Fairchance hires two workers
Fairchance Borough Council has hired two full-time employees to return the staff to its full complement after one longtime worker died and another resigned. Council hired Mark Duley of Fairchance at a special meeting last week and hired Jeremy Ganoe last month to replace Fred Tanner, who recently died after working for the borough for about 36 years, and Charles Weaver, who resigned, said council President Richard Pukl.
Fred Tanner is Mayor Thomas Tanner’s brother. Thomas Tanner was appointed mayor in June 2008 and won a four-year term in last year’s election.
Pukl said the borough received 30 applications for latest job opening and council interviewed five of the applicants before choosing Duley.
Duley will start as a laborer and begin training to become an operator for the borough’s water plant and Ganoe also will work at the plant under the operator’s license of William Clemmer, who was hired to work at the plant on weekends and in emergency situations, Pukl said.
Ganoe has completed operator’s training requirements, but hasn’t yet obtained his license from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Pukl said.
He said Clemmer will work for the borough only until Ganoe and Duley obtain their licenses.
Despite the employee turnover, the DEP has been pleased with the plant operations, water quality and some recent improvements such as the installation of automated controls, Pukl said.
The labor shortage and broken lawn equipment caused the borough to fall behind in its routine spring maintenance, but the work should be done soon.
Councilman Howard McGhee had the equipment that could be fixed repaired and oversaw the purchase of some new equipment, Pukl said.
Temporary summer workers from the Private Industry Council and people serving court-ordered accelerated rehabilitation disposition sentences will be doing the work, he said.
Some beatification work was accomplished. The mayor and a group of volunteers who planted flowers along Church Street before the Memorial Day parade, Pukl said.
In a separate matter, the owner of the former Pechin Hardware Store on Church Street has agreed to demolish the building and grade the property by July 1 to avoid a possible fine from a citation he was issued after the building collapsed during the winter, Pukl said.
He said he does not know what the owner plans to do with the property after it is cleared.
Councilman Pete Franczyk and the Fairchance Exchange Club recently finished installing a pedestrian bridge, which has an aluminum flatbed truck trailer as a foundation, in Fairchance Community Park, Pukl said.
Lastly, he said A.C. Moyer Co. is expected to get started soon on resurfacing streets and applying tar and chips to alleys.