At last night’s Market House Committee meeting … no citizens, no prospective councilors, no incoming councilors … witnessed a slice of government in action. Committee chair Kelly Murphy convened the meeting at 6:00 pm in the borough hall’s meeting room. Only one other committee member, Mary Wickenheiser; borough Manager, Norman B. Meiskey, III; market manager, Carmen Swinehart and six of the seven members (one is ill and was unable to attend) of the forming Historic Columbia Market House Trust attended the meeting.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: We tried to post a link to the Market House Committee page from the Borough’s Website as we have done before. To our chagrin and surprise, we could not find that “once-posted information” at the Website. Neither could we locate any contact information about the elected public servants; any minutes, agendas, committees, etc. Perhaps an update is being done. Normally, change-in-progress information would be posted to advise Customers or citizens.]

Here is the agenda from the meeting that lasted just under 30 minutes.

Most of the discussion centered on the “language” and terms of the agreement between the Borough and the Historic Columbia Market House Trust. Both parties have been working to “hammer out” the operating terms and conditions that will best serve the operating board’s commitment to managing the Market House. The Borough is working diligently to assure a smooth transition; to get the Trust “off and running,” among the operating conditions proposed is one that has the Borough assuming all operating costs for the first six months of 2012 while transferring all revenues for the same period to the Trust.

Both parties to the agreement are reviewing the current version and both will be having legal counsel opinions before the agreement is presented to the Council for final approval. While the “target date” for transfer of operation is January 1, 2012, it is uncertain whether the final agreement will be ready for discussion, consideration and  approval for next Monday’s Council meeting.

Following the adjournment of the meeting, the Trust’s members held their monthly “organization meeting.”