City Council

STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES January 18, 2022 Present: Mike Segina, Vice President Ryan Gonder, Solicitor Denae House Anne Shambaugh, Manager William Jones Anthony Minium, Police Chief Willie Slade Gene Vance, Fire Chief Natashia Woods Randy Watts, Engineer Ciera Dent, Mayor Aaron Curry, Codes Director Absent with Cause: Brian Proctor, Keontay Hodge and Renee Drayton Bowers. Vice President Segina opened the meeting at 6:39 p.m. Mayor Dent led the group in a Moment of Silent Reflection. Roll was not called; however, those in attendance are listed above. Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Ms. Woods, to accept the November 15, 2021; December 6, 2021 and January 3, 2022 Council Meeting Minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously. Motion made by Mr. Slade, seconded by Mr. Jones, to add the discussion of hiring a Public Works Director to the agenda. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Segina stated the Borough received 2 resumes for the Public Works Director position. He stated one of the candidates had been interviewed previously and has 40 years of public works experience. He stated the other candidate is a navy veteran with no previous public works experience. Motion made by Mr. Segina, seconded by Mr. Jones, to hire Jeff Baltimore as the Public Works Director contingent on acceptable reference check, background check and child abuse clearance with an annual salary of $70,000. Motion passed unanimously. Motion made by Ms. Woods, seconded by Mr. Jones, to add the discussion and appointment of a solicitor for the Storm Water Authority to the agenda. Motion passed unanimously. Motion made by Ms. Woods, seconded by Mr. Jones, to appoint Michael Pykosh and Matthew Bugli of Dethlefs, Pykosh & Murphy as the solicitors for the Borough’s Storm Water Authority. After a brief discussion and introduction of Mr. Pykosh and Mr. Bugli, motion passed unanimously. Public Comments on Agenda items only: There were no public comments at this time. Mr. Segina stated Council met in Executive Session Thursday, January 6, 2022 for approximately 83 minutes to discuss legal and personnel matters. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – January 18, 2022 1 Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Slade, to accept the November 2021 and December 2021 schedules of billing, requisitions, and change orders as presented. Motion passed unanimously. Department & Committee Reports: Fire Department and Ambulance presented a written report. Police Department submitted a written statistical report. Codes Department presented a written report. Public Works Department presented Written Statistical Reports. Ms. Shambaugh stated she would work with the public works employees to provide a report in February. Parks and Recreation Committee – There was no report. NEDC Committee – There was no report. Stormwater Committee – Ms. Woods stated the committee continues to meet with the stakeholder committee and that Tyler Erb of HRG would have a presentation for Council later in the meeting. Mayor's Report – Mayor Dent stated there was no report. Borough Manager's Report – Ms. Shambaugh reported that:  Ms. Shambaugh provided an update from turnKey taxes. Borough Council authorized the partnership with turnKey in December 2020 to assist the Borough in locating unpaid or misposted tax dollars.  Contractor for the 101 Locust Street project requested approval to park their construction vehicle in the Borough parking lot on occasion overnight.  Ms. Shambaugh presented a proposal from EK Services for the emergency repair work to a sink hole located at Front and Swatara Streets. The proposal was fpr $31,280. Motion made by Ms. Woods, seconded by Mr. Slade, to add the proposal from EK Services to the agenda. Motion passed unanimously. Motion made by Ms. Woods seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve the proposal from EK Services for the storm water pipe repair and Front and Swatara Streets in the amount of $31,280. Motion passed unanimously. Motion made by Ms. Woods, seconded by Mr. Slade, to add the request for public advertising for the Civil Service Commission to the agenda. Motion passed unanimously. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – January 18, 2022 2 Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Ms. Woods, to approve the advertisement of the Civil Service Commission meeting to be held February 7, 2022 at 1:00 pm. Motion passed unanimously. Motion made by Ms. Woods, seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve the Department and Committee reports as presented. The motion passed unanimously. Engineer’s Report: Mr. Watts of HRG presented the December 2021 engineer’s report for review. After a brief update on the 101 Locust Street retaining wall project, motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Ms. Woods, to approve the December 2021 Engineer’s report. Motion passed unanimously. Presentations: Scott Loercher – Buchart Horn Feasibility Study Mr. Scott Loercher of Buchart Horn discussed the proposal prepared addressing the financial impact of either refurbishing the existing Borough building or building a brand new building