City Council

FORTY FORT BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES APRIL 7, 2014 The April meeting of the Forty Fort Borough Council was held on Monday, April 7, 2014 at the Forty Fort Borough Bldg., 1271 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort with President Jeff McLaughlin presiding. President McLaughlin called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM with the following members of council present: Dottie Craig, Robert Craig, Frank Michaels, Charles Rick Kamus, Deborah Troy & Karen Martinelli, via telephone. Also present were Mayor Andy Tuzinski, Chief Dan Hunsinger, Manager Barbara Fairchild & Secretary, Bonnie Arnone. Rev. Lukish began with his invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Motion by Mr. Michaels to approve the minutes of the March 3, 2014 council meeting. Second by Ms. Troy. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed. Motion by Mrs. Craig to approve the minutes of the March 17, 2014 council work session. Second by Mr. Michaels. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed. COMMUNICATIONS: A letter from the SPCA of Luzerne County advising of statistic of animals brought into their facility from Forty Fort Borough & requesting a donation. Council stated that they would examine the budget in June or July & hopefully make a donation at that time. Communication from Waste Management regarding the downstream notification from the Alliance Sanitary Landfill in Taylor, PA. A letter from Atty. John Gill advising that the Zoning Hearing Board had conducted its reorganization meeting on April 2, 2014 and named Eric Fiefer as Chairman and David Williams as Secretary. The meeting will be held on the first Wed. of each month at 7:00 PM at the Forty Fort Borough Bldg. A letter from Amy Craig, Chairperson of the Families for Forty Fort Park notifying council of the upcoming Easter Egg Hunt in the Park on Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 2:00 PM. They are also requesting the donation of a 2014 Family Pool Membership to use in their Raffle. Motion by Mrs. Craig to donate a 2014 Family Pool Membership to the Families for Forty Fort Park for the Egg hunt. Second by Mr. Kamus. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed.  A letter from Dr. Gail Gayeski discussing the problem she is having with a water company pave cut in front of her home at 98 River St. Ms. Fairchild stated that she has been in touch with PENDOT and the Water Co. who acknowledge the problem and state that they will address the issue when the weather gets better. A discussion ensued concerning the current Pave Cut Ordinance and the possibility of revising same to include penalties to the utility companies should restoration not be properly done. Council will have copies of the current pave cut ordinance ready for the April work session to discuss further. A letter from Earth Conservancy stating that due to sale of land that netted them consideration funds, they are suspending any request for financial support for this year. Communication from Eric May, owner of the Dunkin Donuts in Forty Fort, stating that they wish to again have the fireworks display to honor our troops and veterans on Memorial day weekend, on Sat. May 24th, 2014 with a rain date of Sun., May 25, 2014. Motion by Mr. Craig to allow Eric May to conduct the Fireworks display as noted above. Second by Mr. Kamus. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed. A request from the Geisinger Janet Weiss Children’s Miracle Network to place a banner on the Forty Fort Cemetery fence. Permission is granted for this request. Mayor Tuzinski questioned the Solicitor as to the possibility of restoring electricity at a property on River St. owned by Michael Sgarlat that they plan to convert into an Environmental Center. Atty. Haley stated that he felt there should be no issue if there had been electricity there before. Mayor Tuzinski also stated that there would be a cleanup of the Cemetery on Sat. 4/26/14 from 9‐1 and asks for any volunteers. He further stated that at a recent meeting of the Cemetery Assoc. it was decided to limit access to the cemetery from dusk to dawn due to numerous vehicles damaging the grounds. Access will be available to emergency vehicles at all times as well as pedestrian traffic. Vehicle traffic will be allowed from dawn to dusk. TREASURER’S REPORT: Motion by Mr. Kamus to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented. Second by Mr. Craig. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed. ENGINEER’S REPORT: Rich Kresge from Quad 3 Group was present to advise council of the progress with the Road Paving Project and the Sewer Restoration Project. He also stated that at 1898 Wyoming Ave, a residence was discovered to be using a septic system and not connected to the sewer system despite the fact that there is a lateral from the home. Upon inspection of the Park & Pool areas, it was noted that there are section of the sidewalk that have heaved due to the weather but appear to be moving back into place. He stated that there are some areas that will need to be addressed to prevent a tripping hazard.  