City Council

CITY OF MCKEESPORT REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY 7:00 P.M. OCTOBER 4, 2017 This Meeting of Council was called to order on the above-stated date at the above-stated time after the Pledge of Allegiance and a Moment of Silence by President of Council Richard Dellapenna. The following Members of Council were present: RC-1 PRESENT: FAWN WALKER-MONTGOMERY, JAMIE BREWSTER- FILOTEI, KEITH SOLES, TIMOTHY BROWN, LUETHEL NESBIT, RICHARD DELLAPENNA ABSENT: JIM BARRY Also present were Mayor Michael Cherepko, City Administrator Tom Maglicco, City Solicitor J. Jason Elash and members of the Administration. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: MOTION: Mr. Soles moved, seconded by Ms. Nesbit, “to approve the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 6, 2017.” RC-2 YEAS: WALKER-MONTGOMERY, BREWSTER-FILOTEI, SOLES, BROWN, NESBIT, DELLAPENNA (6) NAYS: NONE (0) COMMUNICATIONS: Received both the Police and Fire Department Reports for the month of September 2017. MAYOR’S REPORT: Mayor Cherepko said thank you Mr. President. As we have been doing over this past year, I spent some time prior to the meeting, between Work Session and here to share a lot of things going on at the City so I am not going to repeat myself and go through everything again. I just want to remind everybody, you might see the pink tonight, pink shirt here that the firemen design each and every year that [1] it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I think when you deal with cancer, not necessary just Breast Cancer, but Cancer in general, it’s something that has touched everybody’s lives in this room, in one way, shape or form, through a family member, through a friend. I know with the Breast Cancer I have had relatives, several, that have dealt with it and as we mourn those that lose their battles with Cancer it is also a celebration for those that have survived and a time to be aware of it and a time to appreciate and show some gratitude for all those volunteers who fundraise and put their efforts forth to truly just someday find a cure for this deadly disease. Other than that, what I have tonight are Proclamations that we give out once every three months. You may have read it in your Community Magazine I think this week. We continue to ask for recommendations from the public for individuals in the community that are living our message of respect, dignity, love and hope and I think our awardees this month, just like the other months as well, are individuals that truly have lots of pride in their City, by doing everything they can in their City to make it a better place to live and work and to have an impact on the future of the City and we truly appreciate their efforts and this is just a chance for us to present a Proclamation for this award to show our gratitude for everything that they do for our City. The first one today is for Respect and this individual goes above and beyond of having pride in his own properties, taking care of his own area, but often is cleaning up and maintaining vacant parcels in the City as well to truly just make his neighborhood a better place and that goes to Tony Riggs. WHEREAS, the McKeesport Message Committee uplifts the values of Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love through community programming and other efforts; and WHEREAS, Tony Riggs defines the role of an outgoing neighbor. Not only does he maintain his own property but tends to abandoned parcels and neighbors in need; and WHEREAS, Tony is using the free time of his retirement to care for his elderly mother and lend a helping hand to folks in his neighborhood, making quick vehicle repairs, mowing lawns, trimming shrubs, and shoveling snow; and WHEREAS, Tony has remained optimistic in the face of neighborhood decline, showing that positive outcomes, while they often require an uphill struggle are the result of hand work, patience, goodwill and volunteerism. [2]  NOW, THEREFORE, as Mayor of the City of McKeesport, I do hereby honor Tony Riggs as the Living the Message awardee for Respect. As I say all the time, most awardees don’t really say anything and when they do they say very little because these are just individuals that they don’t do what they do so that they can get praise. They do it just so they can truly make a difference. That’s why these awardees are always so well deserving. The next one goes to Dignity. This is a young man that has come to our schools, someone I have known for a long time. I think when I began teaching he was there in the Middle School, a first-class individual. It’s truly something our young men today can look up to and he is in the schools now trying to do just that for a living and that goes to Tymeer Brown. WHEREAS, the McKeesport Message Committee uplifts the values of Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love through community programming and other efforts; and WHEREAS, Tymeer Brown is a McKeesport Area graduate who went on to play and coach College Football while pursuing higher education in the field of Sociology at the University of Connecticut and Sports Administration at Boston College; and WHEREAS, Tymeer returned to McKeesport Area School District with a vision to mentor student athletes and those enrolled in extra-curricular programs, working