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Borough To Study
Central Sewerage
System Hook-Up
By Jessica Cohen
MILFORD — An offer from Westfall Township Municipal Authority to bring central sewer service to Milford Borough raised concerns at the Borough Council meeting on Monday night.
"The advantage of a central system has been documented, and it increases property values," said Borough President Frank Tarquinio, who introduced the offer. "In-ground systems tend to fail."
However, Meagen Kameen expressed doubt. "The borough must commit to usage. Then if businesses don't hook up, it'll cost the borough money," she said, noting her experience with another municipality where that was a problem.
Tarquinio said he had not determined whether hooking up to the system would be voluntary or not. But James Scanlon, borough solicitor, said he knew of no law that would allow the borough to compel usage except for health and environmental reasons.
"If sewer was mandated, the cost can't be greater than added value to the community," said Mayor Sean Strub.
Audience members asked whether the system would have sufficient capacity and what the cost of filling in septic systems would be. Tarquinio estimated the latter to be about $1,500, but capacity is a concern, he said, especially if the borough waits much longer to tap into the system. The council passed a resolution to do engineering studies, making use of the Pike County Commissioners' offer of resources to pursue grants for those studies.......For more information pick up a copy at a local vendor or subscribe.
Official Paper
More Than
Forty Years
MILFORD — Although it has been publishing much, much longer, the Pike County Dispatch has been the newspaper of record for the County of Pike for more than 40 years. That means the Dispatch is the place to go to find out about public meetings, estate notices, bids, public hearings, real estate sales and transactions, and Sheriff sales.
The Pike County Commissioners listed the Dispatch as an official newspaper for legal notices during their opening meeting of 2014, and once again, during their annual reorganization meetings on the first business day of the New Year, most of the other municipalities in Pike County followed suit. So far, Milford and Matamoras Boroughs, and Westfall, Dingman, Delaware, Shohola, Blooming Grove. Milford and Lehman Townships have made it their business to have the Dispatch as an official newspaper.
So make it your business to keep up with all the news in Pike to print, including official business and legal notices from your town.
To find out where to buy your copy of the county’s official newspaper or to subscribe for home mail delivery, click here.
The Voice Of Pike County
Since 1826
The Pike County Dispatch is not only Pike County's largest circulation weekly newspaper, it is also the oldest.
Founded as the Eagle of the North, it has been in continuous operation reporting news and covering local events since 1826. It is, and always has been, the mainstay in keeping the local citizenry informed. Today, subscribers are as far afield as California and Florida
The Dispatch has covered the historic events that have shaped Pike County for almost as long as that history has been in the making.
Over the years, hometown news has shared pages with national and world events, and world events were sometimes right here in Pike County, Pennsylvania.
Its pages carry news of joy and sorrow, homespun advice, births, deaths, marriages, spats, feuds, political controversy, scandals, murders, heists, social affairs, dedications--in short, all the news in Pike to print.
Look for the Pike County Dispatch at local news dealers, and read all about it!
Pike Mobilizes Full Schedule
For 'Recovery Month'
By Chris Jones
ILFORD — Pike County kicked off National Recovery Month last week with a renewed commitment to combat the opioid scourge by spreading the message that "prevention works, treatment is effective and people recover."
"We cannot turn our backs on these individuals. They're all our families and our neighbors," said Pike County Commissioner Matt Osterberg, referring to victims of heroin and opioid addiction.
While not disregarding personal responsibility's role in drug addiction, the commissioners, who previously joined a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, again stressed the role that pharmaceuticals and doctors played in over-prescribing pain killers to patients who took them at their word that "this stuff is good for you."
"Not everybody who gets a tooth pulled needs 20 [painkillers] Oxycontin," Osterberg said. "A lot of this was created and forced on us by pharmaceuticals. People were being told this stuff was good for you and they took it."
Throughout September, Pike Opioid Task Force members will provide a full schedule of awareness events and activities.
Angela Smith, Pike County Extension educator, gave some frightening statistics: Pennsylvania has the sixth highest incidence of overdose deaths in the U.S., and since 2014 50 of those deaths occurred in Pike County.
Part of the opioid abuse problem stems from prescription drugs falling into the wrong hands, so the Task Force has scheduled three mobile drug take-back opportunities at community events this month. The locations and times are: Senior Expo, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Sept. 14, Dingmans Fire Hall; Sept. 22, Harvest Fest, Akenac Park, Delaware Twp.; 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 29, PAYAL Youth Sports, Airport Park, Matamoras........For more information pick up a copy at a local vendor or subscribe.
Abuse Outreach Resonates In Blooming Grove
By Jessica Cohen
LORDS VALLEY — Hidden pockets of domestic abuse became the spotlighted topic at the Blooming Grove Township Supervisors meeting on Tuesday when Carol Witschel, president of Safe Haven Board of Directors, gave a presentation on the agency's new efforts.
"Safe Haven representatives are meeting with township supervisors around the county, including places like Porter and Lehman Townships where people might not have set foot on Broad Street in Milford," where the agency's office is, said Witschel. "We're past our growing pains and serving more crime victims because more people know we're there. We're educating people about domestic violence and abuse, providing assistance and referrals. You don't have to live that way."
Internal conflicts among staff had undermined the agency's functioning previously, she said. "Some staff got angry and left, and the board decided they all would have to go. Now we have a highly experienced, organized staff, headed by Christina Byrne."
Under Byrne's leadership, Safe Haven has expanded outreach to seniors, beginning in the last six months, Witschel said.
"We developed a relationship with Pike County Area Agency on Aging, going to senior centers monthly, answering questions, providing information," she said. "Mobile outreach is new too. We've arranged to have safe, confidential space to meet with clients in township halls."
Township Supervisor Chair Nick Mazza offered a Blooming Grove Town Hall room for that purpose. He said he would put a link to Safe Haven on the town's website.....For more information pick up a copy at a local vendor or subscribe.
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