Justice Carolyn Purdue Passes
MILFORD — Former Pike County District Justice (DJ) Carolyn Hommel Purdue, a Milford Township native, 77, died in Vero Beach, Florida on July 5. Purdue served in the county judicial system for 29 years.
Prior to election as DJ of the Peace, Purdue worked for Pike County district justices August Metz, III, and George Hatley as a secretary and administrator for a total of four years. Metz was elected DJ of the Peace in 1971, but after serving three years of a six-year term, he resigned in 1974. He relocated and entered a new industry.
On June 17, 1974, then Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp appointed George Hatley to complete Metz’s unexpired term. Purdue had belief that she could make the leap from an office job to district justice. She pursued her dream, was elected, and served longer than most DJs in recent Pike County history.
Purdue said in an exclusive interview in the late 1990s that she considered herself familiar enough with the day-to-day functioning of the DJ office and court rulings to handle the job. So, she tossed her hat in the ring. Purdue won in the Primary Election, ran against Hatley in 1975, won on her first foray into politics, and never looked back. She served as DJ until Dec. 31, 1999. She was only the second woman DJ in Pike County history. Dorrie James was the first... for complete story, get this week's issue.
Milford Township Set To Build Website
MILFORD — Although it is still in the planning phase, Milford township supervisors announced at their meeting Monday night they intend to build a website for the township. Supervisor Gary Clark received two bids that he is waiting for formal proposals on before choosing a company to build the site. One company bid $2,400, while another bid $1,500. Supervisor Don Quick suggested the cost of the site not go over $2,000. Supervisor Gary Williams stated, “If we’re gonna spend $2,000 on this, I want to know exactly what we’re getting for it.”
Williams agreed to wait until formal proposals were in to move forward. Clark compared this price to the $7,000 Dingman Township spent, and $4,500 Lackawaxen spent on their sites, noting that Milford is getting a significantly lower price.
Clark was able to purchase the domain name for the website this week. He explained the need to buy it now before he had to purchase it from someone who purchased it first. Supervisors intend the site to announce events in the area, a list of things to do, and local businesses. They would also like a section for zoning information, and Nixle, a website that official groups can load alerts to, such as weather or crimes, and alerts are then sent to registered phones and e-mails.
Clark noted he would like the website to also have tablet and smart phone capability, stating “it’s time our township was brought into this century... for complete story, get this week's issue.
