NORTH MANCHESTER – During a meeting Wednesday, the town council approved an alley closure and 2017 stale check write-offs. Council President Allen Miracle reminded the public that email addresses have changed for council members. Updated contact information for all members is now available on the town’s website. During initial visitor comments, resident Bob Sklar reiterated his prior complaints regarding various ordinances and statutes and called for the resignation of town manager Adam Penrod. “I expressed my concerns in October and I haven’t heard a response in three months,” Sklar said. Sklar went on to accuse Miracle of not paying attention to him, saying, “You can listen to me, not your watch.” Miracle had been checking the time. Police Chief Jim Kirk reminded Sklar that rude comments would not be tolerated. Miracle responded to Sklar’s comments by defending Penrod, whom he described as “an effective and valuable individual” and reminding Sklar that the council members are “confident we are acting legally and responsibly.” He added, “We are all human. We all make mistakes.” In new business, the council approved an extended alley closure from 214 to 216 E. Main St. while the area is under construction. The closure will not affect trash pickup. Town Clerk-treasurer Carrie Mugford introduced seven checks from 2017 that were never cashed. The council voted to write off the checks. Carla Gebert presented a 2019 review of the town’s Parkview EMS services. Gebert described 2019 as an exciting year with 2,437 actual runs while only 2,043 were budgeted. The EMTs responded to 919 calls in Chester Township with falls and breathing problems as the top reasons for runs. The average response time for countywide calls was under 13 minutes 87.91% of the time. Mugford reported a town docket of $472,287.95 and a utilities docket of $209,075.19 with an additional claim of $9,343.20. The next meeting is 7 p.m. March 4.
