City Council

CITY OF MCKEESPORT REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY 7:02 PM April 3, 2024 The regular meeting of Council was called to order on the above-stated date at the above-stated time by Council President Richard J. Dellapenna after the Pledge of Allegiance and a Moment of Silence in memory of Iris Russ. President Dellapenna invited the Rev. Dr. Moni McIntyre of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church to offer an opening prayer. “Let us pray. Fire us up, loving God. Fire us up to dream big and make McKeesport great, better, and even the best it can be. We give you thanks, even as we mourn the loss of Iris Russ, who left us all too soon last Saturday. The memory of her service yesterday is raw. Those who knew her are saddened and distracted by her death. We come to you as a grieving body that cares for one another. We come to you because no one else can ease our pain in the face of loss. We know that you, oh God, are love. Your very being knows more than we can ever ask or imagine what it means to love. Still, as we conduct our business tonight, help this council and this community to live in such a way that the spirit of Iris Russ will be with us and help us to make wise decisions and care every more deeply for one another. Fire us up, loving God. Fire us up. Amen.” The following members of Council were present: RC-1 Present: President Dellapenna Vice President Nesbit Ms. Lape Mr. Barry Ms. Webb Mr. Soles Mr. Evans APPROVAL OF MINUTES: President Dellapenna asked for a Motion to Approve the Minutes of the regular meeting of April 3, 2024. MOTION: MS. NESBIT MOVED, SECONDED BY MR. BARRY, “TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF APRIL 3, 2024.” RC-2 YEAS: Seven (7) NAYS: None (0) COMMUNICATIONS: Annette James reported that we received both the Fire and Police reports for the month of April 2024. President Dellapenna said thank you. MAYOR’S REPORT: Mayor Cherepko provided an update on renovation of the Jacob Woll (Main) Pavilion. “We are hoping to wrap that project up within the next couple of weeks. There are two events being held at the Main Pavilion this weekend, and they will have the facility cleaned up. The floor will not be done, but most of the other work will be complete for those two events. They will work on completing the rest in the middle of next week. It looks incredible. It really does. It’s a brand- new makeover. When you go inside, you don’t even feel like you’re in the same building. It’s pretty remarkable.” He asked for the public’s patience over the next three days with film crews working on the “Mayor of Kingstown” television series. Most of the work will take place on main roads such as Lysle Boulevard, West Fifth Avenue, and Walnut Street during evening and nighttime hours. Intermittent closures, facilitated by the McKeesport Police Department will take place to accommodate the crews. Cherepko stated that the production company pays the overtime rates for McKeesport officers to work these details, and that this work is not provided at the cost of the taxpayers. Regarding the Versailles Avenue Viaduct, the mayor said his administration is still working to secure funding for reconstruction. “When you get into the cost of a project of this magnitude, it becomes very expensive. We are hoping to be able to secure enough funding to get the engineering done, get true estimates on the official cost of the overall project (including demolition and reconstruction), and see the demolition through to completion. He clarified that the first round of funding received was for pre-engineering work. “We will continue to contact or federal representatives – Senator Casey, Representative Lee ... The Mayor provided status updates on Stephen Barry Field, “I just want to reiterate that sometimes it’s an inconvenience to have this amount of people in the parks. We are working diligently with our local baseball programs. Ms. Webb participated in a meeting with them, and it went very well. I just want people to understand these baseball and softball tournaments are not about the money. We are not getting rich off of these ... The number-one obstacle we have in the City of McKeesport is the perception that people have outside of our city ... how they perceive us because of what channels 2, 4, and 11 put on the news every day. They don’t come out here to showcase our beautiful park or International Village or our Concerts in the Park or the Marina ... the library, the theater, and our wonderful schools ... What I will tell you about these tournaments, there is nothing else coming close to changing the perception that outsiders have of the City of McKeesport. We talked about destination points during our presentations. When people are coming into this park – some tournaments have 70 to 80 teams – from all these different communities ... they stop me and say they can’t believe how nice these tournaments are. Other people are saying, ‘This isn’t what I thought of McKeesport.’ Everyone in this room, we know it doesn’t identify who we are with what you see on channels 2, 4, and 11; but many of the people on the outside, they don’t know that. When they come to these tournaments, there’s nothing in 12 years, in my mind, that has mad the impact of changing people’s perspective. They’re all saying they can’t wait for the next tournament or next year.” The Mayor stated that these activities are actively changing perceptions and drawing more visitors to the park overall. He noted that the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) has been encouraging increased visitation as we continue to receive annual funding to support the operation of Renzie Park. Vice President Nesbit added that a colleague from Butler County visited for a tournament and he was pleasantly surprised and even “shocked” by the landscape and activities. Councilman Barry added that teams from communities such as Jefferson Hills, Hempfield Township, and Latrobe said the facilities were “beautiful.” CITIZENS IN THE AUDIENCE: President Dellapenna called for Citizens in the Audience and stated that all parties have three minutes to speak: 1. V. Fawn Walker Montgomery, 3509 Mayfair Street Ms. Walker Montgomery spoke on behalf of the Take Action Advocacy Group, which is a nonprofit organization that facilitates grants for Mon Valley programs. This organization is working on environmental justice  programming, including work with Women for a Healthy Environment. She asked how the City of McKeesport’s Environmental Justice funding award will complement other environmental justice efforts in the Mon Valley. 2. Regis Mellinger, 711 Franklin Street Mr. Mellinger talked about highway sites like the “World’s Largest Rocking Chair,” and said McKeesport needs roadside attractions. 3. Tamra Mitchell, 1508 Centennial Street Ms. Mitchell focused on rebuilding McKeesport, and she said the perception is that McKeesport is a “ghost town.” She spoke about economic development efforts and asked about pharmacies, as an example. 4. Keenon Mikell, Build N Block program for community case management. Mr. Mikell spoke about a series of violence prevention meetings taking place at the Healthy Village Learning Institute. He also asked for a sign to be replaced on Riverview Avenue that cautions drivers that children are in the area. Additionally, he asked about plans for redevelopment of the Penn McKee property because he fears gentrification will take the place of of local input and contributions. SOLICITOR’S REPORT: Solicitor Elash announced that Council met in Executive Session to discuss legal matters between the Work Session and Voting Meeting. He requested a motion to settle the “Brophy legal matter according to the terms discussed in chambers.” MOTION: Mr. Barry moved, seconded by Ms. Lape as requested by Solicitor Elash. RC-3- YEAS: Six (6) NAYS: None (0) NEW BUSINESS: BILL #16 – INTRODUCED BY MR. EVANS – RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA -- AUTHORIZING THE PROPER CITY OFFICIALS TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH ACE PYRO, LLC FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING THE FIREWORKS DISPLAYS AT RENZIEHAUSEN PARK FOR JULY 4th (INDEPENDENCE DAY), AUGUST 13th (INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE), AND SEPTEMBER 2nd (LABOR DAY). MOTION: Mr. Soles moved, seconded by Ms. Nesbit “to approve Bill #16.” President Dellapenna asked for questions or comments and there were none. RC-4 - YEAS: Seven (7) NAYS: None (0) BILL #17 – INTRODUCED BY MRS. LAPE – ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA -- APPROVING THE EDITING AND INCLUSION OF CERTAIN ORDINANCES AS PARTS OF THE VARIOUS COMPONENT CODES OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA. MOTION: Mr. Evans moved, seconded by Mr. Soles “to approve Bill #17.” President Dellapenna asked for questions or comments and there were none. RC-5 - YEAS: Seven (7)  NAYS: None (0) BILL #18 – INTRODUCED BY MR. BARRY – RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MCKEESPORT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA -- AUTHORIZING THE PROPER CITY OFFICIALS TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH E&J ASPHALT SEAL COATING, LLC FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING ASPHALT SEALING SERVICE FOR 2024. MOTION: Mrs. Lape moved, seconded by Mr. Soles “to approve Bill #18.” President Dellapenna asked for questions or comments and there were none. RC-6 - YEAS: Seven (7) NAYS: None (0) ADJOURNMENT: President Dellapenna closed the Council meeting for Wednesday, May 1, 2024, and thanked the audience for attending. The meeting then adjourned at 7:42 PM. Respectfully submitted, Annette James City Clerk and Clerk of Council APPROVED: Richard Dellapenna President of Council