Documents Nov 25, 2024

Minutes

Ebensburg Borough Council Meeting Minutes

Date: November 25, 2024 Time: 6:30 p. m. Location: Council Room, Ebensburg Municipal Building

Present: Doug Tusing (President), Cecilia Houser (Vice President), Dave Kuhar, Mike Murphy, Jeff Ball, Theresa Jacoby, Abe Remillard (Junior Councilor), Roy Lian (Junior Councilor).
Absent: Robert Miller.
Others Present: Kelly Cook (Borough Manager), Randy Datsko (Mayor), Joe Loughran (Chief of Police), Danea Koss, Rebecca Williamson, Matt Gribler, Greg Neugebauer, Aaron Leyo, Anthony Cavazza, Barry Blake, Matt Churella, Julie Pittman.

Residents expressed strong support for two main issues:

School Resource Officer (SRO): Multiple residents, including Greg Neugebauer and Annalisa McCann, voiced support for hiring an SRO at Holy Name School.
North Spruce Street Traffic: Residents Ben Clauto, Brian Dumm, Kelli Mara, George Smith, Annalisa McCann, and Chris Damm all supported changing the 100 and 200 blocks of N. Spruce Street back to a one-way street due to safety concerns, citing near-misses and incidents requiring drivers to pull onto lawns.

The following items were approved unanimously:

Reports from Inframark for Wastewater and Water Treatment Plant Operations.
Approval of Garrett James’s hiring as a part-time employee at the YPCC ($8. 00/hour).
Minutes from the October 28, 2024 meeting.
Financial statement for October.
Payment of bills for November.

Mayor’s Report

Winter parking regulations begin December 1st.
Garbage cans must be removed from the curb within 24 hours of pickup; enforcement begins December 1st.

Council President Comments

Commended the Dauntless Fire Company for a successful financial audit and being a well-run volunteer organization.

Water/Wastewater Committee

Inframark Reports: Written reports on operations and projects for both water and wastewater plants were submitted.
Waterline Replacement Project: Mr. Murphy reported the project is on schedule. Guyer Brothers has installed approximately 98% of the mainline and 85% of service installations. Ms. Cook noted completion is expected by Spring.
Stormwater Project: Construction began August 12, 2024, by A. Liberioni Construction. The 60” pipe is installed; work is currently on North Beech Street toward Highland Avenue. The project is estimated to take seven months.

Recreation Committee

Softball Agreement: An agreement was approved to allow the Ebensburg Youth Softball Association to use portions of Memorial Field for programs. The fee is $2,200. 00 per year.

Street Committee

Ordinance 672 (Loading Zones): Final approval was granted for an ordinance allowing the designation of loading zones where warranted, subject to review by the manager and police chief.
North Spruce Street: Council decided to wait for an engineering report from TranSystems before making a decision on changing the street back to one-way.

Ms. Jacoby presented the balanced operating budget totaling $7,436,845 in revenues and expenditures.

Roll Call Vote on Budget:

Lease Agreements

RACRA Lease: A one-year extension was approved, expiring December 31, 2025.
Cambria County Child Development Corporation: A three-year lease was ratified, ending October 31, 2017 (Note: Date likely a typo in original text, context implies future dates), with a 5% annual increase.

Resolution #2024-10 (Tax Rates) The following tax rates for 2025 were established unanimously:

School Resource Officer (SRO)

Holy Name Church School requested a borough SRO to enhance safety. The school offered to cover the cost.
Council agreed not to make a final decision yet but directed Chief Loughran to continue discussions with the school to develop an agreement outline. Questions regarding liability, summer coverage, and police cruiser needs were raised.

Police: Chief Loughran noted participation in "Shop with a Cop" and thanked staff for helping reunite a missing teen with their family at the YPCC.
Public Works: Crews are working on water/sewer line fixes and leak detection.
Community Development: Director Danea Koss reported on Small Business Saturday, Dickens of a Christmas, the Turkey Trot, and January newsletter preparations.
Recreation: Director Rebecca Williamson reported on pool improvements, basketball league sign-ups, and Tennis Center activities.

Council entered an executive session at 7:34 p. m. to discuss a personnel matter and exited at 7:55 p. m. No action was taken.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p. m.

Minutes Recorded by: Danea Koss, Community Development Director