BY STACI WILSON

New Milford Borough’s former mayor received posthumous recognition for his contributions to the town.

With the family of Joe Taylor present, the council unveiled a plaque that will hang in the borough hall in tribute of his service through the years as mayor, councilman and planning commission member.

“I have big shoes to fill,” said Mayor Scott Smith. “Joe was liked by a lot of people. He did a lot of for the town – many things he didn’t have to do; and many things he wanted to do.”

Taylor died in June at the age of 76 due to complications following a surgery.

To the family members present – including Taylor’s wife, Leona – Smith said, “Thank you for being part of our town; and thank you for allowing Joe to be a part of our town.”

In the business portion of the meeting, Councilman Rick Ainey suggested attaching the complaint process for codes violations to the back of the form. According to council members, the codes enforcement officer is in the process of making a determination on how to move forward regarding a property with codes issues.

Leatherstocking Gas Company is expected to bring maps of the natural gas distribution line build-out plan to the August meeting. Ainey said the preliminary mapping did not show service lines on several borough streets. He said everyone who had signed commitment letters had been promised to opportunity to hook up to the service.

The proposed distribution line will begin on Sutton Road in New Milford Township; then north on SR 848; toward the borough. Once in the borough, Church Street will see the first gas hookups.

Photographs and videotapes will be taken of the borough in order to document streets and properties prior to the installation of the gas lines. Council assured residents the recordings and photos would be kept in the borough as records and would not be used for anyone’s personal gain or use, nor would they be appearing on any social media sites.

Council also discussed upgrading the electric in the Midtown Park gazebo. The proposed project was expected to cost about $1,200 but an estimate puts the price tag over $3,500. Councilwoman Teri Gulick said the estimate didn’t include any of the required permits or other fees. The borough will look into getting some additional quotes for the electrical work.