Borough Council

MEETING MINUTES FOLCROFT BOROUGH COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING MARCH 1, 2022 LOCATION: 1555 Elmwood Ave, Folcroft PA 19032 PRESIDENT – Joseph Papaleo: Called the Council Meeting to order at 7:00 PM Mayor: Flag Salute and Invocation. Council President Papaleo observed a moment of silence for the people of Ukraine Roll Call (Council President Papaleo was present, 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. Dawn Andonian at 537 Crotzer Ave said that she had discussed this matter with her neighbor putting gazebos on her deck. Ms. Andonian said that two weeks ago her husband was outside and the gazebo slammed into her property while he was there. Ms. Andonian said that the neighbor dragged the broken gazebo onto her property after the neighbor was not responsive. Ms. Andonian felt that the neighbor still did not understand that the gazebo needed to be bolted to the deck and that the owner – an LLC – was disinterested in fixing it. Ms. Andonian was concerned that the neighbor would put another gazebo on it. Ms. Andonian said that she believed that in the future, gazebos should be considered outdoor structures by code and mentioned a potential fire hazard. Ms. Andonian said that she does not believe that the neighbor understands and said she was sorry for using a curse word during the confrontation. Ms. Andonian characterized the incident as willful negligence. Ms. Andonian reported 30 foot high bamboo which she characterized as abnormally high and a violation. Mr. Ropski asked if the bamboo was coming onto her property. Ms. Andonian said that it was and it was a constant problem. Ms. Petty asked Ms. Andonian’s address and said she would look into the ordinance to confirm what could be done here. Mr. Papaloe asked Mr. Baumler what could be done here. Mr. Baumler said that the Borough would have to look into the zoning ordinance to see if these are permitted, accessory uses depending on the terms of the zoning ordinance already although he doubted this specific language was already in the ordinance. Mr. Baumler said that the Borough can regulate this through the zoning code and the Borough would have to do an overhaul if the language is not in the law already. Ms. Andonian said she believe it was not. Mr. Baumler said that he suggested the resident contact the property owner and if not, have someone contact the LLC to make a claim against the insurance if needed. Members discussed with Ms. Andonian about what could potentially happen in the future. Mr. Julius Monger from 2119 Valley View Drive said that his neighbor is in 2117 Valley View Drive and that his house has been empty for some time. Mr. Monger said that he usually clean snow from the neighbor’s property when it snows. Mr. Monger said that when parking permits were implemented he sometimes parks a vehicle at this address. Today, Mr. Monger said he received a ticket for an abandoned vehicle on the property. Manager Hayman said he believed this might be for having the vehicle parked on grass but he was unsure and asked Mr. Monger to say after the meeting so they could discuss the matter. Ms. Natasha White of 2053 Kent Rd in Folcroft thanked Council for conditional approval but that she said that she signed her lease in January of 2021 and then later she found that there were several issues in the building like plumbing. Ms. White said that her unit did not have air conditioning or heating for many months. Ms. White said that she has been trying to get into her business for a year and she did not understand fully. Ms. White said that an orange sticker was emplaced on her door on December 18 th and explained the process and that her architect came from the landlord. Ms. White said that now the landlord is harassing her for rent money although she said this was not council’s issue. Ms. White said that the property was in great shape when she had everything put together and that she was running her business professionally and things were going well and that there were five police reports and she is looking for a temporary occupancy license to run her business. Ms. White said she does not have a job and has not received unemployment and asked council for a temporary occupancy. Manager Hayman presented a file with documentation about this property and explained that Ms. White has been caught on five occasions by Folcroft Police hosting events that she was not permitted to host. Mr. Hayman said that the Police and Folcroft Code noted individuals using drugs and urinating in the parking lot. Ms. White denied the allegations. Public Finance & Administration - Mr. Papaleo • Mr. Papaleo said that he didn’t have anything official on the agenda but he did bring in our finance director to discuss ARPA funding to submit projects and to get Council ahead of the curve. Mr. Baumler said that this could be addressed now and not under new business. Ms. Stilwell said that the Borough can submit to the Government under the final ruling that the money could be used for lost revenue. Manager Hayman said he had not received an email yet but he would check the old manager’s email. Ms. Stilwell said that the money can be used for the provision of fire, police and the purchase of police vehicles and firetrucks so the funds could be allocated that way. Mr. Papaleo said that he did extend hazard pay to officers and the new funds could be used for administrative services. Ms. Stilwell said she wanted to make sure that the information was all on the same page and that the money would be approved. Ms. Daly said that parks and recreation spent more money because she had gone over budget because of some crafts and asked if this could qualify. Ms. Stilwell said this really