July 21, 2025
CALL TO ORDER
PRESENT
VISITORS
MINUTES
Council in regular session was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in council chambers. President Mitcho presiding.
Gregg Mitcho, President Jeanne Miller, Vice President Robert “Doc” Orr
Jim Simonelli Doug Wright George Drushel Tim Knapp
Robert Stubenbmt, Borough Manager Peter Burton, Mayor
Joseph Yochim, Solicitor Mark Corey, Engineer
Dennis McDonald, Public Works Supervisor Kevin Rafferty, Chief of Police
Tim Vargulich Bev Bible Nancy Bronstein Fred Carlson David Jeffery Jeff Orr
Ginger Cinti Dee Dee Green Laura DiPasqua Linda Fullerton Dennis Fullerton
Motion by Councilmember Drushel to approve the June 16, 2025 council meeting minutes. Seconded by Councilmember Knapp. All in favor.
Motion carried.
BILLS Motion by Councilmember Miller to approve payment of the bills.
Seconded by Councilmember Drushel. Councilmember Orr asked about Pro Service bill going up $20. Pro Service did not advise the borough of an increase. President Mitcho has a call into them and is waiting for a return call. He would like to see the rate for Pro Service to stay at $50. But if they don’t want to cooperate, that can be discussed by Council.
We’re already paying to have glass removed, but it’s not being recycled. The concern is, do we want to pay for glass to be recycled. That’s what we’ve been doing for four and a half years, and we have recycled 317,000 lbs. of glass in that time. The community has been very cooperative by cleaning the bottles and jars, and there’s been ve1y little trash found mixed in with the glass. This has been a ve1y successful program, but a decision will have to be made if Pro Service will not negotiate on the cost. Councilmember Orr talked about the 06/12/25 bill from Ferrando Ford for a brake hose. He asked why we didn’t do that ourselves. Mayor Burton spoke about how installation could also cause a safety issue. Having the dealer complete the installation would make them liable if the brakes were to fail instead of the borough.
Councilmember Orr believes the borough would be liable either way if our truck hits something. Councilmember Orr asked about the bill from Bruce and Merrilees Electric for traffic signal repair, because he thought the state was responsible for the traffic lights. The traffic lights were turned over to the borough, so we are responsible for the maintenance. Councilmember Orr spoke about the $355.00 Sanford Engineers bill for the Hotel Park project. He asked why the borough didn’t use Ralph Heidler. It was discussed that Ralph Heidler may be retired. Mike Sanford did the original survey work when PennDOT was going to acquire some of that corner to make the radius improvement, so Mike Sanford already had the information needed. Councilmember Simonelli asked if the Eckert Seamans bill from 07/03/25 for $816.00 was contract related. That bill was personnel contract related. Councilmember Miller asked about the Dahlkemper bill for $675.00, she thought it had already been paid. It had not been paid. Councilmember Miller asked if the borough credit card can be used for the supplies for the Borough Pool. It can be, and the Borough Manager will speak to the Pool Manager about using the credit card for supplies. The borough should have an account with Stefanelli’s and be receiving bills. All in favor. Motion carried.
COMMUNITY COMMENTS Dennis Fullerton from 713 Tilden Dr. spoke about the sidewalks in front
of the second lot that they pay individual taxes on. He feels they have met their requirement to get to their house from the corner of Sunset Dr. down Tilden Ave. From there down, where his sidewalk ends, to McQuillen’s property is all grass. He stated that hardly anyone walks or rides bikes in that area. Councilmember Miller asked if the Borough Code Enforcement Officer has been to his property. Mr. Fullerton said yes she has. He said the concrete contractor also agreed with that and said disturbing the tree roots could cause the loss of the trees. The contractor would then have to come out in 2-3 years to cut down the trees and grind the stumps. Councilmember Drushel spoke about the front of Mr. Fullerton’s house having a driveway and a concrete slab, and two big trees with roots causing the sidewalk to heave. The sidewalk then ends and goes nowhere, and there is no sidewalk to McQuillen’s.
