Trafford Borough
Monthly Business Meeting Minutes- August 6, 2019
The Trafford Borough Council held
its monthly business meeting on Tuesday, August 6, 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 Louis
Corrales, Public Works Foreman
Joshua Sanders, Councilmember Ashley Stack, Borough
Manager
Leslie Peters, Councilmember Adam
Hlad, Code Enforcement Officer
Brian
Lindbloom, Fire Chief
(Absent) Councilmember
Cheryl Petersen and Emergency Management Coordinator John Eliyas
Notice of Executive Sessions held
July 30, 2019, for matters of real estate and on August 6, 2019, for matters of
personnel and real estate.
Minutes: A motion “to
accept the minutes of the July 2, 2019, regular meeting” was made by Councilman
Sanders and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.
Payment of Bills:
A motion “to approve the expense voucher list dated August 6, 2019” was made by
Councilman Perovich and seconded by Councilman Sanders.
Councilwoman Peters question line
item number 900.00. Assistant Borough Manager Solivan stated it is a line item
for discrepancy’s that the auditor will need to review. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.
Public Comment:
Dolores Sutton 601 Brinton Avenue:
Ms. Sutton came before the council to address two properties with property
maintenance issues. Ms. Sutton also inquired about the possibility of moving a
fire hydrant and or some direction on how to.
Borough response: Code Enforcement
Officer Hlad informed Ms. Sutton that he will look into the properties with
maintenance issues. Public Works Foreman Corrales stated the hydrants are
property of the water company. Hydrants have been moved in the past, you will
need to contact the water company.
Kirra Mediate 212 Timber Drive: Ms. Mediate came before the council to
receive some direction on stormwater runoff that is causing damage to her
property.
Borough response: Borough Manager
Stack stated she will need to look further into the matter.
Matt Mastroianni 101 Bradford
Square Drive: Mr. Mastroianni explained additional information regarding the
Trafford Business Association’s banner project. Mr. Mastroianni
owns Mastro Signs and is planning to donate brackets
and banners for ten to twelve poles. The banners will be 2ft x 4ft and double-sided.
The total project cost for the banners, brackets, and installation is about
$4,000.00 which will all be donated. Mr.
Mastroianni stated he is open to suggestion on banner ideas.
Don Glenn, Engineer:
Don reported a second letter was
sent to Northfolk Southern to remove the debris near
the Brush Creek underpass and shockingly Northfolk
Southern responded and stated they would clear the debris.
Don reported he sent a letter to
Nick Bianchi at Wilkinsburg Penn Joint Water Authority regarding $6,000.00 that
is due to the borough by the water company for the Seventh and Brinton Avenue
slide.
Don stated on the agenda there is
an item listed to revise the Pollution Reduction Plan (PRP). If the motion gets
approved and DEP accepts the revised plan, the borough will be able to satisfy
the program for approximately $10,000.00 to $25,000.00. The original PRP
included plans to reduce pollution in the Turtle Creek watershed in the amount
of $200,000.00 and the Brush Creek watershed in the amount of $150,000.00.
Don reported the borough will need
to re-advertise the street paving program due to sanitary deficiencies that
will need to be replaced before paving can take place on Inwood Road.
Don stated he will expedite bids
for re-advertisement to include Fairmont Avenue in place of Inwood Road.
Councilman Cardiff questioned what the
advertising requirements are. Don stated it will need to be advertised twice,
three days after expiration and ten days after expiration.
Borough
Manager: Borough Manager Stack stated the
Public Works Foreman, Code Enforcement Officer, borough engineer, and herself
will be meeting with Penn Township and the Westmoreland Conservation District
this week regarding the water runoff from the former Drakulic
property in Penn Township. This water
runoff has caused extensive flooding at Belleau Wood and along State Route 130
numerous times over the past year. We are hoping to find a resolution to help
resolve some of the issues.
The metal cage for the culvert on Murrysville Road has been
installed. Manager Stack thanked Public
Works and Chris Jurich for their work on this project. They saved the borough thousands of dollars
by taking care of this in-house.
Opst and Associates began working on our 2018 Audit last
week and plan to have it wrapped up very soon. They mentioned the 2018 books
have been the best they’ve been in years. I attribute that to Nina Solivan’s hard work.
