Lansford Borough Council does not want to see a former rail line in the borough turned into a storage unit for railroad cars.

During its regularly scheduled meeting, the board discussed an issue that began two months ago, when council heard rumors that Reading and Northern Railroad of Port Clinton was planning to use seven miles of a former rail line, located from the Arlington Yard into Lansford, as a storage facility for rolling stock.Council President Robert Gaughan said that council has not received any answers from the railroad in regards to the rumor."Council is basing its opinion on a rumor that the railroad entered into an agreement with General Electric Corp. to store rail cars," he said. "We have not gotten a straight answer from the railroad."Last month, council received a letter from the company in response to a letter it sent, stating "Please rest assured that whatever actions we undertake will be done in full compliance with federal regulations. Moreover, if the borough is interested in our plans because it is aware of industries seeking rail service, please let us know and we will contact them."At that meeting, Gaughan said he felt Reading and Northern "thumbed their nose at us."Gaughan said council would like to get more information on what Reading and Northern's plans are for the line.Borough solicitor Robert T. Yurchak said it is required under the Federal Railroad Commission that the company report all work. He then suggested that council write a letter to Congressman Paul Kanjorski on this matter.Gaughan asked if there were rules the borough could create that would require all rolling stock in the area to be inspected for heavy metals and harmful residue. This, he noted, would be to protect the residents because the area in question is located in a flood plain"We have enough issues in the borough," he said. "The last thing we need is the center of town being used by an outside company to make a profit. This will affect not only Lansford but also Coaldale because the line runs parallel to Route 209. There are a number of issues that council is not really happy about. We'll do all we can to alleviate this issue."Councilman Tommy Vadyak then made a motion to send letters to Kanjorski and the railroad commission.In other matters, local residents Don Gildea and Robert S. Hackash, an incoming councilman, asked council to meet with Coaldale representatives regarding the joint water authority to discuss matters, including the compensation of water authority officials.Gildea said he felt the water authority officials should not be getting what they are paid.Currently, according to water authority records, the board chairman earns $15,000 a year; the vice chairman/superintendent $47,000; the treasurer $8,000; the secretary $8,000 and the assistant secretary/treasurer $6,800.Hackash added that he would like to see the salaries set at a reasonable amount."I don't want to see criminal charges but I hope we are not sweeping things under the rug," he said.According to a previous article published in the TIMES NEWS, Vadyak said the two boroughs set compensation at $25 a month or $300 a year.Other business included:• James Martino of the Carbon County Office of Planning and Development held the first public session outlining the 2010 Community Development Block Grant funds that are available to the borough. He said Lansford is eligible for $99,267. A second meeting on how to utilize the money is slated for Jan. 13 in Lansford.• The borough will be completing ordinance plowing on the south and west sides of the streets on Thursday and the north and east sides of the streets on Friday.Council also:• Accepted the resignation of Amy Rhyder, deputy code enforcement officer.• Accepted a service agreement extension for S&O Computers for services to the borough's Web site.• Approved waiving fees for St. Katharine Drexel to install a parish sign next to the church on East Abbott Street.• Approved an agreement with Premiere Staffing for a code enforcement/zoning clerical position which needs to be filled temporarily.• Approved the revised 2010 Minimum Municipal Obligation, which lowers the total from $100,305 to $99,514.• Approved ordinance 2009-05, which defines the locations where parking is prohibited at all times; ordinance 2009-06, which establishes special purpose parking zones; and ordinance 2009-07, which establishes parking meter zones.