Community House Part Of Tree-Lighting

MILFORD — The annual Tree Lighting ceremony on Saturday at the Community House on Broad Street in Milford Borough attracted a handsome crowd drawn by many attractions, the hoopla, the food tent, tree lighting, toy trains, motorcycle brigade, Santa, etc.
For decades until a few years ago, the lighting of the Star at the Knob overlooking Milford paired with the tree lighting.
A few years ago, when the National Park Service, which owns the property on which the star was located, prevented the star lighting for reasons of "political correctness," the Community House celebration excluded the star lighting.
Under the late Commissioner Gerry Hansen's watch in the mid 1990s, the ceremony was renamed Festival of Lights, run by the Milford Business Council in partnership with the Pike Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, and the Pike County Commissioners.
A few years ago, Milford Presents took over the mantle of organizing the event from the council and renamed it the Tree Lighting ceremony (sans the star lighting).
This year, for the first time, the annual celebration included events inside the newly renovated Community House, now home to multiple community-service organizations, such as the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, Pike County Visitors Center, and Greater Pike Foundation.
Usually, the event started at dusk, but this year it started in daylight mid-afternoon inside the center, where the organizers hosted a display of antique toy trains brought by hobbyists Tom Keegan and Jim Monaghan.
Meanwhile, Milford Presents organizers Adrianne Wendell, chamber administrators Lee Ann Camarero and Tammy Savarese, and volunteers took visitors for a tour of the Community House and offered cookies, coffee, hot chocolate, and refreshments until dusk.
At dusk, event Master of Ceremonies, Milford Presents Board member Katrina Foster (owner of KKPR), introduced Ding-Del Children's Choir Director Brian Krauss and the choir and welcomed the crowd.
The choir kicked off the outdoor event with a medley of holiday songs. Krauss has been leading his team of kids at the annual lighting celebration for close to two decades.......For more information pick up a copy at a local vendor or subscribe.

Sewer Extension Panned At Borough

By Jessica Cohen

MILFORD — The Milford Borough Council passed a no-tax-hike budget on Monday with little discussion, but pressure to spend $37,000 on the borough's cost-share of a study to determine the viability of a shared central sewage system with Milford and Westfall Townships roused conflict.
Since the issue has been discussed for years, Councilwoman Meagen Kameen said that the urgency of the other municipalities resulted from a development planned in Milford Township. She was reluctant to have the borough spend the money now when a grant application could generate funds for the study in May.
In the audience, others opposed a central sewage system that Frank Tarquinio, council president, said would likely result in a requirement that residents make use of it.
"Hooking up to the system would cost $10,000-$15,000," said Jon Kameen, Meagen's husband. "My septic system is good. I don't want to be told I must change."
Although Tarquinio conceded that short-term effects would be "painful," he insisted on the necessity of it. "Every year we get many applications to redo septic systems," he said. "For the long term, we must do this."
Councilwoman Adriane Wendell noted that lack of a central sewer system limited commercial possibilities. Mayor Sean Strub said the change is "inevitable."
"Milford and Westfall are going ahead, even if we don't," he said. "It's expensive to do on our own. The need has been identified again and again. It's best to do this when we have partners."....For more information pick up a copy at a local vendor or subscribe.