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MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 8, 2001 MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL The nineteenth regular meeting of the Hamburg Borough Council for 2001 of the Hamburg Borough Council was held this evening at the Hamburg Municipal Center with President Richard Boyd presiding. The meeting was opened with Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and a Prayer. Members Present - Richard W. Boyd, Leon Balthaser, Scott Kreider, Charles Figard, Jeanette Heckman, Roy Heffner, Diana EdwardsMembers Absent – None Also Present – Lynda G. Albright, Borough Manager, Kim Y. Berger, Recording Secretary, Mayor Del RosarioVisitors - Nikki Murry (Item), Chief Zelinsky, Alex Rodriguez (Reading Eagle/Times), Lily Henny (Reading Eagle Times), Lowell Thomas A motion was made by Charles Figard and seconded by Roy Heffner to approve the amended agenda by adding the Mayor’s Report under Reports and also a proclamation under New Business. ROLL CALL: AYES – R. Boyd, R. Heffner, J. Heckman, D. Edwards, C. Figard,L. Balthaser, S. Kreider NAYES – None Lowell Thomas was present for several issues. 1) The siren is still not working and although there has been a lot of time and effort invested in the venture, there is still a problem with the mechanical means. They are scheduled to come tomorrow (Oct. 9) to complete the repairs. It may come to having the attorney’s get involved. EMA is very frustrated and he felt that Council should let the company know that we are very unhappy with the service. 2) Mr. Thomas attended a First Responder course on 9/26 and it also dealt with terrorism. The police department shall be on high alert during the King Frost Parade. A motion was made by Jeanette Heckman and seconded by Scott Kreider to approve the minutes of the September 26, 2001 meeting as submitted. ROLL CALL: AYES – R. Boyd, R. Heffner, J. Heckman, D. Edwards, C. Figard, L. Balthaser, S. Kreider NAYES – None A motion was made by Roy Heffner and seconded by Charles Figard to approve the following reports: Borough Manager's Report, Public Works Supt. Report, Water/Sewer Supt. Report, Office Manager's Report, and Treasurer's Report. ROLL CALL: AYES – R. Boyd, R. Heffner, J. Heckman, D. Edwards, C. Figard, L. Balthaser, S. Kreider NAYES – None BOROUGH MANAGERS REPORT SEPTEMBER, 2001 The Borough Manager’s activities for the month of September, 2001 included the following: Much of my time during month was spent working on and finalizing the police contract as well as dealing with personnel issues in the police department. On Monday, September 10, attended a Main Street meeting at the GPU building to discuss the possibility of moving utility lines either underground or in the alleys. This will be an extremely expensive venture if this is pursued. We are currently obtaining information from GPU on locations of their utilities. On Friday, September 14, Kim Berger and I attended an all-day seminar on Munis (our software provider). Of importance was how the new GASB 34 ruling would impact our present software. On Wednesday, September 19, met with a former park/pool employee to discuss the possibility of her accepting the Recreation Director’s position in 2002. On this same day, met with Glenn Neuhs of Spotts, Stevens and McCoy to provide information relative to the joint planning venture. On Thursday, September 27, Kim and I met with representatives from DEP for a pre-application conference regarding application for a recycling grant. We will be submitting an application for an additional 3000 recycling containers. If approved, DEP will reimburse us for 90% of the total cost. The Borough will be responsible for the remaining 10%. The total amount of the grant is $17,870, with DEP reimbursing us $16,083 and the Borough share is $1,787. On this same day, met with Vince Bettinger and Adam Eckert to discuss a concern they had regarding a property located on North Crescent Avenue. It was decided that John Leonforte and I would do an on-site inspection of this property at their request. Handled various complaints during the month. Also held two semi-monthly Staff meetings to discuss various issues. Of most importance was discussion of the budget. Have done some preliminary figures for 2002. As soon as I receive budget requests from the department heads, I will proceed with putting together a preliminary budget for presentation to the Finance Committee. In addition to the two regular council meetings, attended Authority meeting, Personnel, Safety, Finance, Library Board, Civil Service, Police Negotiating and Property committee meetings. If anyone has any questions regarding my report, please feel free to ask. Attached with my report are the activities of my staff for the month of September, 2001. Lynda G. Albright, Borough Manager PUBLIC WORKS SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT During the month of September, the Borough Crew completed the following: AUTHORITY PROJECTS The crew spent time clean leaves out of the impounding dam at the reservoir. In addition, a lot of work was performed on the catwalk at the reservoir