PINE GROVE - The topic of emergency management coordinator has come up many times over the past several months, but on July 19, the Pine Grove borough council finally made a decision.
Tony Gurski is the borough's nominee for appointment by the governor to the position in the borough.
Council President Larry Dubbs had placed the topic on the agenda, and described at length, a conversation he had with county Emergency Management Director John Matz. He noted that he had also approached another member of council about the position, as well as a recent applicant for a council vacancy. According to Dubbs, a decision has to be made.
"We don't have time. It's either the mayor or Gurski," he said.
Dubbs praised Mayor Kim Brown-Zerbe for the work she had done during and after the September flood, noting that the borough would be "worse off if it were not for her." Although he did not agree with Scott Zimmerman, who later in the discussion noted that the mayor is described as "toxic" by many members of the community, he did agree there was animosity towards Brown-Zerbe.
Gurski's membership in the National Guard was also a consideration, since Gurski could be called upon by the Guards in an emergency, Dubbs said. And although an EMC can appoint deputies, he didn't personally like the idea of the borough's EMC being out of town during an emergency. This, said Dubbs, would be his only objection to Gurski.
"We need," Dubbs said, "a good leader, a bridge builder."
Lynne Umbenhauer stated she had spent some time going over the flood in her mind and had decided the mayor was the one for the job. According to Umbenhauer, everyone worked well together, adding Gurski's first commitment is to the Guard. And with that, she motioned to nominate the mayor.
"You can't hold his (Gurski's) service to his country against him," Zimmerman said. "The mayor also has other duties."
And although Umbenhauer stated the mayor already has experience on the job, Gurski has leadership experience, Zimmerman said.
Gurski noted that his 22 years of experience in the Guard, 10 of which as an officer, has put him in the position for planning for thousands of people. He also read sections of the "Emergency Management Handbook for Elected Officials" which described the duties, responsibilities and the type of person that municipal officials should consider when making their nomination for appointment.
Although solicitor Chris Hobbs had been quiet during the exchange, he finally interrupted to inform the members that because they were only nominating someone to be recommended for the position, others could be considered at the same time.
Light Committee
Another topic which has been discussed over the past several months was solved, at least on the council's part. Now, it's up to the Christmas Light Committee to make a decision.
The council unanimously agreed to a resolution recognizing the committee as a sanctioned committee of the borough. That status will allow the committee to be included under the borough's liability coverage at no extra cost to the borough. It will also require the advertisement of meetings, as well as the audit of financial records by the borough's auditors, Patton and Lettich, Pottsville.
Although Dubbs noted the council's agreement to adopt them can be declined by the committee, the borough is still thankful for the work the committee does each year checking to make sure all the bulbs work, putting up and taking down the lights, plus raising funds to purchase the lights.
Last year the committee was informed that it needed to purchase insurance to cover the activities it had planned during the holiday. Some confusion on the council's part, left the committee with a $284 bill, which Dubbs later agreed the council would reimburse the committee.