Council of the Municipality of Murrysville

THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 Council of the Municipality of Murrysville held a Regular Voting Meeting on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Present at the meeting were Council members Toni Brockway, Dayne Dice, Loren Kase, Mac McKenna, Tony Spadaro, Carl Stepanovich, and Mayor Synan. Also present were Chief Administrator, James Morrison and Solicitor, George Kotjarapoglus. Council member Jamie Lee Korns was absent. REGULAR VOTING MEETING AGENDA ROLL CALL/VOTING ORDER: Loren Kase, Toni Brockway, Carl Stepanovich, Mac McKenna, Jamie Lee Korns - absent, Tony Spadaro, Dayne Dice, and Mayor Synan. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mr. Dice led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. UNISTED AMENDMENTS: Mr. Morrison stated that Item 13.A will be removed from the agenda. Staff is still gathering records to add to that list. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS A. Accounts Payable B. Cash Investments and Transfers C. January 2, 2020 Council Reorganizational Minutes Mr. Dice noted that he will abstain from any KU Engineering-related billings in the Accounts Payable section, because he has done work for them in the past. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Kase – yes, Ms. Brockway – yes, Mr. Stepanovich – yes, Mr. McKenna – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, and Mr. Dice – yes, except he will abstain from all KU related items. Consent Calendar Items are approved. MAYOR’S COMMENTS: Mayor Synan stated that Westmoreland Heritage Trail is hosting a Comedy Night, Saturday, February 15th at Colton Hall, 3100 Block Road, Claridge. Tickets are $30 per person, ages 21 years and up. Tickets are available at the Westmoreland County Parks Office, Lamplighter Restaurant in Delmont, Ferri’s Pharmacy in Murrysville, and Colton Hall in Claridge. No tickets will be sold at the door. The FRAA baseball and softball registration is now open at www.fraasports.org. You must register before March 7. The recycling calendar for Republic Services is now available on the municipal website. Any questions should be directed to Republic Services. CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR’S COMMENTS: Mr. Morrison stated that on Friday, the staff will be meeting with the new owners of the Weyerhauser property to discuss subdivision and site plan development. On Friday, January 24th, Mr. Morrison stated that he will be going to Greensburg for a hearing on the Validity Challenge of Murrysville Watch. vmp -1- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 COMMUNITY INPUT: None LIAISON COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS: Mr. Spadaro: There was no Planning Commission meeting. Mr. Stepanovich: The Parks and Recreation Committee met yesterday. There will be elections for the committee at the next meeting on February 11. The March for Parks will be on Saturday, March 21. Registration is at 8:00 a.m. and the March begins at 9:00 a.m. The Parks Committee reports that public works is doing maintenance on trash cans, tables, etc. The P&R Committee reports that there will be monthly articles coming out soon and will discuss who will be preparing those articles at their next meeting. The finance report from the committee to council will be at the council meeting on February 5th. There was a significant donation to the Parks Foundation. The donor is currently going to be anonymous. Parks and Recreation is working on the spring event, which will take the place of the egg hunt event, and welcomes any citizen input on ideas for what could be done in its place. Volunteer hours logged at the various parks totaled 3,500+ volunteer hours. Dollar value of the hours provided by the volunteers is in excess of $86,000 worth of service to the community. Mr. Kase: Murrysville Medic One has their first meeting of the year tomorrow night. Ms. Brockway: The Library Board meets tomorrow. Mr. McKenna: Mr. McKenna will report at the next meeting. Mr. Dice: FTMSA also meeting tomorrow. WORKSHOP ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: 9.A. Discussion of the extension of the contract with DeBlasio & DeBlasio Associates for auditing services for the calendar years 2020, 2021, and 2022 at an annual cost not to exceed $14,250 per year Mr. Morrison stated that it’s that time of year to get the 2019 books audited. The Municipality has had a relationship with DeBlasio & DeBlasio since 2005. They proposed an extension of their contract for three years, through 2022 at $14,250 per year, which is approximately $250 more than the last three-year agreement. DeBlasio & DeBlasio does a very efficient job and are timely with their fieldwork. Mr. Stepanovich asked if they were certified by the State of Pennsylvania. Mr. Morrison stated no, that they are CPAs. There is a state report that is generated as part of the audit that is forwarded to the Commonwealth. 