Documents Feb 24, 2020

Minutes

Ebensburg Borough Council Meeting Minutes - February 24, 2020

Meeting Details:

Attendance:

Present: Council members Doug Tusing (President), Dave Kuhar (Vice President), Theresa Jacoby, Scot May, Cecilia Houser, Mike Owatt, and Jeff Ball.
Absent: Mayor Randy Datsko.
Others Present: Borough Manager Daniel Penatzer, Solicitor Heath Long, Police Chief Terry Wyland, Public Works Director Jeff Evans, and representatives from Inframark, Wessel & Company, and local media.

The council unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included:

Hiring Tim Myers as part-time public works staff at $13. 00/hour (effective 2/10/2020).
Hiring Corrine Markovich and Erin Talko for part-time positions at the tennis center.
Approving minutes from the January 27, 2019 meeting.
Approving the Financial Statement and payment of bills.

Water/Wastewater Committee:

Operations: Inframark treated 38. 378 million gallons of water last month with no excursions. They took over operations at the water plant on February 1st.
Projects: The Municipal Authority is working on stormwater and wastewater projects related to CSO elimination. Three small projects will be done in-house; bids are being sought for five others.
Reservoir Valve: A drain valve at the small reservoir needs replacement. The new valve was purchased two years ago but installation was delayed. Bids will be sought from the Municipal Authority, and the engineer is finalizing plans.

Recreation Committee:

Lake Rowena Concession Building: The current building is in poor condition. A preliminary design for a new combined concession/restroom/storage building was presented. The council referred the matter to the Recreation Board for further information and recommendations regarding DCNR grant funds.
Lake Rowena Pier Repair: The fishing pier pilings have shifted and need replacement. This was also referred to the Recreation Board for investigation and recommendation.

Street Committee:

2020 Sidewalk Project: The project in the northeast quadrant is scheduled for bidding in March. A motion to proceed with the original design passed 4-3.
West Sample Street: A motion to eliminate sidewalks on the south side of West Sample Street (between West and Marion) from next year's project passed 5-2.
Downtown Sidewalk Repairs: The red brick streetscape from 2005 is in poor condition. Staff recommended a two-year replacement project:
- Phase 1: $50,000 for West High Street (between Beech & Center).
- Phase 2: $60,000 for East High, North Center, and South Center Streets.
- The council agreed to proceed with the project and apply for a Highway Occupancy Permit from PennDOT.

Administration Committee:

Public Works Wages: Council rescinded Resolution 2020-01 and the associated Memorandum of Understanding with AFSCME (dated Jan 27, 2020) regarding graded pay and wage tiers.
New Resolutions:
- Resolution 2020-02 was adopted to establish wages for summer crew leaders.
- A new Memorandum of Understanding with AFSCME was approved to delete Article XII, Section 3 (eliminating graded pay).

General Business:

Sustainability: The sustainability committee has met twice and is nearing completion of an assessment on borough compliance. Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2020-03 to affirm participation in the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program.

Police: Chief Wyland reported that Officer Dave Roberts is retiring effective Friday, February 21st.
Public Works: Mr. Evans reported on water plant updates, water loss issues, and leak searches.
Community Development: Ms. Koss reported on upcoming events, including a Main Street Member Happy Hour (March 18th), the Cultural Affairs Award designation, Ebensburg Community Night (June 12th), and Art in Bloom updates.
Recreation: Mr. Johnson reported on an upcoming Bingo night (Feb 28th), the opening of the Tennis Center’s outside court, a new TAI CHI class at YPCC, and 53 sign-ups for swimming lessons.

Ms. June Fether requested the council consider adding a gazebo to the fishing pier dock at Lake Rowena.
Mr. Fritz Weber suggested holding a contest to determine the design of the gazebo if it is considered.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:28 p. m. upon a motion by Ms. Jacoby, seconded by Ms. Houser.

Minutes Recorded by: Danea Koss, Community Development Director