BY PAT FARNELLI

 Montrose Borough Council is moving forward with improvements to the borough park, and once an agreement is signed with First Energy, wires will be hung on poles to provide power to security cameras there, it was decided during Monday’s regular meeting.

The agreement itself was not ready for the meeting, although it was an action item on the agenda, and it was said that Lon Chapman is working on that. Bill Barber and his crew will be hanging the wires; a check for $1,000 will be prepared to pay for the installation.

The council accepted the 2010 final audit report, and it was sent to the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Attorney Paul Litwin III has been hired as the new zoning hearing board solicitor, and the board approved his rate of $110 per hour.

Council member Sean Granahan requested approval to move approximately $27,000 in funds from the general fund into the building fund, and also to move about $20,000 from the general fund to the police pension fund.

The Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary Clubs (KLR) requested permission to hold their July 4 celebration, which was approved.

Jennifer Roberts of the Meadow View Senior Living attended the meeting to request permission for a 5K run to be conducted on Sept. 15. The run/walk will begin and end on Meadow View grounds, but some of the planned course will be on borough property. She said she did not now if any streets will need to be closed off for the time of the run. The council approved the plan with conditional honor.

Ken DiPhillips suggested doing some painting around the white sides of the borough garage to approve its appearance. The council approved the project, to be done before the parking lot blacktop is sealed.

Improvements in curbing on certain borough intersections was a discussion item. Council president Tom LaMont said that he had recently sat on a relative’s porch near the intersection of Cherry Street and Union Street, and that vehicles were taking the corner as if it were an exit ramp. “We need some 20 foot lines of sight, and maybe some curbing,” he said, to control the path of cars. He said that the Chestnut Street intersection could also benefit from some curbing.

Regarding the borough park, it was said that a person who donated their time to build the bathroom building in the park years ago will help move the building and convert it into a shed. The bathroom facility is being taken down and replaced by port-a-johns.

Jessup Township supervisor Dennis Bunnell might be interested in purchasing the F550 truck for his township.

DiPhillips said that the surface treatment program for the borough has been advertised, and paving and pipe project work can be done upon request. He has a list of streets that are eligible for improvements, and noted that all of High Street is scheduled for improvement this year.

He said that the fuel gauge on the F550 has been acting up, and works correctly only when the tank is full, and was given permission to replace the gauge at $350.

Police Chief Dale Smith discussed whether bulletproof vests should be made mandatory for officers while on duty. He said that this is a condition of a grant program which may be able to provide the department with the vests. There was some discussion of whether the liability would fall upon the officer or the police department or borough if a vest is not worn and an incident occurs. It was said that the program’s language gives the jurisdiction/discretion to the police chief.

It was decided to give the paperwork to the borough solicitor to review.

The next Municipal Authority meeting will be held on June 11 at7 p.m.at the Endless Mountains Health community room near the drivers licensing center.

The new 911 system for the emergency management communication center will be operational soon, the mayor reported. He attended a seminar on severe weather, major traffic issues, and threats to homeland security recently. A new burning guide has been printed.

An executive session was held at the end of the meeting for personnel issues. The executive session did not address litigation, as the solicitor was not present. A hearing schedule for Thursday was continued, and no comment was made on the matter during the meeting. Borough residents were invited to comment or ask questions, but none were made.

After the executive session, it was announced that there will be a short meeting on June 18 at7:30 p.m.