City Council

STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Present: Vanessa Bowers, President Ciera Dent, Mayor Natashia Woods, Vice President Ryan Gonder, Solicitor Denae House, Councilmember Randy Watts, Engineer Willie Slade, Councilmember Aaron Curry, Codes Director Michael Segina, Councilmember Jeff Baltimore, Public Works Julianna Paioletti, Councilmember Kathy McCool, Borough Manager Councilmember(s) Absent: None Call Meeting to Order: Bowers called the meeting to order at 6:32 PM. Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Bowers. Special Presentation(s): None Council Meeting Roll Call: The roll was called by Mrs. McCool. The individuals listed above were present. Notice of Executive Session: An Executive Session was held before tonight’s meeting at 5:30 p.m. to discuss legal, personnel, and real estate matters. Public Comments on Agenda Items Only: • Pat Gordon, 117 N Front St, Steelton, PA 17113 – Mrs Gordon. asked if questions could be held until she is done. Mrs. Gordon spoke on the East End Steelton Terminals Project and stated that she does not support their cause to reject the project. Mrs. Gordon stated that she was not consulted or asked to sign a petition. She stated that the residents neglected to research the conditions of the empty lot before purchasing homes. Mrs. Gordon mentioned that racist remarks were used to describe truck drivers and the legal status of their opposition to the project. Mrs. Gordon mentioned the environmental conditions, soil contamination, noise, and other issues, and that she deals with this on Front Street. She stated that East End should not be preserved from these redevelopment issues. Mrs. Gordon mentioned the proposed traffic issues and access gates. She also mentioned the zoning of the property, social media posts, and other concerns she does not agree with. Mrs. Gordon stated that the forensic audit to clarify expenditures and the hypocritical nature of the same group of people wanting to use Borough funds to stop this project. She mentioned her position on the zoning board and how she cannot view projects differently. She also stated that a “no” vote is a loss of the concessions. She also discussed DEP concerns and its responsibility on the project • Ken Wise, 2767 S 2nd St, Steelton, PA 17113 – Mr. Wise mentioned his family history in East End. He stated that he was the Spokesperson for the East End residents regarding the Steelton Terminals Project. He mentioned the history of the project and the waivers that Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Page 1 of 6  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, February 18, 2025 were presented and approved, and that the concessions are basically blackmail if they vote “no” and go to court. Mr. Wise mentioned the security wall, lighting, etc. that are not required by Borough code. Mr. Wise discussed the environmental conditions of the property and the dangers it causes the area. He stated that it should not be disturbed and mentioned that DEP testing is not completed. Mr. Wise reiterated the previous concerns such as waste site labels, environmental covenants, landfill caps, undisturbed fencing, drilling wells, and plans for construction, reckless spending, conflicts of interest, and others. Mr. Wise asked the Council to listen to its residents and to vote “no”. He stated that petitions were submitted. • Mary Carricato, 2655 S 4th St, Steelton, PA 17113 – Ms. Carricato said no rigs are permitted in Steelton. She mentioned the damages the project will cause with soil disruption, toxic waste on the site, the tax use of the property, proposed revenues, property reassessments, and the reduction of value. Ms. Carricato asked about the real benefit of the project, the empty warehouse problem, and urged the Council to vote no. • Chuck Ryder, 2629 S 3rd St, Steelton, PA 17113 – Mr. Ryder asked about the petitions and said they should have gotten more to the rest of the town. He stated that he might be selling his land soon. Mr. Ryder mentioned the Reading Street mountain of dirt. He asked how it would benefit the Borough. He said there is no guarantee Steelton residents will be hired, the proposed benefit to the local economy is unrealistic, and the tax revenue difference is negligible. • Karyl Hawkins, 102 Felton St, Steelton, PA 17113 – Ms Hawkins reiterated concerns brought up by previous speakers: traffic, environmental hazards, noise, waterway disturbance, • Sherry Vernon, 2337 S 5th St, Steelton, PA 17113 – Ms. Vernon reiterated concerns: concerns should outweigh the potential costs to fight the project. She asked what toxin is in the soil and the results of the environmental testing and the plan for addressing the issue. Mr. Segina said the DEP phase is not yet completed. She recommended not voting until the issues are understood clearly. • Ben Thumma, 2154 S 3rd Ave, Steelton, PA 17113 – Mr. Thumma spoke directly to the developers regarding their professionalism and the concessions. He reiterated the comments against the project: all facts should be known before voting, DEP concerns, and the legality of delaying the vote. Old Business: Mrs. McCool presented for reconsideration and approval for Steelton Terminals Project request for waiver of implementation of street trees. Council voted to not approve this waiver and it is back for reconsideration. