Council of the Municipality of Murrysville

THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Council of the Municipality of Murrysville held a Regular Voting Meeting on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Present at the meeting were Council members Dayne Dice, Jason Lemak, Jamie Lingg, Mac McKenna, Matthew Olszewski, and Carl Stepanovich. Also, present were Chief Administrator Michael Nestico, Director of Public Works Bill Paiano, and Solicitor Adam Long. Council member Eli Diacopoulos and Mayor Synan were absent. REGULAR VOTING MEETING AGENDA PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Council President Dayne Dice led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL/VOTING ORDER: Jamie Lingg, Dayne Dice, Jason Lemak, Matthew Olszewski, Eli Diacopoulos- absent, Carl Stepanovich, Mac McKenna, and Mayor Synan-absent. UNISTED AMENDMENTS: None CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS: A. Approval of February 18, 2025 Minutes Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to approve February 19, 2025 Minutes. Mrs. Lingg seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. MAYOR’S COMMENTS: Chief Administrator, Michael Nestico gave the Mayor’s report. AARP Tax Prep Services: Appointments are required in advance. Call 724-374-8176. If there is no answer, leave a message. No walk-up service will be accepted. Will be held at the Murrysville Community Center, 3091 Carson Avenue. Dates are February 21 and 28, March 14 and 28, and April 11. Glass Recycling “Pop-Up” Collection Event will be Saturday, March 15th from 9 am - 2 pm at Veterans Field parking lot. Residents are encouraged to support the Loaves and Fishes Emergency Food Pantry by donating non-perishable food items. Sponsored by the Municipality of Murrysville and Republic Services. Rock Talks: Erik Selinger hosts another fabulous session of Rock Talks! In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, lets rock out, Irish style! From early folk influences like The Chieftains & The Dubliners to the Celtic punk rock of The Pogues, Flogging Molly, and Dropkick Murphys. Plus, classic hard rock from Gary Moore and Thin Lizi, but not “The Boys Are Back in Town”. Come and listen – it will be a great Craic. Murrysville Community Library, Tuesday, March 11th at 6:30 pm – FREE! Studio Mini Dance for ages 2-5 years: The Mini Dance Class for ages 2-3 will be Tuesdays, March 11 – April 15 from 9:30 am – 10:15 am. The Mini Dance Class for ages 4-5 will be Tuesdays, March 11 – April 15 from 10:15 am – 11:00 am. Classes are held at the Murrysville Community Center with Instructor Sarah MacIntyre. The fee is $108. Murrysville Clean-Up Week will be April 1st through April 12th at the Pleasant Valley Landfill. Murrysville residents may take items to the Valley Landfill on Pleasant Valley Road April 1-11 from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm vmp -1- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 5, 2025 and on Saturday, April 12 from 7:00 am to 11:00 am. Permit passes are available at the Reception Desk, here at the Municipal Building for anyone that would like to participate. Joey Gombosh Fishing Derby will be Saturday, April 5th from 8 am – 4 pm at Townsend Park for children up to age 15. This is in honor of Joey Gombosh. Curbside Leaf Collection Program: To schedule a pick-up on one of the collection dates, please fill out the “Curbside Left Collection Program Form” on the website. There is a 20-bag limit for each collection date. The deadline to sign up for each date is the Thursday before the pickup date: Spring pickup is Saturday, April 26th. CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR’S COMMENTS: Mr. Nestico stated that the Deer Management Program run through the Recreation Department had 74 hunters enrolled this year. They harvested 42 deer - 28 doe and 14 bucks. The hunters pay a fee of $35 but receive a credit if they do harvest a doe. There were 751 days of hunting that occurred during this season. The revenues for this year were $2,200. The property taxes will be delayed but should be received by the 15th of this month. Typically, they came out the beginning of the month; however, there was a miscommunication between the County and Keystone Collections regarding a few of the properties in regard to the hydrant tax. The issue had to be rectified, which caused a delay with all the taxes. The payment deadline will be extended an additional 15 days. Holiday Hills Mobil Home Park was having some issues with receiving water to some of their units. The issue overlaps with water coming from Plum Municipal Authority with the waterline running through Allegheny County. Allegheny County Health Department, who operates the plumbing inspections for the County, is overseeing that project. A contractor is running a new waterline. The property owner has been in contact with our code office. A gas line was hit during this project. The property owner has been proactive in trying to remediate things and take care of the residents by offering other accommodations. Violation notices have been sent by our code office just to ensure that the property owner is staying on top of the issue. The new waterline should be installed and operational by sometime next week. Caliber Collision had an issue at their development last week. The contracting crew was working late into the evening. Unfortunately, one of the sub-contractors was doing some of the work there last Wednesday and they had difficulty getting things finalized in a single pour, which was necessary for that particular site. Our building inspector did give authorization for them to work late into the evening, but didn’t expect it to last that long into the evening. A storm came in 5 hours earlier than anticipated and caused a bit of commotion at the site while they were trying to put up tarps to prevent