Trafford Borough
Monthly Business
Meeting Minutes- February 6, 2018
The Trafford Borough Council held its monthly business meeting on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, at 7:00 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 Borough Secretary, Nina Solivan:
(Present) Kris Cardiff, President Leslie Peters
Carol Morrow, Vice-President Cheryl Petersen
Zachary Cole Casey Shoub
Dennis Hockenberry Ed Llewellyn, Mayor
Craig Alexander, Solicitor Don Glenn, Engineer
Ashely Stack, Borough Manager Brian Lindbloom, Fire Chief
(Absent) John Eliyas, EMC
Notice of Executive Sessions held February 6, 2018, for matters of personnel.
Minutes- A motion “to accept the minutes of January 2, 2018, reorganization/regular meeting” was made by Councilwoman Morrow and seconded by Councilwoman Peters. The motion carried unanimously.
Payment of Bills- A motion “to approve the expense voucher list dated, February 6, 2018” was made by Councilwoman Morrow and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried unanimously.
Don Glenn,
Engineer-
Glenn Engineering will be applying for a grant that will allow the borough to fix the sewer on Mary Street that was not able to be fixed under the PennVest loan due to running out of money.
DEP is working on putting together a new consent order that pertains to “high water” with no real definition. The 3 Rivers Wet Weather has formed a committee of engineers which Glenn Engineering is a part of. The engineers have looked at the new consent order and have reviewed the terms and regulations and have tried to fine tune them to protect the borough from spending excess money foolishly. The engineers are asking all the communities to sign the resolution which will allow the committee to present the information to the DEP and reinforce their position.
Public Comment-
Patricia Paola 74 First Street- Expressed concerns on idling trains along Westmoreland Road. Expressed concerns on Code Enforcement and residents not shoveling their sidewalks after bad weather.
Betty Jane Bodanjek
85 Westmoreland Road- Expressed concerns on idling trains along
Westmoreland Road.
Diane Harvey 534 Brinton Avenue- Stated she heard on the news the water lines were going to be repaired and water buffalos were going to be set up.
Council response: Councilman
Cardiff stated there will be no work being performed on the water lines and
there will be no water buffalos.
Joe Now- Is interested in purchasing property on Hird road. Questioned the status of the road.
Rand Hudson- Is representing the individual that is interested in purchasing property on Hird road. Questioned the road condition.
Council response: Councilman Shoub stated there is a wall prohibiting the repairs of the road. There are no plans at this time. We can talk with our building inspector to draft a letter for the homeowner to comply.
Les Race 271 Hillcrest Drive- Questioned various items pertaining to the Trafford Fire Department.
Lynnwood Leeman 334 Fourth Street- Questioned how accurate and how often is the website updated?
Council response:
Councilman Cardiff stated he is the one whom updates the website and he tries
to keep it as up to date as possible.
Steve Perovich 412 Wallace Ave- Questioned what is going on with the Senior Discount Program for Waste Management? He never received a bill and when he called he was informed by a customer service rep that he was now on the sticker program.
Council response: Borough
Manager Stack stated she will call Waste Management and see what she can find
out.
Steve Serdy 83
Westmoreland Road- Expressed concerns on idling trains along Westmoreland
Road.
Susan Serdy 83
Westmoreland Road- Expressed concerns on idling trains along Westmoreland
Road.
Council response
regarding trains: Solicitor Alexander stated council has no authority in having
the trains moved. No Zoning regulations can adhere to the rail lines. The
residents can petition the PUC. The borough can ask Northfolk Southern to be
more considerate and copy both senators and both state representatives.
PA Small Water & Sewer Grant- A motion “to apply for the PA Small Water & Sewer Grant” was made by Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilwoman Morrow. The motion carried unanimously.
Source Flow Reduction and Flow Target Resolution- A motion “to approve the Source Flow Reduction and Flow Target Resolution” was made by Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously.
