City Council

AGENDA BOROUGH OF STEELTON July 16, 2012 CALL MEETING TO ORDER: President Wright with the Pledge of Allegiance MOMENT OF SILENCE: Thomas F. Acri, Mayor APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING AS PRESENTED: EXECUTIVE SESSION HELD BETWEEN MEETINGS APPROVAL OF SCHEDULES OF BILLINGS, REQUISITIONS AND CHANGE ORDERS AS PRESENTED APPROVAL OF DEPARTMENT REPORTS: Neighborhood & Economic Development Fire and Ambulance Personnel Police Public Works Code Enforcement Mayor’s Report (Mayor Acri) PUBLIC COMMENT: Agenda items only SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Mayor Tom Acri Presentation of plaque to Dr. Dan Kambic COMMUNICATION: Steelton-Highspire School Board Minutes from May 7, 2012 and May 17, 2012 meetings. Dauphin County Commissioners Letter stating that 2012-2013 Dauphin County Local Share Municipal Grant Applications are now available.  AGENDA BOROUGH OF STEELTON July 16, 2012 Page 2 COMMUNICATION, CON’T. Fire Chief Steve Brubacher Letter appointing Eugene Vance III to the position of Battalion Chief 503. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Sara Gellatly Update on Streetscape Phase II NEW BUSINESS: Mr. Wion Present Resolution 2012-R-26 requesting a Reserved/Handicap space for Mr. Nies at 125 S. 2nd Street Sara Gellatly Present Resolution 2012-R-27 for authorizing the lease of 216 North Front Street OTHER BUSINESS: Sara Gellatly Executive Session (if necessary) AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: COUNCIL’S CONCERNS: ADJOURNMENT:  Steelton Borough Council Meeting July 16, 2012 The regular monthly meeting was called to order at 6:30p.m. by President, Jeffery Wright, with the pledge of allegiance, followed by a moment of silence. In Attendance: Absent: Stephen Shaver Jeffery Wright Michael Albert Maria Marcinko MaryJo Szada Raymond Spencer Denae House Mayor Thomas Acri David A. Wion, Solicitor Sara Gellatly, Borough Manager Kathy I. Sosnowski, Executive Assistant APPROVAL OF MINUTES: On a motion made by Mr. Albert, seconded by Ms. Marcinko, Council Members present voted unanimously to approve the minutes from June 18, 2012, with the following changes: On page 2, codes will separate citations by address – not permits. On page 3, under HRG MS4 Permit Renewal, should read: “renewal work”. On page 4, we will look at a resolution and associated costs for work at Mr. Atwell’s home; not necessarily waterproof. APPROVAL OF SCHEDULES OF BILLINGS, REQUISITIONS AND CHANGE ORDERS AS PRESENTED A motion was made by Mr. Shaver to approve June 2012 financial reports, seconded by Mr. Albert and approved by all. APPROVAL OF DEPARTMENT REPORTS A motion was made by Ms. Marcinko to approve department reports, seconded by Mr. Spencer and approved by all. Neighborhood & Economic Development Fire and Ambulance – Mr. Shaver recommended that Thomas Leach be added to the Rescue 50 Drivers List and Stephen Brubacher, Jr. be added to the Engine 50 trainee list. The mayor asked if the age limit was 21 years; Mr. Shaver indicated that it is 18 -1-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting July 16, 2012 years. A motion was made by Ms. Marcinko to add these two firefighters to the driver/trainee list, seconded by Mr. Albert and approved by all. Personnel – Mr. Shaver said an item will be discussed in executive session. Police Public Works Code Enforcement – Mr. Shaver thanked the Codes office for changing the format of their report at Council’s request. Mayor’s Report (Mayor Acri) – August 7, 6-8PM is National Night Out; August 10, 9AM is the Annual Ryan Mohn Walk; August 18, 2:00-6:00PM is the Back-to- School Bash; the 9/11 Memorial Service will be held at 8AM at the firehouse with Reverend Taylor presiding. PUBLIC COMMENT: Agenda Items Only John Logan of Life Team – thanked Council, the Fire Department, the Police Department and Mr. Wion for helping with the transition of ambulance services. Semi- annual renewal letters will be sent to residents shortly. Also, Life Team will be participating at National Night Out. Mr. Spencer asked if they had any problems; Mr. Logan said the transition went smoothly. Response times have been as low as 1-1 ½ minutes up to 6 minutes depending on the number of calls, and residents have been very cooperative throughout the transition period. SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Mayor Acri presented a plaque to Dr. Daniel Kambic for his numerous years of service to the Fire Department and