Trafford Borough

Monthly Business Meeting Minutes- September 3, 2019

The Trafford Borough Council held its monthly business meeting on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at 7:05 p.m., in the Council Chambers.

Council President, Kris Cardiff, called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence.

Roll Call of Attendance by Assistant Borough Manager, Nina Solivan:

(Present) Kris Cardiff, Council President Ed Llewellyn, Mayor

Casey Shoub, Council Vice-President Craig Alexander, Solicitor

Zackery Cole, Councilmember Don Glenn, Engineer

Steve Perovich, Councilmember Ashley Stack, Borough Manager

Joshua Sanders, Councilmember Adam Hlad, Code Enforcement Officer

Leslie Peters, Councilmember Brian Lindbloom, Fire Chief

(Absent) Councilmember Cheryl Petersen

Minutes: A motion “to accept the minutes of the August 6, 2019, regular meeting” was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Sanders. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

Payment of Bills: A motion “to approve the expense voucher list dated September 3, 2019” was made by Councilman Perovich and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

Public Comment:

Dolores Sutton 601 Brinton Avenue: Ms. Sutton came before council to receive an update on properties previously discussed with maintenance issues.

Borough response: Code Enforcement Officer Hlad informed Ms. Sutton that the property of Sixth and Duquesne Avenue is in progress and the property of Sixth and Brinton he will have to investigate.

Larry George 320 Cavitt Avenue: Mr. George came before council to present before and after pictures of the TBA’s power wash and paint day. The TBA was able to complete five projects. Mr. George stated he is happy that individuals are taking pride in their properties. Mr. George stated if the borough is ever looking to donate to any local community-oriented groups the TBA is the group. The TBA is currently out of funding. Mr. George also stated there is a resident in town that is looking to adopt the Welcome to Trafford sign near BY Park.

Pat Paola 74 First Street: Mrs. Paola came before council and stated she is here on behalf of Trafford being a gated community. Mrs. Paola stated whenever there is a dilapidated building, we throw a gate around it. The Mellon Bank building has wood along the gate, and it doesn't hide anything. The building where Scales used to be there is a gate around it. There are some cones around the Bandy building I assume there will be a gate around that too. We need to beautify this town. What can be done about these properties? The Mellon Bank building no one has worked there in over a month. Aren’t they under a court order to be working on the building? Solicitor Alexander stated yes, they are. Mrs. Paola stated well they’re not. What are the next steps that council is going to take? Mrs. Paola stated she is running for council and is looking to join fight the blight campaign. She plans on looking into how the other towns around us are handling similar issues. There was an article in the paper that Hempfield is now fining property owners who are not addressing blight. Mrs. Paola questioned how the borough can get a program similar in place. Mrs. Paola questioned if the town hosts a meet the candidates for residents to get to know who’s running.

Borough response: Manager Stack stated the borough does not own 315 5^th Street. The borough has applied for a grant through the Westmoreland County Demofund. The county has received everything at this point the grants are not going to be awarded until January 1, 2020. Otherwise the borough would have to come up with $30,000.00 out of pocket for demolition of a building that isn’t ours. Code Enforcement Officer Adam Hlad stated the Bandy building has been condemned. A violation notice has been sent. The property owner has five days to put up fencing. The owner will have thirty days to determine whether to make repairs or demolish. Councilman Cardiff stated there have been meet and greets in the past and they are held by the political party you are affiliated with. Councilman Cole stated he has mentioned the program that Greensburg is using to Solicitor Alexander and they will be looking further into it.

Don Glenn, Engineer:

Don stated on the agenda tonight there is a motion to award a contract to McKee Asphalt in the amount of $89,560.30. Don mentioned this is a very attractive bid. The contractor is looking for work at the end of this season. The next lowest bid was $15,000.00 more.

