Residents press council for ordinances online and repairs to Juniper Drive; catch basin collapse under review

Residents used the public-comment period at the Jan. 15 work session to raise transparency and local-infrastructure concerns.

Sue Luckman of 774 Belmont Avenue said ordinances listed by number at meetings are difficult to find on the borough website and asked whether the borough could post ordinance texts online before meetings. Deputy Municipal Clerk Dena Cedar responded that pending ordinances are posted after their first reading when introduced and that she had offered to email documents to residents who request them. Mayor Randy George offered to email copies to Luckman on request.

Jose Rivera, who identified himself as a Lakeside resident, said Juniper Drive is in poor condition and posed a hazard. Councilwoman Donna Puglisi recused herself from that portion of the discussion because she lives in Lakeside. Mayor George said the borough plans to complete Walnut and Spruce streets before addressing the main road and asked the borough engineer to inspect Juniper Drive to determine options; he said repairing interior roads first reduces damage to main roads from heavy equipment.

Walter Stanslaw reported concern about a collapsed catch basin on Romaine Road. Borough Engineer Joseph Pomante said the collapse had prevented further inspection, that there was no evidence of root intrusion near the visible tree and that he believed the structure was not originally installed by the borough; the mayor asked him to return the following morning to make a determination and decide whether to proceed with repairs.

The public-comment exchange closed with the council returning to the agenda; the minutes record the residents' requests and staff responses but do not indicate any immediate bond or capital allocation decisions.