Ambulance Association. Dr. Kambic started assisting the ambulance service during his college years, continuing until this year’s transfer. It was noted that he was the key person in equipping the 1st Rescue Truck for the Borough’s Fire Department. COMMUNICATION: Steelton-Highspire School Board minutes were distributed from their 5/7/12 and 5/17/12 meetings. Dauphin County Commissioners sent a letter indicating that the 2012-13 Dauphin County Local Share Municipal Grant Application is now available on the County’s website. Applications must be received or post-marked by 4:30p.m. on Tuesday, September 4, 2012. -2-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting July 16, 2012 COMMUNICATION, CON’T.: Fire Chief Brubacher distributed a letter appointing Eugene Vance III to the position of Battalion Chief 503. Mr. Shaver made a motion to appoint Eugene Vance III to Battalion Chief 2 with a radio designation of Battalion Chief 503, seconded by Ms. Marcinko and approved by all. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Ms. Gellatly met with Herbert, Rowland and Grubic (HRG) regarding an update on the Streetscape Phase II Project. It was established that new parking meters are not an allowable expense; they cannot be covered with Federal funds since they collect revenue. Therefore, Council needs to decide if the old meters should be kept, or if we should look into purchasing new meters. Mr. Shaver thought we should try to get prices on any style of meter, as they are a revenue generator. This issue was sent to both the NEDC and Public Works Committees. The second issue they discussed was the Borough logo to be placed in the middle of the ramp at the firehouse. HRG indicated that the logo is an enhancement, which is also not an allowable expense of the Federal funds. This matter was tabled for now. NEW BUSINESS: Mr. Wion presented Resolution 2012-R-26 to establish a special purpose parking space at 125 S. 2nd St. for Mr. Russell Nies. A motion was made by Mr. Albert to approve Resolution 2012-R-26, seconded by Ms. Marcinko and approved by all. Mr. Wion presented Resolution 2012-R-27 authorizing the lease of 216 N. Front St., Steelton PA to George Gonzalez. A motion was made by Mr. Albert to approve Resolution 2012-R-27, seconded by Ms. Marcinko and approved by all. OTHER BUSINESS: Ms. Gellatly informed Council that an Executive Session is needed to discuss a Personnel Matter. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Barb Coates, Steelton Senior Center – requested that Borough Council agree to be the “co-applicant” on their Gaming Board grant application. The total money needed for exercise equipment and a laptop computer with software is $2,639. The Gaming Board -3-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting July 16, 2012 has indicated that we can apply for a grant of $2,200, with the Senior Center making up the difference. A motion was made by Mr. Shaver to co-apply for a grant of $2,200, seconded by Mr. Albert and approved by all. A letter of approval should be mailed by Ms. Gellatly on Council’s behalf by August 1, 2012. Kristen Tate, 704 N. Front St. – At the previous Borough Council meeting on 6/4, it was decided that a “Winfield Way” sign would be placed on Franklin St.; the sign was put up on the side of a building owned by the Winfields to be in place for a Father’s Day recognition event. Subsequently a business signage request was made by Systems Plus due to the street name change. On Wednesday a sign for Systems Plus was placed on the PPL pole directly in front of the Winfield business which displeased the Winfields because they received no notification of this when communication was given by the Borough to Systems Plus when consideration was being given to their signage request. Ms. Tate went on in detail to describe her interaction with Ms. House and Ms. Gellatly in a meeting to discuss the situation on Wednesday, July 11 and felt she and Councilwoman House were not treated with respect and in a professional manner by Ms. Gellatly to include the use of offensive language. Mr. Wright indicated that he and Mr. Spencer will work with the Winfields and Tates to resolve this issue, possibly placing the “Winfield Way” sign above the Systems Plus sign. Teresa Childs, rental property owner of 142 Ridge St. – asked if there were any plans to clean up the graffiti on/near the Bailey St. Playground, possibly by private citizens. Ms. Marcinko and the Public Works Committee