City Council

Borough of Beaver, PA Council Meeting August 10, 2021 Minutes • A regular scheduled meeting of Beaver Borough Council was held in the Community Room and was called to order on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 7:00 PM by Council President, Sean Snowden. • Council Representatives in attendance: Frank Bovalino, Michael Deelo, Chris King, Margaret McKean, Jim Perini, Alex Sebastian, and Sean Snowden. Borough officials in attendance: Mayor Thomas Hamilton, Solicitor Garen Fedeles, Borough Manager/Chief of Police Dan Madgar, Borough Secretary Debbie Hindman, and Sergeant Ken McCoy. Absent: Alexander Andres and Adam Rathbun. • Visitors in attendance (signed in): Cheryl Hansen, Nicholas Vercilla, Rick Sprecker, Robert Rice and Jim Todd. Approval of minutes Motion by Mr. Deelo to accept the July 13, 2021 Council Meeting minutes and the July 27, 2021 Work Session minutes. Seconded by Mr. Sebastian. Voice vote passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report –  Financial report included in Council packet.  Mr. Madgar – Mr. Kennedy has begun preliminary drafts of the 2022 budget and encouraged Council members to reach out to him if they have any questions.  Mr. Bovalino – Asked where the COVID-19 disaster relief funds of $232,000 were placed in the budget. o Mr. Madgar – The funds should be in the Capital Fund and was a typo on the financial report. Will confirm with Mr. Kennedy and get an answer to Council. Review invoice and authorization to pay bills Motion by Mr. Sebastian to authorize and pay submitted invoices for the Borough. Seconded by Ms. King. Voice vote passed unanimously. Public Participation – None Reports – Commissions / Authorities Council of Governments (COG) – No report Civil Service Commission – Reported by Mr. Todd  August 3, 2021 draft meeting minutes included in Council Packet.  7 applications were turned in, 2 of the applicants were disqualified so 5 of the applicants will move forward in the testing process. The physical agility test will be held next, located at the high school. Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) – No report August 10, 2021 Page 1 Planning Commission – No report Tree Commission – No report Code Enforcement Officer Report – Reported by Mr. Sprecker  Discussed July 2021 report enclosed in Council Packet.  38 properties had no water usage last month, could be families on vacation or homes under renovation but would like to track how many vacant homes are in town.  Ms. King – Would like to discuss the pros and cons of a vacancy tax. o Mr. Madgar – Vacancy tax has been discussed at a previous meeting and recalls that the Borough Solicitor advised against it. Will review past meeting minutes and provide the Solicitor’s original response to Council. o Mr. Snowden – Will discuss at Work Session. Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) – Reported by Mr. Rice  Will be discussing recommendations regarding the Historic Preservation Plan at their next scheduled meeting.  Reaching out to the Heritage Foundation to see if a booth can be set up during Garrison Day to discuss the Historic Preservation Plan with residents and distribute more information.  Ms. McKean – Asked if a motion was going to be made to approve the Historic Preservation Plan. o Mr. Perini – Initially was going to sponsor a motion but after discussions decided to withdraw to allow HARB more time to reach out and educate residents on the drafted plan and hold a public meeting. This way, more feedback can be received from the public. o Ms. McKean – Asked if there was a deadline set. o Mr. Rice – HARB will have an article submitted in time for the next Beaver Life magazine.  Mr. Snowden – Would like clarification on what HARB’s goals are with these plans. o Mr. Rice – The plan is awaiting feedback on two separate documents. One document drafts the Historic Preservation Plan as a recommendation process, the other addresses new ordinance development.  Mr. Madgar – Council should consider the administrative impact this will have on the Borough.  Mr. Bovalino – Council is to determine if the Historic Preservation Plan will be used as a recommendation or written as an ordinance.  Ms. McKean – When discussed with the public, the possibility of ordinances should be addressed. Residents will be unhappy if Council later proceeds with an ordinance if it isn’t clear from the outset that it is a possibility.  Mr. Madgar – Suggested that an article be put in the Beaver Life magazine and information of the recommendations be included on the permit applications that would direct them to contact HARB.  