Jonestown council discusses plans for July 3 semiquincentennial parade

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Jonestown Borough Council discussed plans and remaining steps to complete for the American Semiquincentennial parade beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, July 3, at its monthly meeting June 2.

At the time of the meeting, the borough had not submitted paperwork to PennDOT for related road closures, said councilwoman Madisyn Breiner. The parade’s route, which crosses Union Township and Jonestown Borough, goes from Lebanon Area Evangelical Free Church parking lot to Jonestown Community Park via Shepherd Street, Jonestown Road, and South Mill Street.

Breiner requested more details on signups for the parade, and Angelina Marko, a representative of the parade committee, responded that they have received 20 signups on an online form thus far, but she doesn’t know at present how many signups include vehicles or floats and how many people will be walking. She said she would provide council president Daniel Shuman with screenshots of the forms submitted by the end of the week.

Breiner said PennDOT turned around an application for the Memorial Day Parade in around two weeks, but said that parade may have been processed faster due to being a recurring event. If the application is not processed in time, she said, they can close roads for up to 45 minutes for the parade without PennDOT permission, but that 45-minute period also includes setup.

The PennDOT application, which is necessary for events that require roads to be closed for longer than 45 minutes, requires estimates of how many people and vehicles/floats will participate in the event, how many attendees there will be, and other details including setup and traffic control plans. The borough plans to estimate attendees and participants based on average group sizes and the forms already received.

Organizers hope to have a fire department oversee traffic control. Detailed plans for setup and take-down are still in the works, and the organizers’ Facebook page reflects that they are in search of additional volunteers.

Council also discussed the detour route, with the Lancaster Street detour taking drivers on Mill Street and up and around on Esther Avenue, and Market Street drivers taking SR 22 or around for West Market Street.

In response to the detour route, Northern Lebanon Fire and Emergency Services deputy chief Zach Zerbe said, “The only problem, and PennDOT would throw this back at you too, is that truck traffic is not going to be able to make the left-hand turn on Esther.” Zerbe will be further consulted on changes to the detour route.

The parade is organized by independent volunteers not connected to the Lebanon County America250 committee, with Jonestown Borough managing finances as organizers are not registered as a nonprofit.

In other news, council:

• Heard concerns from Oriana and Greg Spittle concerning funds raised to memorialize Edward Spittle, which are held in a borough account designated for field lighting. However, the funds are not enough to complete the lighting project, so family members asked how the funds will be used. Solicitor Colleen Gallo said she would look into the matter.
• Unanimously approved the purchase of a new laptop and printer for the office out of the general fund for $4,417.51.
• Heard a report from Brianna Laliberte with the Department of Emergency Services on recent FEMA changes, including an emphasis on more state, local, and individual responsibility in the event of an emergency.
• Unanimously approved up to $550 in expenditures for the patching of an eight-foot section of South Mill Street in conjunction with Swatara Township, which will patch its portion of the street at the same time.
• Unanimously ratified a $355.16 expense for Huey’s Amusements for a dumpster.
• Agreed to cover a part-time employee/volunteer under borough insurance for borough-approved work such as beacon lighting.
• Planned to ratify a $31.98 expense for American flags for the cemetery, but the funds were donated by councilman Justin Shuey.
• Held an executive session to discuss security of borough technology and 144 Creek View Drive.

Jonestown Borough Council will have a planning workshop meeting June 22 at 6:30 p.m. and its next regular meeting July 7 at 6:30 p.m. All meetings are held at the Jonestown Borough building at 295 S. Mill St.