SUNBURY — The City Council tossed its moribund Redevelopment Authority a man and a goal Monday.
The result, they hope, will be a three-square block stunner — a model for the Sunbury of the future. That's the goal.
The man, former Councilman John Shipman, will fill one of two empty seats on the five-member board. The idea is that he and another appointee will enliven the panel and hit the ground running on clearing out and sprucing up an area around Miller and Keller streets.
The area is south of Shikellamy High School and near the Sunbury Textile mill and Sun-Re Cheese Corp., west of Wolverton Street.
For some time, city residents have complained that the area could look better.
The council gave its unanimous approval to the project and, citywide, put 18 properties, including 1106-1108 Miller St., on its nuisance property list.
That means that unless the owners act in 10 days, the council, acting as the Board of Health, can take action to rehabilitate or demolish the buildings.
The Miller Street property is so bad the code office has had to shore up parts of it, said Mike Rhoads, the city's property maintenance officer.
The overall plan for the target area is to restructure the neighborhood, said Mayor David Persing. The Redevelopment Authority nearly died because it didn't have a project, he said. Now it does — creating a model for the new Sunbury.
"It's a positive thing in the right direction," Persing said, while assuring the work will not be competing with work toward a new comprehensive plan.
"That's 18 months down the road," he said, "but we don't want to wait that long to get started on something."
Other members of the Redevelopment Authority are Adam Purdy, Sue Morrison and Brian Betz. The remaining seat will be filled as soon as a candidate is found.
Meanwhile, the Sunbury Pride and Renaissance Coalition came forward with a complementary opportunity, and the council gave it its unanimous blessing.
SPARC, a committee of Sunbury Revitalization Inc., will apply for up to $1.5 million in available Pennsylvania Department of Transportation money to beautify Chestnut and Wolverton streets between Front Street and Haas Avenue.
The project, that would include improved bicycle and pedestrian access and enhancements designed to mitigate a speeding problem, has residents' approval according to prior surveys, a Monday letter from acting SPARC Chairman Bob Zimmerman told the council.
The PennDOT money is being offered for both design and construction phases, he said. "SPARC believes that this Chestnut-Wolverton Street project would qualify for this funding." PennDOT is soliciting applications for the money, but the department require the city's participation because it is given on a reimbursement basis.
Related to Market Street plans, SEDA-Council of Governments representative Jamie Shrawder told the council a project to restore the street clock in front of the American Legion at 611 Market St. is almost ready to go. The state Department of Community and Economic Development has executed a contract for the repair with the company that has the best proposal, Essence of Time, of Reading.
Councilman Jim Eister said restoration of Cameron Park's historic fountain is progressing well and promised it will be back in the park in August.
In other business, the council agreed unanimously to invest in new accounting software for an initial $1,600, which is in the budget for this year, and a lease of $1,600 a month for three years beginning in January.
Council member Todd Snyder said the current Doss-based system is inefficient, and the reduction in staff time the new system will allow more than justifies the expenditure.
He said it will make greater financial details accessible and can be customized to local needs.
Councilman Jim Eister added: "We're a $4 million business, and right now, we can't track things."
The council also discussed, but took no action on, a letter from Sunbury Market House Corp. operators complaining of street vendors usurping sidewalk and parking space in front of their business at 436 Market St.
"The curb market vendors are using our space," wrote Bob Rebuck, Lisa Hoover, Gay Stroh, Deb and Henry Kohl and Nelson Dressler. "A customer-pedestrian may trip, slip or fall over a vendor's goods, and we would be responsible for the incident. Our insurance premiums are a burden, which the curb vendor does not have. ..."
"Also the parking spots on Market Street are an issue. ...We have two spaces, which are prime spots for a customer to park, shop with us, spend some money, drive away, another customer can repeat the process. We would appreciate your looking into removing the bus stop and possibly adding some spaces to our frontage."
