Borough Council

MEETING MINUTES FOLCROFT BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 Location: 1555 Elmwood Avenue, Folcroft PA 19032 President Papaleo called the Council Meeting to order at 7:03 PM Mayor DiCicco led the flat salute and invocation. Roll Call (Council President Papaleo, Councilmember Leigh Daly, Councilmember Tawana Grayson, Councilmember Malinda Isaac, Councilmember Lorna Fyffe, Councilmember Stephen Ropski, Mayor Franny DiCicco, Solicitor Alex Baumler, Secretary/Manager Andrew Hayman) Mr. Papaleo said Ms. Waters was not able to attend but a plaque was commissioned for Mr. Nicholas Waters who was unable to attend. Audience Participation Ms. Diane Pacheco 151 Primos Avenue said that parking has been a nightmare for three years on her street and last year she got a ticket for parking on an area that is for permit parking only. Ms. Pacheco said that the ticket was absolved and instead she was issued a permit. Ms. Pacheco said the woman upstairs said she could fight it upstairs or fight it. Ms. Pacheco said that Mr. Hayman did accommodate her but she feels like a prisoner in her home because she can’t leave when she gets a parking spot. Ms. Daly said that this was not considered initially but suggested that if signatures were received from 75% or more of the residents parking permits could be put in. Ms. Pacheco described situatinos in which individuals are issued permits or make excess parking to have more room. Ms. Pacheco said some other residents from her street are receiving tickets and were furious and noted that some residents of Glenolden are parking on her street to avoid purchasing their parking permits. Ms. Pacheco said a neighbor spit all over her car and that she is afraid to park there or in Glenolden. Ms. Pachecho described her interactions with Glenolden Borough’s office. Ms. Pachcho said that she cannot park on the street due to the street sweeper as well which causes even more issues. Mr. Papaleo asked Manager Hayman to add including primos avenue to be zoned for permit perking only on the street and to begin the process of implementing this. Ms. Pachecho reiterated her interest in and support for having permits implemented and provided more scenarios for why this is needed. Ms. Darlene Taliaferro 504 Folcroft Ave said that Darby Township’s community day conflicts with Folcroft Community day and asked if these events could be coordinated between municipalities as they are in the same district. Ms. Taliaferro said that some households are split and asked for this to be considered and asked for more communication. Ms. Daly said that she has done this and that she has received no responses and listed several communities where this does happen. Ms. Daly said she wants children to be able to participate with each. Mr. Papaleo said he didn’t know there was a community day in Darby Township. Mr. Papaleo said that he didn’t believe the lower end of Darby Township did not have anything. Ms. Taliaferro thanked council for their time. Members considered appointing a candidate to fill the Council vacancy. Mr. Papaleo said that he liked Mr. Ike Wilson a resident of the Borough. Mr. Wilson said that he was excited and honored for this position and that he is excited to serve the Borough of Folcroft. Mr. Wilson said that he is a software developer for a medical school that provides services to students who learn overseas. Mr. Wilson said that this consumes his time when there are no other activities. A motion to appoint Mr. Ikeem Joel Wilson was made by Ms. Daly and seconded by Mr. Ropski. The motion passed unanimously. Judge Tinu Moss of the County Court of Common Pleas swore in Ike Wilson of (insert address) to fill the council vacancy left by Mr. Nicholas Waters. Engineer’s Report Mr. Edwin Van-Otoo the new engineer said that the annual MS4 report is missing at this point. Mr. Van- Otoo said that this is due at the end of the month on the 30 th and that this information will be needed in the near future. Mr. Van-Otoo said that the retaining wall for the new complex has an underground stormwater basin in front of the wall which includes a change order for $10,000. Mr. Van-Otoo said he reached out to the contractor and design engineer for clarification about whether this is needed as part of the project, at which point he will advise how to proceed. Mr. Van-Otoo said the repaving is slated to begin this year with the manager, himself, the Police and the contractor to review options for paving and also the schedule for construction. Mr. Van-Otoo spoke with Abbonizio construction and was informed that there were several options on the table which he would leave for later but that it may not be possible to do all the driveways in their entirety this year, which he would review on Thursday. Mr. Van-Otoo said there were a lot of open ended items and he is getting a handle on them at this time and opened it up for questions. Ms. Grayson asked the status of the 7/11 project and said that gates are open with tow trucks on the space with no movement despite being told there was a rush to get the work done several months ago while nearby projects are working quickly. Ms. Grayson said she only knew of an application for alcohol. Mayor DiCicco said she stopped at Max’s transmission last week and that she noticed her own van in the abandoned lot