in the same location. Mr. Loercher stated the Police Department has grown in recent years and need additional space for officers as well as filing. He presented a redesigned building to allow for better traffic flow as well as additional security for employees. He stated with either option, employees would need to be relocated for at least 12-18 months until construction is finished. He noted the cost of the proposals as follows: Renovations - $5,200,000 and to build a new building - $5,300,000. Mr. Segina thanked Mr. Loercher and stated Council would discuss the options and the Borough Manager would reach out with any additional questions or concerns. Mr. Tyler Erb – HRG Proposed Storm Water Fee Mr. Erb had a powerpoint presentation discussing “What is Storm Water?” He provided an update on the progress of the Borough’s stakeholder committee and explained how the Borough’s permit is tied to the Commonwealth’s MS-4 program. He noted that over a 5 year period, the Borough should make approximately $1 million in repairs to the existing storm water infrastructure. He stated the stakeholder committee is working on an appeal/credit process and would be presenting their findings to Council in the coming months. Mayor Dent asked who is responsible for paying the proposed storm water fee? Mr. Erb stated it will be the responsibility of the property owner. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – January 18, 2022 3 Mr. Jonathan Bowser and Mr. Michael Musser – Integrated Development Steel Works Project Mr. Bowser provided a project update regarding the Dollar General (opened in April 2021), Senior Life (opening by March), the lot behind Turkey Hill will be the Emuel Powell Brickyard Park at Steel Works and the design should be finished within 90 days and finally the proposed Hamilton Health project which just received a RACP grant totaling $2.5 million. Mr. Bowser noted the ground breaking for the proposed apartment complex was originally to be a 4-story building; however, due to supply chain issues and Covid restrictions the cost for design is significantly higher than anticipated. Mr. Musser explained IDP is proposing a text amendment to include a reduced amount of non- residential space within a larger project within the downtown district. They anticipate presenting the proposed text amendment to council at a later date. Mr. Shawn Gold of Co-Exist and Mr. Tyler Craig – Steelton Cannibus Health Expo Mr. Gold stated he will be co-sponsoring the Steelton Cannibus Health Expo June 4, 2022 along Front Street between Mohn and Swatara Streets. He stated it will be a family-friendly event with a dunk tank, games, basketball court, mobile skate park and experts on cannibus. Mr. Gold was requesting approval to close Front Street between Mohn and Swatara Streets beginning at 7:00 am through 7:00 pm. Mr. Segina suggested this request be sent to the Parks & Recreation Committee to work in conjunction with the Police Chief and bring a recommendation back to Council. Unfinished Business: Ms. Shambaugh provided an update on the outstanding invoice from Stephenson’s Equipment (SEI) on work performed on the paver. Ms. Shambaugh stated she spoke to the estimator and went through the entire estimate that was previously denied. Ms. Shambaugh requested approval to pay the original invoice in the amount of $2,815.21. Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Slade, to approve payment to SEI in the amount of $2,815.21. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Shambaugh requested approval to send an Award Acceptance Letter to the Commonwealth of PA associated with Hamilton Health’s RACP grant. Ms. Shambaugh explained the Borough is the applicant for the loan, in conjunction with Hamilton Health, similar to the arrangement the Borough had with IDP for the Steel Works project. Ms. Shambaugh explained an entity with taxing authority must be the applicant. After a brief discussion about the project, motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Ms. House, to approve sending the award approval letter to the Commonwealth for the Hamilton Health RACP grant. Motion passed unanimously. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – January 18, 2022 4 New Business: Ms. Shambaugh opened the discussion regarding the proposal received from Centers for Employment Opportunities for the supplemental services RFP issued in November 2021. She stated the discussion was previously tabled from the January 3, 2022 meeting. Mr. Segina requested the Finance Committee have an opportunity to review the proposal and make a recommendation to Council at the February 7, 2022 meeting. Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Ms. Woods, to have the finance committee review the proposal and provide a recommendation to Borough Council at the February 7, 2022 meeting. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Shambaugh presented the proposal from Arro Consulting to provide sewer operations services for the Borough. They are proposing the use of 3 certified sewage operators to maintain the Borough’s pumping stations and mains. Ms. Shambaugh noted the cost is only slightly more expensive than what the Borough was paying the employee who maintained the system. Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Slade, to approve the contract with Arro Consulting with an effective date of January 14, 2022. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Shambaugh presented Ordinance 2022-2 Signifying the Intention and Desire to Organize a Municipal Authority for Council’s review. She introduced Michael Pykosh, solicitor for the proposed Storm Water Authority. Mr. Pykosh explained the need to file this Ordinance with Dauphin County which explains the Borough’s intent to develop an Authority to oversee the maintenance of storm water as well as the proposed fee structure. Ms. Woods proposed names for the storm water authority board – Shawn Gold, Steve Shaver, Ryan Maxwell, Natashia Woods and Michael Segina. These names will be entered into the Ordinance for filing. Mr. Pykosh stated a public hearing will need to be held to set-up the Authority and approve the Ordinance. A meeting date of March 7 at 6:30 pm (just prior to the regularly scheduled Council meeting) was set. Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Ms. House, to approve the advertisement of Ordinance 2022-2 Signifying the Intention and Desire to Organize a Municipal Authority with a public hearing date of March 7, 2022. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented Council with Resolution 2022-R-3 Intent to Apply for a PennVEST grant. He explained to Council the Borough is applying for a PennVEST grant/loan for the upgrades at Hoffer Street Pumping Station. Mr. Gonder explained the resolution is required for the application submission. Ms. Shambaugh reminded Council they authorized the design and submission of the application through HRG at its December 2019 Council meeting. Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Slade, to approve Resolution 2022-R-3 Intent to Apply for a PennVEST grant. Motion passed unanimously. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – January 18, 2022 5 Mr. Gonder presented a letter to be included in the PennVEST application outlining the Borough’s Responsibility. Mr. Gonder explained this is a requirement for the application process. Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Ms. Woods, to approve the Borough’s Letter of Responsibility to be included in the PennVEST application. Motion passed unanimously. Communications: Mr. Segina noted the following correspondence had been received by the Borough: - Letter of thanks from Rodica Mohales to the Codes Department - Notice of Exemption Recertification Review from Dauphin County Office of Tax Assessment - Email from Mayor Dent thanking Public Works for their hard work during the recent snow event - Notice of Change in Assessment for the following properties: 117 Frank S Brown Boulevard and 150 S 2nd Street Public Comments: There were no public comments at this time. Council Concerns: Mr. Slade requested we stay on top of the snow removal and make we have adequate staffing. Ms. Woods thanked the community for coming out to the meeting. She thanked Ms. Shambaugh, Mr. Erb and the new solicitors for the proposed storm water authority for their continued hard work and efforts to keep the Borough on track. She stated she appreciates the work of the Public Works department and noted the addition of a Public Works Director will help. Mr. Jones thanked everyone for attending the meeting with so much on the agenda. He stated it takes a village to make the community better. He stated “hats off” to Public Works for giving it their all and doing what they can with the limited staffing. Ms. House thanked everyone for attending. She thanked Ms. Shambaugh for making a smooth transition with the sewer department. She congratulated Mr. Wierzbic for his 27 years of dedicated service to the Borough. She praised the work of the young men in Public Works and thanked all who assisted the department. Mayor Dent thanked public works for their efforts. She also thanked the Police Department and everyone else involved in helping with the storm. She stated she walked through East End with Mr. Segina to understand some of the concerns. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – January 18, 2022 6 Mr. Segina stated it is good to move forward with hiring a Public Works Director. He will be able to assist and help with scheduling, routes, etc. He mentioned there is a new form online to report areas of concern during future storms. He also thanked everyone for attending and for those who gave presentations tonight. Moved by Mr. Jones, and seconded by Ms. Woods, the Council move into Executive Session at 8:07 pm. The motion passed unanimously. Motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Slade to move back into Regular Session at 9:32 pm. Motion passed unanimously. Other Business: Motion made by Mr. Slade, seconded by Mr. Jones, to accept the retirement notice from Chief Anthony Minium from his position as Police Chief effective March 12, 2022. Motion passed unanimously. Adjournment: Motion made by Ms. Woods, seconded by Ms. House, to adjourn the meeting at 9:34 pm. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Anne Shambaugh, Secretary Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – January 18, 2022 7