Borough Council

Sharon Hill Borough Legislative Meeting Minutes Thursday, August 21, 2025 Quote of the Meeting "If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass • Call To Order at 7:00 p.m. • Pledge of Allegiance • Roll Call – President Tanya Allen (P) Vice President Edward Booker (P) Councilor Sharon Booker (P) Councilor William Felder (P) Councilor Rodney Hill (P) Councilor Sandra Holcombe (E) Councilor James Patrick III (P) Mayor Hykeem Green (E) Borough Solicitor Kyle Miller (P) Borough Engineer Susan Lynch (E) Police Chief Richard Herron (P) Code Building Official Anthony Tartaglia (P) Borough Treasurer Will Morgan (P) Borough Manager Ieasa Nichols (P) Committee Updates: President Allen informed that Council met in Executive Session on Tuesday 8/19/25 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss pending litigation. President Tanya Allen: Library, CPCIP o Library Report: Mr. Ashby – Mr. Ashby reviewed some of the new programs and services at the library such as a 4H Club, Silver Keyboard Program for seniors, Laptop Loan Program for seniors Tech Services for veterans and more. o There will be a writing Workshop for young people and a Veterans Book Fair on August 27 for both events. o The library is collaborating on an event for Grandparents’ Day with the Vision Academy School. o The Library Association has a partnership with Friends of the Library along with the Council President and Vice President to provide a pantry program. o The library is partnering with Councilor Hill to have an electronic waste disposal event. o The library is in the process of hiring an additional person. A couple of the councilors asked for info regarding hours, and current number of library staff and Mr. Ashby answered both questions. o Everyone appreciated all library volunteers. o The library’s monthly statistics were read and accepted. o CPCIP: - The committee had a meeting last week and will be moving forward with the Main Street Improvement Plan Program. Most of the municipalities will be part of main street program along with Sharon Hill Borough, which will enable us to have access to more funding to beautify Chester Pike. o If Septa does not get the funding they need, it will impact our area. As soon as more information is known we will put it on our website. Page | 1 o National Night Out was a success. Some of the CPCIP partners were invited and joined us where they had an opportunity to interact with us and the community. We had an executive director table and talked about Bike the Pike which will roll out in 2026. o Special thanks to Mr. Ashby for representing Sharon Hill Public Library and everyone who participated in the National Night Out event. o President Allen attended a meeting with a director from the Henderson Group where they shared that they have property maintenance employment opportunities. Any information we receive will be posted on our website. o A resolution document has been prepared, and a grant has been applied for to obtain security cameras for our parks. o The Fanta Bility Foundation is having a backpack and school supplies giveaway to commemorate the anniversary of the passing of Fanta Bility on August 24 at 2:00 p.m. at Sharon Hill Elementary School. o Our Block Captain initiative started last month. Several individuals volunteered and it is very much appreciated. If there is any interest in becoming a block captain, please reach out to the borough office or President Allen for information. o The Borough will be going back to using the Delco Alert system which is an alert service provided by the county. It will be used to notify the public of important and urgent items as well as for posting the usual general information. However, for now, you will need to subscribe to receive the alerts. Additional information will be on our website regarding signing up, but should you have any questions, please reach out to the Borough or President Allen. Vice President Edward Booker: Public Safety/DCJA o The July Fire Chief Report was read and submitted. o Sharon Hill Fire Department has been recognized as a licensed EMS Agency in PA and will offer a quick response service to the Borough. Councilor Felder asked whether the service would be 24 hours, and V.P. Booker said he will follow up and advise. o The July Police Report was read and submitted. o There was no DCJA meeting this month. Junior Council Report – No report Councilor Sharon Booker: SHACC o SHACC continues celebrating their 10-year anniversary. o SHACC will present the 10th year of Jazz and Arts in the Park on October 4, 2025. o In September, SHACC will present Pieces of Me; A Puzzle of Self Expression Make & Take. o SHACC will be having their monthly flea market on September 6, 9:00-2:00 p.m. at Memorial Park. o SHACC is looking forward to having Jazz Palates. More to come. o SHACC monthly meetings are every 1st Monday of each month from 6:00-7:00 p.m. o Councilor Booker reported, as the chair of the Delaware County Women’s Commission, she went to Oklahoma City where the Delaware County Women’s Commission received a national award for a project they did in conjunction with SHACC for the work they did initiating the availability of menstruation products to combat period poverty. Page | 2 Councilor William Felder: Public Works o The Code Enforcement Report