City Council

Borough of Beaver, PA Council Meeting February 9, 2021 Minutes • A regular scheduled meeting of Beaver Borough Council was held remotely on Zoom due to COVID- 19 social distancing restrictions. Meeting was called to order on February 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM by Council President Sean Snowden. • Council Representatives in attendance: Alexander Andres, Frank Bovalino, Michael Deelo, Margaret McKean, Jim Perini (7:03 PM), Adam Rathbun and Sean Snowden. Borough officials in attendance: Mayor Tom Hamilton, Solicitor Garen Fedeles, Borough Manager/Chief of Police Dan Madgar, Borough Secretary Debbie Hindman and Officer Ken McCoy. Absent: Chris King and Alex Sebastian • Visitors in attendance: Janice LaRue, Robert and Carole Snider, Whitney Conjeski, Rick Sprecker and Midge Sefton. Approval of minutes Motion by Mr. Bovalino to accept the January 12, 2021 Council meeting minutes and the January 26, 2021 Work Session minutes. Seconded by Mr. Deelo. Voice vote passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report –  January 2021 end of month reports and balances reviewed.  Reports will be filed for annual audit. Review invoice and authorization to pay bills Motion by Mr. Rathbun to authorize and pay submitted invoices for the Borough. Seconded by Mr. Deelo. Voice vote passed unanimously. Public Participation –  Janice LaRue, 1199 6th Street – Attending the meeting to listen to updates and details regarding the pool. Indicated that she did watch the pool/Shaw Park video on the Borough website. o Mr. Snowden – Any questions or comments regarding the pool/Shaw Park updates can be submitted on the Borough website. Submissions will be responded to by the Council Pool Committee members.  Discussions regarding pool funding will be held at the next Work Session, February 23, 2021.  Robert Snider, 1175 7th Street – Complimented the pool/Shaw Park video provided on Borough website. Asked when the Borough would be accepting feedback. o Ms. Hindman – Currently accepting feedback on Borough website, will also be asking for feedback in next Borough magazine. February 9, 2021 Page 1 Reports – Commissions / Authorities Council of Governments (COG) – Reported by Mr. Andres  January 2021 report enclosed in council packet.  Discussed upcoming property reassessment. Civil Service Commission – No report Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) – Reported by Ms. Hindman  Last three variance requests have been approved. Planning Commission –  December 21, 2020 draft minutes enclosed in council packet. Tree Commission – No report Code Enforcement Officer Report –  January 2021 report from Code Enforcement Officer enclosed in council packet. Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) – No report Municipal Authority –  Reviewed January 2021 meeting minutes included in council packet.  Municipal Authority Engineer mid-December 2020 through mid-January 2021 report enclosed in packet. Council Committee Reports Pool/Shaw Park – Reported by Mr. Bovalino  Committee is currently discussing financing and grant options.  Will be putting information out to residents through Borough magazine and utilizing businesses in town.  Mr. Perini – Reviewed drafted letter to send to Borough residents regarding a tax increase to fund the pool.  Mr. Madgar – Discussed how much it would cost the Borough to send out a letter/insert to each resident by mail. Money can be saved by putting the information in the Borough Magazine and utilizing social media. o Ms. Hindman – Wording from proposed letter can be put into the magazine and on social media. o Ms. McKean – In favor of putting information regarding the pool in the magazine, asked if something can be added to the front cover. February 9, 2021 Page 2   Ms. Hindman – Will reach out to Pacer’s to see if a blurb can be put on the front cover.  Solicitor Fedeles – There are no current funds reserved to fund the pool/Shaw Park. If a Recreation Tax would be put in place, the funds could only be used for the pool/Shaw Park and put into a separate account (not the general fund account).  Ms. McKean – Asked if the existing baby pool would be able to be utilized to save money. o Mr. Andres – This was looked into but due to its condition, it will not be salvageable.  Ms. McKean – Would like to set up a virtual meeting with DCNR to discuss potential grant options o Mr. Snowden – Financing will be discussed at the next Work Session o Mr. Rathbun – Shaw Park may be able to be funded through grants since it could be considered a separate project from the pool. o Ms. McKean – DCNR could potentially help fund the bathhouse since it is a historic structure. DCNR grant window closes mid-April. o Mr. Bovalino – Financing should be in place before the Borough would submit for a grant. o Mr. Madgar – Discussed potential pavilion updates and if funding could be provided by grants. Updates to the pavilion could bring revenue into the Borough. Would surrounding communities help support these projects financially or writing a letter for a grant?  Mr. Andres – Will reach out to surrounding communities asking for support. Public Safety / Code Enforcement – No report Finance – No report Highways – No report General Government – No report Recreation – Reported by Ms. McKean  Borough’s submission for Clark Park grant made it through the first cut of applications.  Will send out engineer’s report to Council regarding the Water Lot. Reports Manager’s/Police Report – Reported by Mr. Madgar  Asked for Council’s feedback regarding a resident’s letter requesting their tax penalty be waived. o Solicitor Fedeles – Does not recommend that Council waive the penalty, could cause problems in the future. o Mr. Snowden – Suggested that Council the Solicitor’s advice. February 9, 2021 Page 3  Pool/Shaw Park virtual presentation has approximately 850 views on social media and 184 views on the Borough website.  Read e-mail received by Dr. Carrie Rowe requesting that Council members direct any questions to the superintendent rather than reaching out to teachers. Teachers do not always know of all projects/events being planned within the school district. o Ms. McKean – Will reach out to Dr. Rowe regarding parking at high school for the pool.  Mr. Rathbun – Does not want to rely on the school for parking, as they have their own projects, construction, events, etc.  Mr. Snowden – Does not think that parking at the high school would be utilized by residents going to the pool. This parking lot is too far away from the pool and would not solve parking issues on 7th Street. President’s Report – Reported by Mr. Snowden  Thanked Borough Highway Department for keeping roads safe, plowed and salted during the harsh weather last week.  Thanked Borough Police Officers for their work with the accidents associated with the bad weather. o Mr. Andres – Asked how Council Members should respond to residents who ask questions about accidents/investigations in town. o Officer McCoy – Direct residents to contact the Police Department with any questions they may have and an Officer will be able to assist them. Mayor Hamilton –  Thanked Highway Department and local business owners for their snow removal last week. Fire Department – Reported by Mr. Perini  Annual 5K race will be canceled. This event is typically a big fundraiser for the Department but they are currently looking in to alternatives  Concerned about determining a location for the Fire Department to conduct weekly trainings. o Mr. Madgar – Fire Department will need to work with Municipal Authority and Engineer to determine safest location for trainings. Emergency Management Coordinator – No report Borough Engineer and Borough Municipal Authority Engineer –  Borough Engineer January 2021 report included in packet. Solicitor Report – No report February 9, 2021 Page 4 Motions Motion – Extend Traffic Detail Agreement with Shell Chemical Motion by Mr. Andres, I move that Beaver Borough Council approve an extension of the agreement with Shell Chemical to continue to provide traffic control support through the Police Department through December 31, 2021. All other provisions of the agreement will remain the same. Seconded by Mr. Bovalino. Voice vote passed unanimously. Motion to adjourn by Ms. McKean. Seconded by Mr. Rathbun. Voice vote passed unanimously. Adjourned at 8:13PM. Submitted by Rebecca Phillips February 9, 2021 Page 5