Franklin business administrator to retire

Franklin Borough Administrator Alison Littell-McHose recently announced her plans to retire from her position in July, and the Borough Council has hired Deborah Bonanno on Feb. 25 to replace her.

Bonanno will begin her job on April 1 as chief financial officer, business administrator and qualified purchasing agent. Her contract will run through Dec. 31, 2023.

Littell-McHose will stay on until July to help train Bonanno. She made her retirement intentions public earlier in the month, but Attorney John Ursin indicated that the borough council members have known for a while, allowing them to begin interviewing.

One resident wanted to know if it was a conflict to have a combined position of CFO and administrator since an administrator would spend and a CFO would control expenses.

As it is a mayoral appointment position, Littell-McHose explained that any expenditures must be approved by the council, so it is not a conflict.

Councilman Joseph Limon thanked Mayor Sowden for “thinking outside the box” about the position.

During the Mayor’s Report, Sowden shared with the council that they should be prepared to spend $10,000-$11,000 on enhancements needed for the Franklin Pond play area, including new swing equipment, a new gate, and accessible parking spaces. He said the equipment needed usually has a 6-8 week lead time. Sowden indicated costs could be lower but wanted everyone to be prepared for the higher end.

Ursin advised that the topic did not formally need to be on the agenda that evening, but that in Sowden giving numbers, Sowden is setting the expectation that council supports the investment.

Councilman Concetto Formica said that the goal would be to open the play area by Spring.

One outstanding item desired by council members included changing the Borough’s letterhead and correspondence to include a historical logo.

Littell-McHose said the Logo will be changed to include a graphic and notation of Franklin being the mineral capital of the world and presented a prototype to the group. All were pleased.

Councilman John Postas conveyed that he met with JCP&L to inquire about installing LED lights on Franklin Avenue toward the Pond and on Buckwheat Road, following the success of the LED lights on Main Street.