1. Call to Order- 7:02 pm
2. Moment of Silence & Pledge of
Allegiance
3. Roll Call done by Shannon Ulishney
4. Council present: Councilmember Bayko, Councilmember Cardiff, Councilmember Cole, Councilmember Corrales, Councilmember Perovich, Councilmember Shoub
5. Council not present: Councilmember Batzel
6. Other staff present: Mayor Llewellyn, Solicitor Craig Alexander, Engineer Don Glenn, Fire Chief Lindbloom and Public works foreman Lou Corrales.
7. Notice of Executive Sessions held March 10,
16, 22, and 28, 2022, for matters of personnel- Also today, April 5, 2022, for matters
of personnel and legal.
8. Approve the March 1, 2022, regular meeting
minutes.
a. Motion: Councilmember Cole
b. Second: Councilmember Perovich
c. Vote:
6,0
9. Approve the April 5, 2022, expense
voucher list.
a. Motion: Councilmember Perovich
b. Second: Councilmember Cole
c. Vote:
Yes 6,0
10. Public Comment
a. Dave Mascara- (5 Westmoreland Rd) has a
concern about the condition of his road. There are big pieces of asphalt all
over the road. The gravel parts on the road are a safety hazard for delivery
drivers, homeowners and guests that come to the street. Mr. Mascara has already
fallen on this road. (Borough Response- Casey Shoub will go up to
Westmoreland Rd. in the morning to look at the property- it was noted that the
road is very wide, and this can cause for patching not sticking due to no base)
b. Delores Sutton- (601 Brinton Ave) Ms.
Sutton wants to thank council for installing the security cameras on the corner
of 6th and Brinton. She said she noticed a decrease in crime due to
the cameras. Citizens in the Highrise have also praised this change.
Ms. Sutton would also like to know if there is an ordinance in the
borough for pets to be on leashes and if signs are up regarding dog waste on
the sidewalks. (Borough Response- there is a dog leash law, and you can pull
this up online. Having a new code officer this will be addressed, however, Solicitor
Alexander said it is hard to enforce because you do need a witness to take this
to the magistrate. Even filming the dog waste, you would need a witness that took
the footage for this to be taken to the local magistrate.)
c. Teresa Severino- (317 E Edgewood Ave) would
like to know if the Borough would be able to sponsor citizens from Ukraine with
all the rentals in Trafford. (Borough Response- This is something that would
need to be looked at with a local church. They would handle any donations for a
situation like this.)
d. Mark Frydrych-(7 Meadow St)- has had an ongoing issue with his neighbor across the
street with parking, operating a commercial business out of a residential
property, road being blocked, a bonfire that burned 2 vehicles, harassment when
neighbor entered Mr. Frydrych’s home, charges were filed with magistrate office.
(Borough Response- councilmember Cole said he would be just as mad about this
situation. There are construction vehicles all over the road, and garbage
blowing all around. Council suggested to have parking
permits for the residents until a better solution can be done. This could be
put on the agenda next month to have parking permits. The homeowner was taken to
the magistrate in 2015 and was charged with 3 separate code violations. Harassment
charges were filed at magistrate’s office in March. The property owner
appealed, and there is another date scheduled for charges to be filed on May 12th.
Solicitor Alexander will attend and advised Mr. Frydrych to attend as well.)
e. Mark Horgas-
(132 7th St Ext)- St Route 130 has
increasing truck traffic. Brian Walker from Penn Dot suggested that council
write a letter to Penn Dot to request a speed study. Cars and bicycles have
increased, and they are exceeding the 35-mph speed limit. The trail crossing on
Forbes Rd. is dangerous because pedestrians just walk right out in front of cars.
