FACTORYVILLE — Members of the borough council approved a replacement disorderly gathering ordinance during a regular meeting Jan. 11.
According to borough manager Mary Ellen Buckbee, the section that allowed the borough to cite the landlord when the disorderly gathering occurs in a rental property was removed from the new ordinance. The section that required repeat offender landlords to reimburse the borough for police service costs when they have to intervene was also removed.
“Those pieces of the old ordinance were deemed unreasonable when in other municipal ordinances,” Buckbee said.
Buckbee added the new ordinance allows action to be taken by the borough at the first offense. The language of the old ordinance included waiting until the same people had multiple disorderly gathering offenses.
During his building and grounds committee report, Councilman Gregg Yunko discussed possible plans to transition the borough’s streetlights to LED’s (light-emitting diodes).
Yunko received an estimate of $130 per bulb from Lee Electric Supply Co. and $70.83 from Eastern Penn Supply Company. He added the bulbs from Eastern Penn have a lower wattage than Lee Electric but are equal to the wattage of the bulbs currently in service.
Mayor Gary Evans believes paying the extra cost would be a benefit to the borough.
“The (current) bulbs are 250 watts and I think they are dim, personally,” he said.
According to Yunko, there are approximately 30 streetlights in the borough and the LED lights would last at least 10 years.
Councilman Bill Edwards also feels making the switch to LED lighting would be a wise decision.
“The energy cost is one thing, but reliability is the other because these ones go out all the time,” he said.
Members of the council discussed plans to sell a 1984 Hudson trailer, owned by the borough, that is sometimes used by neighboring Clinton Township.
“It’s real rusty and hasn’t been inspected in probably 10-15 years,” Edwards said. “It’s not safe.”
Edwards estimates the trailer is worth approximately $200-300.
“I’d like to see it out of the borough’s name,” Edwards said. “There is no insurance on a trailer; it goes on whatever vehicle it’s hooked onto and we would have the liability.”