and that the owner had said that there was an agreement to cut the lawn. Mr. Papaleo asked to have the zoning officer note the violation of vehicles on the property. Mr. Randall Woods said that he had advised Max’s that they cannot let vehicles park on the grass. Mr. Woods said that the owner was informed however the owner is not in Folcroft so he has to cite the owner of the lot as this business is actually in Folcroft. Ms. DiCicco asked why his card says Folcroft. Mr. Woods said that it is still a Darby Township address. Mr. Papaleo said he didn’t want to hurt a business but a solution must be found. Ms. DiCicco said she and Mr. Papaleo went to the upscale gas station cited during the hearing and characterized it as a dump. Mr. Papaleo said he was not impressed but the builder was obligated to complete the work. Mr. Van-Otoo said he did not have any information on this project right now but he will put it on the list of people to contact. Public Finance & Administration - Mr. Papaleo • A motion to approve the bill list for the month of August, 2022 mas made by Ms. Daly and seconded by Mr. Ropski. The motion passed unanimously. • A motion to approve the Treasurer’s report for the month of August, 2022 was made by Ms. Isaac and seconded by Ms. Fyffe. The motion passed unanimously. • A motion to approve the August 16th 2022 council meeting minutes was made by Ms. Daly and seconded by Mr. Ropski. The motion passed unanimously. • Members considered an updated timekeeping policy. Manager Hayman said that this was just an adjustment from the previous policy to account for a new time clock which would be voted on later. Mr. Papaleo said that this was for oversight and accountability as this office is far from the library. A motion to approve a timekeeping policy was made by Ms. Daly and seconded by Ms. Grayson. The motion passed unanimously. • Members considered a Resolution R2022-14 opening PLGIT accounts for capital reserve and surplus. Manager Hayman said that he was advised that PLGIT accounts brought in more interest and that this made sense as there would not be large numbers of transactions from this account. Lastly, Manager Hayman explained that the accounts themselves had previously been authorized by ordinance. Mr. Papaleo said that this was about long term financial decisions and that the Borough is already doing a fantastic job with the Borough property values radically improving over the past few years. Ms. Isaac said that her husband had noted major improvements over the past few years. Mr. Papaloe said he believed the borough had the bones and the will for improvement and that he wanted to keep this up, with one of the most important parts being fiscal health. Ms. Isaac made a motion to approve Resolution R2022-14. Ms. Daly seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Public Works - Ms. Grayson • Ms. Grayson mentioned that the bucket truck is in. Manager Hayman explained that this came in last week. Public Safety– Mr. Waters • A motion to approve the Police Chief’s Report for the month of August, 2022 was made by Mr. Ropski and seconded by Ms. Daly. The motion passed unanimously. • A motion to approve the Fire Chief’s Report for the month of August, 2022 was made by Mr. Ropski and seconded by Ms. Fyffe. The motion passed unanimously. • A motion to approve the Fire Marshall’s Report for the month of August, 2022 was skipped as this report was not received in time. • Members considered resolution R2022 -13 approving the sale of a used fire truck. Manager Hayman said that this resolution was required to sell the truck and that he advised using a broker to obtain the maximum value on the vehicle. Mr. Ropski made a motion to approve resolution R2022-13 seconded by Ms. Grayson. The motion passed unanimously. Public Health and Literacy - Ms. Fyffe • Members considered a timeclock quote for the Folcroft Library. Ms. Daly said her only issue is that she was concerned that someone could clock a different individual in. Manager Hayman explained that this was recommended from the HR consultant and a camera would ultimately also be installed. Ms. Isaac suggested a phone clock in system. Ms. DiCicco suggested a time clock with a thumb print option. Mr. Papaleo said that this was cheaper and a better option with paper. Ms. Taliaferro in the audience provided a scenario with overlapping shifts. Ms. Daly said that this was several employees at the same time. Manager Hayman said that he had gotten a quote which was expensive with a thumb print and had $40 per month expense. Mr. Randall Woods described a phone clock in system. Ms. Daly said the paper system would work best for now. Ms. Fyffe made a motion to accept the time clock quote provided seconded by Ms. Grayson. The motion passed unanimously. Public Parks and Recreation – Ms. Daly • Ms. Daly reminded members that this weekend is community day with streets being closed at 7am and the party is from 11-4 and listed the number of vendors and food trucks and other activities and items for sale. Ms. Daly said the temporary alcohol permit which is being worked on. Ms. Daly said this was just for the extension permit and not a daily permit as per Ms. DiCicco’s request. Ms. Daly said there were plenty of activities. Ms. Daly said there would be information about heroes banners and easement waivers with a notary