An Orwigsburg resident is none too happy with the lack of street sweeping in the borough. At the Aug. 14 borough council meeting, Chrissy Burns, of the 200 block of West Hoy Street, questioned during public comment why streets are only swept once or twice a year in Orwigsburg while they are swept much more frequently in Schuylkill Haven and Pottsville.
Councilman Edward Winkelbauer responded that Orwigsburg does not own a sweeper, so it cannot clean the streets as often as other towns do.
Burns’ complaint related to larger issue involving what she says are excessive stones that wash onto her property every time it rains. She said she is unsure where the stones are coming from, only that they come from behind her property and wash across a small alley to her property.
“We want information on whose responsibility this is,” Burns said, saying she is unsure if what she called the “wheelbarrows” of stone are coming from borough or private property. Burns showed photos she took of the problem to council members who were equally puzzled, and told council members that not only is the issue a problem for her property but to local children who skid and crash their bikes on the loose stone.
Council President Richard Bubeck promised Burns the issue would be investigated and the borough would contact her with findings.
Also during public comment, resident Jeff Rarick said he came to the meeting to “beg for mercy” from council for relief from an approximately $1,900 water bill, a bill that usually is only about $300. The high bill was due to a leak.
Several council members said they were OK with relieving Rarick of approximately $625 in sewer fees since none of the water from the leak went into the sewer, but that they could not relieve him of any water fees since the water was used.
Councilman Tim Wilhelm was not too accepting of even relieving Rarick of the sewer side of the bill, however, saying there was a similar issue in the past year regarding a resident with a leaking toilet. Several other council members pointed out that the water in that case entered the sewer system, and here it did not.
In the end, council voted to give Rarick relief on the sewer bill. Wilhelm insisted the borough look at creating a written policy to handle such events in the future. Bubeck agreed.
In regular council business, several routine motions were passed including a payment application to Keystone Engineering, a payment invoice to Pyrz Water Supply for the purchase of transfer pump, and a quote to purchase a replacement meter for a water vault.
Two important upcoming fire department events include an American Red Cross smoke alarm initiative in October and annual National Fire Protection Association hose, pump, and ladder testing scheduled for Oct. 15.
Source: Berkshire mont