Millerstown Borough Council
Meeting Minutes
January 4, 2010
Those in attendance: President Bill Roush, Vice President Rob Shipp, Council members Rob Sweger, Bill Ritzman, Mike Sweger, Bruce Hengst & Jackie Minium, Dave Stroup, Mayor John Kerns, Secretary Karen Knellinger and Kevin Jacobs.
Pledge of allegiance and meeting called to order.
Public and Private Concerns
Resident Bob Finicle wished the council a good year, commended the newly appointed council members, and thanked the remaining members for their prior years of service.
The minutes of the last meeting were previously emailed and reviewed. Councilman Mike Sweger wanted the minutes corrected to reflect the Neighborhood Watch Program will be on the 22nd of January not the 15th as previously stated. Council member Ritzman made the motion to approve the minutes as read. Vice President Shipp seconded the motion. Approval was unanimous.
The bills/receipts/expenditures were reviewed. Council member Ritzman made a motion to approve the bills and expenditures. Vice President Shipp seconded the motion. Approval was unanimous.
Street Committee Report
New members will need to direct where the end and begin maintenance signs for Iron Mt. Road will need to be installed. Council member Mike Sweger commented Greenwood Township wants to sit down and talk about the maintenance on the road. They made a mess from the last storm when they were stuck on the Borough part of the road and needed to haul stone in to try to correct the problems. There are new Township Supervisors and they want to talk about the prior issues and the jobs that can be performed together. The side ditches need to be recut and the brush cut in the summer. Council member Sweger will arrange a meeting. Council member Minimum commented there are several large potholes behind the bank that need to be repaired. Dave said they will get cold patch and fix the holes for now.
Sewer Committee Report
A brief summary from Kevin: A H2O grant was obtained to receive partial funding, 66%, for a new treatment plant, repairs to the collection system, and pump station in the amount of $3,615,000 but the remainder, $1,807,500 will need to be funded by grants/loans through Penn Vest. In order to get the money, a plan must be submitted for all three phases, which Glace Associates is working on, and part of the permitting process is to have an approved Act 537 Plan. This is the planning process how the Borough will handle the sewage treatment. This needs to be in place and approved in order to receive any monies. At a public hearing, no one from the public attended for any comments and now there is a waiting period of 30 days for DEP to approve the updates to the plan. The final update is to increase the design flow from 1000 gpd to 1200 gallons per day. This is the final adjustment to the plan and this resolution is to adopt the amended plan. The increase is a recommendation from DEP because they think all the I&I from the collection system will not be removed and the increase in flow will be needed. Council member Rob Sweger made a motion to adopt the resolution to
Sewer Committee Report cont.
increase the flow from 1000 to 1200 gpd for the Act 537 Plan. Vice President Shipp seconded the motion. Approval was unanimous. Kevin will get a copy to DEP. In addition, Glace feels the dates on the schedule will need to be moved three months ahead beginning with the application in April 2010 and all subsequent items moved ahead by three months. The next Penn Vest cycle will be in three months for their next cycle of funding. Council member Rob Sweger made a motion to adjust the schedule by three months starting in 2010 to reflect the new dates. Council member Minium seconded the motion. Approval was unanimous.
Water Committee Report
The water main break on Sunbury Street was repaired. The 6-inch main snapped and the repair was done in half a day. Dave advises four more meters have been replaced. In total, 25 meters were replaced in 2009.
Finance Committee Report
The year-end reports were distributed and President Roush commented the finances are in better shape than before. The monthly PLGIT report for investors was made available.
Solid Waste Report
Councilman Mike Sweger will be attending any recycling meetings. Right now, he thinks curbside is the best avenue to pursue and he will contact our current hauler, CCD, to attend a meeting to explain the options available.
Engineer’s Report
Kevin advises there are new regulations for the end of 2010 for raw drinking water sources. The requirements will be a 4-log removal of bacteria etc. This means the disinfection system and collection of samples will need to be as far away from the reservoir as practical before distribution to customers. The sample location will need to be changed to farther at the end of town. Kevin will keep council posted but a sample tap may need to be installed at a hydrant or extra pipe may need to be installed for more contact time before samples are taken.
Solicitor’s Report
The spouting needs to be repaired at Dr. Buriak’s property and the sidewalk will need to be dug out but the adjacent property has been abandoned. Mr. Bunt advises the borough cannot authorize Dr. Buriak to dig up the sidewalk but he can civilly take on the repairs to fix the dangerous condition.
Mayor’s Report
None
Old Business
Councilman Shipp is still reviewing the ordinances; he has reviewed the Floodplain/Zoning ordinance changes and returned them to the engineer for him to make the necessary changes. Kevin has to modify the zoning ordinance and should have it to adopt at the next meeting.
The generator and sump pump still need to be purchased. President Roush will need to contact Jim Russell on the details. A usable email at the plant is access1@pa.net.
New Business
The Neighborhood Watch Program is January 22nd @ 6:00 at the firehouse. President Roush encourages all to attend if possible. Fulkroad has asked permission to place trailers at the park for a Penn Dot bridge repair. The park committee has spoken to them already and advised where they can place the trailer. Vice President Shipp asked if the Millerstown website could be updated with all current minutes. Secretary Knellinger will follow up with the webmaster. Vice President Shipp attended the Cap Tax meeting and as part of the Act 32 Plan, the monthly Earned Income Tax payments will be paid every quarter instead of the monthly starting in July. They are trying to implement a transition stage but nothing is final now. He will keep council informed of any details.
Zoning Permits
Three residents did not obtain building permits in 2009 for their decks. An inspection was performed after the completion and the UCC inspector will be sending a violation notice to Clegg on Market Street for unsafe conditions. The other two were completed by contractors and passed.
Adjournment
Councilmember Mike Sweger made the motion to adjourn to Executive Session. Vice President Rob Shipp seconded the motion. Approval was unanimous.
Councilmember Ritzman made the motion to adjourn from Executive Session. Vice President Rob Shipp seconded the motion. Approval was unanimous.
Councilmember Mike Sweger made the motion to adjourn. President Roush seconded the motion. Approval was unanimous.
The next meeting will be held Monday, February 1, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the borough building.
