Trafford Borough

Monthly Business Meeting Minutes- October 6, 2020

The Trafford Borough Council held its monthly business meeting on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, at 7:00 pm, in the Manchester Room.

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 Manager Nina Solivan:

(Present) Kris Cardiff, Council President Craig Alexander, Solicitor     

Steven Perovich, Council Vice-President Ed Llewellyn, Mayor

Ralph Deabner, Councilmember Ashley Stack, Borough Manager

Zack Cole, Councilmember Adam Hlad, Code Enforcement Officer

Leslie Peters, Councilmember              

Casey Shoub, Councilmember

(Absent) Christopher Corrales, Councilmember Charles Miller, Emergency Management Coordinator 

Minutes: A motion "to accept the minutes of September 1, 2020, regular council meeting" was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously 6-0. 

Payment of Bills: A motion "to approve the expense voucher list dated October 6, 2020," was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Perovich. The motion carried unanimously 6-0. 

Public Comment:

Councilman Cardiff read the rules for public comment.

Dolores Sutton 601 Brinton Avenue, Apt 2: Mrs. Sutton questioned if there will be a Halloween Parade and Trick-or-Treat. Mrs. Sutton stated she feels unsafe due to several incidents on Sixth Street and Brinton Avenue. Mrs. Sutton questioned what the police are doing to eliminate drugs from this town.

Councilwoman Peters stated the children's Halloween Parade has not occurred in a few years. To comply with social distancing orders, the Recreation Board will be hosting a Halloween decorating contest. Mayor Llewellyn stated he would address Mrs. Sutton's concerns with Chief Disso. 

Melissa Edwards 1 Meadow Street: Manager Stack read an email sent from Melissa Edwards, "First I want to take a moment and thank Adam Hlad for following up with me on a Sunday regarding the ongoing issues at 8 Meadow Street. It's very much appreciated. I was recently asked to fill out a survey that could potentially lead to road and sewer line repairs on Meadow Street. In the event that we are granted that opportunity and can move forward with those needed repairs I have the following questions: Will the new road be constructed to handle the weight of the construction vehicles that are in and out of 8 Meadow Street throughout the day? Will the trees on the hillside above the secondary building (at 8 Meadow) be cut back to prevent a landslide that could block and/or damage the roadway? This is of particular concern because of the age and health of some of our residents. It may be perfectly stable, but sometimes I wonder if the building is holding up the hillside. It does not appear to be in very good condition, and I have seen no work or signs of work being done on the main building or the small secondary building in the year and a half I have lived there. The ladders and rusty scaffolding may be dangerous to utilize at this point in time due to the extended period they've been up and exposed to the elements. I would be very concerned about the safety of any individual on that scaffolding". 

Manager Stack stated most of Ms. Edwards concerns are regarding private property and will not hinder any grant opportunities. As for the roadway weight limit that would be an engineering matter and handled by the engineer and included in the specs. Code Enforcement Officer Hlad sated he has received complaints regarding trees and is working with the property owner in question to resolve a number of issues. 

Borough Manager's Report: Manager Stack announced Waste Management's leaf collection schedule for the borough. The dates are as follows: October 15, 29, November 12, 27, and December 10. Waste must be placed in biodegradable bags not more than 40 lbs. Branches and twigs must be placed in four-foot bundles no more than 40 lbs. 

Penn Township Ambulance will be providing free flu shots in the Manchester Room on October 26, 2020, from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Sewage bills were sent out this week and will be due on November 17 for the period of May 8, 2020, to August 7, 2020. We are moving forward with the online payment process however, it has proved to be a lengthy process.   

Code Enforcement Officer Adam Hlad was offered a full-time position elsewhere starting in January. This will allow the borough some time to decide what the best options are regarding code enforcement services. Manager Stack stated she has spoken with Councilman Corrales, and as chair of general government, he will be taking the lead on options hopefully for discussion at the November meeting. 

The general fund balance is approximately $741,868.00. The liquid fuel balance is approximately $107,000.00. The recreation fund balance is approximately $5,126.00. The sewage fund balance is approximately $785,597.00, and the Veteran's Memorial Park fund balance is approximately $8,467.00. 