The council spent considerable time discussing the possibility of moving the street vendors to Stroh Alley. Police Chief Stephen Mazzeo suggested making Edison Plaza an outdoor shopping area.
No decisions were made.
News
Related Photos
-
The clock at the Sunbury American Legion, Market Street, will be restored. The City Council heard a progress report on the project Monday night. Liz Rohde
Discussion
Council kick-starts redevelopment group
Former elected official named to vacancy
- News
-
-
State board approves table games at Valley Forge casino
VALLEY FORGE — A casino resort scheduled to open this spring in the Philadelphia suburb of Valley Forge has been approved for table games.
-
Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise
ATLANTA — A new study shows more and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get off their duffs and exercise. A government survey found nearly 33 percent of adults who saw a doctor in the previous year said they were told to exercise. That was up from about 23 percent in 2000.
-
Former Northumberland County judge and three others die in Florida crash
EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. -- A former Northumberland County judge was one of four people killed Wednesday afternoon when their car collided with a van at an intersection, according to the Naples News. The victims were identified as James J. Rosini, 66, William J. Rosini, 68, Patricia C. Rosini, 65, all of Coal Township, Pa., and Deborah A. Korbich, 59, of Elysburg, Pa.
-
Warden demotes four bosses
SUNBURY -- Northumberland County Prison Warden Roy Johnson was able to trim about $135,000 in expenses by demoting four supervisors. He said Wednesday that he found a way to cut costs without laying off any staff. "I cut out 120 hours of supervisors' pay each week, but I need to fill the correction officer positions," Johnson said.
-
DJ pumps up audience
Every Tuesday evening, Richard Grogg can be found spinning tunes at possibly the most well-attended dance in Snyder County. A resident at the Selinsgrove Center since 1988, the 57-year-old said the thing he likes most about selecting and playing music is "making people happy." "Some people come up and ask for requests," he said.
-
Agency closes adult center
PENNS CREEK -- Union and Snyder County caregivers have had to look farther and wider for another program that can offer respite because the Agency on Aging can no longer afford to provide the service. The adult daily living center at the Penns Creek Adult Resource Center was a helpful program each week to about eight adults from the area dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia. But it closed Dec. 30.
-
New Berlin pushes to acquire school
NEW BERLIN -- The Borough Council sold the property where the New Berlin Elementary School is to the precursor of the Mifflinburg Area School District for $1 back in 1950. It was deeded to the district for construction of a school.
-
Second suit filed to stop sewer merger
SUNBURY -- It must have seemed like deja vu all over again Wednesday for some members of the Northumberland Sewer Authority, when for the second time in two weeks, former NSA Chairman Adam Klock filed a civil action against former board colleagues Jack Fasold, James Orner and Donald Troxell, alleging they held an illegal meeting -- this time on Monday -- where they voted to transfer the borough authority's assets to the merged North-Point Sewer Authority.
-
Student Claims Bucknell Unfair
LEWISBURG -- A man cleared of sexual assault but cited in a disciplinary action at Bucknell University in 2010 has filed a lawsuit against the Lewisburg school, claiming campus police and officials violated his civil rights after the woman lodged her complaint.
-
School grants in works
MILTON -- How school funds will be distributed through Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed block grant program, which combines four basic education budget lines, still needs to be worked out, the governor said at a press conference Wednesday.
-
Corbett: Low taxes help generate jobs
MILTON -- With a backdrop of Minuteman Environmental Services trucks and charts depicting state spending, Gov. Tom Corbett said Wednesday that his proposed fiscal 2012-13 budget is a realistic plan that will help create jobs while holding the line on spending.
-
Viking Energy to close April 1
NORTHUMBERLAND -- Unable to compete with the natural gas industry, the Viking Energy plant in Point Township will close April 1 and put 19 employees out of work. The news from the wood-fired power plant comes a week after officials at the coal-fired Sunbury Generation plant in Shamokin Dam announced it was temporarily laying off 63 employees for the same reason.
- More News Headlines
-
State board approves table games at Valley Forge casino
