Council of the Municipality of Murrysville

Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Council of the Municipality of Murrysville held a Regular Voting Meeting on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Present at the meeting were Council members William Vance, Joan Kearns, Regis Synan, Loren Kase, Dave Perry, and Josh Lorenz. Councilman Jeffery Kepler was not in attendance. Also present were Mayor Robert Brooks, Chief Administrator James R. Morrison and Municipal Engineer Joe Dietrick. The meeting began with the Presentation of the Colors by Boy Scout Troops 205, 213, 230, 239 and Crew 220. MAYOR BROOKS WELCOMES KEITH MOSS, CHAIRPERSON OF THE MAYOR OF THE YEAR COMMITTEE, PENNSYLVANIA STATE MAYORS’ ASSOCIATION Council President Joan Kearns welcomed everyone and introduced Council Vice-President Regis Synan, who said Murrysville was honored to have Mayors Keith Moss and James Nowalk from the Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association, who were present to bestow the 2015 Mayor of the Year award to Murrysville’s Mayor Bob Brooks. Mr. Synan, who nominated Mayor Brooks for the award, said the Mayor is deserving of the award as he works tirelessly for the good of the community – from scouting, to the Miracle Field, to education – he extends a helping hand to everyone. He thanked Mayors Moss and Nowalk for attending and sharing the award with the community. Jim Nowalk, Mayor of Whitehall Borough and President of the Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association, said that the greatest honor to be bestowed upon an individual is to be recognized by one’s peers, and the Mayor of the Year award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Mayor. He said Mayor Brooks is the first Mayor from Westmoreland County to receive this award. Keith Moss, Mayor of Duryea Borough in Luzerne County and Chairman of the Mayor of the Year Committee, explained the process involved in the selection of the Mayor of the Year. Mayor Moss read portions of the letter sent by Councilman Regis Synan nominating Mayor Brooks for the honor and presented him with a plaque. Also in attendance to congratulate Mayor Brooks and present him with certificates were Frank Coonelly, President of the Pittsburgh Pirates; Dr. Gennaro Piraino and Mary Catherine Reljac from Franklin Regional School District; James Creenan of the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce; and Matthew Dowling, representing the Boy Scouts of America and Rotary International. Members of Council congratulated the Mayor and commented on his tireless efforts on behalf of the Murrysville residents and businesses; the organizations he and his wife support and with which they volunteer; and the Mayor’s role as “cheerleader” for Murrysville. Mayor Brooks then introduced his wife Sue, his daughter Karen and son-in-law Dennis. The Mayor also thanked representatives from the VFW, his church, Redstone Highlands, Boy Scouts, United Way, Murrysville Library and its Foundation, Franklin Regional School District, Pittsburgh Pirates, first responders, volunteers and staff for attending. car 9/22/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, September 2, 2015 After a brief recess and reception for the Mayor, the Council meeting was called to order. REGULAR VOTING MEETING AGENDA UNISTED AMENDMENTS: 1. Under Workshop Items – Remove Item No. 9B – Discussion of the proposed changes to the Murrysville Stormwater Management Ordinance. 2. Under Council Action Items – Add Item No. 13A – Consider authorization to advertise to schedule a Special Meeting of Council for Thursday, September 24, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 4100 Sardis Road, Murrysville, PA. The purpose of the meeting will be to consider: a. Resolution #653-15 to place in pending status proposed ordinance #930-15, an ordinance regulating unconventional Oil and Gas drilling in the Municipality of Murrysville; b. Authorize staff to forward a copy of proposed ordinance #930-15 to the Planning Commission for their review and comment; c. Authorize staff to forward a copy of ordinance #930-15 to the Westmoreland County Department of Planning for their review and comment; and d. Direct staff to schedule a public hearing on proposed ordinance #930-15 at such time as scheduled by Council after the statutory forty-five day County Planning comment period. Mr. Synan moved to approve the agenda as amended. Mr. Kase seconded. All present voted aye. Motion approved. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS: A. AUGUST 5, 2015 MEETING MINUTES TO BE APPROVED Mr. Vance moved to approve the Consent Calendar items. Mr. Lorenz seconded. All present voted aye. Motion approved. COMMUNITY INPUT: None. car 9/22/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, September 2, 2015 WORKSHOP ITEMS ENGINEERING: 9A. DISCUSSION OF THE MURRYSVILLE MS4 PROGRAM. Municipal Engineer Joe Dietrick explained that the MS4 program has been in Murrysville for approximately 12 years and the acronym stands for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System. He said it is an NPDES permit obtained from the EPA through the DEP and is part of the Clean Water Act of 1972. Initially, the Clean Water Act targeted industries and then started looking at the sanitary sewer systems in Municipalities, and in 1987 the law was amended to include storm water. In Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed was the main focus of DEP. Recent spot inspections by the EPA in areas outside the Chesapeake Bay Watershed showed conditions to be terrible and issued a warning that an MS4 program that meets DEP’s requirements must be instituted or be subject to fines. DEP performed an audit on Murrysville’s MS4 program in July and found a few areas to be deficient, but otherwise the Municipality did very well. The DEP inspectors said that the Public Works site is a good example of what the “housekeeping” section of the inspection should look like. Mr. Dietrick further explained the six Minimum Control Measures (MCMs): Public Education and Outreach, Public Involvement/Participation, Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control, Post Construction Stormwater Management Activities, and Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Municipal Operations. Mr. Morrison said that, as with any government regulation, it usually means more money and he reminded Council that the proposed Capital Improvement Program has money allocated for this program, as well as money to support matching grants in cooperation with programs through the Conservation District. This program promotes on-site stormwater management wherein people have to take responsibility for managing the water generated on their property. Both Mr. Morrison and Mr. Dietrick noted that many