on personal development in addition to academics; and WHEREAS, Tymeer relates to students on a personal level, leading by example and illustrating what McKeesport Area students can accomplish by setting goals, working hard, respecting themselves, and sharing pride in the community. NOW, THEREFORE, as Mayor of the City of McKeesport, I do hereby honor Tymeer Brown as Living the Message awardee for Dignity. As I said, that is usually how it is done. These are individuals that actions speak louder than words. The next awardee goes to an individual who is from McKeesport and is raising a family in McKeesport, played sports throughout his career as well, and is now sharing his experiences and love of the game for the kids that we have in the different programs here in the City of McKeesport, through basketball, softball, he has coached numerous things and is always looking to really, above and beyond the game, build that character and problem- solving skills for kids to deal with adversity and what not so that they can apply [3] that to their everyday lives and because of his love of the game and the love he is sharing, he gets the award for Love and that goes to Brian Evans. WHEREAS, the McKeesport Message Committee uplifts the values of Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love through community programming and other efforts; and WHEREAS, Brian Evans is a life-long McKeesporter who is sharing his love of athletics with future generations in his coaching and organizational roles with Youth Sports Organizations including McKeesport Area Ladies Tigers Athletics Association and the White Oak Athletic Association; and WHEREAS, Brian teaches the value of sportsmanship through basketball, softball, and soccer, helping children and teens to build character and problem-solving skills through goal setting and team work; and WHEREAS, Brian has given back to the McKeesport community by investing his time and truly coaching young people, his children as well as their peers, by teaching them how to apply lessons on the playing field to their everyday lives. NOW, THEREFORE, as Mayor of the City of McKeesport, I do hereby honor Brian Evans as Living the Message awardee for Hope. Our last awardee could not be here this evening because of other commitments. An individual many of us know, an individual that has been part of truly believing in McKeesport, having hope for McKeesport, has always been by the side of her husband as well who served in my very seat for years, now our State Senator. She is someone who volunteers her efforts through various committees, through the Trail, through the Economic Development, we can come from the Trail. The Trail Commission has done so many things like turn the old concession stand in Gergely Park into a hostel and above and beyond that. Amazingly enough, just so everybody is aware, we ran into somebody that stayed in our hostile that was traveling to Washington, not Washington, DC, the state of Washington. This was about three weeks ago. So, when you talk about people coming to your town it doesn’t get any further than that. That’s pretty much, from Washington to Main is where they went and she was going to run a Marathon, and did it by herself. So, when she was in areas where she didn’t have a hostel she was staying outside. So, when she came to McKeesport, thanks to individuals who envision like our next awardee here, she had the opportunity to stay in comfort and enjoy the evening in Gergely Park where the hostel is and that awardee goes to Linda Brewster. [4]  WHEREAS, the McKeesport Message Committee uplifts the values of Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love through community programming and other efforts; and WHEREAS, Linda H. Brewster is an advocate for the recreational and economic growth of the City of McKeesport dedicating much of her time to the development of the Great Allegheny Passage which brings cyclists and hikers from around the world through McKeesport’s scenic river front; and WHEREAS, Linda understands the value of marketing the City of McKeesport and not only promotes its amenities but builds upon them. She was instrumental in converting the former concession stand near the Marina at McKees Point into a hostel, providing overnight accommodations for visitors to the Trail; and WHEREAS, Linda has a long history of volunteerism with the McKeesport Trail Commission, the Kiwanis Club of McKeesport/White Oak, the McKeesport Lions Club and other organizations. NOW, THEREFORE, as Mayor of the City of McKeesport, I do hereby honor Linda Brewster as Living the Message awardee for Hope. I will present this to Jamie on behalf of her mother. Now for the next thirty-five minutes I will be addressing a few concerns, no I am just kidding. We did that prior to the meeting so with that Mr. President that does conclude my Report. President Dellapenna said thank you Mayor. CITIZENS IN THE AUDIENCE: President Dellapenna called for Citizens in the Audience, we have Regis Mellinger, please forward and state your name, your address and your concerns. Regis Mellinger, 1612 Packer, McKeesport, PA 15132. Thank you for being here today. So, you know a broken heart is a representation of sadness and depression and while the heart is broken the whole body it moves more slowly. This