Borough Council

MEETING MINUTES FOLCROFT BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING HELD JANUARY 18, 2022 Location: 1555 Elmwood Avenue, Folcroft PA 19032 PRESIDENT – Council Vice President Leigh Daly called the meeting to order at 7:00pm Mayor DiCicco led the Flag Salute and Invocation. Roll Call (Council President Papaleo was absent, Councilmember Nicholas Waters was absent, Councilmember Leigh Daly was present, Councilmember Tawana Grayson was present, Councilmember Malinda Isaac was present, Councilmember Lorna Fyffe was present, Councilmember Stephen Ropski was present, Mayor Franny DiCicco was present, Solicitor Alex Baumler attended virtually, Secretary/Manager Andrew Hayman) was present. Audience Participation Ms. Sharon Kennedy – 1831 Elmwood Ave – said that people speed on her street and that she has an 18 year old child with autism. Ms. Kennedy said she believes there should be speed bumps on her street. She said that cars even get close to her when she’s on her grass. Chief Bair said that the area required medium enforcement and that the Borough would coordinate with Glenolden when it gets warmer to do a joint traffic study. Ms. Daly said that it was complicated because of the municipal boundaries. Chief Bair said that the State Police could be brought in to do some enforcement. Ms. Catania said that for this very reason a study had been done. Ms. Daly said that once a study is done vehicles will slow down. Chief Bair describe which section of the roadway has more trouble with speeding. Mr. Bair said that Glenolden had done timing previously but was unaware if this had continued and suggested more signage. Ms. Kennedy asked for deer crossing signs as well. Mr. Ropski said that he gets them on his property as well. Ms. Daly said this had been discussed before and planned to work on the matter. Ms. Daly said she was confident the Boroughs could work together on the matter. Engineer’s Report Ms. Catania asked if members had a copy of her report and said it was just notes that instichuform woud began the sanitary sewer rehab project on Monday. Ms. Catania said all affected properties would be notified and asked that it be sent out on code red. Ms. Catania said that there might be smoke coming from the sanitary sewer because of smoke testing and noted that while it had been done previously the area could be affected again. Ms. Catania said this testing was used to check where leaks area in the sanitary sewer system. Ms. Catania said that she sent two applications for CDBG funding and that there was a ratification of a resolution on the agenda for tonight. Ms. Catania noted that there was a concept plan design for the entrance plan for Montgomery Park. Ms. Daly said that employee Shawn Payne was excited about the entrance plan. Ms. Catania said that she though councilmembers had received some notification from the County planning department for the contract for the Greenways Grant. Ms. Catania said that the Borough needs to execute this contract and then to begin surveywork for the outdoor classroom project. Ms. Catania said that the appraisal for the replacement property for the LWCF and that the application for this had almost been completed and would be sent to Harrisburg. Ms. Catania said that she had become aware for Grant opportunities that the Borough could become eligible for if the problems are lifted. Ms. Catania said that she hoped that the remaining funding for the amphitheater project could be obtained. Ms. Catania said she hoped that the Borough could get DCNR funding. Lastly, Ms. Catania said that the Popeyes project is winding down and that a grand opening would likely be shortly. Ms. Catania said she did complete a plan review of the 7/11 project and hopefully this would be ready for recording shortly. Ms. Daly asked if the property behind the Dollar General was being worked on and asked the status. Ms. Catania said that first the basin had to be redone and that new pipe had been installed. Ms. Catania said there would be more seepage into the soccer fields if it was not working properly. Ms. Catania said that the Borough was still holding escrow funding for this project. Ms. Catania said that Lee Brahin, owner of the property, would like to put approximately 20 townhouses on the site and that last time this was discussed residents were upset by it. Ms. Catania said she had not received any new information about this plan. Ms. Daly said she was aware that this was for hard for the school to maintain but was not certain if this was still a problem. Ms. Catania said the water table is usually high in January and that’s when the problems typically occur. Ms. Daly said this was probably not a bad sign. Public Finance & Administration - Mr. Papaleo • Ms. Fyffe made a motion to approve the bill list for the month of December, 2021. Mr. Ropski seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. • Mr. Ropski made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s report for the month of December, 2021. Ms. Isaac seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. • Ms. Grayson made a motion to approve the December 7 th 2021 and December 21st 2021 Council Meeting Minutes and Ms. Isaac seconded. The motion passed unanimously. • Mr. Ropski made a motion to appoint Carole Papaleo to chair the vacancy board. Ms. Fyffe seconded this motion. The motion passed unanimously. • Councilmembers discussed a recommendation policy. Manager Hayman said that this was currently not an issue but it might be helpful to be able to have some clarity as to how recommendations would be made. Manager Hayman said that only Council could approve recommendation letters and that staff could only confirm employment history. Ms. Fyffe made a motion to approve the new Borough recommendation policy and Mr. Ropski seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. • Ratify a resolution approving the 2022 CDBG application. Mr. Ropski made