Manager Stack recommended to Council that the 2019 paving
project be modified due to repairs needed on the sanitary line on Inwood. The paving of Inwood will need to be
postponed until the repairs are complete, and Fairmont will be added to the
paving list. I had planned to apply for
a Community Development Block Grant to cover the paving costs of Fairmont, however,
with this change, I will now plan to apply for funding for Inwood.
Lastly, Sewage bills have gone out and are due August 21,
2019. If you have not received one, please call the office.
Code
Enforcement: Code Enforcement Officer Adam Hlad reported there were seventeen new occupancy inspections, thirteen
follow-up occupancy inspections needed, four follow-up occupancy inspection
were completed, eight occupancy permits were issued. Four zoning permits were issued.
Two building permits in process. One street opening/ grading permit in process
and one permit issued.
Grass/Weeds include:
835 8th. Grass getting high again, waiting on
Summary Trial notice from the magistrate. Filing again on the 9th if
not in compliance.
804 8th. The magistrate
issued fines; violation abated.
Adrian Ave. Working with a friend of the family to
obtain release form for volunteer clean-up.
7th St. Violation notice mailed.
Cavitt Ave. Abated
Cavitt Ave. Violation notice mailed.
Gilmore. Spoke with the homeowner, in process.
7th St. Overgrowth, in process.
217 Woodlawn. Filed citation with the magistrate.
Abandoned Vehicles:
Pine St. Spoke with the property owner,
removed.
Lot at Cavitt and 4th. 2 separate
vehicles tagged and removed.
Garbage/Trash/Debris in progress include:
804 8th St. Magistrate issued fines; violation
abated.
Pine St. Large pile of debris. Spoke with
property the owner, needs more time.
Property Maintenance in progress include:
Brinton. Spoke with the property owner, will
have it fixed. Follow-up next week.
Duquesne. Working with the property owner and
tenant to inspect the interior.
Stewart St. Stormwater management project in
process.
Duquesne. The property owner is getting a
contractor to finish repairing the sidewalk.
Disorderly House violations:
Sargent Socci, Chief Disso and I met with 2
separate homeowners. One of those meetings resulted in the start of the
eviction process.
Zoning:
2 Zoning Hearing Board meetings conducted.
Code Enforcement Officer Hlad announced
his office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. He will be available for late inspections as
needed on Monday’s and Tuesday’s.
Solicitor: Solicitor
Alexander stated he prepared a waiver of liability for volunteers. The waiver
stated the individual is acting as a volunteer, this is not a borough related
project and waives all liability if injured.
Solicitor Alexander stated he met
with the property owner of 315 Fifth Street (Cromer Building) and was able to
get an affidavit signed and sent to the county. He too drafted the satisfaction
on the lien which was sent to the county today. Which will be filed tomorrow
morning. Solicitor Alexander stated he does believe all of the hurdles have
been met and hopefully we can the county to approve and get the grant to bring
the building down.
Councilwoman Peters questioned if
there was any update on 501 Cavitt Avenue. Solicitor Alexander stated the owner
has received his demolition permit and has been upholding the items listed in
the court order.
EMS: No report.
Trafford VFD: Fire Chief
Lindbloom reported a total of twenty-six calls for the month of July. Overall
response time dispatch to arrival four minutes and twenty-two seconds. Dispatch
to the first unit in route one minute and thirty-seven seconds. Chief Lindbloom
stated he would be happy to assist in the search for a new EMC.
EMC: Manager Stack stated Mr. Eliyas
submitted a letter of resignation and will fulfill his duties until August 31,
2019.
Rec Board: Rose Frolinni
reported the playground program has ended. The weather was horrible, but the
attendance stayed the same. At the Terrace playground on the fifth of July
there was firework debris in the grassy area and burn marks. The supervisors
did clean the area up.
TECDC: Carol
Richardson requested a certificate of insurance from the contractor/volunteer
group that will be performing the work to the wall at Fifth Street and Duquesne
Avenue near the electronic sign. Ms. Richardson stated the TECDC would also
like a letter signed by those performing the work stating if anything happens
to the sign, they are responsible for the repairs. The TECDC has a bingo
scheduled October 5, 2019. Manager Stack stated Mr. George was to submit a
proposal regarding the wall as of today I have not received anything. The
borough is listed as additionally insured however I will follow up with Mr.
