Documents Jan 27, 2025

Minutes

Ebensburg Borough Council Meeting Minutes

Date: January 27, 2025 Time: 6:30 p. m. – 7:42 p. m. Location: Ebensburg Municipal Building, 300 W. High Street

Council President: Doug Tusing
Vice-President: Cecelia Houser
Members Present: Theresa Jacoby, Jeffrey Ball, Robert Miller, Mike Murphy, Roy Lian (Junior Councilor), Abe Remillard (Junior Councilor)
Absent: Dave Kuhar (via phone)
Staff & Others Present: Kelly Cook (Borough Manager), Joe Loughran (Chief of Police), Tracy Strom (Clerk), Matt Gribler (Solicitor), Rebecca Williamson (Recreation Director), Josh Surkovich (Public Works Director), Luke Byrne (Inframark), Ray Clawson (The Mountaineer Herald), Matt Churella (The Altoona Mirror)

Consent Agenda The council unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included:

Water/Wastewater Committee

Wastewater Project: Inframark submitted a written report on operations and activities.
Waterline Replacement Project: Guyer Brothers has installed approximately 98% of the main line and 95% of service installations. Work has been paused since mid-January due to weather.
Stormwater Project: A. Liberoni Construction has completed about 65% of the installation. Substantial completion was scheduled for the end of January but will be delayed; an update has been requested.

Street Committee

Ordinance #673 (North Spruce Street): The council granted tentative approval to designate North Spruce Street as a one-way street heading southbound from West Crawford to High Street, pending PennDOT approval.
Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB): The borough received a grant of $52,747. 00 for an RRFB at the corner of Julian and High Street. The council approved putting the project out for bid.

Parking Discussion

Council discussed replacing two non-operational parking terminals (Penn-Eben lot and Courthouse lot), noting the $30,000 cost was not financially practical.
A motion to move toward two-hour free parking in the borough passed unanimously. Staff will develop implementation plans, which may require amending existing ordinances.

Administration Committee

Part-time Police Wages: The council approved a pay scale increase to remain competitive with surrounding municipalities.
- New Rates: $25. 00/hr (1-4 years), $26. 00/hr (5-14 years), and $27. 00/hr (15+ years).

General Business

Congressman John Joyce: The borough agreed to allow Congressman Joyce’s office to use a space in the borough building on an as-needed basis for constituent appointments.
Stray/Feral Cats: Council directed Borough Manager Ms. Cook to draft an ordinance similar to the City of Altoona’s, which prohibits feeding stray cats and holds feeders responsible for the animal's care and vaccination. This will be presented at the February meeting.
SRO Agreement: The council unanimously approved a School Resource Officer (SRO) agreement with Holy Name School.

Department Reports

Police: Reported on annual training, winter weather parking, and sidewalk shoveling.
Public Works: Reported salt usage of 125,000–150,000 tons for Nov/Dec/Jan; noted ongoing leak repairs and sidewalk cleaning.
Recreation: Reported on summer staffing, new treadmill purchases (mid-February), 46 basketball teams registered, 136 people for Bingo, and the swearing-in of Amber Mesoras to the Recreation Board. The tennis center is being used by Saint Francis University, IUP, and Mount Aloysius College.

Planning Commission

Oyaski Subdivision: The council unanimously approved the Oyaski Subdivision Plan, contingent on lot size. The plan affects parcels at 522 and 512 West Sample Street.

Executive Session

The council entered an executive session at 7:40 p. m. to discuss legal matters and exited at 7:42 p. m. No formal action was taken.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:42 p. m. upon a motion by Ms. Jacoby, seconded by Ms. Houser.