the motion and Ms. Grayson seconded. The motion passed unanimously. • Discuss an amended 2022 meeting schedule. Manager Hayman said that there had been an error on the list that was sent out however the Borough calendar was accurate. Mr. Ropski made a motion to approve the amended 2022 calendar and Ms. Grayson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. • Members addressed the previously tabled discussion of making Denise DiPasquale a part-time employee. Ms. Daly said that her opinion was that a part time employee was a bad idea and having one full time employee was a better choice. Ms. Fyffe said she agreed with this. Ms. Daly said that she spends time in the office and having two separate employees would be confusing. A motion to deny the request making Denise DiPasquale a part time employee was made by Council. Mr. Ropski made the motion and Ms. Fyffe seconded. The motion passed unanimously. • Discuss PSAB training for councilmembers. Mr. Hayman noted that there were several training opportunities offered by PSAB to councilmembers including newly elected municipal elected boot camp in Delaware County. Ms. Daly said she and Ms. Isaac went previously and it was very helpful and explained what the boot camp was like. Ms. Fyffe, Ms. Grayson and Mayor DiCicco expressed interest. A motion to approve $375 for PSAB training for councilmembers was made by Ms. Fyffe and seconded by Ms. Grayson. The motion passed unanimously. • Consider an updated salary resolution for 2022 was discussed. Mr. Hayman said he became aware that more detail was needed on the 2022 salary resolution and that all salaries listed were already reflected in the budget. A motion to approve an updated salary resolution for 2022 was made by Ms. Grayson and seconded by Mr. Ropski. The motion passed unanimously. • Members considered an Act 537 Resolution. Ms. Catania said that the act 537 is a planning tool and said this is specifically a sewage plan. Ms. Catania said that because the sewer system is being updated there must be an Act 537 update for the Eastern Service Area which Folcroft is part of. Ms. Catania said this plan has been out for public comment related to long term control and management is discussed and explained some of the options being considered noting that there are four options. Ms. Catania said that there has been a spike in sanitary sewer fees due to some of these concerns including a 12% increase this year although this project will make that plateau. Ms. Catania said that this project would begin in 2024 and the important thing is to update the 537 plan resolution by council. A motion to approve an Act 537 plan resolution was made by Ms. Fyffe and seconded by Mr. Ropski. The motion passed unanimously. • Consider approving $4,200 for a property assessment was discussed. Ms. Daly said that this was for an assessment of the swim club property. Mr. Hayman said that this assessment was for green space and that the acquisition of this space could allow the Borough to become compliant with the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Ms. Daly explained that this is just appropriating $4,200 to find the value of the property. Ms. Daly said that this was not to purchase the swim club but just the area around the pool. Ms. Grayson asked if this was to build on the land or sell it. Ms. Daly said that this was for green space with the idea of a trail or something else. Ms. Grayson said this was needed. A motion to approve $4,200 for a property assessment was made by Ms. Grayson and seconded by Ms. Fyffe. The motion passed unanimously. Public Works - Ms. Grayson • Ms. Grayson discussed inlet repairs. Ms. Grayson said she would allow Manager Hayman to explain. Manager Hayman deferred to engineer Lisa Catania. Ms. Catania said there are two inlets in extremely poor shape which need to be replaced although there were others as well although she said that there were others across the borough and it would be better not to do them peacemeal. Ms. Catania said she would just need to measure the inlet and that the design had already been completed. Ms. Catania said that these are a new style of inlet and the design had been completed and it would be liquid fuels eligible. Ms. Catania said this could be part of the Borough’s road program and it would better than continually approving these repairs as. Manager Hayman asked if ARPA funding could be used. Ms. Catania said that it could. Public Safety– Mr. Waters • Motion to approve the Police Chief’s Report for the month of December, 2021 Ms. Daly and seconded by Mr. Ropski. The motion passed unanimously. • Motion to approve the Fire Chief’s Report for the month of December, 2021 was made by Ms. Grayson and seconded by Mr. Ropski. The motion passed unanimously. • Motion to approve the Fire Marshall’s Report for the month of December, 2021 was made by Mr. Ropski and seconded by Ms. Fyffe. The motion passed unanimously. • Members discussed part-time officers hourly wages. Chief Bair said that right now part-time officers are getting $19 per hour and that raises did not continue for 2020 as there was no extension with the previous administration. Chief Bair said that neighboring towns were offering $20 and $23.50 by their third year and noted that other municipalities get incremental raises. Mr. Bair said that many people do not even want to be Police Officers today but that morale is high and officers are high quality. Ms. Daly said that Chick-fil-A is paying about as much. Manager Hayman asked if a Memorandum Of Understanding would be appropriate. Chief Bair said that this might be worthwhile but it did not need to be done immediately but that he just asked that it be discussed. Ms. McMenamin said she would evaluate the cost. Chief Bair said there are currently 7 part time officers and that many have applied to other departments. Mr. Bair said that some officers are part time in other municipalities and make more money in