Don mentioned we will be applying for a Community Development Block Grant to pave Inwood Road, sections of Mary Street and Homewood Avenue. The approximate project cost $130,000.00

Don stated prior to paving Inwood Road there is a sanitary sewer that needs replaced. The estimate for the sanitary repairs is $175,000.00 to $200,000.00.

Councilman Perovich informed Don when the contractors removed the trees and debris under the Wallace Avenue bridge the water is ponding on the left side. Mr. Perovich has concerns for mosquitoes. Don stated the DEP allows the municipality to remove any debris, but we are not permitted to dredge. Manager Stack stated if individuals are concerned about mosquitoes, she can contact the DEP and possibly have them do a study for mosquito abatement.

Councilwoman Peters questioned on the bid results there is a section of Stewart Street that is to be paved is that to be paved after Mr. Stones fixes the runoff and drainage issues from his hillside. Don stated we have not made any efforts to coordinate but if there is an issue, we will correct it. Code Enforcement Officer Adam Hlad stated he will reach out to the adjoining property owner for a status conference.

Borough Manager:

Borough Manager Stack reported earlier today she received a notification that there is a proposed inter municipal liquor license transfer from North Huntingdon Township to Trafford Borough. The location for the proposed license is for 425, 427, 429 Cavitt formerly Parentes Restaurant. To approve this transfer council will need to schedule a public hearing and pass a resolution. Once the date and time has been determined we will advertise and place on social media.

Manager Stack reported according to the mechanic, the 2013 Police Charger is no longer fit for patrolling. The vehicle has nearly 98,000 miles on it. Chief Disso will obtain quotes on 2019 and 2020 vehicles to determine the most cost-effective option for the borough. Once the quotes are received, Manager Stack will present them at a Council meeting.

Next week the Public Works Foreman, Police Chief, and Manager Stack will be meeting with Pitcairn Public Works to review cameras, ranges, and licensing software.

Manager Stack stated she plans to meet with the Borough Engineer and Public Works Foreman within the next couple of weeks to discuss the Westmoreland Conservation Districts’ findings on the water runoff and flooding at Belleau Wood.

Lastly, ALCOSAN will be sending a representative to the November 6^th Council meeting to discuss their rates which are included in the borough’s sewage billing.

Code Enforcement: Code Enforcement Officer Adam Hlad reported there were thirteen new occupancy inspections, and ten occupancy permits issued. One zoning permit issued. One building permit in process and one issued. One street opening/ grading permit in process and two permits issued.

Grass/Weeds include:

841 8^th. Filed 4 citations with Magistrate.

804 8^th. Posted, no compliance. 2 citations issued with magistrate.

7^th St. Abated.

Cavitt Ave. 2 separate, both abated.

Gilmore. Abated.

7^th St. Overgrowth, abated.

217 Woodlawn. Filed 4 additional citations with magistrate.

4^th. 2 separate, abated.

Edgewood. 4 separate, all abated.

6th. Abated.

Fairmont. 2 separate, both abated.

3rd. 3 separate, all abated.

Homewood. Abated.

Highland. Abated.

Duquesne. In process.

Garbage/Trash/Debris in progress include:

Pine St. Large pile of debris. Has until 3^rd week of the month, then citation will be filled.

Property Maintenance in progress include:

Brinton. Fixed.

Stewart St. Storm water management project in process. Awaiting progress report.

Duquesne. Property owner is getting a contractor to finish repairing sidewalk. Having contractor redo work.

Highland. Silt fence needs repaired. Repair made.

Corner of 3^rd and Cavitt. Condemned. Violation notice sent.