communities impose a stormwater management fee to run an MS4 program. There were no questions from Council on this item. 9B. DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE MURRYSVILLE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE. This item was removed from the agenda. ADMINISTRATION: 12A. DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE NO. 929-15, PERTAINING TO FIRE HYDRANTS AND PRIVATE PROPERTY. Mr. Morrison said he was requested to do some research on private fire hydrants located in the Municipality and found that there are 17 privately-owned hydrants. A listing of the locations of the hydrants was provided to car 9/22/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Council. The proposed ordinance is being written in an effort to standardize the testing of hydrants; it proposes to have them tested once a year and lays out the program to have that done. It also proposes testing the hydrants after use. The ordinance was forwarded to the fire chiefs for comment and received a suggestion that the type of hydrants to be installed by private contractors be standardized. He explained the need for standardized hydrants and inspections, and noted that seven of the private hydrants are on school district property; therefore, it is important to have them regularly tested. Generally, the public hydrants are inspected every three years by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. When approached about the interest of MAWC to inspect the private hydrants, staff was informed that the Authority is no longer able to do that. Mayor Brooks asked if the ordinance proposes inspections every three years and was advised that the recommendation is for yearly inspections. Mr. Morrison said there are approximately 629 public hydrants in the Municipality. Since the residents will have to pay for their own inspections, Mayor Brooks asked if it was fair to have it done yearly, since the Municipality only inspects every three years. Mr. Morrison said that requirement could be adjusted if it is Council’s desire. Mr. Kase noted that there was no mention of certification of the private contractor to do the inspection and that language should be included to request credentials indicating the individual/company are qualified inspectors. Mr. Morrison said he isn’t certain if there are any specific certifications, but noted that the 2-3 companies that currently inspect were former MAWC employees. Mr. Morrison will contact the Building Code Association to determine if there are certifications required. Mr. Lorenz asked about the cost of each inspection; Mr. Morrison didn’t know but will try to get that information. Council members were asked to forward any additional comments or questions to Mr. Morrison so he can get the appropriate answers. COUNCIL - ACTION ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: 13A. CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE TO SCHEDULE A SPECIAL MEETING OF COUNCIL FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015, AT 7:00 P.M. AT THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING, 4100 SARDIS ROAD, MURRYSVILLE, PA. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING WILL RELATE TO PROPOSED ORDINANCE #930-15 AS NOTED IN UNLISTED AMENDMENTS ABOVE. Mr. Kase moved to approve the advertisement of a special meeting. Mr. Perry seconded. Mr. Morrison explained that Mr. Cohen will have the draft to him on Friday; it will then be forwarded to legal counsel and a draft will, hopefully, be available to Council on Sept. 17. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Vance – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Synan – yes, Mr. Kase – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Mr. Lorenz – yes. Motion approved. car 9/22/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, September 2, 2015 ENGINEERING: 15A. CONSIDER AWARD OF A CONTRACT FOR DPW-3-15, CRACK SEALING PROJECT. Mr. Synan moved to reject the bids received. Mr. Lorenz seconded. Mr. Morrison explained that $40,000 was budgeted in the Capital Reserve for this work. Over the past few years, the price has increased from $.70/lf to $1.10/lf and it seems as if there is only one company interested in doing the work [Matcon Diamond submitted a bid]. Because the guide rail project came in significantly higher than expected, and after conversations with Mr. Dietrick and Mr. Bell, staff believes it will be in the Municipality’s best interest to have the Public Works crew do the crack sealing on the major roads that would have been accomplished under the contract and move the money budgeted for crack sealing to the guide rail project. Mr. Kase asked what the cost would be to have the work done in-house. Mr. Morrison was not sure of that cost and explained that when work is done on major roads, flagmen are required for traffic control, so it’s a four-man operation. When crack sealing is done in subdivisions, there is no need for traffic control and the work can be done with two men. Staff believes as much, if not more, work can be accomplished in-house for the same price. There were no further questions. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Vance – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Synan – yes, Mr. Kase – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Mr. Lorenz –yes. Motion to reject bids approved. 15B. CONSIDER AWARD OF A CONTRACT FOR DPW-5-15, GUIDE RAIL PROJECT. Mr. Perry moved to award the contract in the amount of $81,320.00 to Green Acres Contracting Company; funds to be used will be from the guide rail line item, the crack sealing line item and the roads reserve in the 2015 Capital Reserve budget. Mr. Lorenz seconded. Mr. Dietrick explained that the guide rail on Pleasant Valley Road is in need of replacement, and the traffic impact attenuating devices that attach to the end of the guide rails have increased in price. Mr. Morrison said the bid is competitive with the other one received. There were no questions from Council. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Vance – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Synan – yes, Mr. Kase – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Mr. Lorenz –yes. Motion approved. OLD BUSINESS: None. NEW BUSINESS: None. EXECUTIVE SESSION: None. car 9/22/15 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, September 2, 2015 ACTION ITEMS: None. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Vance moved to adjourn. Mr. Kase seconded. All present voted aye. The Council Meeting concluded at 8:53 p.m. The Regular Voting Meeting was broadcast on local government Channel 19. A true copy of the Council meeting DVD is available for the public to purchase from the Municipality of Murrysville and is in the Murrysville Public Library for review. car 9/22/15