for July 2025 was read and submitted. Councilor Rodney Hill: Recreation o Saturday, August 23, 2025, from 12-7 p.m., is Jalen Duren Day. There will be lots of activities for the children and their families. Councilor Hill took the opportunity to thank the Grocery Outlet, the Sharon Hill Borough, and some of the Councilors for their contributions. o The Recreation Department along with V.P. Booker are in talks about getting intermural soccer games with the goal of having soccer here in Sharon Hill Borough. o Councilor Hill previously mentioned providing free play basketball at Academy Park since the courts are down. However, he reports that Academy Park does not want to have a lot of traffic on their gym courts before school opens, but they are still talking about it. o Councilor Hill thanked Council President for getting cameras in the park. Councilor Sandra Holcombe: No report. Councilor James Patrick, III: Personnel o Councilor Patrick deferred any questions regarding personnel to Solicitor Miller. o Councilor Patrick announced he worked with Councilman Hill on the Jalen Duren day to secure the Home Depot donation and advised that representatives from Home Depot will be present at the event to give out the gift bags. o Home Depot will also be having workshop programs on the 1st Saturday of the month and SHB children who are interested are invited to come to the Ridley Home Depot in Folsom. o Councilor Patrick encouraged the community to be excited about SHB and to feel free to reach out to Council members for any questions, concerns, or input you may have. • Officials’ Updates: Mayor, Hykeem Green – No report - The July Police monthly report was read and submitted. Borough Solicitor, Kyle Miller, Kilkenny Law - Two items on the Solicitor report are listed under New Business: 1) The Tax assessment Appeal for 401 Sharon Avenue and 2) The Crossing Guard Contract. - There was an abatement policy meeting with the Code Official and other borough officials to discuss the abatement policy and to develop standards on how to address abatements. If there are any questions or issues, please reach out to the Code Official or the Borough. Page | 3  - The Solicitor was tasked to research a vacancy ordinance. The Solicitor reviewed the purpose of the ordinance and read the draft aloud to council and will have a finalized copy for Council’s consideration shortly. Council President Allen added that the ordinance came about because of the closure of CVS and the need to protect the borough from vacancies. A question was asked if it is for commercial or residential and the Solicitor said it probably would be both, but it would be tailored per the borough needs. - The Solicitor continues to monitor and update the borough on pending litigation. - The Solicitor reported that a preliminary draft to recognize the 10-year anniversary of SHACC is completed and a meeting date to recognize the Commission is being established. Borough Engineer, Susan Lynch, Lighthouse Engineering - The Engineer’s report is in the packet. - President Allen advised she was contacted by the Philadelphia Inquirer to discuss the impact to Sharon Hill due to the cancellation of the FEMA grants. During the conversation with the reporter, it came up that Delaware County reported that the levee project, as we know it, is off the table for now; however, other additional measures are being considered. More information will be forthcoming. Building Code Official, Anthony Tartaglia - The Code Official reported they photographed the Coates Avenue house and posted it for abatement and will begin cleaning the property next week. The Borough Manager mentioned that we were missing the fee schedule and the Code Official said he will call Cleaver to inquire about a fee schedule for quotes. The Borough Manager asked the Official if we knew if there was fire insurance on the home and the Code Official did not know. The Borough Manager will check with the Fire Chief regarding insurance. - Councilor Hill asked a question regarding a policy for tall grass and other violations for homes in the same block. The Code Official said there is no policy and that the inspector has on many occasions given out violations to multiple homes in the same block. - V.P. Booker asked if 1352 Elmwood permits were issued. The Borough Manager looked it up and yes, the permits were issued. - President Allen and V.P. Booker encouraged residents to continue to report violations to the Borough of properties that do not have a permit posted. The borough appreciates your proactive involvement because it helps to keep everyone safe. Police Chief, Richard Herron - Chief Herron was on an emergency and Corporal Attix represented the Police Dept. Corporal Attix responded to a statement made by V.P. Booker about a friend having the copper stolen from his home while out of town. Corporal Attix encourages everyone if they are going on vacation to let them know and they will be added to their vacation list where they will be included in the routine property checks. - Another question came up for Chief Herron regarding parking in handicapped spaces. President Allen mentioned that we want everyone to be on the same page, so we are asking the Chief to clarify the policy for handicapped parking. Also, we would like clarity regarding commercial