and some cement work at the dam. The crew spent some time repairing the road at the sewer plant. Various meter checks and installations for meters were performed. GENERAL WORK The crew performed some cold patching around town. Grass cutting continues around the borough and at the parks. A lot of "clean up" had to be performed along the Greenway from the wind and rain storm. A lot of time was spent repairing bad spots on the streets with hot patch. There are a lot of alley’s that are in need of restoration. Some of them are deteriorating fast and cannot be repaired with either hot or cold patch. They have to be completely resurfaced. A lot of people have been complaining about the conditions of these alleys and the winter will of course make them even worse. The crew rebuilt the storm drain inlets at 7th and Hillside Drive and at William Street and Wyndcliffe Avenue. PARK/POOL The crew installed a new electric line at the Little League field food stand. A lot of time was spent at the pool, putting things away for the winter. Richard L. Pickel Public Works Superintendent Water & Wastewater Superintendent’s Report Sept. 2001 Water Surface water supplies are not usable and all water has come from the wells. Tony, with help from the street crew has been working on cleaning up the loose material from the reservoir tower catwalk in preparation for its repair. We have contracted with Eastern Environmental Contractors to repair the sluice gate in the tower as per PaDEP. Yoder’s heating has been working at the water plant on the furnace and water heater. The water heater has been leaking and the original contractor has been there several times and not made lasting repairs. Dave Yoder feels like he has done so. I received a call from Susan Werner of PaDEP to set up a meeting on the counter terrorist measures the Authority and Borough need to take in light of the events of September 11. That meeting will take place Friday 5 October. Wastewater Filimentous bacteria continue to be a problem, however we are meeting permit parameters with little difficulty. Number 3 secondary clarifier has been taken off line for cleaning and maintainence. With the low flows we are seeing it will remain off line. The street crew has made some repairs to the macadam at the plant. I have been unable to get a quote from EJB for overlay and the repairs were long overdue. These repairs would have been made as part of an overlay project so it has not been wasted effort. The fence along the sewer plant road has been repaired from the damage from trees falling on it. The trimming we had done should keep this from happening again. The 18" valves on the primary effluent lines need to be replaced. The valves have been ordered and Eastern Environmental Contractors will be replacing them as soon as they come in. We had one incident of high water at the pumping station. The heavy rain of September 24 coupled with a pump becoming "air bound" Caused the pump station to flood. Even though we set up the by-pass pump we didn’t have to start it as the level went down without it. Keith L. Brobst OFFICE MANAGER’S REPORT SEPTEMBER 2001 During the month of September, I spent some time training the accounting clerk. The office prepared a major mailing to all the water customers of the Hamburg Municipal Authority regarding the fact that we failed to monitor for Atrazine. This was advertised in the Hamburg Item and all water customers will be receiving it after October 5, 2001. The office personnel worked on the mailing of the tenant forms as well. Lynda and I attended a seminar in Harrisburg for new product info from our software company as well as some instruction on the new reporting form (GASB 34). The quarterly payroll reports were prepared and mailed as well as the quarterly grease trap letters. The Web page and the Municipal Access Channel continue to be updated. This month we had several equipment failures. Lynda’s monitor shorted out and the receptionist’s hard drive crashed beyond repair. In speaking with several individuals and especially our hardware and program provider, I have been informed that these computers that we have which are approximately 6 years old will begin to break down. We have had some minor problems with them, but nothing that couldn’t be repaired. I believe a program should be instituted to upgrade the computers every 3 to 5 years. I know that this will be expensive, however, with the way technology is, it is the only feasible solution. We have made some adjustments so that both Lynda and Gloria can work, however, next year we will need to replace 1 or 2 computers. I have been working on the recycling grant for containers. The deadline is October 4, 2001. Lynda and I met with two representatives from DEP regarding this grant. It was a mandatory meeting in order that the grant be accepted. Lynda had reviewed the grant and after a few changes was forwarded to DEP. Prepared the minutes and memo for the Civil Service Commission members as well as revamp the rules and regulations that were approved by the commission members. Met with Chief Zelinsky on various occasions to discuss some issues. During the month, I attended 2 Council meetings, 2 staff meetings, and 1 Civil Service Commission meeting. The minutes have been prepared for all meetings. If you have any questions in reference to my report, please feel free to ask. Respectfully submitted, Kim Y. Berger
