1. Call to Order
2. Moment of Silence & Pledge of
Allegiance
3. Roll Call done by
Council present: Councilmember Batzel, Councilmember Bayko, Councilmember Cardiff,
Councilmember Corrales, Councilmember Perovich, Councilmember Shoub
Council not present: Councilmember Cole
Other staff present: Mayor Llewellyn, Borough Manager Peticca, Code Enforcement McCord,
Borough Secretary Mulnix, Solicitor Dice, Engineer Glenn, Chief Lindbloom.
4. Notice of Executive Session held July 5th,
2022, for matters of personnel.
5. Approve the June 7th, 2022, regular
meeting minutes.
a. Motion: Councilmember Perovich
b. Second: Councilmember Corrales
c. Vote:
6, 0, 1 absent
6. Approve the June 7th, 2022, expense
voucher list.
a. Motion: Councilmember Shoub
b. Second: Councilmember Bayko
c. Discussion
d. Vote:
6, 0, 1 absent
7. Public Comment
Councilmember Cardiff to provide response after each resident
completes their comments.
a. Dolores
Sutton (601 Brinton Ave) Ms. Sutton was attacked on her porch by a pit-bull. It
was brought up in the June meeting that the same dog attacked her friend. Ms. Sutton called 911 and the police called
the dog catcher. Can the borough enforce the leash ordinance? Is there a
residency tax in the borough? Can the
weeds in the lot where the bank building was torn down be addressed, and who
owns the lot?
Response: The borough stated to make sure 911 is called when the
dog is seen off its leash.
Councilmember Perovich answered Ms. Suttons question about the residency
tax, Berkheimer has exemptions listed on their website.
Councilmember Cardiff explained that the VFD owns the lot, and the
Fire Chief replied that the weeds will be taken care of by the end of the
week.
b. Theresa Severino (317 E Edgewood Ave) There
is a neighbor that has rust junk vehicles on his property and continues to add
more junk. There is also high grass and weeds.
Response: Councilmember Cardiff stated a Code complaint form needs
to be completed and turned into the office for code to investigate.
c. Logan Irdi (234 E Fairmont Ave) Requesting to add flowers to all local borough parks and
properties. Would like to discuss the possibility of bringing a skatepark to Trafford
up by East Edgewood Ave.
Response: Councilmember
Cardiff stated that those requests are typically submitted thru the Recreation
Board.
Councilmember Batzel replied to Mr. Irdi he will mention this skatepark
idea to the Recreation Board, and he would like to speak to Mr. Irdi after the
meeting.
Councilmember Cardiff stated that there have been groups of
volunteers who have planted flowers in the past. As for the
skate park that would be a question for the Recreation Board.
d. Mark Frydrych (7 Meadow St) Agenda item
Meadow St parking needs to be discussed. The residents need to be able to park
on the street to get out of their house safely. It’s very dangerous for them to
have to go out their backdoor and down 2 flights of stairs. There are individuals
blocking the street and not parking on their property. That’s where our problem
comes in.
Response: Councilmember Cardiff stated Meadow Street is on the
agenda and will be addressed later in the meeting.
e. Donald Temsick (8 Forbes Rd) Mr. Temsick
lives at 4315 Jackson Court Murrysville but owns property at 8 Forbes Rd. Mr. Temsick
is suggesting parking on both sides of Meadow Street. Mr. Temsick
shared some complaints about high grass from his neighbors and handed out
pictures. He informed us of a neighbor dispute that took place while he was
cutting grass close to his neighbor’s fence. Mr. Temsick spoke about burn barrels
and asked how many feet from the property line are they permitted to be located?
Response: Councilmember
Cardiff stated the borough response will be addressed with the Meadow Street
discussion on the agenda.
f. Renee Kociela (144 Jackson Ave) Following
up from June meeting. The catch basin at top of the driveway,
was temporarily fixed. When are permanent repairs going to be completed?
When is the Waste Management claim going to be followed up on? Mrs. Kociela provided our solicitor with
information regarding the claim and wanted to know if anything was followed up
on. Are there repairs and paving scheduled for Jackson Avenue?
