MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 10, 2007 COUNCIL MEETING

The seventeenth 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, Dale Schlenker, Jeanette Heckman, Heather Berger

Members Absent – None

Also Present –Solicitor Mike Zubey, Kim Y. Berger, Office Manager/ Recording Secretary, Manager Lynda G. Albright

Visitors- Kerry Delong, Chief Painter, Kris Frantz, Terry Loose, Rose Loose, Buck Holtzman, Dennis Degler, Kim Kehs, Michelle Park (Reading Eagle), Danny Williams, Penny Hummel (Item), Deena Kershner, Scott Kreider, Maria Herne (Pottsville Republican)

A motion was made by Dale Schlenker and seconded by Roger Stetzler to approve the amended agenda by adding five motions under new business, which developed during the committee meetings before the regular council meeting.

NAYES – None

Danny Williams thanked Borough Council for expediting the issue with the debris on a neighboring porch. There is only furniture there and she has put up shutters across the front of her porch.

Kerry Delong stated that at the special meeting held on September 6, 2007, there were a lot of people who wanted to express their opinion. Some of the people who spoke had total disregard for the Council members, other borough officials and audience members. Mr. Delong requests the governing body, notify all attendees that the meeting will be conducted with fairness and respect for all. Any person failing to abide by the policy shall be ejected from the meeting.

Kris Frantz, 3^rd Street resident, had stopped by the Borough Office to receive copies of reports from the last meeting to be told that he had to pay $15 research time for this. Manager Albright stated that the $15 was no longer being charged and should have been crossed off the form. The .25 a copy would be necessary.

Mr. Frantz did go online at the Library and printed out what he needed.

Mr. Frantz questioned the Grand Street extension and if it will be north and south or just north. It was stated at this point it would only be an entrance and exit to 61 for northbound traffic.

Buck Holtzman apologized that he may have been out of order at the special meeting of Borough Council

NAYES – None

H. Berger - abstained

A motion was made by Roger Stetzler and seconded by Dale Schlenker 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 and the Recreation Director’s Report.

NAYES – None

BOROUGH MANAGER’S REPORT

AUGUST, 2007

The Borough Manager’s activities for the month of AUGUST, 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 on a daily basis.

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, 4^th and Hawkridge, the proposed access to Route 61, new subdivisions, proposed senior housing at the old Wright’s building, the Grandview, Arthur, Catherine Street curbing project, Streetscape and the Exide Building. Also reviewed several complaint issues he is working on.

John Leonforte, Code Enf. Officer, Ken Pick and Dave Hummel of the County Development Office and I met with Jay Land at Wissahickon to discuss issues regarding the Grand Street Extension, along with funding and potential industrial growth in that area.

Kim Berger, Office Manager and I met with Joe from Raritan Trash regarding trash increase for next year. It is apparent that they their costs exceed what is permitted under the trash specifications and, therefore, we will be seeking bids for 2008.

Council President Wilkinson and I met with Deena Kershner at the OTF office to meet with the Reading Eagle who was doing a feature story concerning the streetscape project.

Still working on changes to budget funds, which is due to be complete in the next couple of weeks. At that time, meetings will then be held with individual supervisors to discuss 2008 budget.

Working on some outstanding issues for final pool completion.

Still working on police contract and on-going police litigation.

During the month, attended two regular meetings of Council, Road, 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 August, 2007.

The crew spent a great deal of time working on the walkway. Dirt was removed and 2A stone was installed along the new walkway. The portion of the old walkway was repaired with new screenings.

The parks (tot lot, Hawk Ridge, park) continue to be mowed.

The weeds in the streams were cut.

The weeds along the roads were trimmed.

The salt shed is nearing completion. The Crew started to seal the shed.

The windows in the bandstand were once again damaged and thus, the windows needed to be repaired.

Installed a new pump in the baby pool. The old one was irreparable.

Installed a new fountain at the park near the stone fireplace. Hopefully, the vandals will not destroy this one.