Mayor Del Rosario stated that there were four individuals apprehended for various outstanding warrants. Moral is up and the officers are working hard at their jobs. Mayor Del Rosario also stated that Chief Zelinsky will be inducted into the Police Hall of Fame. Mayor Del Rosario questioned the purchase of a police car. It was stated that the Finance Committee is not in favor of purchasing a car at this time. A motion was made by Scott Kreider and seconded by Charles Figard to accept the Mayor’s Report. ROLL CALL: AYES – R. Boyd, R. Heffner, J. Heckman, D. Edwards, C. Figard, L. Balthaser, S. Kreider NAYES – None OLD BUSINESS NONE NEW BUSINESS On the recommendation of the Lowell Thomas, Emergency Management Coordinator, a motion was made by Roy Heffner and seconded by Jeanette Heckman to take action to approve and adopt Resolution #4-01 dealing with the updated Emergency Operations Plan. ROLL CALL: AYES – R. Boyd, R. Heffner, J. Heckman, D. Edwards, C. Figard, L. Balthaser, S. Kreider NAYES – None On the recommendation of the Borough Manager, a motion was made by Scott Kreider and seconded by Roy Heffner to approve the annual agreement with the Animal Rescue League for the year 2002. (Question: Councilman Kreider questioned how often ARL is used. Chief Zelinsky stated that they are probably called an average of 12 times a year.) ROLL CALL: AYES – R. Boyd, R. Heffner, J. Heckman, D. Edwards, C. Figard, L. Balthaser, S. Kreider NAYES – None Chief Zelinsky read a commendation for Mayor Del Rosario for his contribution of working on the police vehicles. Mayor Del Rosario made a proclamation that the annual Trick or Treat nights will be held on October 30 and 31 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and that Hamburg Jaycee members will be at the major intersections to assist with the children crossing the streets. A motion was made by Roy Heffner and seconded by Charles Figard to approve payment of invoices totaling $181,655.94. ROLL CALL: AYES – R. Boyd, R. Heffner, J. Heckman, D. Edwards, C. Figard, L. Balthaser, S. Kreider NAYES – None LIST OF BILLS AMES DEPT. STORE 19.98 AQUA SERVE 175.75 BARKO CLEANING SERVICE 558.00 COUNTY OF BERKS 1,670.36 BERKS PRODUCTS 237.71 BERKS MONT NEWSPAPERS 107.50 BLUE MT. COMPUTER SERVICE 870.95 CFL MECHANICAL 395.25 DENISE CLARE 7.59 COPY WORLD 675.00 EMAC DAIRY BRUSH 45.40 EJB PAVING 531.38 EDENBURG WELDING 673.00 FIRST UNION 935.56 GPU 236.47 HENN’S GARAGE 982.23 INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS 990.30 KANTNER’S 94.00 KISTLER O’BRIEN FIRE PROTECTION 170.00 DAVID MORGANTI PHOTOGRAPHY 8.48 MOUNTAIN VIEW SUPPLY 91.24 MUNICIPAL EMPLOYERS TRUST 105.50 NATL. TACTICAL OFFICERS ASSC. 35.00 NATL. UNIFORMS 230.55 PENN FUEL PROPANE 44.39 PENN PRIDE 661.68 QUILL 188.72 RANDALL RENTSCHLER 3.96 SPOTTS BROS. 392.00 STAPLES 293.18 ROGER STETLZER 55.00 THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR 139.05 VERIZON 411.07 WENGER’TS 571.80 WESTERN AUTO 56.94 WILHELMS AUTOMOTIVE 80.00 WINDSOR PRESS 8.45 TOTAL $12,753.44 CONRED CONSULTING, INC. $3,725.00 BILLS PAID DURING THE MONTH $165,177.50 GRAND TOTAL $181,655.94 RAYNORE CLARK 9.80 DEPT. OF PUBLIC WELFARE 10.00 HAMBURG LEGION 25.00 BOROUGH OF HAMBURG – GROSS 68,906.74 BOROUGH OF HAMBURG –SS/MEDI 3,931.04 ALBRIGHT COLLEGE 60.00 BERYL AYELLO 57,714.00 ROBERT MENGLE 21.18 PA STATE POLICE 70.00 WINDSOR PRESS 760.77 SAM’S CLUB 61.96 BCMHIPG 14,663.58 SALKS SYSTEMS 5.00 HMA 69.67 BERKS COUNTY TREASURER 64.50 PETTY CASH 27.97 UNION FIRE CO. #1 18,479.87 Hamburg, Pa October 8, 2001 7:30 p.m. POSTMASTER OF HAMBURG 106.42 TOTAL $165,177.50
SOLICITOR’S REPORT UPCOMING MEETINGS/INFORMATION October 9, 2001 – Personnel Committee – 6:00 p.m. October 9, 2001 – Property Committee – 7 p.m. October 10, 2001 – Road Committee – 3:30 p.m. October 15, 2001 – Hamburg Planning Commission – 7:00 p.m. October 23, 2001 – Safety Committee meeting - 7 p.m. October 17, 2001 – Water/Sewer Committee –6:30 p.m. October 17, 2001 – Authority meeting – 7:00 p.m. October 24, 2001 – Finance Committee meeting – 6:30 p.m. October 24, 2001 – Council meeting 7:30 p.m. Councilman Balthaser wanted to thank the Police Department for having the Police Motorcycle at the Middle School for the Karnival for Kristian. The funds have exceeded their expectations. The collected approximately $15,000 for the family. Councilman Figard wanted to thank the Police Department for their apprehension of the criminals. Keep up the good work. Councilman Kreider wanted to let everyone know that Mayor Roy Del Rosario will be recognized as an Outstanding Young Pennsylvanian. This will occur on November 13, 2001. See the Mayor for more information on location, times and events. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. on motion of Charles Figard and seconded by Diana Edwards. Attest:
Recording Secretary/Office Mgr.
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