Clearmont Town Council

Clearmont Town Council met Monday, Dec. 21, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall with all council members present. Two guests, Stephen Dow from The Sheridan Press, and Cynthia Vannoy from Sheridan Media, were present as well.

       Mayor Rohrer called the meeting to order and lead the pledge of allegiance.  He also thanked town clerk Amy Vineyard for decorating the town hall for Christmas, and provided a Christmas snack supper in lieu of the annual Christmas dinner, which was canceled due to the Covid-19 virus restrictions.

       Discussion centered around the possible sale of land to the Clearmont Volunteer Fire Department.  The Fire Department wanted to purchase the land, which is the on the corner of  New York Ave and Front Street, where the old locker plant building used to stand.  According to Amy Vineyard, town clerk, the Fire Department talked of making that land into a parking lot to go with the shop they proposed on the lots next to the park, on the other side of the standing wall that remains of the old locker plant.  

       The land is currently a park with the Veteran’s Memorial, and a picnic table, and the Jim Delaney of the fire department assured the town the construction would not compromise the Memorial.   Mayor Rohrer commented that he felt building a pavilion near the Veteran’s Memorial would be a better use of the land, and Councilwoman Jennifer Betz agreed that the town would be better served by a park there. 

       The council, after a brief discussion decided against selling the property.

       The new sewer lines were discussed, and a video was shown of the old sewer lines, which were concrete and steel, and were rusting out in places.  The new lines have a fiberglass liner and it is as strong as the outside material.  Maintenance man John Kiser reported that ultra violet light is introduced into the lines to solidify the new liner.  The project was done by Subsurface, Inc., a company from Colorado.

       Kiser also reported on the quote from Chesboro Electric on replacing the 30-foot tall light pole that was knocked over by a semi-truck earlier in the year.  The only purpose the light pole serves is to hold one end of the Christmas lights that string across Clearmont’s Front Street/Highway 14/16.  Councilman Ronnie Poppenga moved to put the discussion on hold until May.   Motion carried.  Christmas lights are slated to be taken down on Jan. 11.

       Due to the unusual year, there will be no decorating contest in Clearmont, as has been done in previous years.  Many businesses and homes decorated anyway, celebrating the Christmas season.

       John Kiser reported that the town shop is in need of new lights, and he will call several electric companies to get quotes on the new lights.  It was suggested that grants might be available for towns to replace older lights with new, more energy efficient LED lights.  “The LEDs will last longer,”  Kiser noted.

       John Kiser will take a vacation and be back on Jan. 4, and Joe Atkinson will take over the maintenance duties while John is gone.

       Meeting adjourned at 7 p.m.