Minutes

Ebensburg Borough Council Meeting Minutes

Date: February 22, 2021 Time: 6:30 PM – 7:20 PM Location: Via Zoom

Attendance

• Council Members Present: Doug Tusing (President), Dave Kuhar (Vice President), Theresa Jacoby, Scot May, Mike Owatt, Cecilia Houser, Jeff Ball, Will Westrick.
• Others Present: Randy Datsko (Mayor), Daniel Penatzer (Borough Manager), Matt Gribler (Solicitor), Danea Koss, Dirk Johnson, Jeff Evans, Kelly Cook, Stephanie Stohon, Megan Friedhof, Kristen Baudoux, Shawn Curtis.

Key Decisions and Reports

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

• Approval of minutes from the January 25, 2021 meeting.
• Approval of financial statements.
• Approval of bill payments.

2021 Sidewalk Project

• Bids: Bids were received for the sidewalk project in the northwest quadrant. The lowest bid was $768,467. 00 from Ameron Construction of Altoona, Pa.
• Award: A motion was made to award the contract to Ameron Construction for work on West Horner Street, West Crawford Street, and West Sample Street. The motion passed unanimously.
• Assessment Rates: Council set the property assessment rates at $24. 50 per linear foot (LF) for curbing and capped the sidewalk assessment at $100. 00 per square yard (SY).
• Timeline: Construction is expected to begin in March or April and conclude by July 31st.

2021 Tree Cutting Project

• Scope: The project involves cutting twenty-nine trees.
• Bids: Bids were received from four companies, with the lowest bid being $12,200. 00 from Tree Expert Tree Service of Johnstown, PA.
• Award: A motion was made to award the contract to Tree Expert Tree Service for work on West Horner Street, West Crawford Street, and West Sample Street. The motion passed with a roll call vote (Tusing, Houser, Owatt, Kuhar, Ball, and Jacoby voted Yes; May voted No).

Department Reports

• Public Works: Reported that staff has been working full-time on plowing and clearing snow.
• Community Development: Reported on Main Street Partnership membership renewals and grant applications to offset lost revenue from event cancellations. The Borough’s application for Sustainability Certification was approved at the Gold Level.
• Recreation: Reported that facilities are being kept clear of snow with help from Public Works.

Other Business

• Council President: Noted that municipal elections will take place later this year, opening up three council seats, the mayor’s seat, and the tax collector seat.
• Mayor’s Report: Mayor Datsko reported that Chief Wyland was out sick and apologized for not having his report ready. He is expected to return by the end of the week.
• Borough Manager Retirement: President Tusing acknowledged Daniel Penatzer’s retirement and thanked him for his leadership on transformational projects.
• Media: Representatives from The Mountaineer Herald and The Tribune Democrat requested a copy of the borough audit.

Adjournment A motion to adjourn was made by Ms. Jacoby and passed unanimously. The meeting ended at 7:20 PM.