Trafford Borough
Monthly Business Meeting
Minutes-Tuesday, August 7, 2018.
The Trafford Borough Council held
its monthly business meeting on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, at 7:03 p.m., in the
Council Chambers.
Council President Kris Cardiff, called the meeting to order; The
Pledge of Allegiance was recited, and a moment of silence observed.
Borough Secretary, Nina Solivan commenced roll call;
(Present) Kris Cardiff, Council
President Edward Llewellyn,
Mayor
Zach Cole,
Councilman Ashley
Stack, Borough Manager
Leslie Peters,
Councilwoman Craig
Alexander, Solicitor
Cheryl Petersen,
Councilwoman Don Glenn, Engineer
Joshua Sanders,
Councilman Brian Lindbloom, Fire Chief
Casey Shoub,
Councilman
(Absent) Carol
Morrow, Council Vice-President John Eliyas, EMC
Council conducted an executive session for litigation and matters
of personnel prior to this council meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Minutes- A motion
“to accept the minutes of the July 3, 2018, regular business meeting” was made
by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilwoman Peters. The motion carried
unanimously 6-0.
Payment of Bills-
A motion “to approve the expense voucher list dated, August 7, 2018” was made
by Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried
unanimously 6-0.
Public Comment-
Lynwood Leeman 344 Fourth Street- Questioned the status of the manhole
on Catherine Street that abuts his backyard. Questioned the status of the pot
hole at the bottom of Catherine Street. Mr. Leeman stated he has lived in this
town for seventy-three years and Trafford looks crummy. The maintenance
department is not doing their job. Questioned when the grass is being cut at
Memorial Park why can’t the public works pick up the dead tree limbs.
Borough response: Borough Manager Stack stated she has spoken with
DPW in regards to the manhole, we have been short staffed and weather has been
an issue. Once we have a date we will notify you. In regards to the pot hole on
Catherine St we have discussed this as well, this specific hole will need to be
cut out and require additional resources. Tree branches along side of the road
i will address with them.
Delores Sutton 601 Brinton Ave-
Questioned if the borough will be paving Brinton Avenue this year. Ms. Sutton
informed council there are major parking issues at the top of Seventh Street
people are parking at the stop sign and you cannot see. Ms. Sutton also
questioned occupancy permitting, are we staying on top of these we have
numerous people in town on drugs she does not feel safe anymore questioned if
she needs to buy a gun.
Borough response: Borough Manager
Stack stated paving is on hold. Our code enforcement officer has submitted his
resignation with a plan for potential hires. There has been increased foot
patrol, if there is activity on any of the corners call 911. In Pennsylvania
you have a right to bare arms that is your personal choice.
Judy Guy 405 First Street- Expressed
concerns about a sink hole at her rental property, stated the hole is close to
the road and doesn’t think it’s her responsibility. Questioned if Sixth Street
could be changed to a one way and implement slanted parking due to there not
being enough parking for the high rise.
Borough response: Borough Manager
Stack stated she will send DPW to look at it.
Pat Paola 74 First Street- Questioned
the status of the old bank building, and the train situation. In December it
will be a year on the trains, is there really nothing we can do just because
they’re the railroad. Ms. Paola also questioned the integrity of the council
with the appointment of the new councilmember, she does not feel that council
is doing the best for the community the town looks like a hell hole. We need to get the good of this community back
in our minds. Ms. Paola stated when she lived in Monroeville the Borough
Manager never voted, so she does not understand why Trafford’s does.
Borough response: Solicitor
Alexander stated the bank building has been in active litigation for some time
now, we are the process of a preliminary injunction the owner has submitted
plans to CEA to bring the property up to safety standards. This is all mandated
by the judge. This is a very costly matter so we would like the property owner
to take care of it. Have spoken to the Land Bank about the Cromer building, it’s
on their radar. The borough has zero enforcement ability on the railroad. Did
follow up with Mike Reece’s office again at the state level there isn’t much
they can do. Councilman Cardiff did contact Pat Toomey’s office and submitted
paperwork. Solicitor Alexander stated it is the people’s choice to vote in a
candidate, with a vacancy it is the council’s choice and the borough manager
does not get a vote.