water damage and get the concrete poured. Ultimately it led to having to shut that work down in late hours of the night and hearing a lot of feedback from the community. It was a one-time situation, and an agreement was reached with the developer that there cannot be further work done outside of what was in the Developer’s Agreement as it relates to the business hours. COMMUNITY INPUT: Mr. Dice asked for any comments from the audience. Robert Alexander, 4691 Christy Road: Mr. Alexander stated that he is a 37-year resident of Murrysville and recently become the president of the Miracle League of Western Pennsylvania. He is here on behalf of the vmp -2- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Miracle League. He asked to what extent is the Miracle League a part of Murrysville Community Park. Are they under the umbrella of the municipality like all the other parks or are they a completely separate entity. They are having a new field installed and tomorrow all of the field materials are being delivered to the Miracle Field. The Municipality was not asked for any money towards that field. They raised all of $300,000 to do this project. Who does he need to contact if he wants to do something? Mr. Dice commented that this was something that Mr. Nestico, Carly Geene, and the solicitor would need to sit down and discuss. Mr. Nestico stated that it was his understanding that when the Miracle League was formed and the field was installed, that the Miracle League was a tenant of the park system. The agreement was that we would provide the space, and they would get the funding to put everything together, which they obviously did. As far as what can be done in the park, he believes that they would have to come to the Municipality and seek approval. It is a bit unclear of what exactly is in the agreement. Mr. Dice suggested that in looking for the written agreement, that maybe executing one may be the way to go to formalize this so that legally we know what is going on. Mr. Stepanovich asked how old the field is. Mr. Alexander answered that it was 12 years old. It’s an 8-year field which was repaired last year to get them through the season. It is a safety hazard now. A new scoreboard will be needed soon. The parking area at the top needs paved. Mr. Alexander asked if there was any way they could piggy-back Wi-Fi from the Clubhouse up to the Miracle Field. Right now, calling 911 could be difficult. Mr. Nestico stated that was something that definitely could be looked into. They had looked at potentially getting Wi-Fi throughout the park. The baseball organization does have Wi-Fi in their concession area, which they pay for separately. That may be an option. Mr. Dice stated that a meeting needs to be set up asap so we can all be on the same page. See what has been done in the past and what we want to do in the future. Mr. Alexander noted that they plan on having a one-of-a-kind Miracle Field. The design is to look like PNC Park with the striped field and a track all the way around. It will be a jewel for the community. Opening day is Saturday, April 26th. LIAISON COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS: Mr. Lemak: He will attend the next meeting of the Library Committee on March 20th. Mr. Stepanovich: Medic One had a meeting on February 20th. They approved the purchase of two chassis from a vendor in Arkansas. The award was $199,780. There were14,000 subscriptions mailed. An additional 10,000 subscriptions will be mailed to the communities of Bell, Avonmore, Saltsburg, and Loyalhanna. Emergency services in each of those communities, over the last 18 months, have gone out of business. In Murrysville, there were 1,148 ambulance trips and 84 wheelchair. Parks and Recreation Foundation met on Monday, February 24th. There was a fundraising guideline completed and sent to the Chief Administrator for review and comment. Estimated prices for disc golf were prepared and will be compared with the vendor that will be submitting a bid on that. There was a member added to the board, Colin Kernick, who has an extensive background in marketing. vmp -3- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Murrysville, through the Capital Improvement Plan in 2025, will be planning to spend $210,000 at Chambers Park, continuing upgrades to Duff Park; In 2026 $105,000 to Townsend Park; and in 2027 $75,000 to Veterans Park for a new playground. The community is doing its part in conjunction with the Foundation in keeping a strong recreation environment in Murrysville. Mr. McKenna: Parks and Recreation meets next Tuesday, March 11th. Mrs. Lingg: Planning Commission meets Tuesday, March 11th. Mr. Olszewski: EAC met on February 25th. The topic was Summerhill Phase II with three comments. 1) The landscape plans need to be more specific with species of what will be planted and where. 2) Inspection on the current existing private storm sewers along the property should be done to ensure that they are in working condition. 3) The reforestation plan was required with the previous conditional use application and approval which should be shown on the landscape plan. WORKSHOP ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: None ENGINEERING: None COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: None PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: None COUNCIL ACTION ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: 13.A. Approve Ordinance No. 1098-25, increasing the Parks and Recreation Commission to nine (9) members. Mr. Lemak made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 1098-25, increasing the Parks and Recreation Commission to nine (9) members. This was a request from the Parks and Recreation Commission to do this. Mr. Nestico stated that there are a lot of volunteers who want to participate. Mr. McKenna noted that this will be very helpful for Parks and Recreation. This has been discussed for quite a while. Mrs. Lingg seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.B. Authorize approval of the 2024 Volunteer Service Credit Program notarized eligibility list for Sardis Volunteer Fire Company Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to approve the 2024 Volunteer Service Credit Program notarized eligibility list for Sardis Volunteer Fire Company. Mr. Olszewski seconded. vmp -4- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Mr. Nestico noted that this is for Sardis which has four members that are eligible for the service credit program. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: None ENGINEERING: 15.A. Advertise Ordinance No. 1099-25 West Penn Easement Mr. Olszewski made a motion to advertise Ordinance No. 1099-25 West Penn Easement. Mr. McKenna seconded. Mr. Nestico stated that this is an easement with West Penn Power for the installation of a utility pole and utility service line on a portion of the property at Duff Park entrance. This is to get power to the Duff Park restroom facility. Mr. Stepanovich asked what the difference was between a right-of-way and an easement. Solicitor Long answered that there was basically no difference. A right-of-way tends to be more in-and-out like a driveway or traffic and easement tends to be installation of a power line or water line. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 15.B. Advertise Ordinance No. 1100-25 FTMSA Easement at Tax Map number 49-10-13-0-035 Mrs. Lingg made a motion to advertise Ordinance No. 1100-25 FTMSA Easement at Tax Map number 49-10- 13-0-035. Mr. Olszewski seconded. Mr. Nestico noted that this item, in conjunction with the next item, is for two easements for the same project. This is for the Haymaker Run Interceptor Rehabilitation project that is being completed by FTMSA. We have had residents come in and discuss sewage issues they are having with backup along that area. This project will help to rectify that. There are two areas where they are installing the lateral sewer line that intersect with municipal property. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 15.C. Advertise Ordinance No. 1101-25 FTMSA Easement at Tax Map number 49-10-13-0-140 Mr. McKenna made a motion to advertise Ordinance No. 1101-25 FTMSA Easement at Tax Map number 49- 10-13-0-140. Mr. Lemak seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 15.D. Advertise DPW-1-25 – Overlay Project Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to authorize advertisement of DPW-1-25 – Overlay Project. Mrs. Lingg seconded. vmp -5- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Mr. Nestico stated that this is the Overlay Project for 2025. It includes portions of 25 roads in the Municipality and 3 in Export. This project is listed in the CIP with a budget of $1,500,000. This is to advertise for bids for this project. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 15.E. Advertise DPW-2-25 – Alternative Road Surface Treatment Project Mr. McKenna made a motion to advertise DPW-2-25 – Alternative Road Surface Treatment Project. Mrs. Lingg seconded. Mr. Nestico stated that this is for the Alternative Road Treatment Program with the Fibermat seal/fog coat. This will be for a portion of Sardis Road approximately 12,800 feet in length from Saltsburg Road to Mamont Road. The CIP budgeted an amount of $205,000 for this project. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: 16.A. Award the contract for mowing municipal greenspaces to JPS Landscaping Mr. Lemak made a motion to award a one-year contract with three-year pricing, renewed annually to JPS Landscaping for mowing and trimming various municipal properties. Mr. Stepanovich seconded. Mr. Paiano stated that a few bids were received. These are just the outskirt properties of greenspace that Public Works don’t take care of. There was about $100 difference between the contractors. Both contractors have been used in the past. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 16.B. Award the contract for DPW 4-25 Landscape Contract to JPS Landscaping Mrs. Lingg made a motion to award the contract for DPW 4-25 Landscape Contract to JPS Landscaping. Mr. Olszewski seconded. Mr. Paiano stated that this is for the Route 22 streetscape, Murrysville signs, administration building, Community Center and Route 22 medians and jug handles. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: Mr. Stepanovich stated that he wanted to discuss the non-Murrysville residents at Sardis Fire Department. The tax credit is given to Murrysville residents. How can we proceed with giving the non- residents, who are very active, something for their service and the legality of it. vmp -6- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 5, 2025 Mr. Dice noted that it would have to be something to look into for all of the fire departments. The Mayor has talked about this extensively and we have looked into a lot of options. Mr. Nestico stated that one of the legal issues brought up was that it would be difficult for us to provide tax relief to someone who resides in another community. There would have to be some sort of agreement. The Mayor had mentioned that maybe to provide some sort of benefit of a small payment. The problem is that this is a tax credit based on earnings. The volunteers that do receive the service credit receive a varying amount of credit maybe from $50 to a couple hundred dollars. The payment couldn’t be a flat rate. It is not a quick and easy answer, and we’ll have to see what Council would consider. EXECUTIVE SESSION: None ACTION ITEMS: None ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to adjourn. Mrs. Lingg seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. The Regular Voting Meeting was broadcast on local government Channel 21. 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 -7-