Response: Councilmember
Shoub stated that it will take some time to get the other sewage projects
complete and then Public Works can look at the driveway on Jackson Ave. Ms. Peticca
replied to Mrs. Kociela there has not been a response from Waste Management regarding
the damage to her property.
g. Jesse Dapra (10 Forbes Rd) Provided documents for reference. There was a Police report filed
on a neighbor for trespassing. The police
never came to the scene but took a statement over the phone. The neighbor is storing
building materials that never move on his property, the bushes are overgrown,
and they are cross onto Mr. Dapra’s property. The neighbor is a nuisance to the
entire street with his actions and how he behaves. Council, please do your best
to try and resolve this in a timely manner.
Response: Councilmember
Cardiff stated a borough response will be addressed with the Meadow Street discussion
on the agenda.
h. Annie Grills (425 Fairmont) Question about
the new application for landlord. Is this being enforced or grandfathered
in? Do tenants have to reapply?
Response: Ms. Peticca
stated the Landlord Rental Registration is a form that was just recently implemented,
and it will be used any time there is a change of tenant. The form requires basic information tenant
name, phone number, and how many people are residing at the property. It can not be enforced for previous tenants.
Solicitor Dice advised that it cannot be enforced for previous
tenants. Ms. Dice stated that if you have a building that has tenants that didn’t
get the proper occupancy permit, there are other avenues that can be used instead
of using the most recent ordinance to regulate it or go about it to regulate
it.
Councilman Perovich stated that it can be a safety issue as well.
Ms. Dice stated that you can still regulate it moving forward with
the current information. Mayor Llewellyn
stated, “if you have someone fill out the form and
state that 2 people are living there, when in reality there are 12 people living
there, is there something that can be done?”
Ms. Dice- It depends on how our ordinance is written.
i. Melissa Edwards (1 Meadow Street) Discussed
at the last meeting parking needs to be residential on Meadow Street. Ms.
Edwards has been unable to park in front of her residence. The neighbor has cars
always parked in the front of her house daily making it impossible to park.
Response: Councilman Cardiff stated a borough response will be
addressed with the Meadow Street discussion on the agenda.
Any other further response at this time: Councilman Corrales stated that in response
to Mr. Dapra and the police officer not showing up, that will be investigated.
8. Report from Borough Engineer, Glenn Engineering
9. Mayor’s Report: Mayor Llewellyn read the
June police report. Mayor Llewellyn would like to mention there are foot patrols
and monitoring of traffic happening throughout the borough. Chief Disso received
a complaint on June 1st regarding an overflow of traffic and not
enough parking during an event at the South Trafford ballfield. Chief Lindbloom
provided pictures to council to show the cars going into neighbors’ yards. This
is an annual problem and would like the borough to look at ideas for different
parking alternatives and possibly staggering game times. Mayor Llewellyn stated
that it is a very rare occurrence that the parking issue happens at the fields. There are only 2 teams that play on the
field.
Response: Councilmember Cardiff stated that it would be good to explore
all options to see what is best.
10. Committee
Reports
a. Community & Economic Development (Chair Steve Perovich/Co-chair Justin
Batzel)- Mr. Perovich stated he will let President
Cardiff read his report on behalf of the community and economic development
item.
b. General Government & Finance (Chair Pat Bayko/Co-chair Chris Corrales)- Councilmember Bayko reported on the progress at the
borough office. Ms. Peticca personally thanked Councilmember Bayko for all her
assistance in the office while the office was operating without a secretary for
several weeks.
c. Parks & Recreation (Chair Justin Batzel/Co-chair Steve
Perovich) – Councilmember Batzel stated that there is nothing to report at this
time.
d. Planning, Property, & Ordinances (Chair Casey Shoub/Co-chair Zack Cole) – Councilmember
Shoub stated he had nothing to report. Code Enforcement read her report.
e. Public Safety (Chair Chris Corrales/Co-chair Pat Bayko)- Councilmember Corrales stated National Night out is next
month on August 2nd. It will
be held before the council meeting. Councilmember Corrales reached out to PennDOT
regarding the Route 130 concerns with truck traffic and received a name and
number to contact to discuss the matter.
f. Public Works & Sanitation (Chair Zack Cole/Co-chair Casey Shoub)- Councilmember Shoub stated there was no report. Councilmember Cardiff stated there was an initial
meeting with personnel to discuss negotiations of the Public Works contract. A
follow up meeting with union representatives is scheduled on July 12th
to further discuss the contract. A date to remember is August 15th
for the article about storm water updates in the Penn Franklin News. The deadline
for that publication will be at the end of July.
