Towanda Boro to hire an additional police officer [The Daily Review, Towanda, Pa.]

Nov. 08--TOWANDA -- At its meeting this week, the Towanda Borough Council voted to hire an additional full-time police officer, approved $25,866 in repairs to the Towanda Fire Department's ladder truck, and heard an update on the repair of the collapsed storm sewer system that closed Third Street.

The council held an executive, or closed-door, session on Monday to discuss personnel matters related to the Towanda Police Department, after which the council voted unanimously to hire the additional full-time police officer. The hire is expected to occur at the council's December meeting, after the borough's Police Civil Service Commission finalizes the list of eligible candidates for the post.

The hire will bring the number of full-time officers in the Towanda Police Department, including its chief, up to seven.

The department had seven full-time officers for several years in the early 2000s, but the number since then has been as low as four, Police Chief Randy Epler said in an interview.

The hire is needed because the department currently relies on part-timers to fill shifts -- they work a total of 64 hours a week -- and there have been times when the department couldn't fill a shift, because part-timers weren't available, he said.

The department's part-time officers, all of whom work full-time jobs at the Bradford County Sheriff's Office, can decline to work shifts at the Towanda Police Department, Towanda Police Sgt. David Lantz explained. The problem in filling shifts can occur around holidays and on weekends, Epler said.

The department would be better off giving 40 of the 64 hours to a full-time officer, because of the certainty that those 40 hours are going to be filled, Epler said.

In addition, the council approved the hire of one additional part-time officer. The additional part-timer will also make it easier to fill shifts, Epler said.

Chief Epler noted that the addition of the full-time and part-time officers will not increase the total number of hours worked by the Towanda Borough Police Department.

"There are no more hours being covered (by the two additional hires)," Towanda Borough Council Vice-president Paul Sweitzer said. "We're just filling some holes (in the schedule)."

After approving the personnel changes for the police department, Mayor Garrett Miller thanked the council for "taking steps for the safety of the residents."

Fire truck

The repairs approved by the council, which are estimated to cost $25,866, are being made to the Towanda Fire Department's 1987 Grumman Aerialcat ladder truck, Fire Chief Bill Roof said.

The main reason for the repairs is that "two emergency power units (on the truck) went bad," said Roof, who is also a member of the borough council. The units function as a back-up power source that can lower the truck's ladder, in the event that the truck's regular power source failed, he said.

The work also involves fixing problems related to a nozzle and two hydraulic hoses, and replacing two tires, he said.

Most of the problems surfaced when a certification inspection was recently done on the truck, Roof said.

The fire department had purchased the truck in 2009 for $40,000, which is an unusually low price for a used ladder truck, Roof said.

Shortly after purchasing the truck, the fire department had $30,000 worth of work done on the truck, he said.

Even with the money that is being spent on repairs, buying the truck was a good deal, as a similar, used truck might cost $400,000 or $500,000, he said in an interview.

The ladder truck is expected to be back in commission in about a month, Roof said.

The borough has started repairs to the collapsed storm sewer system at Third Street, Towanda Borough Manager Kyle V. Lane said. Due to the collapse, Third Street being has been closed between Elizabeth Street and College Avenue.

The borough has sent its first request for reimbursement to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for the Third Street project, in the amount of $60,000, and has been told by PEMA that it will receive the money, Lane said. The borough will be submitting additional requests for reimbursement, he said.

The borough has received letters of support from 17 residents for its appeal of the location of 100-year flood zones in FEMA's preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for the borough, Lane said.

Hunt Engineering, which has been hired by the borough to work on the appeal, had said the number of letters of support from residents was surprisingly large, according to Lane. The borough had sent out a letter to 80 residents, seeking letters of support from them for the appeal. The borough is contesting the location of the preliminary FIRM's flood zones along Elm Street, William Street and North Main Street, Lane said.

The borough's appeal, which includes the letters of support, was scheduled to be mailed out on Nov. 5.

Lane also announced that repairs have been made to the paving that is located next to the Towanda-Monroeton rail line on the Robert Farley Connector. The paving had deteriorated, resulting a bumpy ride for motorists at that location.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: [email protected].

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