NEW WILMINGTON Council proposes cable improvements

Rates may have to double to pay for the system, a councilman says.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Residents should have digital cable and high-speed Internet access sometime around the middle of next year but should expect a rate increase to finance the improvements, members of New Wilmington Borough Council learned at their meeting Monday.
Council member Kenneth Romig, who is chairman of the finance committee, gave council a draft of the 2003 budget that includes $450,000 for rebuilding the cable television system operated by the borough. Specifications are now being prepared for the job, which is expected to be advertised for bids soon. The improvements will be financed with a bank loan or borough reserve funds, then paid back over five years with increased user fees, Romig said.
Residents now pay $12 a month for basic cable, and Romig said the system is "barely breaking even." He said after the meeting the monthly fee may more than double to pay for the new system.
The only other major capital improvement item in the budget is $190,000 for some needed improvements to the sewer system, Romig said. Council can make changes to the budget draft before it is adopted next month.
Additional business
In other business Monday, council said goodbye to longtime Police Chief Richard Hanna, who retires this month. Raymond Keffer, the only council member with more longevity than Hanna, thanked the outgoing chief for "bringing professionalism to the department" and "showing tremendous leadership" in his 20 years in the job. The new chief, Carmen Piccirillo, was introduced.
Also Monday, council agreed to pay $226 to borough resident Joan Gajda for sidewalks she installed in front of her property. Gajda said she received a letter from the borough informing her she was responsible for replacing the sidewalk and she complied, spending $452 on the job. She later discovered only half the sidewalk was a part of her property. Borough Solicitor Tom Mansell recommended that council reimburse her for half the cost.