Linesville borough council appointed Susan Lewandowski to fill a vacancy on the council at their August meeting.

Four people had expressed an interest in the vacancy created by the resignation of David Hoogstad, Jr.

Besides Lewandowski, those interested were Asia Starcheski, Wade Largent, and Greg Lintz.

Lewandowski was nominated by Ron Harper with a second offered by Ron Vennare. She was appointed then on a 4-1 vote with Pete Fizer, Kevin McGrath, Harper and Vennare voting yes and Tom Mc- Grath voting no. Matt Gillette was absent from the meeting.

Prior to Lewandowski’s appointment, a motion to appoint Starcheski, failed on a 2-3 vote with T. McGrath and Fizer voting for and K. McGrath, Harper, and Vennare voting no.

Lewandowski was then sworn in and took her seat on the council immediately. She will serve through December of this year when someone elected in November could then take the seat, providing enough names are on the ballot to fill several vacancies on council or pending write-ins.

Council pointed out that the borough had other openings including a seat on the Linesville Municipal Authority, auditor, and per capita assessor. Starcheski indicated she might be interested in the auditor’s position.

Council voted to release the owners of K & M Graphics from a lease for use of the building the borough owns at 127 East Erie Street. K & M Graphics has purchased, and is moving into, the former Jones Floor Coverings place in Pine Township, east of the borough. Jones Floor Coverings has been sold and moved to a location on Rt. 6, closer to Conneaut Lake in the former Black’s Furniture building. The lease was to be good until Oct. 31, 2010.

The borough, on a T. McGrath motion and second by Ron Vennare, voted to move the Linesville Police Department into the former K & M Graphics building, once home to a gas station and small grocery store, Mini Mart. The building sat empty for some time after the Mini Mart closed until it was donated to the borough, fixed up and leased to K & M Graphics.

The Linesville Police Department is currently located in the back of the Linesville Borough Hall with complaints made it is small, and often floods during heavy rain storms and when the snow melts. Voting to move the police department to the new location were T. McGrath, Vennare, Fizer, Harper and Lewandowsi. K. McGrath voted no.

Keeping in line with moving and building matters, council then voted to seek estimates and quotes for a 1-car garage to be built at the 127 E. Erie Street Mini Mart location with the garage to be 12 foot wide, the depth of the store building long and to be built with treated post foundation, stick build up on top, vinyl side, metal roof, garage door with no windows, with garage door opener and a cement floor with drains.

The vote to seek estimates and quotes for a 1-car grage passed 5- 1 with K. McGrath voting no.

A later discussion on the garage specs led to the appointment of Vennare, T. McGrath, Mayor Chris Seeley and Chief Davis to come up with specs to put out for bid.

Council is also looking at purchasing a new police vehicle with Police Chief George Davis instructed to obtain quotes on a new police SUV model with plans to use some money set aside for a purchase and paying the rest of by loan. Again K. McGrath voted no while the other 5 members voted yes.

Again at a later extension of the August meeting, council voted 6-0 to have Seeley and Davis order a Ford Expedition police cruiser at a cost around $25,000.

Council also voted 5-1 with T. McGrath voting no, to enter into a 60-day extension for a lease agreement for the Lockhart property if Mrs. Lockhart was agreeable. A subdivision of the property may be necessary as council has been looking to obtain part of the property in the old firemen’s picnic area and build a garage building to house the borough’s equipment, i.e., trucks, lawn mower, etc.

At a July borough council meeting, a motion to hire Herman Brockelhurst upon Pete Fizer’s resignation from Streets Supervisor/ Assistant Water and Sewer position was passed on a 3-2 vote with Fizer, Gillette, T. McGrath voting yes and K. McGrath and Harper voting no. K. McGrath did not think a hire should take place until a vacancy actually occurs. K. McGarth did thank Fizer for his service to the borough noting his work ethic and frugality. The hire was approved at $9.00 an hour.

At the August meeting then, T. McGrath questioned hiring Brocklehurst at $9.50 per hour since he had worked part-time since January at $10 an hour. He also thought that since he had worked since January he did not need a 90 day probationary period. Council consensus was to let the probationary period stand as per employee handbook. A vote to pay Broc-klehurst $10 an hour passed with K. McGarth and Harper opposed, a 4- 2 vote.

Council instructed the police chief to look into having a traffic study done inside borough limits.

It was reported that the Department of Commerce will reshape the Linesville stream bank with shrubs and material at no cost to the borough most probably.

Council heard a report that Dan Whalen, Water and Sewer Plant Operator, has plans to to obtain the necessary parts to push 9 laterals under Rt. 6, to feed places on the south side of the street on the east end of town and into Pine Township. Properties would include Thayers, Car Wash area, and pushing lines from Uzarskis, Sutliffs, Schaefs, and State Farm to Bickos, Glunts,and Hartzells.

Whalen would like to increase the cost of water line tap-ins and asked for a work session to discuss the matter which would include fire line vs. normal drinking water size lines.

K. McGrath noted a need to have a curb replaced along Water Street where the curb was removed during a water line replacement and never put back.