Theresa Severino 317 E Edgewood
Ave- Questioned the status of the old Cromer building on Fifth Street and what
the status is on all the buildings on Brinton Avenue and Cavitt Avenue.
Borough response: The building
where Dom’s Pizza is just sold. Dirinoldo’s is for sale.
Diane Kerrigan 35 Sycamore Ave- Mrs.
Kerrigan came forward to council for some direction regarding her nuisance
neighbors. Mrs. Kerrigan stated she has two sons whom are boy scouts and attend
schools within Penn Trafford School District and is now looking for a new home
due to the neighbors. Mrs. Kerrigan stated she has spoken to code enforcement
and was informed about the nuisance ordinance, she has profusely called 911 and
apologizes for wasting their time for a non-emergency. The neighbors are
running an illegal ATV/Quad repair business out of their garage. People drop
off these vehicles throughout the day and night. Which is a problem because Mr.
and Mrs. Kerrigan both work and throughout the night they rev up the quads and
ride them up and down the street between 1:00 and 3:00 in the morning. Mr. and Mrs.
Kerrigan have asked them to stop. They are using the tracks as an access road,
once she calls the cops they scatter and come back later. Mrs. Kerrigan stated
she doesn’t know what to do anymore she doesn’t want to move but two years of
dealing with this is too long.
Borough response: Mayor Llewellyn
questioned if in fact this is illegal and if so our new code enforcement
officer will need to get on this asap. Councilwoman Peters stated if they are
on railroad property they should be contacted.
Carol Richardson 225 First Street-
Questioned the status of Murrysville Road. Ms. Richardson informed council the
contractors started for a few days and then stopped, there should be some sort
of fine for not completing the work in the contract.
Borough response: This will be
covered under the engineer’s report.
Borough Engineer-
Don Glenn reported there is a slide
at Seventh St and Brinton Ave that is adversely impacting our street, storm and
sanitary sewer. Mr. Glenn made a recommendation to drill and determine were
solid rock is and determine a plan to protect our street perhaps a retaining
wall or some steel beams. Mr. Glenn recommends PA Soil and Rock to perform a test/report
in the amount of $9,487.50 the work is needed to determine where the bedrock
is.
A motion to “allow PA Soil and
Rock to perform a soil analysis in the amount of $9487.50” was made by
Councilman Shoub and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried
unanimously 6-0.
Mr. Glenn reported he has
contacted Victor Paving daily for an update he refers me to the sub-contractor and
they have blamed the weather. There is a penalty clause with a completion date
of June 15, 2018, the borough manager and myself will be meeting to come up
with a plan to notify the contractor of the penalty and issues that will
satisfy the clause.
A letter was sent to Shane Lawson
regarding 246 E. Fairmont Ave a manhole has settled, he is willing to come back
and fix it even though the maintenance bond has expired.
A letter was sent to PennDOT
regarding a slide on Route 130, the guardrail is not secured you can push it
with one finger. There is also a utility pole that is leaning. PennDOT is on
notice their road is impacted there are cracks in the road.
A letter was sent to PennDOT
regarding the completion of the Wallace Avenue Bridge.
A letter was sent to the Railroad
regarding the train trestle wing walls, the engineer from Northfolk Southern
stated he will come out and review and send a report.
Administrative Reports-
Borough Manager- The
non-uniform collective bargaining agreement is up this year we will begin
negotiations shortly. Sewage bills will be going out they are for the period of
February through May. Hoping to have a draft budget to council shortly. Please
call 911 for non-emergency’s and emergency’s.
Code Enforcement-
Report on file.