Mr. Rice – HARB will establish a date to hold a public meeting to discuss the Historic Preservation Plan and will post the documents online for residents to view. August 10, 2021 Page 2 Municipal Authority – Reported by Mr. Deelo  July 21, 2021 Municipal Authority meeting minutes enclosed in Council Packet.  Municipal Authority Engineer mid-June 2021 through mid-July 2021 report included in Council Packet.  There is currently one vacancy on the Municipal Authority board. o The Municipal Authority expects to have a recommendation for the vacancy to Borough Council after their next scheduled meeting. Council will have the final say on who will fill the vacancy. o Mr. Madgar – Are two councilmembers required to be on the Municipal Authority?  Mr. Deelo – No, two councilmembers on the Municipal Authority is permissible but not required.  Mr. Perini – Asked that this be looked into further, also thought two councilmembers needed to be on the board.  Discussed ongoing request from DEP to install an air monitor. The initial requested location was near a recreational area so the Municipal Authority suggested an alternate location and DEP agreed. Currently in the final stages of creating an agreement with DEP. Council Committee Reports Shaw Park/Pool – Reported by Mr. Bovalino  Report from Pool Committee meeting on July 26, 2021 included Council Packet.  5 members of the committee attended the Car Cruise to distribute information.  Donations have bee received and deposited into the 5013C account. A total amount of donations will be given to Council. Reports Manager’s/Police Report – Reported by Mr. Madgar  Reviewed Borough Manager report provided in council packet.  Have received 4 bids for paving project, opening on August 19, 2021. A recommendation will be brought before Council to approve at the September Council Meeting. o Ms. McKean – Asked if the COVID-19 Disaster Relief Funds will be used for streets in need of sewage/stormwater updates. Does not want these streets to be recently paved and then need torn up to make updates. Asked that these areas needing updates be noted. o Mr. Madgar – Agreed that these streets will be prioritized and that some of these funds may need to be used for the pipeline repair under the railroad.  Met with Railroad after they contacted the Borough in reference to a pipeline that needs repaired at the end of Buffalo Street. Mr. Martone will be reaching out to a specialist to gather more information and have them look at the line. The line in need of repair is located on Municipal Authority property. Will keep Council updated.  Met with Mr. Renninger to finalize items for the upcoming concert this weekend.  Recapped the Car Cruise with Council. There were no issues, all went well. August 10, 2021 Page 3  Athletic Director from High School contacted Borough requesting to use Shaw Park for football practices due to construction. The park is expected to be used Monday – Thursday, for approximately 8 weeks. o Requested to be listed as Additional Insured on insurance.  Clark Park o Wilson Restoration is still awaiting on materials. o Met with lighting company and Ms. Lonnett-Roman regarding the landscaping to give recommendations. o Will also clean up landscaping along Buffalo Street, between Third and Fourth Street.  Mr. Martone will be making a short presentation at the next Work Session regarding storm water education and the impacts to the community. This is a requirement for the Borough MS4 Permit. President’s Report – Reported by Mr. Snowden  Commended everyone that played a part in the Car Cruise planning, day of, and post clean-up.  Ms. McKean – Asked if the Borough received any funds from the Car Cruise. o Mr. Madgar – A donation will be made to Friends of Beaver Parks, that will benefit parks in Beaver. Mayor Hamilton – No report Police Department – No report Fire Department – No report Emergency Management Coordinator – No report Borough Engineer and Borough Municipal Authority Engineer – No report Solicitor Report – No report Motions Motion – Columbia Gas Reimbursement & Release Agreement Motion by Mr. Bovalino, I move that Beaver Borough Council accept the attached Reimbursement and Release Agreement with Columbia Gas reimbursing the Borough 75% of actual expenses on the road restorations as listed in the Agreement. Seconded by Ms. King. Voice vote passed unanimously. Motion to adjourn by Ms. King. Seconded by Mr. Perini. Voice vote passed unanimously. Adjourned at 7:45 PM Submitted by Rebecca Phillips August 10, 2021 Page 4