Aug. 6--SAYRE -- The Sayre Borough Council and one of its committees took a couple of actions on Wednesday pertaining to the Valley Joint Sewer Authority (VJSA).

At the Sayre Administration Committee meeting, the committee voted to recommend to the council to ask the VJSA for a second engineering study of the Valley Joint Sewage Treatment Plant upgrade.

Sayre Borough Council President Henry Farley said the recommendation comes after members of Sayre and Athens borough councils met with a representative from the Department of Environmental Protection and heard about other areas that got a second engineering study and were able to save money on the project.

"We felt that we need to do the same," Farley said. "Just continuing to look out for our tax dollars."

At a special Sayre Borough Council meeting held Wednesday night, Farley said the council recently realized that the terms of three representatives of the VJSA have expired. The borough council voted for Farley, council member Bob Dydynski, and borough manager and secretary David Jarrett to replace Pat Musto, John Stetz and Rich Poletto, effective today, Farley said.

"The borough council appreciates the service that the previous borough representatives have given to the borough," Farley said.

Farley said that the council has some concerns, and they feel they need to be involved with the VJSA.

Only one council member, Jim Daly, voted against naming the three borough representatives to the authority. Daly said he felt uncomfortable with the two council members sitting on the authority board, as he feels the authority should be independent. He also said that Jarrett has "more than enough on his plate" with some other positions he already holds, such as borough secretary, borough manager, and member of the Sayre School Board, among other things.

Dydynski read a statement during the citizens to be heard portion of the meeting that stated some of his concerns with the VJSA agreement, such as the way usage and bills are calculated using EDUs (equivalent drawing units).

Also, Dydynski said that under the agreement, Athens and Sayre boroughs will pay 73 percent of any sewer treatment plant upgrades required by the authority.

"We need to prepare a new agreement that is fair and equitable to all, and now," he said. "The bleeding of Athens and Sayre must stop. This is the time to resolve the injustice in the agreement."

Tiffany Peden may be reached at (570) 888-9652; e-mail: reviewvalley@thedailyreview.com.

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