First Posted: 3/13/2014
Several Dureya residents voiced frustration on the municipal infrastructure of the older sections of the Blueberry Hills development.
They complained roads are falling apart, water isn’t draining properly on the roads and the water retaining ponds are overgrown with weeds and mosquitoes are a problem in the warmer months.
“It’s a mess up there,” said Mayor Keith Moss. “The roads are just breaking apart.”
Council president Michael McGlynn said the problem isn’t potholes.
“It’s the entire road. It’s very, very bad,” he said. “Six roads are deteriorating.”
He said he asked the borough engineer to take a look and give borough officials a cost estimate so council can discuss it and possibly put it out for bid in the spring.
Moss said the roads were previously turned over to the borough by developer Mark Popple, but the borough can’t afford such a costly repair at this time.
Resident Ed Smith of Blueberry Drive said there is a water retention pond across from his home that is often overgrown with weeds.
Solicitor Joseph Saporito said he would research plans approved by the Luzerne County Planning Commission and find out who is responsible for the property.
In other business:
• Residents wanted to know the status of a proposed levee to protect the borough from such devastating flooding that occurred in 2011.
Resident Carole Matiko of River Street addressed council.
“I’d like to know when we’re going to see a dike behind our house on River Street, Chittenden Street, before we get flooded again,” she said.
Saporito said he’s working on the problem with someone from the Department of General Counsel in Harrisburg in helping establish a dike.
A property search revealed Duryea owns the property in question since 1965, but the survey, as it was drafted, contains gaps. They are trying to contact the person who performed the title search.
They will then consolidate the properties and turn them over to the state to construct the dike.
Matiko was concerned of flooding within the next few weeks.
Councilman Al Akulonis Jr. urged residents to “pray and cross your fingers” flooding doesn’t happen in the next few weeks. Moss said the borough has sandbags in case of an emergency.
• Michael Lombardo of the Pittston Redevelopment Authority gave a presentation to council regarding a regional “land bank.”
New land bank legislation passed recently by the state allows city governments to create an authority that can help bring dilapidated, blighted and foreclosed properties back on the tax rolls.
“This will help us look at these seriously blighted properties and come up with a strategy that gets them out of their blighted state and into a tax producing state,” Lombardo said.
He said as Pittston continues to develop Main Street, there’s no reason to stop at the Duryea border.
“There’s no reason why what we’re doing can’t continue both north and south,” Lombardo said. “But it really makes sense to continue north because Duryea has a lot of businesses in the downtown.”
Council voted unanimously to participate in a land bank with Pittston.
• Moss introduced Robert Trusavage of West Pittston who will be building a self-storage facility in the borough. Trusavage said he already operates three such facilities, one on the Pittston Bypass and two in Exeter. He also rents about 20 residential properties.
“We’re professional landlords and we’ve been in the business for over 30 years,” Trusavage said. “We won’t rent a place that we can’t live in ourselves, as far as rental properties go.”
He said his facility at the end of Brown Street, a $500,000 investment, will create some tax base and remove some clutter from town. Space in the back will be available to store campers and RVs.
The facility will be 83 storage units and will have a security fence, keypad coded entry from around 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and high definition 24-hour security cameras. Construction will likely begin in April.
• McGlynn asked Police Chief Nick Lohman to get an estimate on a new police cruiser. It would be identical to the last car the borough purchased, except it would be all-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive.
• Council voted to repair the storm drains behind the borough building at a cost of $800 each, $1,600 total.
• Duryea Council declared March as DeMolay Month in the borough on the request of a Wyoming Area student, Logan Campbell. The DeMolay service organization, for youth 12 to 21, is sponsored by the Freemasons.