Zoning:

1 Zoning Hearing Board meeting scheduled.

Solicitor: Solicitor Alexander stated he met with the property owner of 315 Fifth Street (Cromer Building) and was able to get an affidavit signed by the property owner stating the property owner consents to the demolition. The property owner was under the impression that she had been released of ownership. It took some effort to get the affidavit signed with language that she was comfortable with as well as language the county was comfortable with. Regarding the Mellon Bank building there was a question from the public questioning if there is a court order requiring work to be done. Solicitor Alexander stated the court order requires the property owner to apply for a demolition permit for minimal demolitions with other responsibilities which he could not remember off the top of his head. The judges’ exact comment was I want boots on the roof within 30 days. Solicitor Alexander stated he has had multiple conversations with Adam wheatear the property owner has been compliant with the permit. Adam stated it could be deemed that they are complying however there has not been anyone on site within the last three to four weeks. Solicitor Alexander stated if he must go back into court to meet with the property owner’s attorney Mr. Creenan and ask him where they are in the demolition plan and ask for a detailed and specific timeline he will do so. It is a very unsafe structure and action needs to be taken. Solicitor Alexander responded to Mrs. Paola’s inquiry about Greensburg/Hempfield’s vacant property registration. Solicitor Alexander stated in another community that he represents everyone was gung-ho about adopting the ordinance however it became difficult to enforce. That may not be the case here in Trafford but is something to explore. Regarding the transference of the liquor license it is a very easy process. We have done this in the borough before. There will need to be a public hearing and council will need to approve a resolution and send a copy to the Liquor Control Board. Solicitor Alexander recommends the hearing be held immediately preceding next months meeting at 6:30 pm. Lastly, item number ten on the agenda is provision to accept the resignation of Councilwoman Petersen. This process is a bit different than other previous vacancies. The wrinkle is that if a vacancy in office occurs more than 60 days from the next municipal election, then a special election occurs at that municipal election for the remainder of Mrs. Petersen's term. If council were to accept the resignation today, the vacancy is created today. There's 63 days to the next municipal election. Which means that whoever council appoints in 30 days basically will serve until January. In my opinion it's hard to get people to serve or to even respond to vacancies. My suggestion to council is if the vacancy occurs within that 60-day window then when an appointment is made, they serve the remaining term. There's no special election. My recommendation to council is to table the acceptance of the resignation. You have 45 days to consider it, and if you don't accept it within that 45-day period, it's deemed to be accepted. That would put you within that window of 60 days to the next municipal election whereby you're not having an election for a two-month period. Trying to find somebody that's willing to serve for two months while the Democratic party and the Republican party nominate somebody for the remainder of the term. I think that that should be a council decision. Who council wishes to appoint to that position, and I'll read it to you if you can follow along. Its worded kind of strangely but what it says is if there's more than 60 days before the next municipal election. There's a special election and if it's after 60 days It's the remainder of the term. Section 901 of the borough code states If any vacancy occurs in the office of the mayor, member of council, auditor controller or tax collector by death, resignation under subsection a1 for termination of residency from the borough or from the ward in the case of award office or by failure to take the required oath to give bond as required by law or ordinance or to provide and the affidavit required under section 801 or in any manner whatsoever The council shall fill the vacancy within 30 days by appointing, by resolution and registered electrical, the borough or of the ward in the case of a wad to hold the office. Here's the important part. If the term continues that long until the first Monday in January after the first municipal election occurring more than 60 days after the vacancy occurs. If you vote to accept the resignation today, the vacancy occurs today and the first municipal election occurring more than 60 days after the vacancy occurs, it's in 63 days at which time and eligible elector shall be elected to the office for the remainder of that term. Council can take my recommendation, or they could choose not to take it, but my recommendation is to table that for the time being. And then either schedule a special meeting at a later date or let it go to a deemed acceptance at which time you have 30 days to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term. That concludes my report. Councilman Cardiff questioned if the motion were to be tabled could that be voted on at the October meeting, which is on October 1^st. Solicitor Alexander stated yes. Councilman Cardiff sated then we would not have to have a special meeting. Solicitor Alexander questioned when the letter of resignation received? Manager Stack stated it was confirmed August 19^th, she did not date letter. Solicitor Alexander stated forty-five days after August 19^th is Thursday, October 3^rd. So, you're within the 45-day period for a decision on October 1^st.

