TRAFFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
MINTUES
FEBRUARY 18TH, 2025 /
MANCHESTER ROOM / 6:30 PM
1.
Call
to Order – Councilmember Cardiff called the meeting to order at 6:32 pm
2.
Moment
of Silence & Pledge of Allegiance
3.
Roll
Call- completed by Borough Secretary Nina Mulnix
Councilmembers
present: Councilmember Bayko, Councilmember Cardiff, Councilmember Deabner,
Councilmember Perovich, Councilmember Shoub
Councilmembers
not present: Councilmember Dapra, Councilmember Schopp
Other
staff present- Mayor Llewellyn, Borough Manager Jaime Peticca, Borough
Secretary Nina Mulnix
4.
Guest
Speaker – Ed Grant Penn Township Ambulance – Arrived after the Special
Meeting.
5.
Public
Comment
Gillian
Graber (110 Belleau Wood Blvd) came to the meeting to thank councilmembers for
taking the advice and recommendation from Protect PT and enacted an Injection
Well ordinance to protect the borough. Ms. Graber went on to comment that injection
wells become active because the municipalities do not have an ordinance in
place.
Borough
Response-
Councilmember
Cardiff stated there was no borough response.
6.
Motion
to Approve Ordinance 1-2025 Injection Wells
a.
Motion:
Councilmember Perovich
b.
Second:
Councilmember Shoub
c.
Discussion:
No discussion
d.
Vote:
5, 0, 2 (Absent)
7.
Motion
to approve Ordinance 3-2025, reducing the Recreation Board members from 7 to 5 members.
a.
Motion:
Councilmember Shoub
b.
Second:
Councilmember Bayko
c.
Discussion:
No discussion
d.
Vote:
5, 0, 2 (Absent)
8.
Motion
to approve Exelos to install security cameras in the amount of $13,900.00 to
existing areas and add South Trafford location for additional fee.
a.
Motion:
Councilmember Bayko
b.
Second:
Councilmember Shoub
c.
Discussion:
Mayor Llewellyn asked what the additional fee would be. Manager Peticca
replied that the cost is $2,309.13 and that includes all the necessities
involved with the operation and installation of the camera. Further discussion continued regarding the
cameras. Manager Peticca went on to say that the camera placement for the South
Trafford Camera will be on the pole facing the entire parking area. Manager
Peticca stated that the cameras that the borough currently utilize are under a
lease agreement, and that lease is due for renewal at a cost of $10,000.00 for
three years. The camera’s to be installed by Exelos will belong to the borough.
The cameras come with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty, the borough currently
operates 18 cameras outside and 5 inside.
Mayor
Llewellyn asked if additional cameras could be added later with a playground
location in mind.
Manager
Peticca confirmed that she spoke with Exelos, and the playground locations have
some power supply issues, and additional electricity poles would need installed
along with approval from Duquesne Light. The quote for the camera would be
approximately $6,000.00 per location.
Councilmember
Deabner asked if the current cameras are under warranty- Manager Peticca
replied that the warranty has expired. Manager Peticca stated that the interface
with the new cameras will be the same as the current cameras and the archive
for camera footage will be longer than 30 days because it will be saved on the
server.
d.
Vote:
5, 0, 2 (Absent)
9.
Motion
to approve CadeCor energy and lighting to install the LED retrofit for the
Public Works building, Municipal building/Police Department, and administrative
offices with the Scott Electric Foundation grant funding in amount of $31,170
with a rebate of $7,317.00 for total cost of $23,853.00.
a.
Motion:
Councilmember Bayko
b.
Second:
Councilmember Perovich
c.
Discussion:
Manager Peticca stated Costars will be utilized and this grant is for much
needed improvements to the Public Works building.
d.
Vote:
5, 0, 2 (Absent)
10.
New
Business
Mayor
Llewellyn stated that he received an email from a concerned resident regarding
a tree that fell into the creek by the Wallace Avenue bridge, and they are
concerned about the debris building up and creating a dam. They are asking for
a resolution and provided photos to view.
