Apr 10, 2002 By Steve Ostrosky 3 min read

MASONTOWN – Borough council approved a $130,000 lease agreement Tuesday with a hauling company that will be used to transport necessary pieces of Duke Energy’s new power station from a railroad siding to the construction site. American Heavy Rigging and Hauling Co. of Richmond, Va. will pay a $50,000 road bond and $10,000 a month in rent over the life of the eight-month lease, according to language in the agreement read by councilman Joe Volansky. The borough is asking that any and all improvements made to the building, located near a railroad siding, become borough property at the end of the lease.

Council approved the agreement by a 6-0 margin, but approval of the changes made by council will still have to come from the company.

Michael Gogola had been leasing that building from the borough for over seven years at $300 in monthly rent, but was asked to vacate it earlier this year to make room for the equipment and hauling that will be needed as Duke Energy continues building its power station. Under terms of the lease with Gogola, the borough was required to give him 30 days notice to vacate and remove all items he had stored in the building.

Gogola was refunded $150 of his March rent payment during council’s last meeting because he had removed his entire inventory and was out of the building faster than expected.

In other matters, council heard from Al Core, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4584, who asked for assistance from council in organizing the annual Memorial Day Parade. He said that the event is for the community and council should do their part in making the parade happen.

“We will furnish the colors, but I don’t believe we should be totally in charge of the parade,” Core said. “The borough council runs this community and they should have this.”

Mayor Walter Scarton, who said he organized the parade for 30 years, said the VFW has always run the parade and it should continue to be the organization’s responsibility to see the parade go off without a hitch. He said the borough worked with PennDOT to see that Main Street is blocked off for the parade route, but that is the extent of the borough’s assistance.

“This is a veteran’s affair and the VFW has always had the responsibility for it,” Scarton said. “This parade is yours.”

Council President Carole Daniels said borough council has never been involved in the parade, and said she sees no reason for council to start now.

“There has always been a parade, so go forward and get it underway,” she said. “Quit bickering about it and let’s have a parade.”

The parade is scheduled for Memorial Day, May 27, beginning at 10 a.m.

Finally, council adopted a resolution authorizing the Masontown Municipal Authority to obtain a $500,000 line of credit from Parkvale Bank to cover expenses related to the sewage upgrade project in the borough.

Daniels said the credit line has been extended to the authority until the money from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, which is paying for the project through a grant/loan combination, is received.