First Posted: 8/12/2014

Officials proclaimed Bethany Stevens Day in the borough of Clarks Summit when Mayor Patty Lawler and borough council recognized Stevens for her accomplishments as a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient at a council meeting Aug. 6.

The Girl Scouts helped Stevens shape her life because the program instills “good goals,” she said, such as, “focus on teamwork and helping others.” Bethany Stevens Day will be observed Aug. 6.

Stevens, of Newton, joined Girl Scouts as early as possible and rose up in the ranks until she was granted lifetime membership and the highest ranking honor, the Girl Scout Gold Award for her recycling research project.

“We are proud of her efforts. We want to do this as much as we can, especially for our young people. That’s what we’re about,” said Lawler.

A sophomore at the University of Maine, Stevens is majoring in marine science with a minor in outdoor education. To receive the Gold Award, she completed a service project which benefited an entire community.

Stevens researched how and where plastic bags were manufactured and distributed, and then how plastic bag bans benefit communities and reduced landfill waste. Stevens told council she distributed brochures to local businesses around the community to share her research.

The borough also recognized progress regarding outstanding sewer billing delinquencies. Dominic Scott, council vice president and chair of the sewer billing committee, said the borough is “collecting tremendously more than in the past,” and that the delinquent sewer bill issue has “improved drastically.”

The borough collected nearly $400,000 in delinquent sewer bills since October, according to a report from council. After 32 properties received a water shut-off posting in June, 16 properties arranged payment plans, nine are in foreclosure and seven have not responded to the postings, according to the document.

Council also communicated the Depot Street Project will not go to bid because Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, or DCED, projects are frozen. “We’ve done everything we could, and unfortunately at this point it is out of our hands,” said Borough Manager Virginia Kehoe.

“The Depot Street Project is going to happen, just not as quickly as we were hoping. Hopefull,y it will be a spring project,” Council President Gerrie Carey said.

Director of Economic Development for Lackawanna County George Kelly is scheduled to appear at the borough’s work session to discuss the next steps in the project. The council work session is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 in borough chambers.

Multiple council members expressed concern regarding a man with a white Ford pickup truck in the borough attempting to sell meat door-to-door.

Door-to-door salespersons with any for-profit business must follow certain protocol within the borough. “Obviously, they need permits,” said Police Chief Christopher Yarns, referring to a peddler’s permit.

The peddler’s permit is a red, 8 ½ by 11-inch document with a photo of the seller and expiration date and should be posted on the seller’s vehicle. Council asked residents to call the police if any person is seen selling items door-to-door without the red permit posted on his or her vehicle.