Wallace Ave Bridge RFP- A motion “to approve Glenn Engineering, to advertise a Request for Proposal for concrete repairs on the Wallace Avenue Bridge over Brush Creek” was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried unanimously.
Wallace Ave Bridge Plans & Specs- A motion “to approve Glenn Engineering, to prepare plans and specifications, then advertise for the wearing surface replacement of the Wallace Avenue Bridge over Brush Creek” was made by Councilwoman Morrow and seconded by Councilwoman Peters. The motion carried unanimously.
Murrysville Road- A motion “to approve Glenn Engineering, to prepare plans and specifications to upgrade Murrysville Road, then advertise for bids” was made by Councilwoman Morrow and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried unanimously.
BY Park Restroom Renovation – A motion “to approve Glenn Engineering, to advertise the BY Park bathroom renovations with bids to be opened on February 26, 2018” was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilwoman Morrow. The motion carried unanimously.
Cavitt Ave Handicap Ramps- A motion “to approve Glenn Engineering, to advertise the Cavitt Avenue ADA Handicap Ramps with bids to be opened on February 26, 2018” was made by Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilwoman Peters. The motion carried unanimously.
Fairmont Playground- A motion “to authorize a contract with Jeffery & Associates for $98,047.00 for the Fairmont Playground Project” was made by Councilwoman Morrow and seconded by Councilwoman Peters. The motion carried unanimously.
William Bell- A motion “to accept Officer William Bell’s retirement from the Trafford Borough Police Department effective January 1, 2018” was made by Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously.
Rec board Appointments- A motion “to appoint the following members to the Recreation Board; Rose Frolinni for a three-year term, Renee Kociela for a three-year term, Diane Delare for a two-year term, Elaine Wilson for a two-year term, Leslie Peters for a two-year term, Mary Dobos for a one-year term, and Nick Petrucci for a one-year term” was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilwoman Morrow. The motion carried unanimously.
Solicitor Alexander stated all one-year terms will expire December 31, 2018, all two-year terms will expire December 31, 2019, and all three-year terms will expire December 31, 2020.
Planning Commission Appointment- A motion “to appoint Councilwoman Morrow to the Planning Commission, expiring December 31, 2019” was made by Councilman Hockenberry and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously.
2018 Fee Schedule- A motion “to approve the 2018 Fee Schedule” was made by Councilman Hockenberry and seconded By Councilwoman Morrow.
Discussion: Councilwoman Petersen- Questioned if the proposed fee of $750.00 for a Wedding in the Manchester Room is comparable to other facilities in the area. Borough Manager Stack stated yes, it is comparable and still cheaper than other rooms.
Councilman Hockenberry- In relation to the South Trafford Ball Fields all renting parties shall fill out an application and must provide a current copy of liability insurance.
Mayor Llewellyn- Questioned the fee for renting the South Trafford Bal Fields. Mayor Llewellyn stated Trafford Girls Softball parents maintain the fields all season. Please take into consideration Trafford Girls Softball is only a team of 30 girls.
A roll call was taken: Councilman Cardiff Nay, Councilman Cole Nay, Councilman Hockenberry Yes, Councilwoman Morrow Yes, Councilwoman Peters Nay, Councilwoman Petersen Nay, and Councilman Shoub Yes. The motion does not pass 3-4.
Solicitor Alexander informed Council President Cardiff to request a motion to approve the fee schedule as set with the ballfield fee to be reconsidered at a later date.
A motion “to the fee schedule as set with the ballfield fee to be reconsidered at a later date” was made by Councilwoman Morrow and Seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously.
Borough Manager Report- Peoples Gas will be working at the corner of Sixth Street and Brinton Ave on a gas line weather permitted. Public Works was out during the day pre-treating the roads. Attended a Revitalizing Westmoreland County grant meeting. If anyone is interested we are still looking for volunteers for the Civil Service Board and the Planning Commission. We have received questions regarding the Fire Department, I will coordinate a date with Chief Lindbloom to set up a special public meeting for discussion. Sewage billing will be going out this week.