g. President Kris Cardiff- The unveiling of the Wings Across Westmoreland is scheduled for 10:00 AM Saturday July
9th in the Trafford Borough parking lot. The event is open to the public. The Cultural
Trust will be there along with newspaper and local officials in the area. Trafford
Borough would like to extend a special thanks to Saint Marks Church for fully
funding this project. Councilmember Perovich stated this is a nice way to display
the history of the town alongside the Westmoreland Cultural trust and other various
communities that have also been participating. Councilmember Cardiff was approached about the
Borough’s amusement tax fees. The
borough’s fee schedule is higher than other local municipalities. There is a need
to reevaluate what we charge in comparison to other communities. A brainstorming
session for Trafford Community Day is underway with the organization of a committee.
Councilmember Perovich, residents and other volunteers will meet on July 12th
at 7:00 pm in the Manchester Room for a meeting. The borough would like to coincide the Community Day event along with the heritage
trail event next year at the B-Y Park. More details to come.
11. Motion to ratify the MOU with Public Works
modifying the wage scale for Laborer II.
a. Motion: Councilmember Corrales
b. Second: Councilmember Shoub
c. Discussion- No discussion.
d. Vote:
6, 0, 1 absent
12. Motion to accept Jeremiah Blasik’s resignation
from the Recreation Board effective 6/13/22.
a. Motion: Councilmember Batzel
b. Second: Councilmember Perovich
c. Discussion- No discussion.
d. Vote: 6, 0, 1 absent
13. Motion to advertise for Recreation Board
member position with term ending 2024. Deadline to apply by July 22nd,
2022.
a. Motion: Councilmember Batzel
b. Second: Councilmember Corrales
c. Discussion- No discussion.
d. Vote:
6, 0, 1 absent
14. Motion to approve Quest Diagnostics to
manage random drug screening test for borough employees.
a. Motion: Councilmember Bayko
b. Second: Councilmember Batzel
c. Discussion- No discussion.
d. Vote: 6, 0, 1 absent
15. Motion to approve Jaime Peticca as the
Westmoreland TCC (tax collection committee) for Trafford borough and Mayor Edward
Llewellyn as the alternate.
a. Motion: Councilmember Bayko
b. Second: Councilmember Batzel
c. Discussion- TCC has representatives from
local municipalities and those representative attends scheduled
meetings. Mayor Llewellyn accepted being the alternate.
d. Vote:
6, 0, 1 absent
16. Motion to hire Charles Sisler for Public
Works full time employee at $21.62 per hour.
a. Motion: Councilmember Batzel
b. Second: Councilmember Perovich
c. Discussion- This is a replacement position.
d. Vote:
6, 0, 1 absent
17. Motion
to approve the Borough Covid-19 policy to follow all CDC guidelines with no
paid time off for any employee that contracts the virus.
a. Motion: Councilmember Perovich
b. Second: Councilmember Batzel
c. Discussion- No discussion.
d. Vote: 6, 0, 1 absent
18. Motion
to hire a Part-time police officer
a. Motion: Councilmember Corrales
b. Second: Councilmember Shoub
c. Discussion- Position is to replace an employee.
Mayor Llewellyn stated there is an officer ready to hire.
d. Vote: 6, 0, 1 absent
19. Motion to advertise to amend Chapter
152-14 Registration of Abandoned Real Property to include Vacant
property registration.
a. Motion: Councilmember Shoub
b. Second: Councilmember Perovich
c. Discussion- Andréa explained the fees
associated with an abandoned property, including vacant property and how it will
allow the borough to collect on those properties.
d. Vote: 6, 0, 1 absent
20. Motion to advertise to amend Chapter 160-43
Sewers to include sewer lateral inspection at the time of sale or transfer of
property.
a. Motion: Councilmember Shoub
b. Second: Councilmember Bayko
c. Discussion- Councilmember Perovich asked what
is different? Manager Peticca responded as of right
now the current sewer lateral is valid for 3 years regardless of change of status.
We are suggesting the verbiage state a sewer later would be required when the
property is transferred or sold regardless of timespan past since last
inspection.
d. Vote: 6, 0, 1 absent
21. Motion to advertise to amend Chapter 114
to include regulations of Dumpsters and placement of garbage.
a. Motion: Councilmember Shoub
b. Second: Councilmember Corrales
c. Discussion- Ms. Peticca provided a quick overview.
