facets of the sewage plant project and didn't know if there was any way to amend the plans at this time.
Fetterman said construction of the local plant is scheduled to cost approximately $36 million.