He also wants borough to be aware that there are a lot of feral cats on his
road. (Borough Response- The Mayor said there is an article that the
regulation is no longer called J-Brakes, but brake retarders, and this cannot
be enforced by local authorities unless there is written approval from the department
of transportation. The Penn Dot rep requested a letter from the Borough to do
this speed study. Police will look into the trail crossing situation, and they
will also see if there is an issue with the feral cats.)
f. Fred Widhalm- (306
First St)- Issue on Murrysville Rd next to his
property is that the hillside is washing away, and he wants to know if the borough
is going to do anything about this. Casey Shoub was out to look at this to see
what could be done if anything. (Borough Response- Don Glenn and Casey Shoub
went to property before the meeting, and tomorrow Don Glenn will give his
recommendations on how to rectify.)
g. Jeremiah Blasik-
(222 Duquesne Ave)- Mr. Blasik
wanted to introduce himself to council and hopes to be approved to serve the Rec
Board this evening. (Borough Response- Council said that Mr. Blasik’s approval to join the rec board is on the agenda
tonight.)
h. Kenneth Meyer-(229 First St)- The deer are eating everything on his property, and his
neighbors feed them regularly. He wanted to know if the borough plans to put in
an ordinance against feeding deer. (Borough Response- the borough does not
have an ordinance in place currently for feeding deer. The only code is that
you may not own deer as a pet. This issue will be re-visited to see if an
ordinance needs to be put in place regarding feeding deer.)
11. Report from Borough Engineer, Glenn
Engineering
a. CFA grant received concerning the 2021 demolition
project is $197,200.00. Minnifield’s contract to raze
236/240 Cavitt Ave, 302 Duquesne Ave, 412 First St and 15030 Murrysville St
totaling $145,015.19. This leaves a balance of $52,184.81 of grant money
available.
b. 10% engineering fees are eligible to be
paid from the grant, therefore, $14,501.00 is eligible
to be invoiced for engineering. CFA grant shall reimburse the borough
$14,501.00
c. Lawson Excavating was authorized to
install a drain to capture water from a spring discharging onto 8th
St. The borough will pay the contractor $6,030.
d. Cost estimate to repair Jackson St damaged
by a garbage truck will be $9,551.67
e. Bradford Square #2 (Maronda Homes, Inc)
installed a force main which was not inspected by the borough. The house
laterals were not installed according to the plans which
defines private vs public ownership. Until these matters are resolved
the street and force main shall remain ownership and maintained by Maronda
Homes. The borough will not take over until the issues are amicably resolved. Letters
were mailed to Maronda homes on March 15th and 17th with
no response to date.
f. LSA grant application was submitted by
Glenn Engineering for resurfacing and storm sewer of East Homewood, repaving
East Gilmore plus the intersection of East Fairmont and Bruce.
g. A letter was sent again to Norfolk
Southern Railroad on March 11, 2022- initial letters were sent on December 13,
2017, June 21, 2018, and February 11, 2019, with no response. This is in regard
to the westerly underpass. The letter states that the railroad has been put on
notice that there are concrete deficiencies, and pedestrian railings have
collapsed. In the event of an accident the railroad shall be responsible and
liable.
h. There will be a pre-construction meeting with
Westmoreland County, Trafford Borough and Glenn Engineering before work can
begin on Meadow St.
12. Mayor’s Report
a. Monthly police report March 2022- 4
accidents, 1 assault, 22 assists, 2 burglaries, 3 criminal mischiefs, 9
DC/Disturbances, 10 domestics, 5 drug violations, 2 harassments, 1 juvenile
complaints, 1 public drunkenness, 40 service calls, 30 suspicious activities, 2
thefts, 2 warranty services, 134 documented calls, 15 citations issued, 10
criminal complaints to date.
13. Committee
Reports
a. Community & Economic Development (Chair Steve Perovich/Co-chair Justin
Batzel)- The gifted students at PT HS and middle schools
looked around Trafford in the fall to pick a building to repurpose. At the
presentation this week they announced their plan to repurpose the building
across from the borough offices. They made models to show what they would do
and gave suggestions such as having a bike trail coming into town with coffee
shops along side, adding a reading room in expansion of the library, adding a
space for the historical society. The students are going to contact Norfolk
Southern about bringing the trail into Trafford. Also, the Wings Across Westmoreland project is up for the final approval.
