SYRACUSE – Town Council Tuesday night appointed three residents to a committee that will set prevailing wages for the wastewater plant improvement project. They heard from Rick Pharis, representing the project’s engineering firm Triad Associates Inc., who said that because the project will cost over $350,000, the Department of Labor requires payment of prevailing wages. A five-member committee discusses the wage issues regularly – the DOL has a regular schedule for each county, but the town missed the county meeting by one day. Pharis said that a five-member committee must be formed with three members representing the county and at least one from the town of Syracuse. Two members come from union contractors. The council agreed to send Jeremy Sponseller, town utilities manager, as its awarding agency representative; councilman Bill Musser will be awarding agency tax-paying representative; and resident Larry Coplen is expected to be appointed by a county agency next week. Council also heard news from department heads, mostly about wrap-ups of the year’s projects. Town Manager Henry DeJulia reported that work on the municipal parking lot, on Main Street across from the library, has been completed. “We’ve even provided buckets and shovels,” he said, referring to horses and buggies. Police Chief Tony Ciriello reported 408 calls for service last month, nine of which were accidents; eight criminal arrests; and 40 traffic tickets or warnings. Parks Department head Chad Jonsson told council that the department will close on the Wildwood Drive property Thursday then turn it over to the town. The property is located at Wawasee Heights. He also said the water sprayed on the new athletic park is almost frozen and will soon provide an ice-skating park for the town; and that snowflakes have been placed along Huntington Street. Sponseller told council that he needed to get the town’s brush pile chipped, and was given the OK to spend money for that project after Jan. 1. When asked about the town’s salt supply, he assured council that it was good. In other business, the council: • Heard that the Economic Development Administration reimbursed the town 70 percent of expenses relating to the new technology park, in the amount of $195,414.90. • Approved including the word “stepchild” into the bereavement policy. • Accepted a donation from resident Pat Bitner of a framed 1875 plat of the town. Clerk Julie Kline assured council, when asked where it would be displayed, that “We’ll do our best to come up with a good plan to preserve it.”