will check on this, but Ms. Marcinko noted that Markis Milberry (present) tried to have a Community Clean-Up and had a very poor turnout. Ms. Marcinko added that the Borough Committees are working to try to get more help for another Block-to-Block clean-up effort. Also, Ms. Childs asked about the status of the garage at 120 Lincoln St. that fell down; Mr. Wion advised that this property is involved in legal issues at this time, and therefore cannot be discussed. Emuel Powell, 321 Lebanon St. – expressed his anger about the sign placement for Systems Plus; asked that the sign be taken down tonight. Mr. Wright said that he would not authorize overtime to take the sign down. Brandon Marsico, 230 Pine St. – expressed his concerns with the continued noise (loud singing and drumming) from the church across the street from his house. This is the second time he has approached Council about this issue. Ms. Marcinko reminded him of the Borough noise ordinance; he stated that 112 calls were made to the Police Department and nobody comes. He then went off topic and expressed his anger at two Council members sharing photos on their cell phones while Mr. Powell spoke; Ms. House explained that she was showing Ms. Marcinko a photo of Mr. Powell tending the community garden. -4-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting July 16, 2012 Markis Milberry, 349 Spruce St. – requested that the basketball hoops at the Adams St. court be lowered and given new mesh. He also stated that the Steel High Art Club may be willing to paint a mural there. Mr. Wright suggested that Mr. Milberry attend the August meeting of the Neighborhood & Economic Development Committee on the 14th. Lynn Clark, 23 Walnut St. – spoke on behalf of her mother, Barbara Hughes regarding reimbursement for flooding at 518 N. Front St. Mr. Acri apologized and indicated that was an oversight; Mr. Heefner had this information but was not re-elected. Ms. Marcinko and/or Ms. Gellatly will contact the parties involved. Ms. Clark also complained that residents often park in two spaces on Walnut St.; requested that lines be painted to facilitate proper parking. This item will be sent to the Public Works Committee for review. Dolly Tate-Winfield, 704, 706 and one other Front St. property – added her opinion that a Friendship Center in the Borough would benefit many people. She recently visited a friendship center and was amazed by all that it had to offer. Mr. Spencer reminded her that the Friendship Center she visited (in Lower Paxton Township on donated land) was an endeavor spearheaded by one resident and a lot of private contributions of time and money were involved. The Boys and Girls Club (in the donated bank building) also tried a recreation center, but shut down because they couldn’t handle the financial responsibility. Mr. Spencer mentioned that maybe school facilities could be used for recreational purposes realizing that costs would be incurred for staffing, clean-up, monitoring, etc. She is also concerned about properties not being kept up by owners. Mr. Shaver interjected with several notes: (1) clean-up of Borough properties continues to be a problem; 172 citations might be listed but some of them are “repeat offenders” at the same properties. Mr. Milberry volunteered to help with some of the clean-up, but was reminded by Mr. Albert of the liability issues involved if someone were to get hurt. Mr. Albert also stated that many of these owners were reported to the District Justice and still don’t do anything to enhance their properties. Mr. Shaver indicated that other Boroughs all are having the same problems. (2) A Friendship Center in the Borough is a great idea, but there is simply no money to fund such a program. (3) In response to an unidentified member of the audience, there is still one building owner holding-out in selling his property to the Borough so that the Front St. Streetscape Project can move forward. Stephen Brubacher, Jr., 546 Spruce St. – asked if the repeat offense list for property owners is public knowledge; there is no official “Wall of Shame” as in other locations. Barb Coates, Steelton Senior Center – reminded everyone that the new center is in the downstairs of the Constables building on S. Front St. The center is open from 9AM to 3PM each weekday, serving meals whether or not a senior is able to pay. She asked everyone to tell parents, aunts, uncles, etc. about the center. The SEBO (Steelton- Enhaut-Bressler-Oberlin) van