9.B. Discussion concerning a proposed real estate tax settlement with Wal-Mart Estate Business Trust Mr. Morrison stated that the Municipality has for some time been working through a tax appeal by Walmart. The structure was built in 2007. Approximately 61% of it is in Salem Township and 39% in vmp -2- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 Murrysville. The front entrance and parking lot is the majority of the area in Murrysville. The original market value of the entire property was approximately $14,000,000. Walmart has provided an appraisal of approximately $6,000,000. The Municipality presented an approval provided by the Greensburg Salem School District of $8,000,000. This was how they came to the proposed settlement of $6,250,000. The Franklin Regional School District joined Murrysville in the appeal and is still trying to get an appraisal done at this point, but it has not been completed. Mr. Dice explained that the school districts make the most from the property taxes. Whatever the property is assessed at, it will be for Salem Township, Greensburg Salem School District, Murrysville, and Franklin Regional School District. Mr. Morrison stated that he showed in the briefing the impact that it has on the Municipality, which is significant. This was brought before Council because they must agree to the settlement. ENGINEERING: None COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: None PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: 12.A. A discussion concerning a proposal to install lights at the Miracle Field Ballfield by the Miracle League of Southwest Pennsylvania Mr. Morrison stated that Mr. Harold Hicks, President of the Miracle League of Western Pennsylvania is here this evening. The Municipality and the Murrysville-Export Rotary, along with the Miracle League and a lot of support and kindness from many residents and organization in the community, brought the Miracle League field to Murrysville. This was a three million dollar project from money raised – no Municipal money, no State grant money. The Municipality provided the location at Murrysville Community Park, managed the construction project and the inspection for the Rotary. Since completion of the project, it has been very active and has grown. Mr. Hicks is here tonight to tell us why he thinks they need lights at the field. Mr. Hicks stated that the league started up there in 2012 with a mere 45 players. In the fall season, they now have roughly 182 players. The player’s average age is between 5 and 71 years old with physical, mental, social, and special needs. The players come from all over the eastern part of Allegheny County and Westmoreland County. Players do have to travel to get there so it is difficult to have baseball games in the evening. As they grow, they have more concern for playing more games in order to give the kids more opportunity to play at least two game per week. They play six days a week and take Sunday off. This particular ballfield has put Murrysville on the map in a lot of communities. The key that makes this ballfield different than any other miracle ballfield in western Pennsylvania is that this field was built with multiple sports, which includes basketball. They have also considered a flag-football program. The unfortunate thing is that once we get into fall in western Pennsylvania, it gets dark quick. A typical ballgame with the kids with special needs takes about two hours for two innings. If they get started at 6:30, by the end of September, it’s already starting to get dark. The concern is the safety of the children. Other fields have lights. South Hills is fully lighted. Lighting is important. When the field was built, underground tubing was put in for lights for future use. More games can be played in the spring with lights. The schedule will vmp -3- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 remain the same; eight weeks in the spring and 6 weeks in the fall. If they start doing flag football, which would be in the daylight hours, there may be an occasion where they might want to play Friday night under the lights. They have been working with Musco Lighting to take a look at how they can do the lighting and be less intrusive using LED lights. Kyle Smith, Musco Lighting, stated that Musco has been lighting fields and in the lighting business for over 40 years. They do lighting from Little Leagues, Miracle Leagues, High Schools, Colleges and Professional ranks as well. There are already 15 little leagues in Pennsylvania that have Musco LED lights. Musco uses visor technology so the lights are less glare with the object to get more light onto the field and not be intrusive to the environment. The standard for Miracle Fields is 30 foot candles of light in the infield and outfield. This would be done with four poles and fifteen fixtures. There was some talk about getting egress lighting for the parking lot with 1.3 foot candles, which is also in the proposal. The LED lights are able to be dimmed with controls. Musco does back up their product for 25 years. If there is a malfunction on their end, they will replace the fixture at no cost to the league or Municipality. Mr. Hicks said that the Miracle League has secured Foundation money to pay for the costs associated with the installation of the lights. Mr. Morrison stated that there were several concerns. One of the conditions when the property was purchased was that there would be no lights in that park. There could be objections by neighbors. Who will pay for the lighting and where and who will have access to the lighting controls? Mr. Stepanovich asked what the typical hours of operation were. Mr. Hicks stated that they would be done around 8:30 and out of there by 9:00 PM. Mr. Stepanovich asked that as far as the control for dimming, is that done through an IPad or how would that be done? Mr. Smith answered that whoever is designated can download the app onto their phone and control the lights from the app, or