Solicitor- CBA should be in hand within the next couple of days. Ashley has been keeping me busy with code enforcement issues. Reviewed the PTSA Sewage agreement. We had a meeting with CEA, Public Works, Councilman Shoub and the Borough Manager on priority properties in town, one, in particular, that was discussed was 501 Cavitt Avenue. The property has been posted for condemnation with a 45-day window for the property owner to respond.
EMS- Ed Grant reported Trafford accounted for 12% of PT-Ambulance’s calls for 2017. There was a total of 2,762 incidents and 95% of those calls were answered by PT Ambulance. The response time to Trafford is about 9 minutes. Eighty percent of workforce personnel is paid via subscriptions, 10 full-time employees and 10 part-time employees. Looking forward to continuing to serve the community. For the month of January, PT Ambulance has responded to 24 of 28 calls.
Trafford VFD- For the month of January TVFD responded to 16 calls. Total for 2017 there were 178 calls. We did purchase the old clubhouse. We put together some money and worked with the owner. Plan to improve it, restore it and turn it into a profitable establishment to support the Fire Department. We did receive two grants one for fire and one for EMS, both grants are very specific on what you can do with the money. On the EMS side new CPR mannequins. Siren was burned up along with the base radio station due to being struck by lightning.
Recreation Board- Linda Bires applied for reimbursement for work performed by Morris Knowles. The rec board authorizes Jefferey and Associates to purchase the playground equipment. The auction is February 24, 2018, at the middle school.
TECDC- Sign is in, just waiting for warm weather.
WHT- Westmoreland Heritage Trail is hosting a comedy night on March 2 at Youngwood Fire Hall.
Mayor’s Report- For the month of January there were a total of 135 calls, 11 criminal cases filed, 30 citations were issued.
General Government- Please help your community by getting involved and volunteering your time for one of the open positions on the Civil Service Board and the Planning Commission.
Community Development- Met with the Beautification Club and with spring cleaning coming up soon we will be in need of volunteers to clean up the flower beds. Also met with Reimagining Trafford/ Trail Town Group they are working with WHT to provide info on available items to the borough. Go to their website and click on Trail Town. Councilwoman Peters will be meeting with Borough Manager Stack on potential grant opportunities. Always open to feedback.
Public Safety- Looking forward to meeting with the Fire Department.
Sanitation- Clean up days are scheduled for April 27, 2018 from 12pm-8pm and April 28, 2018 from 8am-4pm.
Presidents Report- Councilman Cardiff suggested a proposal be submitted for the fee schedule item in question.
New Business:
- Mayor Llewellyn stated Trafford Girls Softball paid for dirt for the fields a few years ago. Within the last four years, the dirt has washed away, Mayor Llewellyn is proposing 1 free fundraiser for the Trafford Girls Softball to pay for new dirt. Councilman Cardiff stated he should put a proposal together and present it to the council. Borough manager Stack inquired how much did the dirt cost the last time it was purchased? Mayor Llewellyn reported $4,000.
- A motion “to give Kathi Adams, Sewage Clerk a $1.00 pay increase” was made by Councilwoman Morrow and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried unanimously.
- A motion “to give Borough Manager Stack 22 PTO days with a $1500.00 pay increase” was made by Councilwoman Morrow and seconded by Councilman Shoub.
Councilwoman Peters questioned why she is receiving an additional raise. Councilwoman Morrow stated that raise was for her 90-day review and this is her 2018 pay rate.
Councilman Cardiff questioned what the PTO hours were prior to the 22, Councilwoman Morrow stated 15, keep in mind that Ashley is putting in long hours and is always on call.
Councilwoman Morrow stated she has done research on what other Borough Managers make in the area and they fall within the guidelines. Councilwoman Peters questioned if they received additional PTO days with their annual increase. Councilwoman Peters questioned if comp time was explored.
The motion passed unanimously.
The next regular council meeting will be held Tuesday, March 6, 2018.
A motion “to adjourn” was made by Councilman Hockenberry and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried unanimously.