There was a sinkhole on Windsor Street, which was hot patched.

Installed a new inlet and 60’ of 15" pipe at 5^th and State Streets.

A lot of time was spent painting the curbs at 4^th and State Streets.

The word "SCHOOL" was painted on the streets.

Worked on placing barricades, trash cans etc. out for Sidewalk Sale and

Hamburg-er Day.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard L. Pickel Public Works Supt.

Water

Water for the month came from both well and surface sources. Tony has been working with the contractors to "get the bugs out" of the new control system. We hope to be completely on line within the next few weeks.

The dam level has been holding pretty steady since the rains in the middle of the month, however that will change if we don’t get some more rain.

Tony and I attended a roundtable on public notification for loss of pressure and loss of water situations. We can expect rules in regards to this to continue to change over the next several years.

Wastewater

Construction continues as the contractors finish up odds and ends and prepare for paving. The inside renovations have started along with the yard lighting around the ditch. The garage is up with just some plumbing and wiring issues to be resolved. The masons have been hard at it this month and that should allow the roofers to finish. I expect paving to be done next month. We have put the outer trane of the oxidation ditch on line and are emptying the fine bubble aeration tank in preparation for the paving, and removal of the mechanical aerators and aerator bridges.

The rains mid month cause no acute problems although we did need to put a second clarifier on line. This illustrates the need to continue the I&I program we have been on the last several years. Settling is not as good as we would like but effluent numbers are excellent with CBOD often being undetectable.

All in all things are gong well and I expect no operational problems in the near future.

Respectfully Submitted

Keith L. Brobst

Water/Wastewater Superintendent

The web page received a significant upgrade during the month.

The municipal access channel was updated.

The revised policy book was reviewed.

Worked throughout the month on accounting issues, this is still unresolved.

Throughout the month met with Bill and Guy regarding park and pool issues.

Assisted with boil water notices for Walnut Street.

Various correspondence was completed, including weed notices, other complaint letters, junk car letters, debris letters etc.

Met with Joe Daniello from Raritan Valley Disposal regarding a possibility of renewing the trash contract for another year.

Found the HVAC pipe leaking in the hallway to the Borough Manager’s office, contacted the necessary contractors to repair and cleaned up the area.

One of the typewriters in the office is beyond repair. Researched information for a replacement and ordered same.

My department’s five-year plan has been completed and submitted.

Act 205 pension reports were completed.

A few forms were revised for the park/pool next year.

Training has been completed on the new version of our software. It is now time for them to practice with it until the final upgrade is made.

Attended two Council meetings and staff meetings as necessary. Minutes were prepared for all the meetings.

The Streetscape project is still in progress. Some finish work is not meeting standards and will be addressed by OTF. Work is progressing at a good pace with few complaints.

Wiring for lampposts is being completed and curb, street and crosswalk painting remains to be done.

 Work is progressing to reconstruct some curbing, sidewalks, and the streets at Catherine, Grandview Terrace, and Arthur St. We have sent letters to each affected property owners asking that curb and sidewalk repairs be made.

We have some estimates and hope to ask for bids, for the paving, this fall with work to be done this spring.

  Final drawings for phase one of the Grand Street extension has been sent to Penn Dot for their review. Our engineer has met with DEP and it was determined a joint permit with DEP and Army Corp of Engineers will be required. We have had infiltration testing done, with initial results appearing to be acceptable. We hope to get through the permitting process in 12 months and build Phase one 4 months after that, with a hoped for completion date of fall of 2008 or spring of 2009.   

  Ryan Kern with Barry Issett associates and I have met with Met Ed regarding right of way and construction easements needed to place a traffic light at Hawk ridge and South 4^th Street.

We were received positively at the local level, but approvals from higher authority is pending.