Solicitor – Solicitor
Alexander stated he has prepared the resolutions for tonight. The state will
begin implementing the 2015 U.C.C. Code, which I will have an advertisement
prepared for the next meeting with adoption at the October meeting. A right to
know request was sent by the Tribune Review which requested information that
does not fall under the act, I will write an opinion and send it. Met with an
individual regarding Bradford Square Phase II, a legal impediment has come up
which is not a borough issue but we are trying to assist in preparing a memo on
what was approved in its previous phase.
EMS- Borough
Manager Stack stated there were a total of thirty-one calls for the month of July
with thirty calls being handled by PT Ambulance and one by North Huntingdon.
Trafford VFD- Fire Chief
Lindbloom reported there were a total of sixteen calls for the month of July.
Clean out the drains in front of your homes.
EMC- No report.
Recreation Board
– Rose Frollini, Treasurer of the recreation board reported the playground
program is over. Fairmont playground is almost complete we are still waiting
for the fencing. We have received a lot of good comments on the park. The state
is requesting additional info from the vendors in order for us to receive final
payment.
TECDC- Carol
Richardson reported the sign is fixed and updated weekly. There is opportunity
for paid advertisements if anyone is interested. The bike rack has been
installed by the heritage trail association. We will be looking for options on
finishing the wall where the sign is located. The next WHT meeting will be held
Thursday at the Italian Club in Export.
WHT- Councilman
Cole reported the owners of Digital Trafford hold a weekly bike ride every
Tuesday at 6:45 pm.
Mayor’s
Report- Mayor Llewellyn reported there
were a total of one hundred fifty-seven service calls, forty citations were
filed, eleven criminal cases were filed, twenty-four hours of traffic detail,
and thirty hours of foot patrol.
Committee Reports
Community Development
A motion “to make a partial
payment to Jeffery Associates in the amount of $7,000.00” was made by
Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried
unanimously 6-0.
Once Fairmont Playground is
completed the rec board would like to continue to pursuit the construction of a
new pavilion at the Terrace Playground.
A motion “to construct a new
pavilion at the Terrace Playground once Fairmont Playground has been completed
and final payment has been received” was made by Councilman Peters and seconded
by Councilman Sanders.
Borough Manager Stack made a
recommendation to hold off on any projects at this time. We need to look at a
comprehensive park safety analysis at all parks before any renovations.
Roll call vote was taken:
Councilman Cardiff, Councilman Cole, Councilwoman Petersen and Councilman Shoub
all voting Nay and Councilwoman Peters and Councilman Sanders voting yay. Motion
fails 4-2.
A motion “to purchase mulch in the
amount of $3000.00 to be distributed at BY park and the remaining split between
the other parks” was made by Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman
Peters. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.
Councilwoman Peters did speak to a
representative of Savvy Citizen. Pitcairn, North Versailles and Turtle Creek have
been enrolled it is an app or you can visit the website. It is a mass
distribution of information, there is a community calendar for events. You can
receive an email or text. There is a special going on right now its $990.00 a
year with a one-time set-up fee of $300.00.
A motion “to enroll in savvy
citizen for $990.00 with a one time $300.00 set-up fee” was made by
Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilwoman Petersen.
Borough Manager Stack stated it is
a minor fee, she would like to see some additional information before being in
support.
Councilman Cardiff stated he too
would like to review the information.
Councilwoman Peters and
Councilwoman Petersen withdrew their motion and second.
Presidents Report-
On August 25, 2018 there will be a
hard to recycle event at Century 3 mall additional information is on our
website. Wanted to get the opinion of council to allow Rep. George Dunbar to be
present at the next workshop meeting, so he may field any questions.
Renee Cappetta volunteer of the
year award recipient recommendations can be submitted to the borough office.
Resolution 06 & 07 of 2018
A motion “to approve Resolutions
06 and 07 of 2018, setting the member contribution rates for the non-uniform
pension plan at $750.00 per quarter for 2017 and 2018” was made by Councilman
Shoub and seconded by Councilman Cole.
This
was previously determined by the last collective bargaining agreement.
The
motion carried unanimously 6-0.
Approve Payment to A. Folino
A motion “to approve payment to A.