Mayor's Report: Mayor Llewellyn reported for September there were a total of one hundred forty-six service calls, with twelve criminal complaints filed and fifteen citations issued. 

Mayor Llewellyn reported as the school year has started, Officer Kitterman is on duty Monday through Thursday. 

Community & Economic Development: Councilman Perovich reported there had been several buildings in town undergoing either renovation or demolition. Brandon and Matt, with the TBA, have been doing a great job with promoting the town. The music studio performed a facelift by painting the building, the new owner of Dr. Gates building has put on a new facade, and the Caruso building has been torn down. We are losing Nigros Cleaners; hopefully, something will be placed there. Unrelated to Trafford, someone did buy Shop N Save, and the new owners are renovating and hoping to be open by the end of October.  

General Government & Finance: Councilman Corrales was not in attendance. 

Parks & Recreation: Councilwoman Peters read a report sent from Brandon of the TBA. The TBA supports Nigros for their decades of service to the community and wished them well. The WHT is hosting the Amazing Race/Scavenger Hunt event this Saturday at BY Park. There will be general admission tickets available for purchase. 

The Halloween Event information is already on the website, and Chip will place it in the Penn Franklin News. Registration dates for the Halloween event will be held on October 10, and October 17 from 11 am. To 1 pm. in the lobby, or on PTARC's website under special events.

Volunteer of the year award nominations are still being accepted. Council would like to receive the nominations by the November meeting to present the award at the December meeting. 

Holiday Happenings is working on an event. There will be no event in the Manchester Room due to current regulations. If council does not have any objections, the Holiday Happenings committee would like to do an Overly's style drive-thru Twinkle Tour down Cavitt Avenue to support the businesses. We are also asking residents to show their support by decorating their homes and light up Trafford. 

Planning, Property, & Ordinances: Councilman Deabner stated there had been ongoing code review meetings. It is a long process, but we are working on it.

Public Safety: Councilman Cole stated he did not have a report this evening.  

Public Works & Sanitation: Councilman Shoub stated he did not have a report this evening.  

Presidents Report: Councilman Cardiff stated he did not have a report this evening. 

Resolution to add Residential Administrative Fee 

A motion "to approve a resolution adding a fee for 202-41 B, Residential Administrative Fee (Zoning Hearing Board), for $350.00 to the 2020 Fee Schedule" was made by Councilman Deabner and seconded by Councilwoman Peters. 

Councilman Cole questioned what this is pertaining to.

Manager Stack stated this is pertaining to the issues that had been discussed regarding Zoning Hearing Board application fees. 

The current Zoning Hearing Board application fee is a $500.00 non-refundable fee with the applicant covering any additional fees exceeding the amount incurred for continuation hearings, advertisements, stenographer services, zoning hearing board attorney, and transcripts. It was increased due to a previous application that had several continuation hearings and cost the borough over $7,000.00. 

The proposed change is to add a non-refundable residential application fee of $350.00 with the applicant covering any additional fees exceeding the amount incurred for continuation hearings, advertisements, stenographer services, zoning hearing board attorney, and transcripts.  

The current $500.00 fee would be specific to commercial. 

The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

Storm Water Management Ordinance

A motion "to approve the borough manager to advertise to update the borough's Stormwater Management Ordinance, replacing the borough's current ordinance in accordance with Westmoreland County's standards" was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Cole. 

Manager Stack stated our current ordinance was passed in 2018. There were very few changes that are needed, and are more less a formality. Manager Stack stated she has talked to the borough's engineer; they will be meeting with Lou to sure up some items. Council will then vote on it at the next meeting. 

The motion carried 6-0.

Modify Parking Agreement Cozy Knapp Time, LLC

A motion "to modify the current parking lot agreement with Cozy Knapp Time, LLC set to expire May 21, 2021" was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Shoub. 

Councilman Perovich stated the property owner is looking for a reduction in parking spaces. 

Manager Stack stated the current property owners were under the impression that they were going to need the sixteen currently leased spaces at the time of sale. The property owner realized the spaces that they are paying for are not all utilized by tenants of their building or patrons of Dom's. Manager Stack stated she supports this. 

Councilwoman Peters stated she recalls the agreement being for two years. Manager Stack stated yes, that is correct initially, Cozy Knapp wanted a five-year agreement. The final agreed-upon agreement was through 2021.