A permit is going to be required anytime
a roll off or container of any type is on the road or property. Updated garbage can placement to state that
garbage containers must be brought back in a timely fashion. Andréa stated that the garbage cans are being
left out all the time.
d. Vote: 6, 0, 1 absent
22. New business.
Councilmember Shoub stated that there is a portion of the road
commercial trucks use to be allowed to park by permit. However, all roads
leading to the area where trucks park have weight limits.
Councilmember Shoub suggested to rescind the ordinance.
Mayor Llewellyn asked about parking for public non-commercial vehicles.
Solicitor Dice advised the way the lot is now,
there is liability issues due to spurring of concrete and defective areas. If the borough didn’t fix these issues first,
it could be a hazard and liability to the borough. Legal recommendation is to bring the lot to
the standards and pave the lot. Rescind the
ordinance and recommend no parking of any vehicles currently.
Motion to rescind the
Ordinance of Commercial Parking on Adrian Avenue only in that area.
Councilmember Perovich said that the sign
would be removed.
Batzel - yes, Bayko – yes, Cardiff- yes, Corrales- yes, Perovich –
no, Cole -absent, Shoub – yes.
23. Old Business- Discussion regarding Meadow
Street parking and possible action.
Mayor Llewellyn- Questioned the parking options to park on
private property, why not park on private property instead of the public road. Is
residential permit parking only an option?
Councilmember
Bayko- Answered Mayor Llewellyn,
yes residential permitted parking is an option.
Solicitor Dice – Stated that you can have residential parking
only. With residential permit parking everyone
who owns property on the street would have
access to park there since they own land in the borough. Ms. Dice further examined the layout/ width of
the street, and the issues it creates for emergency services. Adjoining properties to the street are also
entitled to on street residential parking. You cannot discriminate against
others. The opinion is should the borough decide to enforce residential permit
parking there are ways going thru the proper avenues, it would allow a residential
permit to be issued for whoever would be living there. The property owner would
have to prove that there is a resident living on the property, and they would
be entitled to get a residential permit. The neighbor stated there were 2 apartments
in the building when he purchased it. Council also must be aware that the street
is only 17 1/2 ft wide and for emergency purposes you may not want anyone
parking on the street because you want to get emergency vehicles thru, it is a concern for council from a safety standpoint
especially if you have cars parked on one side of the street. With permit
parking there will be issues for visitors when they do not have a permit to
park on your street. Ms. Dice encourages Council to go back to the borough engineer
and emergency services to see if permit parking is the safest way to go.
Mark Frydrych- Stated it has been this way for many years
and never had a problem. Issues have occurred since the neighbor has been there
with his business. The neighbor aggravates the neighborhood by parking right
out in front of the houses and blocks access to the properties. The residents have
physical therapist and nurses that come to take care of them, and this creates
a parking issue for them.
Ms. Dice- Stated that if residential parking is in
effect those nurses and Physical Therapists can still not park on the street
either.
Councilmember
Cardiff- The street is scheduled to get paved. Councilmember Shoub will partner
with Don Glenn to get the specifics of the project.
Melissa
Edwards- The only time there
is difficulty parking is when the neighbor or his employee parks one of their
vehicles on the street. He is the only one there have been issues with, and it’s
being done intentionally. Can we
restrict what kind of vehicles access the street or park on it?
Ms. Dice- Stated there are weight limits on streets
and his vehicles won’t reach those limits.
Dice believes that it is council’s decision to decide if this is safe to
do and councils prerogative as to whether they want to
allow residential parking only. There
are other issues if there is a business being operated out of this parcel? The individual states that no commercial vehicles
or business is registered to Meadow Street.
Councilmember Cardiff-
There needs to be a
resolution and make sure it is the correct decision. Our focus is the solution
to Meadow Street only. The other matters are civil disputes. Councilmember
Shoub will have the information to the right of way and where the boundaries
are. Councilmember Cardiff asked council to gather all the information and put
a solution to this and do it the right way.
Melissa
Edwards: Please understand that in the meantime that
if emergency services can not get down the street, it is not the fault of anyone
that currently lives on Meadow Street.
Councilmember Cardiff
– Replied to Ms. Edwards that
911 would need to be called for any emergency. Mayor, please ensure with police
that Meadow Street is enforced.
Motion: Councilperson Shoub
Second: Councilperson
Corrales
Discussion: No discussion.
Vote: 6, 0, 1 absent
Respectfully
Submitted,
Nina Mulnix