Hoping to have an unveiling date of the wings in May.
b. General Government & Finance (Chair Pat Bayko/Co-chair Chris Corrales)- Several strong candidates were interviewed for the
borough manager vacancy. Council did extend an offer, and they are excited to
see what the new manager will do for Trafford. Council is stepping up in the
interim to take over manager duties and working on disposing and organizing of
old files.
c. Parks & Recreation (Chair Justin Batzel/Co-chair Steve
Perovich) there is an Easter egg hunt for this coming weekend at Westmoreland
Park, approx. 63 people are already signed up.
d. Planning, Property, & Ordinances (Chair Casey Shoub/Co-chair Zack Cole) –
Casey is contacting Adam about concerns that he wants Andrea to be aware of as
she learns of some issues brought up at the meeting.
e. Public Safety (Chair Chris Corrales/Co-chair Pat Bayko)- Trafford clean up days May 7th – the borough
is still looking for volunteers for this day to help pick up litter. More will
be on the website this week. Anyone interested please email ccorrales@traffordborough.com
f. Public Works & Sanitation (Chair Zack Cole/Co-chair Casey Shoub)- no
report
g. President Kris Cardiff- Thanks council for stepping up and pitching
in to fulfill the manager duties while they await the start of the new manager.
Also notes that the Hillcrest project just started.
14. Approve payment to Minniefield Demolition
Services, LLC, in the amount of $145,015.19, for the 2021 Blight Remediation
Project.
a. Motion: Councilmember Cole
b. Second: Councilmember Shoub
c. Vote:
6,0
15. Approve payment to Glenn Engineering in
the amount of $14,501.00, for the 2021 Blight Remediation Project engineering
fees.
a. Motion: Councilmember Perovich
b. Second: Councilmember Cole
c. Vote:
6,0
16. Approve payment of $6,030.00, to Lawson
Excavating for the storm water drain installation on Eighth Street.
a. Motion: Councilmember Shoub
b. Second: Councilmember Corrales
c. Vote:
6,0
17. Approve the hire of Andrea McCord for the full-time
Code Enforcement Officer position at an hourly rate of $23.00, effective March
28, 2022.
a. Motion: Councilmember Shoub
b. Second: Councilmember Corrales
c. Discussion: Councilmember Perovich notes
that this will help the town greatly with her knowledge and having regular
office hours.
d. Vote:
6,0
18. Approve the hire of Jaime Peticca for the full-time Borough Manager position with an
annual salary of $65,000.00, effective April 25, 2022.
a. Motion: Councilmember Shoub
b. Second: Councilmember Corrales
c. Vote:
6,0
19. Approve Ashley Stack to provide interim consulting
services, at the leisure of Council, prior to the start of the new borough
manager at an hourly rate of $60.00.
a. Motion: Councilmember Perovich
b. Second: Councilmember Bayko
c. Discussion- President Cardiff notes that
this will only be 2-3 hours a week to help file reports for the borough since
the new manager will not be here for a few more weeks.
d. Vote: 6,0
20. Approve a stipend in the amount of
$1,500.00, for Secretary Shannon Ulishney for her
assistance with the tax collection service transition and requests for
information from residents and businesses.
a. Motion: Councilmember Shoub
b. Second: Councilmember Bayko
c. Discussion- Councilmember Perovich notes
that this was done due to not having a tax collector,
Shannon has been supplying tax information to residents and closing companies.
The money was already in the budget for the previous tax collector.
d. Vote: 6,0
21. Accept John Granatire’s
resignation as Public Works Laborer I, effective March 1, 2022.
a. Motion: Councilmember Cole
b. Second: Councilmember Shoub
c. Vote: 6,0
22. Approve the resolution authorizing Trafford
Borough to participate in the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB)
Junior Council Person Program.
a. Motion: Councilmember Perovich
b. Second: Councilmember Corrales
c. Vote: 6,0
23. Appoint Jeremiah Blasik
to the Trafford Borough Recreation Board for a term expiring December 31, 2023.
a. Motion: Councilmember Perovich
b. Second: Councilmember Shoub
c. Vote:
6,0
24. New
Business- No new business
25. Adjournment
a. Announce the next regular meeting for
Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers and the next discussion
meeting for Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. in the Manchester Room
b. Move to adjourn 8:02 pm
c. Motion: Councilmember Cole
d. Second: Councilmember Shoub
e. Vote: 6,0