When I started my reporting career over 45 years ago, the first borough council meetings I covered were in Weissport.

Since I retired, I agreed to do some work on a freelance basis rather than remain idle. I’m sure most carpenters never permanently put away their hammers, and most writers and photographers never totally abandon their vocations.Marta, my editor, asked if I would cover Weissport Borough Council. The last time I covered Weissport meetings on a regular basis was at least 30 years ago when names like the late Lewis Smith, Bob Fetterman and the late Kay Fritzinger served.I thought it would be interesting going to the Weissport meetings, andI found outthe more things change the more they remain the same.Some things have changed significantly. Reed’s Market, a grocery store that was a landmark for decades, is now an ice cream parlor. Thanks to volunteers like Councilman Arland Moyer, the borough park is more beautiful than ever. There are more activities in Weissport than when I coveredor when I lived there over 50 years ago — things like Canal Days, the Redneck Festival and an Easter Egg Hunt.But some of the problems that existedyears ago are still being tackled today.At this week’s meeting, complaints were heard about a property on Prospect Street in which junk cars are being kept, as well as other debris. When I lived on Prospect Street in the 1950s, there were junk cars on one of the lots.The council is trying to get as much police protection as it can for the town with only one part-time officer. That officer, Dena Krammes, is on duty only for about a month but is already showing a keen interest in the town even though she lives an hour away.When I grew up, Weissport had just a one-man police department.Moyer, the main maintenance person in the town and volunteers countless hours of time, is concerned about the coming winter and whether the borough’s equipment is capable of handling snowstorms. Good equipment — and the manpower that goes with it — costs money, something the borough has little of.Meanwhile, council is concerned about the deteriorating condition of the borough hall.Council members said they believe squirrels live in the roof above the restrooms. Councilwoman Brenda Leiby wonders if the roof can withstand heavy snow.When I first covered Weissport in the late 1960s, the council met in aone-room, single-story building that was heated by a potbelly stove. The deteriorating condition of that building was a major issue at the time.Maintaining the flood levee has always been a thorn for the council.It wasthen and it still is. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers constantly inspect the levee and issue reports that list mandates for the borough. The state and federal governments have plenty of money to send professionals to point out deteriorating concrete, holes made by groundhogs, grass too high and wear and tear from illegal four-wheelers. But the borough just doesn’t have the resources to comply with the sometimes complex demands.I wonder if I would be around 45 years from now if the same problemswould still exist.