those municipalities so they cannot prioritize Folcroft. Mr. Bair said that ideally all officers would be full time but this could not be done financially. Ms. Daly said this conversation should be had. Public Health and Literacy - Ms. Fyffe • Ms. Fyffe discussed appropriating $300 for three months of weekly yoga classes to Danielle Neathery. Ms. Fyffe said that previously Ms. Neathery gets $50 per week for the sessions based on donations. Ms. Fyffe said that Ms. Neathery had only received $30 on average. Ms. Daly asked how many residents had attended. Ms. Fyffe said that between 5 and 7 and clarified how long this would be for, saying these were for one hour sessions. Ms. Daly said this should come out of the recreation budget and advised that it would be a worthwhile expense. Ms. Daly asked Solicitor Baumler if this could come directly out of the budget. Mr. Baumler said a motion on the record was safe. Ms. Fyffe made a motion to appropriate $300 for 3 months of yoga classes to Danielle Neathery. Seconded by Mr. Ropski. The motion passed unanimously. Public Parks and Recreation – Ms. Daly • Ms. Daly discussed centennial celebration t-shirts. Ms. Daly said that members had received centennial shirt designs. Ms. Daly said that both styles can be done and it would not be an issue so there needed to be no choosing between them. Ms. Daly said that the price decreased as the number of shirts increased. Ms. Daly said that she did not believe she could get a cheaper price. Ms. Daly said that with permission she would like an order for some amount. Municipal Ordinances and Code Enforcement – Mr. Ropski • Mr. Ropski discussed hiring a part-time weekend code enforcer. Mr. Ropski said that he has been driving around on weekends and he’s seeing a lot of work done without a permit. ANDREW ENTER. MS. Daly said that if the Borough wants enforcement on the weekend there needs to be a part time enforcer. Ms. Grayson asked if this was to hire someone to drive around the neighborhood to look for work. Ms. Grayson asked if this was going to be part time or seasonal. Ms. Grayson said that she though more work was done from Spring to Fall. Mr. Ropski said that at 7:30am last weekend he found a roof being torn off of a house and that the work was being done without a permit. Mr. Ropski said that this is being done a lot. Mr. Ropski said that Brian Razzi had come and checked the work as a favor. Mr. Ropski made a motion to advertise a part time code enforcer. Ms. Grayson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Municipal Planning and Borough Beautification – Ms. Isaac Ms. Isaac had no new business. New Building – Ms. Grayson • Ms. Grayson discussed advertising an RCO to be voted on at the 2/1 Council Meeting. Ms. Grayson explained that this was just the advertising the project. Manager Hayman explained briefly what an RCO is. Mr. Baumler said that Borough Council had wanted to ensure that local trades and union labor were involved in the building of Borough Hall and stimulating the local economy. Mr. Baumler said that project labor agreements are neither legal nor illegal with some appeal actions but that the matter was unsettled. Mr. Baumler said that these agreements were unfair to firms that do not use union labor. Mr. Baumler said he recommended the more secure, legal method by ensuring that the project would be awarded to union labor. Mr. Baumler said that these were time tested through courts and no worry about litigation. Mr. Baumler said first this ordinance passes responsibility on to contracts but tests them to see if they are able to complete projects in various areas and has a requirement that any contractor needs an apprentice training program for any project. Mr. Baumler said that on one item Mr. Baumler set the threshold at $100,000 for a project meaning anything above this amount would require an RCO. Mr. Baumler said that this was the happy medium and the lowest he has ever seen was $50,000. Mr. Baumler said it might be worth entertaining a higher number due to the price increase. Mr. Baumler said that this would require a contractor to have all of their licenses including bonding and other matters and cannot have been disbarred from lending authorities or other projects in several years including criminal activities. Mr. Baumler suggested approving Mr. Baumler’s office to advertise this ordinance and post it and then approve it in it’s final form on February 1 st kicking off the chain of events to build borough hall with awarding bids from March to April, April to May for contracts and certifications with breaking ground in June hopefully but with a bit of extra time if needed. Ms. Grayson made a motion to advertise an RCO. Mr. Ropski seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Driveways and Parking Permits – Ms. Daly Ms. Daly had no new business to discuss. Police Chief’s Report Chief Bair said that right now the Borough is low on part-timers with two having been approved for work today and another within the next few days, leading to three new part timers. Mr. Bair said they were approved by MOPEC – the state police commission. Mr. Bair said that one part-time officer, Officer Graham, had a child over the weekend and would be out for some time. Solicitor’s Report Mr. Baumler said he had no business to report. Finance Director’s Report Ms. McMenamin said that she is coordinating for the 2020 and 2021 Audits with a team scheduled to start at the end of January with any requests. Borough Manager’s Report Manager Hayman provided a report about current activities in the Borough related to Code Enforcement statistics, Highway Department activities, COVID 19 including a major surge in cases experienced across the region and provided updates on the number of parking permits issued. There was no old or new business. A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Ropski and seconded by Ms. Grayson at 8:04pm. The motion passed unanimously.