on site to help complete any forms. Ms. Daly said that fireworks start at dusk which was about 7:25pm that includes the FOP barbecue truck where there will be food and glow sticks. Ms. Daly said that the Borough purchased a speaker system with microphones as the DJ had given too high of a quote to cover the fireworks. Mr. Papaleo asked how much. Ms. Daly said that this speaker system could also be used for future events as well. Ms. Daly said there would be shuttle buses running throughout the Borough and that homes were notified that residents would not be able to move their vehicles during and directly before the fireworks began and listed shuttle bus pickup locations. Mr. Papaleo asked for specialized robocalls to these areas. Manager Hayman said that he believed that there was only one bus however Ms. Daly said that Ms. Petty had said there was a second bus which was acquired. Ms. Grayson asked when the road would be closed. Ms. Daly said that this began at 7am and said that the street sweeper would then be used. Ms. Daly said that she has a ton of donations which Manager Hayman noted that there was a $1,000 donation from Remington and Vernick. Ms. Daly said that $9,000 had been received in donations. Ms. Daly also thanked Mr. Randall Woods for his help as well in this process. Mr. Papaleo thanked Ms. Daly for her work. Municipal Ordinances and Code Enforcement – Mr. Ropski • Members considered approving ordinance 2022-06 stormwater ordinance. Manager Hayman explained that this was a required ordinance. Mr. Papapleo asked Mr. Gallagher to explain. Mr. Gallagher explained that this is an update which are without a choice as each municipality in the state is required to make these updates. Mr. Ropski made a motion to approve ordinance 2022-06 seconded by Ms. Isaac. The motion passed unanimously. • Members considered approving ordinance 2022-05 bamboo ordinance. Mr. Papaleo said this excludes the growing of bamboo in the Borough. Manager Hayman said that this didn’t prohibit bamboo itself but banned it from any property line. Mr. Ropski made a motion to approve ordinance 2022-05. Ms. Isaac seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Ms. Taliaferro asked if this was advertised. Mr. Hayman said that this was discussed in previous meetings and advertised on September 9th and that residents would likely be warned about this first. Mr. Papaleo and Ms. Daly said that this was damaging fencing and properties and that this needed to be approved. Municipal Planning and Borough Beautification – Ms. Isaac • Ms. Isaac had no new business to discuss. New Building – Ms. Grayson • Ms. Grayson mentioned the change order which the engineer had touched on and that a $150,000 change order will be submitted as there was too much organic matter in the soil which had to be removed along with a change to the barrier which was already noted. Ms. Grayson said there was a chance for a different type of barrier. Ms. Daly said she remembered this being discussed. Manager Mr. Van-Otoo said this goes with the basin liner and that he had advised that no basin liner would be purchased until council authorizes it. Mr. Van-Otoo said that he was trying to ascertain whether or not this must be purchased. Mr. Papaleo asked what the difference would be. Mr. Van-Otoo said that he wanted to ensure from an engineering standpoint that this was needed. Ms. Daly said that this field is always ankle deep with mud. Mr. Van-Otoo said if this field is always wet will the barrier go below the wall and reiterated his intent to make sure that it is needed. Driveways and Parking Permits – Ms. Daly • Ms. Daly said the driveway paving meeting as noted previously is Thursday and said she hopes that this work can get going. Police Chief’s Report Chief Bair was not present and no report was given. Mayor DiCicco said that there is a speed sign on Folcroft Avenue and that she has seen a grey car driving legally up to the sign and then drag race away. Ms. DiCicco said that as soon as it stopped and suggested moving it closer to Elmwood Avenue. Mr. Papaleo said the point was to deter speeding but that he didn’t want to adjust the sign to accommodate people who are mocking it. M Solicitor’s Report Mr. Gallagher said he would discuss potential litigation in executive session. Ms. DiCicco asked if Mr. Delloso knew the time he was supposed to attend the event. Finance Director’s Report Borough Manager’s Report Manager Hayman presented a report on code enforcement violations, stop work orders, updates from the highway department and gave statistics on the current repaving project with regard to the number of temporary construction easements issued and annual parking permits issued. There was no old business New Business Ms. Daly said that a resident reached out to her this week because the speed bump on their street went missing and advised talking to the police about putting up a trail camera. Ms. Daly said that this was stolen from Woodland Avenue. Mr. Ropski said he has an idea of who took it. Manager Hayman noted that the Borough had been awarded a PCCD grant for body cameras. A motion to adjourn was made by Ms. Daly at 8:20pm and seconded by Ms. Grayson. The motion passed unanimously. Members stayed after the meeting for an executive session to discuss potential litigation as announced by President Papaleo.