specific hours can be scheduled from a computer. The controls and monitoring can be done electronically or remotely. Mr. Spadaro asked if there was a 25 year warranty on everything. Mr. Smith answered yes. Mr. Kase asked if the lighting proposed was pure white light. Mr. Smith stated that LEDs are 1500 watt fixtures. It is not the whitest of white lights or a yellow-tint color. He will bring a sheet next time that would show on the spectrum what kind of light that would be. Mr. Kase stated that he has a concern that the park would then be open to everyone. The gates couldn’t be closed to everyone except those coming to the Miracle Field. How can we make it safe for everyone using the park up until 9:00 pm? Would the hours of operation need to be changed with the dusk to dawn ordinance having to be amended? Also, are all the costs of electricity going to be covered by the Miracle League? Mr. Hicks answered yes; the costs will be paid by the Miracle League. The Buncher Foundation has donated money to the League, along with the Pirates Organization and a private investor. Ms. Brockway commented that this is a wonderful, incredible program. Anything that Council can do to address all needs of the people in Murrysville is a wonderful thing. Ms. Brockway stated that she is concerned about the logistics of the lighting and park closing to make sure that safety is considered. Mr. McKenna asked if there were a certain number of people from the League that would have access. Mr. Hicks stated that they have responsible board members that are there regularly. About four or five would vmp -4- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 have access to the programming. Someone out of Public Works should also have access as a backup. Mr. Morrison stated that something that needs addressed is access to the facility. There are no lights out there now and the gates close around dusk. With the gate not being tended, that exposes the entire park to everyone. How do we maintain the facility and go beyond the dusk to dawn use now? Also, this is the Rotary Miracle Field and there should be some kind of evidence by the Rotary that they are in favor of this. Mr. Morrison stated that what should be considered is want-versus-need and said that Mr. Hicks should be responsible for justifying that. There will also be a concern of noise and traffic. Mr. Morrison noted that Mr. Hicks did a very good job of presenting this and it’s a wonderful idea, but there is going to be another side to this. Mr. Kase stated that there may be a way of doing all this, but a lot of things still need to be discussed and worked out. Council’s February agenda will include further discussion of an amphitheater in Murrysville Community Park near the Miracle Field, which could present a solution to the access issue. A road by the maintenance building on Farm Road was a possibility for future access. Mr. Smith stated that he would bring a list of fields in the area that Musco has done lighting for. Mr. Hicks stated that he will get a letter from the Rotary and make a list of needs-versus-wants so that they can come back with answers for Council within the next 30 days. COUNCIL ACTION ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: 13.B. Consider approval of a contract with KM Computers for hardware and software support for the calendar year 2020 at an annual rate of $12,396 Ms. Brockway made a motion to approve a contract with KM Computers for hardware and software support for the calendar year 2020 at a monthly rate of $1,033. Mr. Kase seconded. Mr. Morrison stated that KM Computers has had a contract with the Municipality since 2017. They provide backup services, remote monitoring, update antivirus and other system and network tests and monitoring. This is an annual agreement and there was no cost increase. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Kase – yes, Ms. Brockway – yes, Mr. Stepanovich – yes, Mr. McKenna – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, and Mr. Dice – yes. Motion approved. 13.C. Consider the extension of the contract with DeBlasio & DeBlasio Associates for auditing services for the calendar years 2020, 2021, and 2022 at an annual cost not to exceed $14,250 per year vmp -5- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 Ms. Brockway made a motion to approve the extension of the contract with DeBlasio & DeBlasio Associates for auditing services for the calendar years 2020, 2021, and 2022 at an annual cost not to exceed $14,250 per year. Mr. Spadaro seconded. Mr. Morrison stated that as mentioned in the workshop portion of the meeting, DeBlasio & DeBlasio has been with the Municipality since 2005. They are a Certified Public Accounting Firm from Greensburg and have done a very good job in a timely manner. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Kase – yes, Ms. Brockway – yes, Mr. Stepanovich – yes, Mr. McKenna – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, and Mr. Dice – yes. Motion approved. 