George.
WHT: Councilman
Cole stated phase IV of the WHT has been completed from Duff Park to Lincoln
Avenue in Export. Now you can ride from Trafford to Export. There will be a
grand opening ceremony on August 17, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. at Duff Park.
Councilman Cardiff questioned how the trail has been holding up with all of the
bad weather. Councilman Cole stated there was a washout just past the shades,
it is now fixed.
Mayor’s Report:
Mayor Llewellyn reported for the month of July there were one hundred
thirty-five documented calls, with fifteen citations issued and eight criminal
cases filed. Mayor Llewellyn reported school is to begin shortly and we will
again have a resource officer present. Mayor Llewellyn asked all to please
drive slowly through all crosswalks.
General Government: No
report.
Finance: No report.
Community Development: Councilwoman
Peters stated the Allegheny County Health Department along with the USDA
Department of Wildlife will be raccoon baiting August 5th through
August 28th. Both departments recommend keeping your pets on a leash
to avoid accidental ingestion. As a reminder taking your vehicle down to the
pavilions at BY Park is a courtesy it is not a parking lot. The signs indicate
drop off only, this is ruining our grass and causing safety issues. Please park
in the parking lot.
Public Safety: No report.
Public Works: Councilman
Shoub will be working with Don Glenn to take over the retention pond in
Coventry Court as per the developer’s agreement. There is significant MS4
credit the borough can receive by taking the retention pond over.
Sanitation: No report.
Presidents Report-
Councilman Cardiff stated school is coming up so please be careful. Councilman
Cardiff thanked public works and the fire department during the flooding.
PRP Modification
A motion “to approve Glenn
Engineering to modify, advertise, and resubmit the borough’s Pollution
Reduction Plan to the Department of Environmental Protection” was made by
Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilwoman Peters. The motion carried
unanimously 6-0.
Reject bids for 2019 Paving Project
A motion “to reject the bids for
the 2019 paving project” was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman
Perovich.
Councilman Cardiff stated we are
not eliminating the project in its entirety we are rejecting to revise and
rebid the streets due to sewage repairs that need to be completed first on
Inwood Road.
The motion carried unanimously
6-0.
Re-advertise and rebid 2019 Paving Project
A motion “to authorize the Borough
Engineer to re-advertise and rebid the 2019 street paving project to include
Fairmont Avenue” was made by Councilman Sanders and seconded by Councilwoman
Peters.
The motion carried unanimously
6-0.
Planning Commission Appointment
A motion “to appoint Leslie Peters
to the Borough of Trafford Planning Commission with a term expiring December
31, 2021” was made by Councilman Sanders and seconded by Councilman Perovich.
Councilman Cardiff questioned if
only one member of council can sit on the board.
Solicitor Alexander stated that is
incorrect you are thinking of the Civil Service Commission. Solicitor Alexander
stated he has researched and written a letter to council forming his opinion on
the matter when a previous member of the Planning Commission was appointed to
council.
Manager Stack plans to advertise
the additional open seats for the Planning Commission. If council approves
Councilwoman Peters to the board that would leave the commission with two open
seats. The commission calls for a total of five members. We are also looking
for alternates for our Zoning Hearing Board. Georgia Boring was nice enough to
offer an article in her paper describing the duties and responsibilities of
each board that we have vacancies on. The current members of the Planning
Commission have terms expiring December 2019, December 2020, and if council
approves Councilwoman Peters appointment her term would end December 2021.
The motion carried 5-0-1,
Councilwoman Peters abstained from the vote.
Resignation of EMC
A motion “to accept the
resignation of Emergency Management Coordinator John Eliyas,
effective August 31, 2019” was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by
Councilman Shoub. The motion carried 6-0.
Advertisement for EMC
A motion “to approve an
advertisement of the Trafford Borough Emergency Management Coordinator
position” was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilwoman Peters.
Councilman Cole questioned if this
is a paid position. Manager Stack replied and stated it is not.
The motion carried unanimously
6-0.
TBA Adopt a Space
A motion “to approve the Trafford
Business Association to Adopt a Space at the corner of Fourth Street and Cavitt
Avenue” was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Sanders.
