After a postponement due to yet another wretched snowstorm, Fountain Hill Borough Council held its first meeting of the month Feb. 5. Several minor matters were discussed in rapid succession, and motions were passed on parking signage matters. Council ultimately discussed a few business frustrations.

Council member Helen Halleman asked for an update on the now-empty Bottom Dollar supermarket on Broadway that the ALDI company has closed down across the map. She was adamant about finding a solution, emphasizing that Bottom Dollar was extremely beneficial to community, contributing work opportunities and affordable products. Now the idle structure merely takes up space, and Halleman wondered if any of the stores could be reopened or if the property could be sold.

Council President Larry Rapp said council could do nothing about the abandoned stores or the property on which they are built. Since ALDI owns the stores and the property, onlyit can decide the fate of the building. From here on out, the council can only chime in with the refrain of Godot saying "nothing to be done." However, there is some hope that updates on the matter will arrive by March.

Little more was discussed in the meeting that sped by so fleetingly, apart from a fiery expression of concern for the dirty, tire-littered roads and sidewalks of Broadway and North Bishop Thorpe streets. Ever concerned for the welfare of the borough's inhabitants, Halleman again spoke out in regard to this trend of inflicting people's property with garbage. Shredded tires in particular are visibly polluting the entrances and walkways of homes.

"That whole one block… horrible," Halleman expressed in disgust. "I walk a lot and I check these places. Front yards full of debris!" And while council seemed predominantly indifferent, Carolee Gifford raised a voice of concern against Halleman's findings, asking the other woman if she'd actually approached homeowners to complain.

"You rang their doorbells?" Gifford asked in astonishment. The two women debated across the tables over the necessity of confronting individuals. Gifford even called it a disgrace for a council member to approach citizens on such a matter. But Halleman responded, "I'll do it any time! From Broadway up to Cherokee!"

To settle the dispute, the president interrupted, saying, "This is not for this meeting," and the procedures carried on peaceably from thereon. But whether the matter of debris settling on homeowners' property will be settled will remain a mystery until further notice.