month I came to talk to you about the Greater Metropolitan Area, every City has one, it’s the surrounding areas that all are part of the greater City. For Pittsburgh you know there is Wilkinsburg, there is Millvale, you name it, and McKeesport, we are definitely a City, everybody knows that, but we also have a Greater Metropolitan Area, there’s Glassport, Port Vue, you name it, and while the memories of a [5] better McKeesport are strong our friends in our surrounding areas like White Oak, or maybe even Versailles, they seem to have forgotten our geographic importance. That’s another factor of the City, is a place where people naturally combine, such as these two rivers that we have. What I wonder is will our Greater Metropolitan Area, places like South Versailles, or even Liberty, will they be willing to chip in to re-establish McKeesport’s local significance? Because, in McKeesport right now all of our surrounding townships they base their value on how soon can their residents get to a show up at State AE. How soon can their residents get to a good job up in Pittsburgh? How conveniently can they commute to everywhere they need to be. But once McKeesport is re-established as a center for good work, entertainment and the arts, everywhere will collectively be worth millions more. Probably every township in the area will be worth at least ten thousand dollars more. When you add that up that will come up to millions. So, let’s think, if we show up to Mayor Ina Jean’s office and say hey Mayor, you know we are having a hard time right here and that’s making you guys also have a hard time because people have to go all the way to Pittsburgh to work. Why don’t you guys help us out and maybe just chip in for our, what do you guys want to sponsor, say 100 demolitions? Say something right off the blue, I know we are working really hard on demolitions. I know we have a lot to do next year and that’s really exciting but what I really wonder is how can we accelerate on our path to success because I, a lot of us in this room who really believe McKeesport is rising once more and that’s awesome, but how can we accelerate? That’s just a question that’s always on my mind and I wondered, I just wondered, would our surrounding areas possibly be willing to chip in so their, the problem is their area will be worth more. Will places like even maybe Elizabeth be willing just to chip in just to make it better for their own selves? I am kind of repeating myself now but that’s about it. We do have a Greater Metropolitan Area, we do have a lot of areas that do rely upon us and once we are more successful, which we are on the rise, boy will be awesome for everyone else around us. Maybe just even humbly ask, you know, anything could really happen. Thank you, guys, for your time. It’s a pleasure to be here again. President Dellapenna said thank you Mr. Mellinger. [6] NEW BUSINESS: President Dellapenna asked Secretary James for New Business. RESOLUTION NO. 2017-047 – BILL #110 – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, TO ADOPT ACT 537 SEWAGE FACILITIES UPDATE SPECIAL STUDY PLAN FOR THE MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT. MOTION: Mrs. Walker-Montgomery moved, seconded by Mr. Soles “to approve Bill #110.” RC-3 YEAS: WALKER-MONTGOMERY, BREWSTER-FILOTEI, SOLES, BROWN, NESBIT, DELLAPENNA (6) NAYS: NONE (0) RESOLUTION NO. 2017-048 – BILL #111– A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, APPROVING A REVERSE SUBDIVISION REQUEST FROM WENDY HOAK TO COMBINE THREE LOTS INTO ONE. MOTION: Mr. Brown moved, seconded by Mrs. Brewster-Filotei “to approve Bill #111.” President Dellapenna asked for any discussion and Mayor Cherepko said this is just our typical sometimes people own multiple lots and they look to combine them into one. President Dellapenna said thank you Mayor. RC-4 YEAS: WALKER-MONTGOMERY, BREWSTER-FILOTEI, SOLES, BROWN, NESBIT, DELLAPENNA (6) NAYS: NONE (0) RESOLUTION NO. 2017-049 – BILL #112– A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, APPROVING A REVERSE SUBDIVISION REQUEST FROM THE MCKEESPORT AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT TO COMBINE EIGHTEEN LOTS INTO TWO. MOTION: Mrs. Brewster-Filotei moved, seconded by Mr. Soles “to approve Bill #112.” [7] President Dellapenna asked for any discussion and Mayor Cherepko said this Bill here, this is on the Centennial property. For whatever reason obviously Centennial School, the old Centennial School takes up basically a whole block and its still separate lots and for them to sell the building it is much easier to have it as one or two lots. President Dellapenna said thank you Mayor. RC-5 YEAS: WALKER-MONTGOMERY, BREWSTER-FILOTEI, SOLES, BROWN, NESBIT, DELLAPENNA (6) NAYS: NONE (0) RESOLUTION NO. 2017-050 – BILL #113– A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, AUTHROZING THE PROPER CITY OFFICIALS TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH ENVIRO 21, LLC. MOTION: Mr. Soles moved, seconded by Mr. Brown “to approve Bill #113.” President Dellapenna asked for any discussion and Mayor Cherepko said as I said earlier this is just a consulting group for basically next to nothing, there’s a $250 fee. They have some practices that they have used as far as bidding goes to try to attract more bidders for different contracts and things