  Demolition has begun. Exide Corporation, the demolition contractor and, EPA continue the clean up and demolition of buildings #1 and #2, and all the accessory structures of the battery plant. A cleaning process (primarily pressure washing) continues. Actual demolition has started, with completion in October of this year. At this point approximately 30 % of the complex has been demolished.

  Demolition of the Curves property has been completed. Completion of exterior finish to the Driscoll building is pending.

Work on the Peach Alley Apartments project (former Wrights Building, at 239 Pine) is progressing. This is will be a 12-month project.

Inspections were completed for residential and light commercial, previously permitted, work in the borough.

 John Leonforte 

Codes Administrator

The summer months have come to an end with the pool closing September 3^rd. The month of August showed split success with dwindling attendance throughout the month except for the last day.

The pump for the baby pool went down and the large pump for the main pool suffered an electrical surge on September 4^th destroying the pump. Other than the problems mentioned above, the month of August flowed smoothly.

A suggestion box was placed on the counter at the entrance to the pool. Some negative comments, many positive suggestions that will be considered for improvements next year and numerous compliments.

For the first year of administrating the pool, Bill and I felt that events went well, if not great! We had an excellent lifeguard staff, which performed exceptionally well and received many compliments. Our food stand, thanks to the efforts of Bill and his staff, was successful and enjoyed by the patrons of the pool and park.

Several private pool parties, swim and dances, and movie and swim nights were a great success.

One particular change that was well received was the extension of pool hours till 10:00 PM due to excessive heat.

Many patrons complimented the pool for its’ new facilities, cleanliness, lack of profanity and for becoming more family oriented.

We would like to thank the Assembly of God for volunteering to edge the playground equipment and for painting the graffiti on the picnic tables and the posts at the large pavilion.

We especially want to thank Lynda Albright and Council for allowing us the privilege of having a movie and swim to raise funds for Mr. Ken Buck, Principal of the Middle School, who tragically lost his home and belongings in a fire.

Bill and I are currently working on a five-year plan for the pool and park, and the implementations of other improvements in the operation of the pool that are a result of this years’ experiences and the recommendations of patrons.

Thanks for a great year!

Respectfully submitted,

Guy Ketch

Bill Nobozny

Nothing

On the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, a motion was made by Dale Schlenker and seconded by Roger Stetzler to hire Elizabeth Witters as a Crossing Guard; all necessary paperwork has or is being handled.

NAYES – None

On the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, a motion was made by Elaine Swavely and seconded by Jeanette Heckman to appoint Steven Levan as a member of the Hamburg Planning Commission effective immediately, with term ending 12/31/09.

NAYES – None

On the recommendation of the Borough Manager and Personnel Committee, a motion was made by Jeanette Heckman and seconded by Roger Stetzler approving the regular full-time status of Norman (Skip) Bailey as a member of the borough crew, after having successfully completed six-months of probation and increasing his salary to $12.50/hr. effective 9/13/07.

NAYES – None

On the recommendation of the Borough Manager, a motion was made by Elaine Swavely and seconded by Heather Berger to approve the request of the Arts Alliance of the OTF to hold their Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for completion of the Streetscape project and to allow the closing of S. 4^th between State and Pine and State between 3^rd and 4^th for a 3-hour period (5 - 8 p.m.), on October 5, 2007 contingent upon PennDOT approval.

NAYES – None

On the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, a motion was made by Martha Bertolet and seconded by Jeanette Heckman to appoint Judy Driscoll as a member of the Hamburg Library Board effective immediately, with term ending 12/31/09.