Folino Construction in the amount of $24,141.26 for the Wallace Avenue bridge
deck replacement paid from the liquid fuels account” was made by Councilwoman
Peters and seconded by Councilman Cole. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.
Discussion Meeting Change
A motion “to approve moving the
December 18,2018, discussion meeting to Tuesday, October 16, 2018, and advertising
the schedule change” was made by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman
Shoub. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.
Michael Burnett’s Resignation
A motion “to accept Michael
Burnett’s resignation as Trafford Borough’s Code Enforcement Officer” was made
by Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Shoub.
Councilman Shoub stated he has
done an excellent job and is resigning for personal reasons.
The motion carried unanimously
6-0.
Appointment of New Code Enforcement
A motion “to appoint Mark Cypher,
Adam Hlad and Mike Stack as part-time Code Enforcement Officers for the Borough
of Trafford. Both Mark Cypher and Adam Hlad will be paid at a rate of $625.00
per month, with Mike Stack working on an as needed basis.” was made by
Councilman Sanders and seconded by Councilwoman Peters.
Solicitor Alexander stated the
Kerrigan issue gets addressed asap.
Borough Manager Stack stated the
group are employed by eight different municipalities, and have been recommended
by multiple other communities.
Councilman Cole questioned how
much more is this going to cost. Borough Manager Stack stated there was
$22,000.00 budgeted for the code enforcement position. There wages are coming
in at $15,000.00 and they have asked for 80% of our occupancy fee’s. Our occupancies
are $100.00 so they would get $80.00 and the borough would get $20.00. There
will be a difference of $2700.00 which is obviously dependent upon the number
of occupancy’s. I feel that this is in
the best interest of the borough.
Approve New Part- Time Police
A motion “to hire Matthew
DiChiccis and Christopher Kovacs as part-time officers for the Trafford Borough
Police Department at a rate of $15.00 an hour” was made by Councilman Cole and
seconded by Councilman Sanders. The motion carried unanimously 6-0.
Purchase of 2019 Dodge Durango
A motion “to purchase a 2019 Dodge
Durango for the Trafford Police Department from Tri-Star Motors for $31,900.00,
with five annual payments of $6,941.18.” was made by Councilman Shoub and
seconded by Councilman Cole.
Councilman Cardiff stated the
current Durango is not working properly.
Borough Manager Stack stated the
vehicle has been on and out of the shop and we are losing money on it. The
vehicle does not have air conditioning which is a safety concern. Nearly has
100,000 miles. The money will be taken out of the police budget which is nearly
under budget by $25,000.00.
Councilwoman Peters questioned if
this was our fifth Durango. Councilman Shoub stated no it is not. Councilwoman
Peters stated she was just making sure this was not a Durango issue.
The motion carried unanimously
6-0.
Eagle Scout Project
A motion “to allow Mike Elias to
perform his Eagle Scout Project, refurbishing six old Eagle Scout projects, at
BY Park with a donation of $200 from the Recreation Board” was made by
Councilwoman Peters and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried
unanimously 6-0.
New Business
Mayor Llewellyn mentioned creating
a memorial for Renee Capetta such as a bench or a plaque.
Councilman Shoub asked if the
number of councilmembers can be changed? He has been asked by several people if
a borough of this size needs seven council members. Solicitor Alexander stated yes there are two
ways to do so. One way is to petition by the general electorate which is probably
10% seeking to reduce council from seven to five which will get litigated by
the court of common pleas. The other way is for council to petition which is a
long process. If there is majority vote to do so I will explore it.
Councilman Cardiff appointed
Councilman Josh Sanders the Chair of Finance committee.
Adjournment
Council President Cardiff informed
the audience the next regular business meeting will be held Tuesday, September
4, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. in the council chambers.
A motion to “adjourn” was made by
Councilman Cole and seconded by Councilman Shoub. The motion carried
unanimously 6-0.
Respectfully submitted,
Nina M. Solivan
Borough Secretary/Treasurer