Councilman Cardiff questioned if a
plan was submitted by the TBA. Manager
Stack stated she placed the information on Dropbox. It spells out exactly what
they’re responsible for. As Craig mentioned before any individual participating
will need to fill out a waiver. The union will need to sign off and so will
council. This agreement is specific to this area only. If anyone would like to
do something similar in a different area you will need to bring a plan to
council for approval.
The motion carried unanimously
6-0.
Mastro Signs & Printing Banner Donation
A motion “to approve Mastro Signs and Printing to donate banners and bracket then
install them along Cavitt Avenue with council to approve the banners and
coordinate with public works” was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by
Councilman Shoub.
Councilwoman Peters questioned how
Mr. Mastroianni will decide on what to place on the banners.
Mr. Mastroianni stated he is open
to suggestion.
Councilman Cardiff questioned what
Mr. Mastroianni’s time frame is on the project.
Mr. Mastroianni stated a few
months.
Councilman Cardiff stated to Mr.
Mastroianni if council approves this tonight would you accept a stipulation
that when a decision is made on the design of the banners you come back before
council for the okay. Mr. Mastroianni stated that is fine.
Manager Stack questioned if the
banners will be left up year-round. Mr. Mastroianni stated he received verbal
permission from Duquesne Light the banners can only stay up for 90 days. Mr.
Mastroianni stated he spoke to a different individual at Duquesne Light and was
told to include in the application a memo stating the banners would be up
year-round. A resident questioned if the banners will interfere with the
Christmas lights. Mr. Mastroianni stated the banners will be placed well below
the Christmas lights and facing the sidewalk. Councilman Shoub asked Mr.
Mastroianni to coordinate with public works.
Manager Stack stated in the future
if a banner or bracket becomes damaged the borough will be responsible for the
replacement. Assistant manager Solivan questioned what the replacement costs
would be. Mr. Mastroianni stated the banner is $175.00 with the bracket
$295.00.
Councilwoman questioned if the
banners would be changing seasonally. Mr. Mastroianni stated one set of
banners.
Manager Stack inquired if Mr.
Mastroianni could send a digital file of the proposed banners rather than
coming before council again to display and save time. Councilman Cardiff
agreed.
The motion carried unanimously
6-0.
Nina Solivan’s pay increase
A motion “to approve increasing
Nina Solivan’s hourly pay rate to $22.02” was made by
Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilwoman Peters.
The motion was split 3-3.
Councilwoman Peters, Councilman Sanders, and Councilman Shoub voted yes.
Councilman Cardiff, Councilman Cole, and Councilman Perovich voted no. Councilwoman
Petersen was absent.
Solicitor Alexander stated a
councilmember is absent so the vote will need to be broken by the mayor. The
mayor has two options. One of which is to vote tonight or to schedule a special
meeting within ten days.
Councilman Cardiff stated the only
reason he voted no is due to needing more time to discuss the matter. It was
just brought upon council this evening. It has nothing to due with her worth. I
think she is amazing.
Councilman Cole and Councilman
Perovich both agreed with Councilman Cardiff.
Mayor Llewellyn stated he will
take the ten days.
Manager Stack requested Solicitor
Alexander to explain the process.
Solicitor
Alexander stated the mayor, if in attendance at the meeting, may, at
the mayor's option, cast the deciding vote or shall direct that the matter be
tabled until a special meeting of council. The special meeting of council shall
be held within not less than five days or more than ten days at which time the
matter shall be reconsidered by council. If a tie or split vote still exists,
it shall be the duty of the mayor at that time to cast the deciding vote.
Mayor Llewellyn stated he will be going on vacation within that
time frame.
Manager Stack questioned what happens if the Mayor chooses not to
vote. Solicitor Alexander stated the vote will stay a tie and fails to pass.
Mayor Llewellyn voted yes.
Motion carries 3-3 Mayor Llewellyn broke the tie and voted yes.
New Business
Councilman Perovich questioned the
status of Viaduct Way and Port Authority. Manager Stack stated she met with
Melissa Gerty and walked the site. She responded and
requested the borough re-paint the lines.
Adjournment
Councilman Cardiff announced the next regular meeting
for Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
A motion “to adjourn” was made by Councilman
Sanders and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.