RIVERSIDE -- The borough sold a 7-acre lot behind the old Riverside school house for $350,000 at a March 1 auction to an unknown buyer.

Solicitor Joseph Michetti told the council at a March 3 meeting attorney Todd Kerstetter of The Law Office of Schlesinger and Kerstetter, Shamokin, representing an undisclosed party at the auction, bought the property for $350,000, Michetti said.

"Probably an LLC will buy it. Before settlement, it will be disclosed to us who the LLC is," Michetti said.

Kerstetter made a $315,000 down payment, which the borough will hold until the sale is finalized.

"The borough will decide what to do with those funds upon completion of the sale, and settlement shall be held within the time limit as set forth, in 45 days," Michetti said.

The borough had three potential bidders for the auction, Borough President Stephen Wagner said.

Kerstetter did not respond to a request for comment.

School property

The borough bought the 14-acre property bordering Sunbury Avenue, Fourth Street and Avenue A in 2021, 10 years after the Riverside Elementary School closed. It paid $325,000 for the entire property.

The borough planned to move its municipal offices, police and street departments to the site and renovate the building. However renovating the old school proved to be too expensive.

So, in April, the council subdivided the 14-acre property and hired Weaver's Auction Service, Allenwood, in November to sell the part on which nothing is built.

The borough is now looking to hire a surveyor for the front 7 acres where the old school stands, according to meeting minutes.

Delinquent sewer accounts and advertising

Meanwhile, the borough council might not publish the names of the delinquent sewer account holders owing the borough $500 or more. Michetti told the council public shaming is not a recommended way to deal with the problem.

"The first step is to put a lien against the property," Michetti said.

Councilman Ken Gardner and Vice President Peter Fleming both agreed they should not publish the names now, reversing previous statements.

However, no motion was made.

Also at the March 3 meeting, Gardner made a motion to send all future public notices to either The Daily Item in Sunbury or The Danville News.

"It's because of the way that (the Press Enterprise) has been treating Riverside Borough," Gardner said.

"Just recently, they accused us of appointing or selecting a new mayor in an executive session, and no such thing happened. And previously, we were told we violated the Sunshine Act on the budget discussions," Gardner said.

The articles Gardner is referencing were published on Nov. 24 and Feb. 20 in the Press Enterprise.

The paper reported in the Nov. 24 article the borough council might have broken the state's open meeting law while drawing up the 2025 proposed budget. The budget committee held unadvertised, non-public meetings in October at the borough hall before presenting its work for preliminary approval to the entire council at the bimonthly meeting on Nov. 4.

Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, has said budgeting processes, including meetings of recommending committees, should be done in public.

On Feb. 20, the Press Enterprise reported Riverside council held a closed-door meeting to discuss the process of appointing a new mayor. The board moved into an executive session to discuss personnel matters, after Wagner said he would like to discuss the mayor replacement status in a closed session. The article did not state the mayor was selected in that meeting.

The Sunshine Act's exception to allow for discussion of personnel specifically does not apply to discussions that involve filling a vacancy in elected office.

The borough later appointed a mayor in open session at the March 3 meeting.

The council decided to table Gardner's motion to move advertising after it did not receive a second from others on council.

"I think we should table this and think about the freedom of speech and the censoring of news," Councilman Mike Steimling Sr. said.

Drew Mumich covers Danville and Montour County, he can be reached at 570-387-1234, ext. 1343, or at drew.mumich@pressenterprise.net.