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MINUTES OF THE MARCH 12, 2007 MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL The fifth regular meeting of the Hamburg Borough Council for 2007 was held this evening at the Hamburg Municipal Center with President Tammy Wilkinson presiding. The meeting was opened with Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and a Prayer. Members Present – Tammy Wilkinson, Roger Stetzler, Martha Bertolet, Elaine Swavely, Roy Heffner, Dale Schlenker, Jeanette Heckman Members Absent – None Also Present –Solicitor Mike Zubey, Kim Y. Berger, Office Manager/ Recording Secretary, Manager Lynda G. Albright, Mayor Roy Del Rosario Visitors- Chief Michael Painter, Scott Kreider, Deena Kershner, Mike Gumbar, Maria Herne, Pottsville Republican A motion was made by Roy Heffner and seconded by Jeanette Heckman to approve the amended agenda adding a letter to be read from the High School under New Business.ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. HeckmanNAYES – None COURTESY TO AUDIENCE Deena Kershner, OTF, handed out the year-end report for the council’s review. A motion was made by Roger Stetzler and seconded by Elaine Swavely to approve the minutes of the February 26, 2007 meeting.ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. HeckmanNAYES – None A motion was made by Jeanette Heckman and seconded by Elaine Swavely to approve the following reports: Borough Manager’s Report, Public Works Supt. Report, Water/Sewer Supt. Report, Office Manager’s Report, Treasurer’s Report, Police Report, Code Enforcement report, Recreation Director’s Report, Road, Finance and Personnel Committee Report.ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. HeckmanNAYES – None BOROUGH MANAGER’S REPORT FEBRUARY, 2007 The Borough Manager’s activities for the month of FEBRUARY, 2007 included the following :Held staff meetings with supervisors to discuss, provide and receive updates on various projects and issues taking place. Addressed complaints and other correspondence as needed. Met at various times of the month with John Leonforte to review various building projects and code enforcement issues he is working on, in particular, 4th and Hawkridge, the proposed access to Route 61, new subdivisions, proposed senior housing at the old Wright’s building. Again spent significant time working with the solicitor and council regarding police personnel, along with retirement benefits related thereto. Dale, Roy and I met with representatives of Proac and Dynatek to further discuss ongoing issues with the HVAC and steps that will be taken to have this rectified. Work has commenced on the HVAC, however, we continue to have problems related to loss of heat in the building on a regular basis. Kim has been in
contact daily with the individuals working on the system in an effort to get these problems corrected quickly. Attended the pre-bid meeting and bid opening for the streetscape project, which is hopefully scheduled to begin sometime in April. Chief Painter and I met with representatives of PennDOT regarding the closing of the ramps on the south side of the interstate beginning sometime in March for work being done on the I-78 project. Both ramps coming off of I-78 and onto I-78 eastbound will be affected when work commences. Had to call a snow emergency as a result of the ice/sleet/snow storm. Plowing and cindering streets were difficult due to the type of storm we experienced. Trucks were overheating and we called in additional help to deal with the situation. Trying to move the snow was like moving cement. The crew persevered and did a great job. Met with a representative from AFLAC regarding benefits to be offered to borough employees, over and above what the borough is currently providing. Those employees wishing to take advantage of this program will be paying for the benefits themselves. It will be at NO COST to the Borough. John Leonforte, Roy Heffner and I met with representatives of Met-Ed regarding the possible replacement of one of the electric poles on State Street which appears to be in a deteriorated state. Met-Ed will review and make their recommendations shortly. It is hoped that this can be done in conjunction with the streetscape project. During the month, attended two regular meetings of Council, Hamburg Municipal Authority, Planning Commission, Finance, Property, Personnel, and Safety 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 February, 2007. PUBLIC WORKS SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Repairs to the stop sign were completed at 3rd and Grand Streets. The crew continues to cold patch the potholes and other items around the borough. Oil was changed in the 1989 Dump, 1996 Ford, 2003 Ford. A lot of time was spent working on the salt spreaders and snowplows. This was especially important after the Valentine’s Day storm. The Valentine’s Day storm and the after effects have continued to plague the crew. The type of storm that it was and the amount of snow and ice accumulations had hampered efforts to clear the streets. We hired additional contractors to help with snow removal, intersections and parking lots. Salting of the roads did not seem to help. The ice would melt and immediately refreeze. Pine Street at 4th was extremely difficult. When motorists would make the turn onto Pine, the snow/ice would then refreeze onto Pine Street, making it very difficult to remove. Clearing of the sidewalks also was a problem with the re-freezing. The speed limit signs that were faded or in need of repair were either repaired or replaced. Due to the work on the HVAC system, the crew had to remove two walls along the chase for the repair crew to gain access to the "chase". The crew once again repaired the door to the filter room at the pool. The lifeguard chairs were taken apart and repaired. We had two water main leaks this month, one at Grand and Apple Street and the
other on N. 6th Street.
