HAWLEY, PA — Councilwoman Michele Rojas could hardly contain her pleasure while announcing that the Hawley Borough had received grants totaling nearly $460,000 to be used to address storm-water issues as part of its levee remediation project.

One grant, from the Local Share Account (LSA), was for $181,711. The other, for $277,911, was from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PennVEST). The borough, mainly pursued by Rojas, had been seeking the PennVEST funds in the form of a low-interest loan. Since the award ultimately was in the form of a grant, there is no repayment requirement. This news was received with great joy from the other council members and all who were present at the meeting.

Rojas thanked a long list of people and entities for their assistance in procuring these funds, and said that the excellent working relationships that had developed through this process would be beneficial as the remediation work progresses. After this, the other members of the council enthusiastically acknowledged the determination and perseverance with which Rojas had spearheaded this process. One quipped that when the refurbishment is completed, the levee should be named the “Michele Rojas Levee.”

Rojas then reported on her efforts to procure less costly insurance coverage for the borough, which had become a sticking point in previous months. She stated that Delaware Township and Matamoras have had favorable results from participation in an insurance trust that provides insurance products specific to municipalities. The annual savings could be substantial, and after three years, the borough could receive dividend payouts from the trust. She stated that the vetting process is quite rigorous to gain admission into the trust, but that so far, the borough was able the meet all of the requirements. She and Councilman Joe Faubel will further pursue information regarding participation in the trust with the aim of presenting a motion to the council for a vote in March.

In other business, the council heard from George Kopelson, whose Church Street apartment building has been repeatedly cited for noncompliance with borough regulations. Claiming that he had not received past notices and that he had acted on many of the deficiencies, Kopelson declared that the $2,083 judgment was unfair. He asked if he could make payments over four months; the council declined that offer. Borough solicitor Robert Bernathy urged Kopelson to pay in full immediately.

On the other end of the rental spectrum, a resident sought guidance in dealing with issues with her apartment rental manager. She said that garbage is piling up on the premises, that the upper-level deck is in danger of falling down and that the manager has repeatedly made inappropriate comments to her. The council promised that the matter would be investigated.

The next regular meeting of the council is March 14 at 7 p.m.