NAYES – None

A motion was made by Dale Schlenker and seconded by Heather Berger to approve payment of invoices totaling $174.497.69

ROLL CALL: AYES – M. Bertolet, R. Stetzler, E. Swavely, D. Schlenker,

J. Heckman, H. Berger

NAYES – None

AT & T 399.53

ALBERT’S WAREHOUSE 60.94

ALBRIGHT COLLEGE 40.00

BARKO CLEANING 160.00

COUNTY OF BERKS 2,367.36

BERKS PRODUCTS 1,699.32

BERKS MONT NEWSPAPERS 38.55

BURKHARDT MECHANICAL 1,927.58

CONNECT-TEK 85.00

EJB PAVING 672.00

EDENBURG WELDING 87.00

EXETER SUPPLY 264.80

FOP LODGE #37 166.25

FISHER DAM AUTO 750.00

FORT DEARBORN LIFE INSURANCE 309.55

HARTMAN JANITORIAL 710.00

INSIGHT 1,401.85

KRE SECURITY 1,428.00

MIKE KERSHNER 135.25

LEBANON UNITED JOBBERS 293.75

LOUEES 1,335.00

LOWES BUSINESS ACCOUNT 353.68

PAUL MELNICZEK 367.10

MET ED 5,483.90

MOBILE ARMATURE 150.00

MT. VIEW SUPPLY 102.79

MEIT 117.00

NEXTEL 839.07

OUTTEN BUICK 400.52

PPL GAS 295.26

PENN PRIDE 1,682.30

PEPSI BOTTLING 256.15

PITNEY BOWES 189.00

QUILL 882.67

READING EAGLE 198.35

MJ REIDER 200.00

REPPERT’S AUTO 249.00

SPROESSER’S LAWN CARE 260.00

ROGER STETZLER 345.00

STRATIX SYSTEMS 277.00

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUND 212.69

THREN’S AUTO 75.42

THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR 187.06

TYLER TECHNOLOGIES 275.64

UNIFIRST 285.84

WEIS MARKETS 10.81

TOTAL 28,455.01

BILLS PAID DURING THE MONTH

BOROUGH OF HAMBURG – GROSS PAYROLL 135,749.02

BOROUGH OF HAMBURG – SS/MEDI 8,703.59

CARL PHILLIPS 52.00

YURKIEWICZ 52.00

SAM’S CLUB 365.91

DEPT. PUBLIC WELFARE 10.00

KENNETH BUCK 289.00

MIKE KERSHNER 310.00

BERKS CO. PLANNING 170.00

PA ENVIRONMENTAL 185.00

BERKS CO. TREASURER 85.00

PETTY CASH 71.16

TOTAL $146,042.68

TOTAL FOR APPROVAL $174,497.69

Nothing to report

September 11, 2007 – 6 p.m.- Library Board meeting

– in the Library

September 18, 2007 - 3:30 p.m. – Safety Committee meeting

September 18, 2007 – 7 p.m. – Planning Commission

September 19, 1007 – 7 p.m. - Authority Meeting

September 24, 2007 – 7 p.m. – Water/Sewer/Public Relations

September 24, 2007 – 7:30 p.m. – Borough Council meeting

Danny Williams questioned if the debris on resident porches will be monitored. Also there are a lot of items in Peach Alley, such as mattresses, etc. This will be discussed at Property Committee.

Mr. Williams questioned why there are no reports in the Item about Council meeting. It was stated that sometimes we do not have reporters at the meetings.

Deena Kershner questioned if there wasn’t an ordinance that we could enforce regarding the accumulation of trash on porches. Mr. Leonforte has been contacted for over a year for the property next to the American Hotel and he stated that he couldn’t do anything. Maybe the ordinance needs to be updated so there would be something he could do.

The other problem is the property next to Hecky’s that is vacant and people are complaining about it.

Councilwoman Berger stated that we had to be careful to ensure that the items on porches are trash and not just stuff they have there.

Scot Kreider questioned the unbudgeted expense at the park for security and if the Council is satisfied with them. Manager Albright stated that there were very little problems this year. Mr. Kreider would like a breakdown of what it cost the borough.

Scott Kreider questioned the streetlight outages. Kim Berger stated that she has been in contact with a Met-Ed representative and it is not high on the priority list and that their crews have been backlogged. This will be monitored.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. on the motion of Roger Stetzler and seconded by Heather Berger.

Recording Secretary/Office Manager