Water/Wastewater Superintendent’s Report February 2007 Water The plant remains off line while the control system is being replaced. Tony, Greg, and I met with OCC to finalize the design. The cold snap we experienced caused a few problems. We had several "no water" complaints that turned out to be frozen pipes. We also had a few main leaks but considering how bitterly cold it was, we came through pretty well. During the early month snowstorm there were two incidents where the sprinklers at Exide leaked. While the amount of water used wasn’t enough to cause problems, isolating them from the main also puts other customers out of service. The Authority is taking steps to remedy this issue. Wastewater Construction slowed during February. The contractor took advantage of the cold weather to service equipment. They are back at it and working on the indoor renovations. While we are experiencing some "growing pains", operations are going well. Total chlorine levels are fluctuating for no apparent reason and we will report one violation. We may have torn seals in the secondary clarifiers and will be emptying them shortly for inspection and repair. Effluent quality has been pretty good and other than the chlorine problem we are meeting permit requirements. Respectfully Submitted Keith L. Brobst Water/Wastewater Superintendent OFFICE MANAGER’S REPORT FEBRUARY 2007 Throughout the beginning of the month we worked with the auditors and after their completion of the audit, the 2006 files were organized and stored. The room was cleared out and cleaned up. Annual Pension forms were completed for both plans. The Municipal Access Channel was updated on a regular basis. At the very end of the month, there was a problem accessing the modem but this was Comcast’s problem and they rectified it in the beginning of March. The Website continues to be updated. There were two major water leaks; one was on N. 6th Street and the other at Grand and Apple Streets. During these incidents the office staff fielded a lot of calls from residents. Invoices were finally mailed to those residents along North Crescent Avenue as well as the other areas that had curbing installed in the Fall of 2006. Met with the Assistant Recreation Director several times regarding issues at the park and pool. Gave him information regarding past procedures, practices and new ideas. Flooding of June 2006: The paperwork for reimbursement from FEMA, which will be funneled through PEMA, has been completed. All documentation had been received and all information was finalized and mailed to the proper authorities. I am hoping to hear from them to review all documentation so that our reimbursement will follow quickly. State Street Bridge lights: I had received information that the lights on the State Street bridge over the Schuylkill River were out, only two lights were lit. I contacted Met-Ed who dispatched a work crew. Once the work crew took a look at the lights it was determined that a few lights needed new heads. At that point there was a delay in fixing them. Meantime, I had called to find out what the problem was. According to Met-Ed, these lights are extremely old and parts are hard to find. Also in checking with PA DOT, the wiring is extremely old and very hard to maintain. In the future, we may be looking at the possibility that these lights will not be able to be fixed. A temporary solution might be that we would have to abandon those lights and Met-Ed would install cobra head lights on wood poles until the bridge is repaired/replaced. Luckily, Met-Ed did find new heads for those lights that were out and all lights are working once again. Met-Ed cannot guarantee how long these lights will last.Sinkhole – Port Clinton Avenue: Received several calls regarding the sinkhole on Port Clinton Avenue. It was determined that this sinkhole was from the gas line repair, which had been done at this location. The hole was fixed by PPL only to sink two more times. PPL was called each time so that this problem could be repaired. HVAC System: I attended a meeting on February 8, 2007 with Property Committee members, ProAc and Dynatech to discuss the HVAC system and the problems that we have been experiencing. It was decided by Council to move forward with the recommendations that were presented. During this time, I worked with ProAC and Dynatech to schedule their work as well meet any unmet needs they may have. Met daily with ProAc crew to discuss various issues. Throughout this month I had been inundated with issues in regards to this HVAC system when I came to work first thing in the morning. The senior center was cold on several occasions and the District Justice courtroom was also cold on several occasions. There were numerous fan alarms, freeze stat alarms that I saw on the HVAC computer. Between Dynatech, Rick Pickel and myself we rectified them most times by having to review plans, access the ceiling and having to reset fans or having to go into the attic to find the problems. A lot of time has been spent on this system in the last month or so. I have worked with our hardware representative as well as Dynatech to set up permissions for Dynatech to access our HVAC system from their office. This has helped somewhat, however, it is still hands on work that we must do here in the office. Rick and I have gained a lot of knowledge by muddling our way through, but we have also spent a lot of time dealing with these issues. With all the work that needed to be done on the HVAC system, a dumpster was ordered for the discarded materials due to the fact that our dumpster was not large enough for the debris. Snowstorm February 14: Due to the Valentine’s Day storm of February 14 and the aftermath that happened with the cold weather and ice, the recycling was not collected that week as well as the trash was delayed by a day. This snowstorm caused plenty of icy streets and alleys. As you well know I-78 was shut down for many hours. I, as the Deputy Coordinator for the Hamburg Emergency Management Agency, was contacted by Berks County EMA on Wednesday, February 14 at 5:30 p.m. to open a shelter at the Middle School for the victims of this storm. I was at the school by 6:15 p.m. waiting for access and then the shelter was open by 7 p.m. I commend the janitorial staff for their valiant efforts in meeting all our wants and needs as well as the cooperation of Elaine Ruppert, Secretary for the Facilities Director, for opening the building for us. The Red Cross was called in for food and cots and we were open until 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 15, 2007. Although we had been told to expect anywhere from 200-300 people who were stranded on the interstate, we housed only 4 people during the first evening and assisted 25 more people the next day. As bad as the situation was during this 3 day event, Hamburg EMA was ready and willing to assist all those in need. I was contacted the next day by Berks County EMA once more. They had requested all expenses for snow plowing, salting, etc. during the Valentine’s snowstorm. This was sent into PEMA in the event that the President would declare a Federal disaster and we could recoup some of our expenses. To date, I have heard nothing. Attended two Council meetings and staff meetings as necessary. Minutes were prepared for all the meetings.
