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Board reopens discussion on sewer clogs tied to paper towels; staff to pursue inspection partnership with Mill Hall Borough
Summary
Board members debated replacing paper towels with electric hand dryers at Mill Hall Middle School to stop sewer clogs, asked staff to explore borough sewer cameraing and to place the item on a future work session agenda.
Board members revisited a recurring sewer‑clog issue the borough has attributed to paper towels entering the sewer system and discussed replacing paper towels with electric hand dryers at several district buildings.
Jeff, a board member, said the borough head had asked the district for assistance to address repeated clogs caused by paper towels and urged the board to consider replacing paper towels with electric hand dryers. Jeff said a quote the district had received was about "$5,000" to address the issue. He cited maintenance staff and previous meetings in which the borough showed images of paper towels in the sewer line.
Other board members and staff pushed for due diligence before spending funds. One board member asked whether the district or borough had ever used video camera inspection on the district‑owned sewer line where it leaves the public right of way; Sam (staff) and others said they were not aware of a prior district camera inspection. Sam described a more expensive “plan B” — installing a containment system with a grinder pump on district property to prevent materials reaching the borough system — if removing paper towels did not fix the issue.
Board members discussed causes including student behavior, legacy pipe diameter or slope and roof‑drain volume. A board member noted previous ideas — including perforated towels or design changes to restroom sightlines — that had been raised in past facility discussions but not pursued for cost reasons. David Lindsay, the district solicitor, had been identified earlier in the meeting as the legal contact for questions about donations and fundraising; board members recommended consulting him about any solicited contributions related to facility work.
The board agreed to revisit the topic at a work session and asked administration to contact Mill Hall Borough to request a sewer camera inspection or partnership to determine whether the district’s private line or another cause is responsible. The chair confirmed, “Then we will do that.” No formal vote was recorded; the item will return for further study.