EMS: No report.

Trafford VFD: Fire Chief Lindbloom reported a total of nine calls for the month of August with one hundred and twelve total calls for the year. Overall response time dispatch to arrival five minutes and twenty seconds. Dispatch to the first unit enroute one minute and forty seconds. The engine out front with the black bunting is due to the loss of long-term life member Leslie Weiser he passed away last weekend. He served 34 years on the fire department holding positions all the way up to the chief of the department president he served from 1952 to 1986. He also served as a County and a state delegate for Trafford representing us for our endeavors in the County and at the state back during those timeframes. It was a lot bigger deal back then to go to the state and the County committees and press for laws and litigation. In modern day those things happen by email and text messaging and nobody trucks across the state. Back in 1952 it took three days to get to Harrisburg. You can imagine what it was like way back then. We had a good showing for our firefighter’s ceremony last night and today we had the funeral procession. The truck will be moved tomorrow morning. Chief Lindbloom stated we didn't get to have our meeting and I'm looking forward to that. Chief Lindbloom stated he wanted to re offer his assistance in helping find a permanent solution to the emergency management coordinator. Chief Lindbloom offered to do it and that he’d like to find a better and more permanent solution. Chief Lindbloom stated we can get together and talk about that, I know we're without one. Chief Lindbloom mentioned in his email that he would be happy to serve as interim as he has been off and on for the last 15 years. Chief Lindbloom stated he still has all the equipment and files and has maintained them because this happens a lot. Thankfully we're not getting any of this weather from the hurricane. We've had previous ones come through and I guess there's another name storm already out behind this one. The 200 club is coming up November 9th tickets are on sale now.

EMC: Manager Stack stated as Chief Lindbloom offered to help the borough there is something that she should’ve mentioned however she wasn’t sure if it was going to come up under the public safety chair or co-chair. We are planning on meeting with a Penn Township’s EMC to discuss possible options about utilizing their services since they already have a program in place. One of Manager Stack’s main concerns with Chief Lindbloom offering to serve as interim or permanent under the state's manual for emergency management handbook one of the first things it says is it's not advisable to select the police chief or the fire chief for the position. We'll see how the meeting goes and then we're going to go from there as to what we need to iron out and see how we're going to handle it from there. We will discuss that amongst the chair, co-chair, and herself. Manager Stack will then report back to all of council and see how things go from there.

Rec Board: No report.

TECDC: Councilman Shoub stated the house at the corner of Stewart and Wallace Avenue is on the list at the county for demolition. The TECDC paid for this property to be demolished with consent from the property owners.

WHT: No report.

Mayor’s Report: Mayor Llewellyn reported for the month of August there were one hundred fifty documented calls, with twenty-three citations issued and nine criminal cases filed. Mayor Llewellyn reported the Crime Watch will be hosting an event at By Park on September 28 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. They will be giving away bike helmets and are also having a bike raffle. This event is for residents twelve and under.

General Government: Councilman Perovich stated there is a pending vacancy on council which was previously discussed.

Finance: No report.

Community Development: Councilwoman Peters provided an update on the Holiday Happenings Committee. The committee will be meeting in preparation for this year's event. Councilwoman Peters questioned if the room is still reserved for December 7^th? Manager Stack replied yes. Councilwoman Peters stated we're in need of cookie bakers again. We needed at least a thousand cookies so if 100 people bake one dozen cookies, we will be good. Manager Stack questioned if anyone would like to help or if anyone has questions should we direct them to Councilwoman Peters email. Councilwoman Peters said yes that will be fine.

Public Safety: No report.

Public Works: No report.

Sanitation: No report.

Presidents Report- No report.

Resignation of Cheryl Petersen

A motion “to table the resignation of Councilwoman Petersen” was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Shoub.

Solicitor Alexander stated you might want to think about getting your letters in if you want to serve that two-year remaining term of Mrs. Petersen.