HAMBURG BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT FEBRUARY 2007 ACTIVITY REPORT
Building, Zoning and Codes Report February 2007 Five (5) construction permits and one (1) zoning permit and no (0) excavation/ paving (Gas repairs)permits were issued in February. Major projects ongoing or proposed are as follows: Preliminary work continues, to reconstruct some curbing, sidewalks, and the streets at Catherine, Grandview Terrace, and Arthur st., we have some estimates and hope to ask for bids this spring with work to be done this summer/fall. A meeting with the residents affected is scheduled for March 5th. A meeting w/ planners, utilities and developers is scheduled for March 5th to discuss site Improvements that may be required prior to approval of development of 27 senior housing Apartments at the formerly Wrights Building at Pine and Peach Alley. Penn Dot 78 construction project is progressing. Work in the Borough of Hamburg is slated to be completed by the end of November 2007. Water slides have been installed at the municipal pool. The heater is not yet installed. No delay in spring pool opening is anticipated.Survey work continues for the proposed extension of Grand Street to Rte 61. Stock piling of Material at the Wissahickon property is anticipated to start in March or April. Penn Dot has required a regional traffic study prior to considering an HOP for the project. Ryan Kern with Barry Issett associates has submitted a Penn Dot HOP application to place a traffic light at Hawk ridge and South 4th Street. Penn Dot has reviewed submission and requested comment s be addressed. Discussions with Balfour Beatty, contractors working on I-78, and Penn Dot, to fill areas at the Dolly Hop site. Will require a design showing pipe easement and ROW to be done by Balfour Beaty. Then documents must be signed by the borough and Leon Balthaser. Exide has been in negotiation with EPA for clean up of the battery plant. A response is expected from Exide in the next 60 days . Inspections were completed for residential and light commercial, previously permitted, work in the borough. Property Maintenance complaints of rubbish, and Occupancy inspections continue to be addressed.
John Leonforte RECREATION DIRECTOR’S REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2007 The month of February continued with meetings with the rec board, staff
meetings, Northern Berks Recreation, Community Day and meetings with various
committee members. Community Days continued with the hiring of the Mudflaps and the renting of entertainment inflatable rides. Other events are: the Rotary will have their morning breakfast; the Lions Club will have Bingo. Other groups that have committed are the Historical Society, the Grange and Blue Mountain Wildlife. Further interviews for positions of lifeguard and food stand workers were conducted. Discussion began between Mr. Ketch and Mr. Nabozny/Assistant Rec Director and Pool Manager for the grand reopening of the pool. The initial thought was to have the reopening the weekend of June 7, 2007.
