Former council member to donate historical items

HAMBURG — A former council member was remembered during Monday evening’s Mayor and Council meeting not for his stormy exit in September but for his collection of historic borough memorabilia; a collection including an old railroad sign and ‘tons of photographs’.
On the eve of the November election, the Mayor and Council met to discuss such mundane issues as the raising of car towing rates, the ordering of new park benches, and the possible replacement of an aging police vehicle. The quiet meeting was in marked contrast to the packed assembly of Sept. 6 this year when Hamburg residents and police representatives from around the state filled the council chamber to vehemently oppose rumored plans to disband the borough’s police department.
During the first ten minutes of that meeting, Council Member Daniel Barr, who had previously announced he would not seek re-election this year, not only walked out in protest but resigned his seat from the council on the spot.
With incumbent council member, Richard Krasnomowitz, and republican candidate, Christopher Fitzpatrick, himself a former council member, running unopposed for two seats on the borough council this week, Barr’s resignation did not set the stage for any surprises at the polls.
Although the idea of disbanding the police department turned out to be a non-issue, Barr was mentioned during Monday night’s meeting for a different reason. “Mr. Barr is quite the historian,” recalled Council Member Ronald Garrett. “And he has quite a lot of stuff for the borough. He’s decided he’s going to give some of this stuff away … a lot of history in there.”
Garrett not only broached the idea of acquiring the memorabilia from Barr but also discussed the feasibility of finding adequate storage for the sizeable collection.
“I can give you at least four years,” Council Member Russell Law said, laughing, as he volunteered storage space for the collection; at least until his expected retirement four years from now.