Sullivan West holds pre-bid meeting
for contractors

By TOM KANE

JEFFERSONVILLE —The Sullivan West Board of Education was scheduled to hold a pre-bid meeting on May 2 for contractors who wish to bid for construction of the new high school.

Over 45 contractors have expressed interest in the project, said school superintendent Michael Johndrow.

Numerous staff persons from the architects, the Hillier Group, and the Turner Company, the construction managers, were to be present to answer contractors’ questions.

“Bids will be opened on May 17 at 3:30 p.m., before the board meeting, which will be held later that evening,” Johndrow said.

Awarding of bids will be made on May 24, he said. Construction is expected to begin immediately.

Township approves burn ban

LACKAWAXEN — With the danger and occurrence of brush fires increasing, the Lackawaxen Township Supervisors have approved a town-wide burn ban applying to all outdoor burning until further notice, Supervisor Richard Krochta reported May 2.

Unseasonably high temperatures and low humidity are combining to make last year’s dead vegetation highly combustible. Officials say the situation is nearly an annual occurrence, and will pass when more new vegetation begins.

Neighboring Shohola also has a burn ban in effect.

Crime costs and numbers grow in Wayne

HONESDALE — The number of Wayne County prisoners reached an all-time high last month and costs are outstripping the budget. The combined total of inmates at the local jail and work release center, along with those boarded out at other prisons in the region, was 80 inmates.

According to Warden Russell Wormuth, the number is more than he can ever remember. The cost to board out prisoners for the first quarter has nearly reached the amount allocated for the entire year. Last year nearly $90,000 was spent on boarding out prisoners. One hundred and ten thousand has been allocated for this year, and so far over $91,000 has already been spent.

No details, no meeting

MONTICELLO — Lacking details of a new casino application, Sullivan County officials have dropped plans for extensive bargaining sessions that were planned for this week with officials from Park Place Entertainment.

The county wants to talk with the gambling promoters about so-called “host-benefit” payments—millions that would cover increased municipal costs related to the new casino—but Park Place has not released their voluminous federal application for county review.

Park Place currently plans to release details at a May 15 public session at Sullivan County Community College, but for the time being disappointed county officials saying there will be no negotiations.