can assist seniors in getting to the center; they can be contacted at 501 Mohn St. Also, there is a Health Fair this Thursday, 7/19. -5-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting July 16, 2012 Kathy Sosnowski, Executive Assistant – suggested that Ms. Coates contact the Patriot News regarding the Steelton Senior Center getting listed in the Friday section called “PN Community” – Senior News. COUNCIL’S CONCERNS (in no particular order): Ms. House – Informed everyone about the Steelton Community Garden at 347 N. Front St. across from Advance Auto. Mr. Powell, Charles Crosson and others worked at the garden last Saturday. They will also meet this Saturday at 10AM. Mr. Wright – Thanked everyone for attending tonight, but also expressed his concerns about residents not attending more meetings and committee meetings to help Council members make decisions. He reminded them that he only facilitates meetings, he does not rule! Mr. Shaver – Thanked everyone for coming; thanked Markis Milberry for his efforts, but reminded him to not “burn himself out”. Mr. Albert – Stated that he has been on Council 13-14 years; he and other Council members also have jobs and families to be concerned about (in addition to Borough issues). They take praise as well as crap, but people only come once a year to complain! Council meets twice a month, but sometimes nobody comes! Mr. Spencer – Commended the Steelton Borough Community Cats effort in the wonderful savings of the exploding population of cats in the Borough. He also recommended that signage be constructed for the Senior Center. Ms. Coates doubted that the Constables would want to share their sign. Mr. Musser indicated that it may be possible to use gaming grant money to finance a sign. Dr. Szada – Thanked everyone for their opinions expressed tonight. Commended Markis Milberry for his efforts, but reminded him that the problems cannot be solved by one; it is the people’s Borough and they don’t care. Restaurants, clothing stores, etc. don’t make it because nobody cares. We have lost of absentee landlords, vacant homes that are not helping to move the Borough forward. Ms. Marcinko – SBCC was started in April, 2010 because under the line item police Budget is Animal Control. The Municipal Services Contract from the Humane Society of Harrisburg was $26,000, which was part of the police budget. For every cat that was sent to the Humane Society, the Borough was charged $137.50 We have successfully spayed/neutered 1127 cats which means we saved the Borough approximately $155,000. Not one cent of taxpayer dollars is used for this program. She also stated that the SBCC core of volunteers are 60 years and over, so seniors are helping with Borough efforts. The SBCC also received another donation from the Susan Giblin -6-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting July 16, 2012 Foundation in the amount of $1,000. Finally, the SBCC is hoping to fund a Surgery Center in the near future. Mayor Acri – thanked everyone for coming to the meeting. The Senior Center can be contacted at 939-5463. Kathy Sosnowski – (speaking as a resident) – expressed her concerns with residents not understanding the Borough’s finances and attempts to improve the Borough. Examples include, but are not limited to: how many delinquent water bills there are each quarter, how many delinquent property taxes are not paid; the list in the Patriot-News explains it all. The Borough will never be able to improve Front St. or fund projects such as the Friendship Center if residents continue to ignore their duty to pay their bills and taxes. On motion by Mr. Shaver, seconded by Mr. Albert, the Council meeting recessed into executive session at 8:17p.m.to discuss a personnel matter. The Council meeting reconvened at 9:13p.m. Ms. Marcinko made a motion to hire Stephen Brubacher as Property Maintenance Manager at the salary of $12/hr. The motion was seconded by Ms. House. A roll call vote was then taken: Dr. Szada – Nay Mr. Spencer – Aye Mr. Wright – Nay Mr. Shaver – Nay Ms. Marcinko – Aye Ms. House – Aye Since there was a tie vote, the Mayor cast a vote of Aye. Therefore the motion passed. ADJOURNMENT: There being no other business before Council, on a motion by Ms. Marcinko, seconded by Mr. Shaver, the meeting adjourned at 9:20p.m. Respectfully submitted, _____________________________ _______________________________ Sara Gellatly Kathy I. Sosnowski Borough Manager Executive Assistant -7-