which ultimately would help us drive down the price. Also, they have brought in a few investors and have already contacted us with people and a possibility of opening business here in the City as well. President Dellapenna said thank you Mayor. RC-6 YEAS: WALKER-MONTGOMERY, BREWSTER-FILOTEI, SOLES, BROWN, NESBIT, DELLAPENNA (6) NAYS: NONE (0) ORDINANCE NO. 17-016 – BILL #114– AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, ESTABLISHING ALL AREAS OF CITY PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS AIMED AT ATTRACTING CHILDREN AS TOBACCO-FREE ZONES. MOTION: Mrs. Nesbit moved, seconded by Mr. Brown “to approve Bill #114.” President Dellapenna asked for any discussion and Mayor Cherepko obviously our playgrounds have always been tobacco-free. This does not mean that the entire Renzie Park is supposed to be tobacco-free. This is aimed at events at the Park or [8] activities that are attracting children or events that we are holding. Like, if you are at the band shell for a concert, you will now have to go to one of the designated smoking areas if you want to use tobacco. RC-7 YEAS: WALKER-MONTGOMERY, BREWSTER-FILOTEI, SOLES, BROWN, NESBIT, DELLAPENNA (6) NAYS: NONE (0) At this time President Dellapenna said I need a Motion to Amend the Agenda to add Bill #115. MOTION: Mr. Soles moved, seconded by Mrs. Brewster-Filotei, “to Amend the Agenda to Add Bill #115.” RC-8 YEAS: WALKER-MONTGOMERY, BREWSTER-FILOTEI, SOLES, BROWN, NESBIT, DELLAPENNA (6) NAYS: NONE (0) RESOLUTION NO. 2017-051 – BILL #115– A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, AUTHORIZING THE PROPER CITY OFFICIALS TO REQUEST GRANT FUNDS FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND REHABILITATION ENHANCEMENT FUND (PHARE) PROGRAM TO BE UTILIZED IN CONJUNCTION WITH ACTION HOUSING, INC. FOR NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION AND RESIDENTIAL RENOVATIONS IN THE CULTURAL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT. President Dellapenna said Mayor do you want to touch on that at all. Mayor Cherepko said yes sir. If everyone remembers there were areas of the Cultural and Educational center that we designated a few years ago. That pretty much runs from Versailles Avenue upwards, up past Bailey Avenue, and from Union to Cornell, has been our target issue. Within there you have the Little Theatre, the Library, our new school. This was an area where if you remember we were going to build the new school. Many were very critical of that. Saying why would you build it in that area. At the time we had some issues in that area, blight, maybe a little bit of crime and a lot doubted it. When you talk about hope, to be quite honest with you, I think this is the same vision we have for our whole City. Not only is this an area where some didn’t think a school should go, which I fought [9] hard for from day one as a Council Member to make sure that the school went there, but you are taking an area that some people had written off at that point and now a few years back we went to Council and we tore down almost 30 homes up there and we said that was only going to be Phase 1. Phase 2 was going to be the construction of new homes and that’s what this Grant Funding is asking for. Partnering with Mrs. Luethel Nesbit who works for Action Housing, this is a project she and I, she started working with us even prior to even being a Council person and she has been unbelievable seeing this project through and we are at the point now we really think we will be able to secure these funds and build two brand-new schools right across the street from Twin Rivers, which is a $35,000,000 state of the art educational facility to totally just help enhance that area even more. In addition to that there will be funds for rehabbing houses, maybe a couple houses need a little TLC, maybe a couple houses may be have become vacant in the last year or so and fix those houses up and put them back on the market. Once again, another way of what we try to do here in the City of encourage home ownership and that’s what this is going to be. You know we have a lot of rental properties in the City and there is nothing wrong with rental properties but as we continue to move forward and build for the future a true strong foundation is going to be home ownership and it’s going to be people that invest here and people that want to raise their families here. We will continue to take every opportunity we have to encourage home ownership. I do want to commend Ms. Nesbit for her efforts on this in working with us and we believe this is the funding we are going to be able to secure. We have been in contact with higher officials and we think we have reached them to help us see this through. President Dellapenna said thank you Mayor. MOTION: Mrs. Brewster-Filotei moved, seconded by Mr. Brown “to approve Bill #115.” RC-9 YEAS: WALKER-MONTGOMERY, BREWSTER-FILOTEI, SOLES, BROWN, NESBIT, DELLAPENNA (6) NAYS: NONE (0) [10] ADJOURNMENT: President of Council Dellapenna said that concludes the Council meeting for Wednesday, October 4th. Thank you everyone for coming. The meeting is dismissed, adjourned. The meeting then adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Annette James City Clerk and Clerk of Council APPROVED: Richard Dellapenna President of Council das [11]