The motion Carried unanimously 6-0.

Resignation of Rich Adams 

A motion "to accept the resignation of Patrolman Richard Adams, effective October 20, 2020" was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Perovich. 

Councilwoman Peters wished Officer Adams well.

The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

Part-Time Hire Robert Castro 

A motion "to approve the of hire Robert Castro as a part-time police officer at the rate of $20.00 an hour" was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Shoub. 

Mayor Llewellyn stated Robert Castro is also a part-time officer in Pitcairn. 

The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

Advertisement and Testing for Full-Time Police 

A motion "to approve the advertisement and testing for the position of full-time police officer" was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Shoub. 

Manager Stack stated our eligibility list has expired. We are running into issues with part-time officers; we are losing one, one is testing for full-time in other municipalities; some have other full-time positions elsewhere and are limited to hours. This does not mean we are hiring. Should council need to act on this, it's available, and we are being proactive instead of reactive. 

Councilman Cardiff stated this is not a new practice; we have done this in the past. 

Councilman Perovich questioned if there is still an officer patrolling the high rise. Mayor Llewellyn stated yes, between 15 and 20 hours per week, which do not come out of the budget. 

Delores Sutton questioned how many officers are employed. Mayor Llewellyn stated ten officers in total. 

The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

2021-2023 CDBG Meadow St

A motion "to authorize the borough manager to apply for the 2021-2023 Community Development Block Grant for the drainage installation and paving of Meadow Street" was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Cole. 

The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

RoadBotics 

A motion "to approve service with RoadBotics for one year for $3,500.00" was made by Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilman Cole. 

Manager Stack stated she had attended a four series seminar, and this program was recommended by the host of the seminar, who is also Cranberry Township's director of public works. RoadBotics is a program that maps and rates roads for paving projects. Which would eliminate engineering costs. Public works would be able to assess the roads in two days. The program would be loaded to Lou's cell phone. It takes pictures every ten feet. Once the data has been collected, it gets sent to RoadBotics for assessment and ratings from 1 to 5. The data will determine if there are reoccurring issues, if there are just potholes, or if the entire road needs to be paved. If council decided to perform an additional assessment the following year, it would be the same cost. If council decided not to perform a second assessment, data storage would be $1,000.00. North Huntingdon Township has used the program for five years, and they highly recommend it. Manger Stack stated she would like to perform the initial analysis this year to budget for next year. Also, to re-do the assessment in 2021 to see where the most deterioration is occurring. 

Councilman Deabner questioned how the phone would be secured. Manager Stack stated the company would provide an accessory to hold the phone. 

The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

Lawnmower 

A motion "to approve the purchase of a new lawnmower for $10,700.00 through COSTARS vendor, Norwin Rental Sales & Service" was made by Councilman Perovich and seconded by Councilman Shoub. 

Manager Stack stated this had been budgeted for the past three years. Lou was able to trade-in our current mower for a reduced purchase price of $10,629.00.

The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

Tree Removal 

A motion "to approve a payment of $4,200.00 to Martin & Martin Tree Care, LLC, for the removal of seven trees in Memorial Park" was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Perovich.

 Councilwoman Peters questioned if this would be coming out of the Memorial Fund. 

 Manager Stack stated no. 

The motion carried unanimously 6-0.

New Business

Halloween

A motion "to announce Trick-or-Treat to be held on Saturday, October 31, 2020, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm" was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously 6-0. 

Councilman Deabner questioned if the VFD is planning on assisting with traffic and crossing. Fire Chief Lindbloom stated yes, the fire department has been assisting with Halloween for twenty years.  

Councilman Perovich questioned where Ridge Crest Court is.

Code Enforcement Officer Hlad stated the new development in Bradford Square. 

Councilman Perovich also questioned if there was any update on the Forbes Road closure. 

Manager Stack stated she had not received any updates. Fire Chief Lindbloom also stated he had stopped down multiple times to no resolve.  

Adjournment

Councilman Cardiff announced the next regular meeting for Wednesday, November 4, 2020, at 7:00 pm; the location will be determined at a later date. 

A motion "to adjourn" was made by Councilman Perovich and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously 6-0. 

The meeting ended at 8:06 pm.