The water fountain in the park is in need of repair. Restoration may not be possible and the cost for a new fountain would be $3,000.00‐$4,000.00. Mayor Tuzinski stated that he would like to reach out to the donator of the current fountain which was done in memoriam to a loved one to see if they would be willing to make another donation. The Sanitary Sewer project has been on hold due to the hold up of the Highway Occupancy Permit from PENDOT and the weather. After meeting with officials from PENDOT, it was advised that they require handicap accessible cross walks on River St. at the intersections of Oneida, Cayuga, Fort & Butler Sts. According to ADA Regulations. A start date of April 21st, 2014 is anticipated and residents will be notified through the newly instituted Code Red Program. The Street Paving Project has changed in the fact that they have added Butler St. in the plans. Mr. Kresge also explained that in addition to some street receiving full depth restoration, a recycle pavement may be used which is less expensive that Full Depth, more expensive that milling & overlay but as good as full restoration. UGI has stated that they will be willing to help by doing any necessary work on the target streets simultaneously. Due to the fact that the sewer work came in lower than originally anticipated, there is a possibility that the leftover funds may be able to be transferred to the Street Paving Project. Mayor Tuzinski stated that opening day for the Kingston/Forty Fort Little League will be on Sat., April 12, 2014 beginning with a parade at 10:00 AM in which council is invited to participate in. GENERAL BUSINESS: Motion by Mr. Craig to accept in toto the following reports: Mayor/Police Dept., Forty Fort Fire Chief, Kingston Fire Chief, Code Enforcement Officer, Tax Collector, Safety Committee & Shade Tree Commission. A discussion was held concerning the fact that we have the ability to charge for response by our fire engine to MVA’s. Mayor Tuzinski will discuss this with Chief Guido from Kingston Fire Dept. Regarding the letter of liability for the work to be done by the Fortis Institute students on the Borough Buildings Electric heating system, Barbara has not been able to communicate with David Lord of Fortis. Regarding the Pool and dates of operation, it was noted that at this time, we only have an application from one lifeguard despite the fact that all guards from prior years were contacted and invited back. Contact will be made with local facilities that perform Lifeguard certifications to see if they can direct individuals to our offices. Motion by Mr. Craig to accept West Side Cog Resolution #8 of 2014. Second by Ms. Troy. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed. Motion by Mr. Craig to accept the PENDOT Street Sweeping Resolution & Agreement #9 of 2014. Second by Mrs. Craig. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed. Ms. Fairchild noted that she contacted PENDOT to inquire about the state doing street sweeping of Wyoming Ave. They told her that they are no longer contracting with DeAngelo Brothers, who previously had done the sweeping for them. Upon hearing that the borough will take over the sweeping of Wyoming Ave., a state roadway, PENDOT agreed to give the Borough $1,310.65 annually to do same. This will help offset the cost to the borough for the yearly maintenance fees through the West Side COG. Potential candidate names for Junior Council Person was obtained by Ms. Troy through WVW. Council accepts letters of interest from these individuals making an appointment sometime in the fall of 2014. OPEN DISCUSSION: Any questions council may have for Barbara concerning the Budget and/or Treasurer’s report should be sent to her via e‐mail to enable her to research the question and provide the answer. Mr. Kamus noted that the work done by the borough street dept. recently on the outlet at Walnut & Myers street was outstanding. Ms. Fairchild also noted that the street dept. had performed a street sign report for her recently in which every street sign in the borough was listed along with its current condition. The next step, mandated by Luzerne County, will be to obtain the longitude & latitude coordinates for every sign. Ms. Martinelli stated that she thought the recent move of the borough administration offices to the first floor at the borough bldg. was great and will be greatly appreciated by the public. A discussion ensued concerning the delineators on Wyoming Ave. at River St. preventing motorist from making a left turn into the driveway for Dunkin Donuts. Since they have been damaged and removed due to storm plowing trucks, council is anxious to have them replaced and is questioning whom is responsible for their placement. In the past, the borough has purchased and installed them. Motion by Mr. Craig to direct the Solicitor and Manager to write a letter to PENDOT requesting the installation of delineators at intersection of Wyoming Ave. & River St. to prevent a traffic hazard at that location. Second by Mrs. Craig. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed. PAYMENT OF BILLS: Motion by Mr. Craig to pay all bills as presented. Second by Mr. Kamus. All council was in favor of this motion. Motion passed. ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn at 9:45 PM by Ms. Troy and second by Mr. Kamus with all council in favor of. Respectfully submitted, Bonnie Arnone Secretary