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Page 2 of 6  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, February 18, 2025 The motion to approve was made by Vice President Woods and seconded by Mr. Slade. The motion passed unanimously. Mrs. McCool presented for consideration and approval for Steelton Terminals Project Plan. Mrs. McCool asked Mr. Diamond to explain the ramifications of the vote. Mr. Diamond explained that Council is acting like judges in this instance. He stated that Section 508-1 of the PA Municipality Planning Code explains this. Mr. Diamond explained that this will be followed by written appeals within 15 days. If the decision is not approved, they specify the defects of the application, describe the requirements that have not been met, and challenge the sites and provisions of the statute or ordinance relied upon. He stated that Section 508 states that if that cannot be done or it is not decided on in a certain time, it shall be deemed an approval. He pointed out that any of the voluntary concessions can then be removed. He stated that Council would need a legal basis for denial. Mr. Randy Watts explained the concessions and how the motion needs to include the conditional approval of those items. The motion to approve including the residents' concessions/punch-list items that were written down by the previous attorney as part of the planning commission documents, comments by the engineer, the approval of their agreements, the Dauphin County Planning Commission, Tri- County, and the update to the current plan that was re-voted on to remove street trees from the plan was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Vice President Woods. A roll call vote was held: House – No Slade – Yes Segina – Yes Paioletti – No Woods – No Bowers - No The motion was denied. New Business: Administration: Mrs. McCool presented for consideration and approval of PENNVEST request #12 for $8,381.07 for the Hoffer Street Pump Station Project. The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Ms. House. The motion passed unanimously. Mrs. McCool presented for consideration and approval of the submission of Repository Bid by the Borough in the minimum amount ($2,000 + realty transfer taxes) for 255 Frank S. Brown Blvd., Parcel ID 59-006-040. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Page 3 of 6  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, February 18, 2025 The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Vice President Woods. The motion passed unanimously. Correspondence: Mrs. McCool presented that Senator Patty Kim is hosting a legislative breakfast on March 11, 2025 at the PA State Capitol for District 15. Two Councilmembers plan on attending and others are welcome to join. Mrs. McCool presented that Steelton Borough was selected to be in the new cohort of the 2025 program year for Shared Energy Manager through the Energy Programs Office of PA DEP. This is a free program for climate action implementation, which will help with energy benchmarking. A consultant group will conduct a level 2 energy audit and identify areas to improve, where the shared energy manager would help design programs, look for funding for energy-efficient items, and more. Engineers Report: Randy Watts, HRG – The South 2nd Street paving project went out for bid on February 6, it was also advertised today and is scheduled for March 6. Mr. Watts said the claim is being reviewed by the Borough and does not have any other information at this point. Department & Committee Reports: • Fire Department and Ambulance (Written Report) – Bowers asked if there were updates to the fire department. Segina responded by saying the chief vehicle was waiting for a bed, hoping to get that up and running. The utility truck is being serviced. Woods asked if we could request Brubacher attend for workshop meetings. • Police Department (Written Report) – Chief Shaub was absent. • Codes Department (Written Report) – Nothing to add. • Public Works (Written Report) – Nothing to add. • Events Committee (Upcoming Events) – Met on January 22. Worked on the special event ordinance, made the calendar of events, discussed the tourism grant they would like to obtain, addressed concerns, and discussed the vendor list for events. Upcoming community events: Easter Egg Hunt on April 12, Steelton Parade for Borough Anniversary, Community Heroes Day on May 31, Community Cleanup on April 20, Garden Kickoff on May 17, Summer Program from June 30 to July 18, Fall Festival on September 27, Halloween/Trick-or-Treat is TBD, Tree Lighting on December 2, and Santa Run on December 20. • Intergovernmental Committee – Has not met for 6 months and trying to get a date to meet. The school district chooses the dates and should be every 3 months. • Borough Manager’s Report – Informed today from FEMA that the BRIC DTA technical assistance program is put on hold for the time being. We were selected as part of this program that would address the flood situation. Ms McCool stated that she will update Council on the status of federal funding. For example, the fence purchased at East End Park might have to shift to public dollars due to federal changes. The Brownfields EPA study will most likely be on hold as well. • Mayor's Report – Nothing to add. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Page 4 of 6  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, February 18, 2025 The motion to approve the engineer's report and the department & committee reports was made by Ms. Segina and seconded by Ms. Paioletti. The motion passed unanimously. Economic Development: Natashia Woods/Kathy McCool • Brickyard Park development conceptual drawings need to be modified due to funding. President Bowers asked when they were meeting with Mr. Bowser. Mrs. McCool stated it is February 26 at 4 pm. Mr. Segina said he is concerned with the grant issues and wants to make sure there are no additional costs to re-do the designs. Codes: Willie Slade/Aaron Curry • Mr. Curry proposed to do a text amendment for zoning ordinance regarding business parking. He also mentioned window tinting. Mr. Curry said there have been an uptick of events spaces turning into nightclubs. He stated that the Council could remove them from Front Street with an adjustment to the ordinances. Mr. Segina suggested a separate chapter that would require a permit to regulate the event space and parking. Mr. Segina said we only know about the spaces after they’re done. Mr. Segina pointed out that zoning changes require public hearings, so he suggested making all changes at once. He stated that Council votes on the zoning changes and the zoning hearing board would vote on a variance. Mr. Segina said that 2009 was the last time changes were made. Mr. Segina said another option would be to have the planning commission recommend changes to the body of zoning changes. Mr. Segina recommended that Council could send ideas to Mr. Curry. Public Works: Denae House/Jeff Baltimore • Mr. Baltimore informed Council that the Skate Park pavilion roof is coming off. He informed Council that it will cost $30K to replace the entire roof. Mr. Baltimore asked if repairs could be possible. Mr. Segina said finance had requests and needsed to find $130K, not including that roof. Mr. Segina suggested removing the roof to eliminate the danger and keeping the pillars. Mr. Segina asked about the cost of the East End pavilion. He suggested reaching out to the County about removing the building that houses equipment. He stated that the Borough might have to go back to a siren station, as it is within 10 miles of TMI. Public Safety: Ciera Dent/Chief Shaub/Steve Brubacher • Mayor Dent announced the 2025 flu shot clinic with Penn State Hershey Med on October 4th from 8am-2pm. • Mayor Dent stated that The Fire Police application that was received was withdraw. Mr. Segina asked if the badge was already purchased, which is was not. Mr. Segina stated he wanted to join fire police last July, was nominated by Heff, was told to not get training until sworn in, then received a letter denying him due to not having training completed. He said there was no information provided on where to get the training. Mayor Dent stated that fire police fall under Chief Shaub’s supervision while on a call, that is why there is a budget for them. Mayor Dent said the budget was $2K but was asked to reduce it to $250 Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Page 5 of 6  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, February 18, 2025 this year. Mayor Dent asked for more clarification and collaboration between the police and fire department regarding cost allocations. Other Business: None Public Comments: • Blane Simpson Jr., 117 N Front St, Steelton, PA 17113 – Mr. Simpson informed Council that he was the owner of the Steelton Grocery Store. He stated that he had to lay off employees. He said support is lacking and no Council members visit. He stated that he has received negative perceptions and associations with other establishments, such as the 717 Cigar Lounge, which he also owns. He asserted that there are other similar establishments and he feels he is being blackballed. He stated that he is frustrated by the lack of support and asked the Council to recognize the importance of supporting all local businesses fairly. He stated that he wants to see Steelton thrive and bring something positive to the community. He stated that he is being targeted online by Steelton Highspire United group members, which include Councilmember Paioletti. Mr. Simpson asked the Council how businesses can thrive without support and what they want to see in that space. Vice President Woods asked what he would like the Council to do. Vice President Woods asked if he reached out to other entrepreneurial individuals. She asked about the concept he is attempting. Council Comments: • Julianna Paioletti – None • Michael Segina – None • Willie Slade – None • Chief Shaub – None • Arron Curry – None • Jeff Baltimore – None • Randy Watts – None • Ryan Gonder - None • Kathy McCool – None • Natashia Woods – None Adjournment: With no other business to discuss, a motion was made by Ms. House and seconded by Mr. Slade to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 8:28 PM. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Page 6 of 6