simplified the process and the Borough would not be subject to an audit as it was under $750,000. Mr. Papaleo asked if a motion of Council of was needed. A motion to empower Manager Hayman to indicate that the ARPA funds designated in 2021 and 2022 would be utilized as lost revenue recuperation and to empower the Borough Treasurer to draw up the allocations are spent correctly. Ms. Daly made the motion and Ms. Fyffe seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Public Works - Ms. Grayson • Ms. Grayson discussed the Borough Garden. Ms. Grayson said that she had come up with a plan for the garden and that four by eight 20 inch boxes and elevated boxes from the votech students for residents with back problems would be installed. Ms. Grayson said that she would get rain barrels as well and that street sweeping water could also be used. Ms. Grayson explained where the garden would be located. Ms. Grayson said that she would like a banner for the garden that would provide information and that she has a meeting with a resident about soil as well. Ms. Grayson asked for an appropriation of $2,200 for the project as wood is currently expensive. Mr. Papaleo asked where the street sweeping water came from. Ms. Stilwell confirmed that the funds are available for this project. Mr. Papaleo and Ms. Grayson discussed how rain barrels work. Mr. Papaleo said he was very interested in this. A motion to approve a $2,200 expense to fund the Folcroft community garden was made by Ms. Grayson and seconded by Ms. Daly. The motion passed unanimously. Public Safety– Mr. Waters • Mr. Papaleo considered hiring Christopher Dougherty as a part-time Police officer. Mr. Papaleo said this was mentioned in a previous meeting and that this was since discussed and that the issues involved seem to have been resolved. Mr. Papaleo said that given the shortage of labor he wanted to present again a motion to hire Mr. Dougherty. A motion to hire Christopher Doughtery as a part time police officer was made by Mr. Ropski and seconded by Ms. Fyffe. The motion passed unanimously. Public Health and Literacy - Ms. Fyffe • Ms. Fyffe discussed installing a digital message board at the library. Ms. Fyffe said this would also be for the Borough and not the Library. Mr. Ropski said that this would be similar to the signage on Chester Pike. Mr. Hayman confirmed that the cost could be $30,000 easily for the project. Ms. Petty said it could potentially be purchased with CDBG funds. Members expressed their interest in the project and potential uses. Ms. Fyffe suggested a cheaper project. Mr. Papaleo said that he did not want to do this twice. Mr. Baumler said that he believed this would need to be bid out and that the cheapest version he has ever seen was $20,000. Mr. Baumler said council could direct Mr. Hayman to solicit for quotes. Ms. Grayson thanked Chief Bair for a positive discussion about diversifying the Borough Police Department as she knew that this was a major prerogative of Council. Ms. Grayson said that the plan was to hire more women and people of color. Public Parks and Recreation – Ms. Daly • Ms. Daly discussed getting the Folcroft Historical Society up and running. Ms. Daly said that the Borough does not currently have a current historic commission and asked Mr. Hayman to look into the matter. Ms. Daly suggested that Mr. Papaleo look into this as he is a history buff and this is a centennial year. Ms. Daly said that nobody in the community is taking this seriously. Ms. Daly said the Borough should purchase a membership to the local Historical Society which would be $50. Ms. Dalys said there was a lot of information about the Borough on file as well. Ms. Daly gave examples of items that could be visible for residents. Residents from the Horne Farmhouse noted that they have received many requests for information about their home Ms. Daly said she thought this was important and that the Borough should be proud of it’s history. • Ms. Daly said the Easter Egg Hunt flyers are up and printed and that the event will be held on Saturday April 9th. Ms. Daly said the event would be in the library field but potentially for the final time as the new Borough Hall is being built. In the future Ms. Daly said it could be at Montgomery Park. • Ms. Daly said the Juneteenth event would be in Montgomery Park on June 18 th and that the Borough has food trucks and other vendors and is seeking story tellers, moon bounces and any black- owned businesses to participate. Ms. Daly said she envisioned this as a celebration of the community with crafts for kids geared towards Juneteenth. Ms. Daly said there would be a three on three tournament for basketball. Ms. Daly said she might have to rent porta potties because the bathrooms are not nice. Ms. Daly envisioned this as a smaller version of community with five different food trucks. Ms. Grayson said not to forget why we are doing the event. Ms. Daly said this was Mr. Waters vision for his project. Municipal Ordinances and Code Enforcement – Mr. Ropski • Mr. Ropski said he wanted to discuss putting out a postcard about property maintenance and the street sweeper as the Borough has hired a new code enforcer who is out on patrol. Mr. Papaleo described what he thought this postcard should look like. Ms. Daly said that the community cleanup should be listed. Mr. Papaleo said that this would be the final notice for residents and there would be no warnings going forward after this mailer. Ms. Petty said she would like to get the mailing out on the 15 th of March. Mr. Papaleo reiterated that he wanted large red letters. Mr. Ropski sought approval for a full page add for the southeast delco school district for $100. Mr. Ropski said that this was for a full page