vehicles/no truck parking. Corporal Attix will take the questions back to Chief Herron. Treasurer, Will Morgan Page | 4  The Treasurers Report for July 2025 for General Fund balance was read and submitted. The Bills and Applied Payments report for July 17-August 20 was reviewed by the Treasurer with specific explanations for several accounts out of the norm. Borough Manager, Ieasa A. Nichols - The Borough Manager reviewed the infrastructure upgrades for the Weiderwax Park project and advised we are about 80% complete. Once the park is complete, we will be reaching out to Council for a ribbon cutting ceremony. - The chair lift installation at the Fire Department has been approved. - The Borough Manager confirmed we are working with the Engineer and our consultant to investigate possible grants for ABC Field. - The Police vehicles are currently being outfitted and should be available in the next 2 weeks. - We are looking at the possibility of a new street sweeper and we had a demonstration of a sweeper this week. - No street sweeping tomorrow because we will be preparing for the weekend’s activities. - We are still in contract negotiations with the Teamsters. When more information is available, we will pass on for Council’s consideration. - We are finalizing the Employee Handbook, and it will be integrated within the Teamsters’ contract. - We are going through a 5-year audit of our pension plan. The Borough Manager explained how it is structured and any concerns that have come up. For each concern she explained what needs to happen to fix and/or request for additional discussion to move forward. President Allen asked regarding the MMO findings if the Auditor comes with a finding do they share findings from other localities on how to address the MMO. The Borough Manager said no he does not, but she said there are conversations throughout the state and suggested we bring them to PSAB to see if they have information to share with Council. However, the Borough Manager reports overall the audit was good. - As a follow-up from last meeting regarding traffic calming measures at Chester Pike and Garvin Blvd, the Borough Manager reported that she received an email from a resident who did a petition on Bonsall requesting traffic calming measures on Calcon Hook as well. The Borough Manager contacted PennDOT on both issues and they advise that for a traffic signal there has to be a warrant analysis request submitted by the Engineer. - We have been contacted by the DCHD to host their National Recovery Month activity at Memorial Park on Thursday, September 18. As additional information becomes available, the Borough Manager will pass on. Public Comment – - Mr. Hunter – Discussed a variety of concerns regarding the children in the area, parking issues, trash and debris, and the parking lot and asked about the rules for private property owners. Between the Police and Code many residents have complained about the times these activities are happening, which are between 10:30 pm. and 4:00 a.m. He informed Council that he believes that the Property Management needs to have cameras and signs installed and that he had that conversation with the owner and they said they would get cameras. Corporate Attix said the Chief has asked them to do extra patrols but when they are there, they do not see anyone or anything suspicious. However, extra patrols are being carried out. President Allen said she is concerned about the illegal activities that are being reported. However, about the cameras and signs, it should become the property owner’s responsibility to manage the situation with signs and cameras. The Code Official recommended having a meeting with the owner who is looking to secure his lot. President Allen asked the Code Official to reach out to him again to make him Page | 5  aware that the police are patrolling more than usual and find out what he is going to do about the lights and the cameras. - Donna Hunter 1026 Coates Street – Concerned about trash at 1028 Coates, and overflowing dumpster at 1023 Coates. The Code Official will have investigated. New Business – • Motion to approve Resolution 2025-15 authorizing the borough to apply for funding under the Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue authorizes municipal property security camera grant program for the installation of video cameras at the Sharon Hill Borough Athletic Field, Memorial Park, and Weiderwax Park. Moved W.F. Seconded R.H. Motion Passed • Motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report as presented. Moved S.B. Seconded R.H. Motion Passed • Motion to approve the Treasurer’s Bills and Invoices Report. Moved E.B. Seconded W.F. Motion Passed • Motion to Approve Legislative Meeting Minutes from July 17, 2025. Moved E.B. Seconded W.F. Motion Passed • Motion to authorize the appropriate borough official to execute a contract with Safe Corridors (SCM Management LLC.) for the provision of Crossing Guard Services. Moved V.P. Seconded W.F. Motion Passed • Motion to approve and accept the Settlement Appeal Agreement regarding the Real Estate Tax Appeal for 401 Sharon Avenue, Sharon Hill, PA 19079. Page | 6 Old Business • None • Adjournment – 9:47 p.m. Upcoming Meeting: Caucus Thursday, September 4, 2025 "If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass Page | 7