At the dinner, board president Paul Weaver and system manager Lowell Snyder praised current and former board members for their work in handling a difficult situation.

The system was under a consent order and agreement to repair inflow and infiltration of stormwater that would cause the system to overload and overflow into the Clarion River during heavy rains.

The board worked its way through years of negotiations with DEP, the three municipalities served by the authority and Pennsylvania American Water Company to arrange the sale of the system to the water company.

Snyder particularly praised authority employees Mike Bauer, Dana McClaine and Fred Klingler for their work in keeping the treatment plant operating and solving problems with the collection system.

Snyder also praised assistant Martha “Marty” McClaine for expertly handling the office since June of 2006.

Weaver thanked the current and previous board members for their service to the authority, especially previous board presidents Randy Hannah and Orville Lerch.

Authority’s last meeting

Four of the seven board members – the minimum for a quorum – met in a special meeting in the authority offices along North Fifth Avenue Dec. 22; meetings had been held in the Clarion Free Library meeting room in recent years; before that they were held in the authority’s conference room, but that room proved too small when more than a few visitors attended.

Weaver said he and authority secretary Art Aaron would sign a document to send to state officials for approval as part of ending the existence of the authority.

Authority legal council Keith Pemrick told the Clarion News the Secretary of the Commonwealth would note the termination on the record of the authority’s incorporation. This would be returned to the authority which would inform the county Recorder of Deeds of the change in ownership of the authority’s assets.

Those assets – some cash and office equipment – would be transferred to the municipalities the authority served, particularly Clarion Borough.

Weaver said he spoke with Clarion Borough public works director Brad Stutzman, who assured Weaver the borough would be able to move the authority’s office furniture and equipment out of the rented offices and store them at the borough’s facilities. Weaver added that Monroe and Clarion townships might have a claim to the items.

The biggest problem would be moving the authority’s 10-feet-long conference table from the second floor conference room. Because of the narrow, winding staircase, the table would likely have to be removed the same way it was brought in, Weaver said – through a second-floor window.

Appreciation

The board voted to provide severance pay to system manager Snyder and office administrator McClaine; Snyder will receive one month’s pay and McClaine will receive two month’s pay.

The board praised Snyder for his handling of his position; he had managed the Emlenton Borough sewer plant and was brought out of retirement in 2005 to take over the CAA operation “for just a few months” following the resignation of long-time manager Jim Gourley.

Weaver said McClaine was “a true professional,” and Miller noted both were on the job that day.

Snyder and McClaine were “two people working hard on our behalf to lose their jobs,” Miller said.

The board voted to give Mike Bauer, Dana McClaine and Fred Klingler $100 gift cards as tokens of appreciation for their work over the years.

“It’s the last opportunity to do that, and I think it would be a fitting tribute,” Aaron said.

Weaver said Bauer worked for the authority for 36 years, McClaine for 17 years and Klingler for seven years. All have been hired to continue in their positions with Pennsylvania American.

The board voted to give Linda Lavan $250 as an “appreciation bonus for excellent service” as meeting secretary for the authority.

The board also expressed appreciation to its customers.

“The authority board appreciates the cooperation and loyalty over the many years of its existence,” Miller said. “We thank the community for standing by us in the transition (of ownership) to Pennsylvania American Water.”