13.D. Consider approval of a month-to-month contract with ServiceMASTER for janitorial services at the Municipal Building, Public Works Building, and the Community Center in the amount of $3,791.00 per month Mr. Spadaro made a motion to consider approval of a month-to-month contract with ServiceMASTER for janitorial services at the Municipal Building, Public Works Building, and the Community Center in the amount of $3,791.00 per month. Mr. Stepanovich seconded. Mr. Morrison stated that this is the fourth attempt at trying to find a reputable and quality janitorial service to maintain the buildings. Some of the challenges have been the quality of employees, the background checks of the employees and the size of the buildings here to be maintained. All of the restrooms at the parks have been taken out of the contract because of distance and time involved. If this service doesn’t work, Mr. Morrison stated that he will probably come back to Council and recommend hiring a janitor. Mr. Spadaro asked how many days a week they would work. Mr. Morrison stated that the contract is set up to do two days a week, 10 hours here in this building. The challenge is finding the right person, meeting the demand, and scheduling around the hours of operation at the Library, Public Works, and the Community Center. Mr. Dice asked who will be cleaning the parks restrooms. Mr. Morrison answered that the park restrooms at MCP will be cleaned by the summer parks people. The Roberts Property will be included with the Community Center since they are close together. Mr. Kase asked Mr. Morrison if he recalled what the salary was of the janitor that the Municipality used to have. Mr. Morrison stated that the monthly rate was about the same. Mr. Morrison noted that Penn Township and Franklin Regional are both having a difficult time finding people. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Kase – yes, Ms. Brockway – yes, Mr. Stepanovich – yes, Mr. McKenna – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, and Mr. Dice – yes. Motion approved. vmp -6- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 13.E. Consider authorization to advertise Ordinance No. 1017-20, an ordinance authorizing the lease of the Sears House, the Townsend House and the Bailey House. Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to authorize advertising of Ordinance No. 1017-20, an ordinance authorizing the lease of the Sears House, the Townsend House, and the Bailey House. Mr. McKenna seconded. Mr. Morrison stated that leases are usually set up for a year and then a renewal year. The Municipality has been very fortunate with having good, long-time renters. Mr. Stepanovich asked when the last time the rent was raised. Mr. Morrison stated that the Sears house has not been raised, Townsend was about two leases ago, and the Bailey house is on its first lease. Mr. McKenna asked if there had been any upgrades to any of the houses. Mr. Morrison stated yes, that the Sears house was a complete re-build. The Townsend house was remodeled about 4 years ago and the Bailey house only needed some minimal work done. Mr. Stepanovich suggested that if the rates going forward stay the same for about three years, that it should be considered at that point to raise the rates. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Kase – yes, Ms. Brockway – yes, Mr. Stepanovich – yes, Mr. McKenna – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, and Mr. Dice – yes. Motion approved. 13.F. Consider authorization to advertise Ordinance No. 1018-20, an ordinance vacating an unopened portion of Carson Avenue from its northerly terminus and ending at the northern line of Ring Alley as depicted on Exhibit D of the proposed ordinance Mr. McKenna made a motion authorizing to advertise Ordinance No. 1018-20, an ordinance vacating an unopened portion of Carson Avenue from its northerly terminus and ending at the northern line of Ring Alley as depicted on Exhibit D of the proposed ordinance. Ms. Brockway seconded. Mr. Morrison stated that the Municipality was petitioned by the adjacent property owners, Ms. Spinello and Mr. Beatty, to vacate the unopened paper street on Carson Avenue (the old Posie Shop and Murrysville Cleaners), from Old William Penn Highway to Rings Alley. There will be a requirement for a Public Hearing, which will be set up in March. If Council chooses to vacate, the property returns back to the adjacent property owners. There is a rider in the Ordinance, because the Municipality recently put a storm sewer down that portion of Carson. The Municipality is protected for any easement for future maintenance. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Kase – yes, Ms. Brockway – yes, Mr. Stepanovich – yes, Mr. McKenna – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, and Mr. Dice – yes. Motion approved. vmp -7- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, January 15, 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: None ENGINEERING: None PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: None OLD BUSINESS:  Updates to the Murrysville Sign Ordinance Mr. Dice stated that this was brought to his attention by Mr. Kase, that the sign ordinance is pretty good, but there seems to be a lot of LED and lighted signs popping up and they need to be regulated. Mr. Morrison stated that about two or more years ago, the Planning Commission had begun addressing this issue. Staff can approach the Planning Commission and ask them to put this back on their agenda and move forward with it. Mr. Kase noted that there are a few signs that are blindingly bright along Route 22 and the ordinance needs to be updated. NEW BUSINESS: None ACTION ITEMS: None EXECUTIVE SESSION: Volunteer of the Year Council adjourned to an Executive Session at 8:20 p.m. No action coming out of this session was anticipated. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 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. vmp -8-