add. Mr. Ropski said he would try to get the whole district involved. Mr. Ropski made a motion to spend $100 on the advertisement and Ms. Isaac seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Municipal Planning and Borough Beautification – Ms. Isaac • Ms. Isaac discussed a sample farmer’s market ordinance and deferred to Mr. Hayman to discuss. Mr. Hayman said that he and Ms. Isaac had met privately in his office previously an discussed several examples of nearby farmers markets that could provide inspiration. Members discussed potential locations for the farmer’s market and the possibility of a spring or creek running under Bayard Avenue that was built over. Mr. Papaleo said he believed that this stream ran under the Borough field. Ms. Daly asked if this would be every week or every other week during the summer. Ms. Grayson said that some municipalities are every week. Ms. Daly said that this was a full event every two weeks in Tinicum and there are twenty vendor spaces which are divided up. Ms. Natasha White said she has vendor spaces at her business. Ms. Andonian mentioned a few items. Ms. Daly described the types of businesses and vendors she has encountered in Tinicum. Ms. Isaac said she thought it would make a big difference in the community like other events have done. Ms. Isaac said she would work with Mr. Hayman to refine the ordinance. Ms. Daly said it might be worth working for a start date at the end of summer as the heat may be intolerable. Mr. Papaleo said there are farmers markets in Bucks County near his vacation home which are similar and very nice. New Building – Ms. Grayson • Ms. Grayson said that she had no new business to report. Mr. Papaleo said the bids would be opened on March 14th and would be on the agenda for the March 15th meeting. Mr. Papaleo said he was expecting a quite a few bids and hundreds of people had downloaded the bid package. Ms. Daly said that this could just be people looking at the project multiple times. Ms. Isaac said this was an exciting development. Driveways and Parking Permits – Ms. Daly • Ms. Daly had no new business to report. Mr. Papaleo said that with the bids coming in on the 14th and decisions on the 15th the Borough would have to decide about Borrowing funds to consolidate loans into a single stream. Mr. Papaleo asked Mr. Hayman to prepare a total projected revenue calculation including current revenue and outstanding fines. Ms. Daly said she was already discussing this with Manager Hayman. There was no old business New Business Mr. Papaleo said that there is pushback from the Muckinipattis Creek Authority about the Folcroft’s board appointee and that the board misled the Borough by only partially citing the law. Mr. Papaleo said there was somewhat of a standoff with the Borough and that the Borough will win. Ms. Daly said that right now the Borough would not make payments to the creek authority. Mr. Baumler said he would contact the solicitor and asked when the contribution was due. Mr. Papaleo said that the bill came but that the check would not be mailed out until the board member is seated. Mr. Baumler asked for the solicitor’s contact information. Ms. Andonian asked what this was. Mr. Papaleo explained how the creek authorities worked and the law cited in appointing Mr. Payne. Mr. Papaleo noted that the bylaws have an expiration date and the board is required to refile with the state to continue to exist. Mr. Baumler said that the Borough may not have the most recent copy of the bylaws. Mr. Papaleo said that the driving agenda here is that everything is moving into the direction of all assets being under the direction of DELCORA or AQUA and that the board intends to merge with this and Folcroft does not want to engage in the merger. Mr. Papaleo said that while he had no proof of this but asked why an attorney who should know the law send only a portion of the act that he wanted seen. Mr. Papaleo said that the sewage lines in Folcroft are owned by the people of Folcroft and he would not sell them and this is why he believed there was pushback. Ms. Daly said she had new business but deferred to Chief Bair. Mr. Bair said he was tasked with outfitting our crossing guards with proper apparel. Mr. Bair said that he found a quote for high visibility winter jackets at $80 a piece and $50 a piece with personalized Folcroft hats and winter hats that are all high visibility with vests. Ms. Daly said that the new school board member was talking to some crossing guards and a few of them had said that some guards don’t have the money to buy the proper equipment. Ms. Daly said that it is important to get the correct equipment as some members are also seniors. Mr. Bair noted a few examples of personalized coats and thought that nice, reflective coats would be very helpful to have professionalized stenciling on the coats. Ms. Daly discussed varying prices. Ms. Daly said she did not know how she felt about the baseball caps Mr. Bair said that members had also discussed a polo with crossing guards. Ms. Daly said that Manager Hayman is already getting uniformed shirts for the current staff. Ms. Daly said that the school board member had thought the crossing guards were school board employees and not Borough employees initially. Members all collectively spoke and said they liked the designs. Ms. Daly said that these should all be the same uniforms. Ms. Petty said that Shawn Payne ordered some shirts for the highway department and currently she is seeking quotes for the equipment. Manager Hayman introduced the new code enforcer Randall Woods and said that he is already doing a fantastic job. A motion to adjourn was made by Councilman Ropski at 8:13pm and seconded by Ms. Fyffe. The motion passed unanimously.