Respectfully submitted, Guy R. Ketch, Jr. Recreation Director William M. Nabozny Assistant Recreation Director and Pool Manager ROAD COMMITTEE REPORT 3-05-07 In attendance: Roy Heffner, Dale Schlenker, Martha Bertolet, Elaine Swavely, Lynda Albright, John Leonforte, Roger Stetzler & residents from Washington Street & Grandview Terrace, Catherine, Arthur and Church
Finance Committee February 12, 2007 Attending the meeting were Tammy, Lynda, Roger, Jeanette and Martha. Berks Co. Solid Waste ask the local communities to contribute to the cost of providing funds for the collection and disposing of Hazard Waste. The Finance committee is recommending council consider contributing $250.00 to Berks Co. Solid Waste for this effort. The committee asks that Lynda provide an end of the year report for our review. Finance Chairperson Martha E. Bertolet
March 2, 2007 Those present: J. Heckman, T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, Lynda Albright, Chief M. Painter. Items discussed:
OLD BUSINESS On the recommendation of the Road Committee, a motion was made by Roger Stetzler and seconded by Dale Schlenker to approve the Grand Street Extension Traffic Impact Study at a cost of $28,000. ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. HeckmanNAYES – None On the recommendation of the Road Committee, a motion was made by Dale Schlenker and seconded by Roger Stetzler approving additional funding in an amount not to exceed $7,000 for the Hawk ridge Signalization and Roadway Improvements. ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. HeckmanNAYES – None NEW BUSINESS On the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, a motion was made by Jeanette Heckman and seconded by Martha Bertolet to hire the following persons for the park/pool summer season: Nicholas Buono, Lavell Belton, Bethany Riegel, Jamie Pierce, Brittney Berger, Jared Ruppert, Danielle Zglinicki and Nadine Smith.ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. HeckmanNAYES – None On the recommendation of the Borough Manager, a motion was made by Elaine Swavely and seconded by Roger Stetzler approving Ordinance #747-07 – Intergovernmental Agreement for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Northern Berks County.ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. HeckmanNAYES – None At this time, Manager Albright read the following letter: I am writing on behalf of the senior class of 2007. As class we have chosen as our class gift to have a stencil of a hawk flying painted on Windsor Street, up through the entrance of the school, all the way to the gate of the football field. However, we first need permission from the Borough to paint the street and for Windsor Street to be closed on the day of painting. The day of painting is yet unknown. We have planned for the seniors to paint the original stencil on the road and for the Spirit Hawks Club to maintain the painting. We have also left funds for the Spirit Hawks Club to buy paint in further years. If you could read this letter at the Monday, March 12 board meting it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, /s/Jamie Stabile Senior Class Secretary Class of 2007 A motion was made by Dale Schlenker and seconded by Jeanette Heckman to approve the request from the Senior Class of 2007 contingent upon approval from PA DOT since it is a state road.ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. Heckman NAYES – None A motion was made by Dale Schlenker and seconded by Roy Heffner to approve payment of invoices totaling $203,893.63ROLL CALL: AYES – T. Wilkinson, M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, R. Heffner, D. Schlenker, J. Heckman NAYES – None T. Wilkinson abstained from the Reading Eagle due to they are her direct source of income List of bills AT & T 446.08 AMERICAN ROCK SALT CO. 2,072.39 BLI INTERNATIONAL 211.90 BARKO CLEANING 120.00 BARRY ISETT & ASSC. 5,113.95 COUNTY OF BERKS 4,775.15 BRIGHT SIGN 1,450.00 KEITH BROBST 49.88 BURKHARDT MECHANICAL 336.00 FORT DEARBORN LIFE INSURANCE 307.65 GOODYEAR WHOLESALE TIER 75.11 GORMAN AND ASSC 14,000.00 GREAT VALLEY CONSULTANTS 1,849.90 INTL. CODE COUNCIL 297.00 KANTNER’S TIRE SERVICE 14.00 MIKE KERSHNER 92.35 KOZLOFF STOUDT 819.00 KUZAN’S TRUE VALUE 133.59 MASANO BRADLEY 9,392.65 MET-ED 5,356.43 MILLER MUNICIPAL DIVISION 385.50 MEIT 88.50 NEXTEL 601.52 PA CONSTRUCTION CODES 195.00 PA STATE ASSN OF BOROUGHS 10.00 PPL GAS 2,458.35 PHILIPS MEDICAL SYSTEMS 145.00 PITNEY BOWES 189.00 PITNEY BOWES INC 108.47 READING EAGLE 655.80 THRENS AUTO 133.51 THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR 187.06 UNIFIRST 267.19 VERIZON 466.61 WINDSOR PRESS 176.76 WITMER ASSC. 209.79 ZEE MEDICAL SERVICE 17.15 TOTAL 54,849.17 BILLS PAID DURING THE MONTH BOROUGH OF HAMBURG – GROSS 79,914.82 BOROUGH OF HAMBURG – EMP SHARE SS/MEDI 4,844.06 EMC INSURANCE 53,308.46 SAM’S CLUB 191.65 DAHMS, CRYSTAL 30.00 REED, PATRICIA 52.00 MARTINEZ, WENDY 52.00 DONTON, SHERRI 52.00 MAKOSCH, ED 150.00 SMITH, TY 52.00 PA SWIF 7,149.00 ARK RENTALS 50.00 MET-ED 1,815.99 ALONGE, SAM 500.00 BERKS COUNTY TREASURER 296.00 SEAMAN, CAROL 52.00 BEST BUY 492.73 PETTY CASH 41.75 TOTAL 149,044.46 TOTAL FOR APPROVAL $203,893.63 SOLICITOR’S REPORT A short executive session will be held after the meeting to discuss police personnel issues. No action will be taken. INFORMATION ITEMS
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. on the motion of Martha Bertolet and seconded by Roger Stetzler. Attest: Kim Y. Berger, Recording Secretary/Office Manager
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