Manager
Peticca stated that where the tree fell it is the property owners on each side
of the tree’s responsibility to clear and remove the tree. Manager Peticca
stated that the Public Works foreman will be attending a meeting at the
Westmoreland County Conservation District for Stormwater management, and it was
suggested that he present this scenario for their suggestions/feedback. Manager
Peticca stated that usually in these instances it would be the property owner’s
responsibility to resolve.
Councilmember
Perovich asked for some discussion regarding the status of the bus route that
has been proposed for elimination.
Councilmember
Cardiff reviewed some information: The current bus route with Pittsburgh
Regional Transit has a draft proposal to stop the bus route at Haymaker
Village. The borough is aware that many residents still utilize the bus for
transportation. Councilmember Cardiff stated he has been gathering statistics
to provide to PRT. PRT is in the first
phase of their process and there will be an additional public comment segment.
-
A
resident spoke about the efforts they’ve been making to advocate keeping the
bus route in Trafford. There have been approximately 200 signatures gathered
for a petition from residents and those nearby that utilize the bus route. There
has been feedback gathered from residents from the high rise, and that
information was taken to the board meeting. There has been a lot of support to
keep the bus route/stop in Trafford.
Councilmember
Cardiff stated the contact at PRT was very attentive to the information.
Councilmember Cardiff also stated that he himself is following the process to
best provide support to the borough.
-
A
resident stated that he and his wife signed the petition to keep the bus route
in Trafford. Questions were asked: How will the efforts being made factor into
PRT’s decision? Can pressure be applied to them by members of the Council?
Councilmember
Cardiff stated that Trafford Borough can issue a letter of recommendation to
PRT, but the strongest voice will be the people advocating keeping the route. There will be an additional public comment segment
soon, and it was suggested to monitor the PRT website for additional
information. The borough will also post the information on the borough’s
website.
Pittsburghers
for public transit is another non-profit organization that is getting
information out there.
11.
Old
Business
-
A
resident addressed some concerns regarding the speed limits in the borough.
There appears to be a total disregard for the speed on Fairmont Avenue. The speeding
goes on as people proceed into Trafford Borough (Ex: 5th Street,
Route 993, Veterans Bridge). The resident asked if road bumps have ever been
considered to help prevent speeding?
Councilmember
Cardiff stated that the speed sign is utilized in many locations around the borough
and presents feedback to help. The presence of winter where we live makes it
difficult to utilize speed bumps.
Mayor
Llewellyn stated that when the data from the speed sign is reviewed, after we
hear complaints stating a motorist was going 60 mph, that isn’t what the data
shows. The highest speed recorded is 45 to 50 mph. The mayor stated that 70% of
the data shows motorists proceeding into the borough going under the speed
limit.
Guest
Speaker Ed Grant from Penn Township Ambulance arrived to give his presentation.
Ed
Grant provided a report on the ambulance services for 2024. Below is some
information from that report.
·
The overall call volume breakdown where services are
provided: 73% Penn Twp, 15% Trafford Borough, 8% Manor Borough, 1% Penn Borough,
3% in other municipalities.
·
Trafford Manor was visited 132 times for 911 calls.
·
The average response time across the response areas
is 9 minutes.
Mr.
Grant stated that Trafford Borough provides funding each year to Penn Twp
Ambulance and that funding helps cover the cost of insurance and gives the
ability to fund programs (Safe sitter, CPR training, etc.) Mr. Grant encouraged
participation of support in the form of an annual contribution in the amount of
$45.00 for emergency management services.
-
A
resident asked how they could sign up to donate.
Mr.
Grant replied that anyone can visit the website to sign up or by calling the
ambulance station. That concluded the presentation.
12.
Adjournment
a.
Motion
to Adjourn: Councilmember Perovich
b.
Second:
Councilmember Bayko
c.
Discussion:
No discussion
d.
Vote:
5, 0, 2 (Absent)
Respectfully
Submitted,
Nina
Mulnix
Borough
Secretary