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Volunteer presents Market House dungeon restoration and fundraising idea; council approves small AR write‑offs
Summary
A volunteer presenter showed restoration plans and flooring cost estimates for the Market House dungeons and proposed a fundraising stunt; council later approved staff recommendations to write off small, longstanding accounts receivable totaling $5,208.75 (Market House ~$2,305.15).
Rick Fisher presented the Market House dungeon restoration plan and fundraising ideas to the council, reporting three flooring estimates around $13,000 each and telling the council the historical society currently has about $2,300 toward flooring.
"I did get 3 estimates over the weekend. 1 of the estimates was $13,000. Another estimate was $13,000 and another 1 was between 13,000 and $14,000," Fisher said while describing flooring options and artifacts recovered during cleaning. He said one cell could be completed with current funds and suggested a community fundraiser modeled on a prior "jail bail" event to raise additional donations.
Earlier in the meeting, Sharon Whitman, during public comments, asked the council to disclose the borough's reserve balance and whether reserves were being used to balance the budget. "How much was actually in reserves?" she asked, pressing staff for more transparency.
Later in the meeting, council considered an accounts‑receivable aging report and approved recommendations to write off a set of small, uncollectible balances. Staff reported the total recommendation was $5,208.75, with outstanding Market House rents totaling $2,305.15. Council discussed improving contract enforcement and recordkeeping to prevent recurring unpaid vendor balances at the Market House.
The council voted to approve the AR aging write‑off recommendations and encouraged staff to maintain clearer records and stronger enforcement measures for future Market House rentals.