Councilmember Drushel agrees that it doesn’t make sense to dig up the sidewalk and tree roots to replace a sidewalk that goes nowhere. Statute 370-38A Sub 3 states that: sidewalks will normally be required on both sides of the street except that the borough council may authorize sidewalks on one side only for u shaped streets, cul-de-sac, or where character of use does not require pedestrian access on both sides of the street. Councilmember Simonelli spoke about Mr. Fullerton’s request being reasonable because the sidewalk probably wouldn’t be used if replaced. Councilmember Drushel asked if Mr. Fullerton would be paying for the sidewalk to be removed and plant the grass seed. No response was given. President Mitcho said we do have an ordinance that requires sidewalks, but we don’t have a provision for removing existing sidewalks. McQuillen’s should technically have a sidewalk as well. This is a legal issue because of the ordinance, so the solicitor will need to be consulted before council gives a response. The section of sidewalk in question starts at Mr. Fulletion’s driveway and goes west towards Sunset Drive. Councilmember Simonelli said it’s a unique situation and a reasonable argument, because it’s a sidewalk that goes nowhere, will never be utilized, and isn’t a safety hazard because nobody walks on it. President Mitcho said a copy of the ordinance is in the packet, and the ordinance does require sidewalks. Councilmember Simonelli mentioned that we don’t have sidewalks everywhere in the town, we have places that don’t have them. He also said Mr. Stubenbort told him they are grandfathered in. Mr. Stubenboti confirmed they are grandfathered in.
Councilmember Simonelli said that’s not what the ordinance says, and if council is going to be strict about it, then they would have to make anyone who doesn’t have a sidewalk put a sidewalk in, including McQuillen’s. President Mitcho said if the ordinance was passed after the fact, then it could not be retroactive. He asked if the ordinance should be made retroactive. Councilmember Drushel agrees that the issue should be addressed and discussed. President Mitcho said the issue will need to be tabled until council can get legal advice. Michael and Helen Parenti were not in attendance but asked council to review his six-page document, with photos, on his behalf. Mr. Parenti is asking council to remove his curb lawn trees, numbered 1 and 2 on his document, so he can start over. The tree he has numbered as 3 was hit by lightning will be removed because it is dying, and more than half of that tree has been removed already. Mr. Parenti’s document goes in depth as to why he feels the borough should be removing trees 1 and 2.
Councilmember Drushel asked what the average cost is to remove a tree. The cost depends on the location of the tree, whether there are utility lines going through it, the circumference of the tree, and stump removal. Councilmember Drushel asked what the cost might be for Mr. Parenti’s trees. Mayor Bmion mentioned the cost of the two trees in front of Matt Moore’s house were $2,000.00 a tree, and those trees were fully encompassed into the power lines. He said the cost of a tree removal could be $600.00 – $2,000.00. President Mitcho said Mr. Parenti gave a good presentation of pros and cons, and indicates that the trees are an invasive species. Councilmember Drushel said it seemed that Mr. Parenti felt that the trees were in place before the sidewalk was put in 50 years ago. So, the sidewalk is than smaller than a normal sidewalk because they jammed the sidewalk in to get it in there. President Mitcho asked if Mr. Parenti mentioned an issue with the trees 1 and 2. Mr. Parenti’s document states that due to the age of the trees, they were probably also shoti for this world. Councilmember Simonelli suggested that maybe it’s time for the borough to get out of the tree business completely, and if people want trees they can put them on their own propetiy so the borough doesn’t have the problem with the trees in the curb lawn. He suggested maybe leaving the trees on Main St. He feels that the curb lawn trees are impractical because they grow up into the utility lines, or they grow across the street down into the sewer systems and gas pipes.
And when a tree falls over it takes out utility lines. President Mitcho said we aren’t the only borough that deals with this issue, every borough in the state has the same issue. The issue being that the trees are on propetiy that has the taxes paid by the homeowner, but the borough has jurisdiction over, which is the curb lawn. So, the trees are the borough’s decision to plant or remove, not the property owner’s decision.
Councilmember Miller said the problem is the type of trees that were planted years ago. She suggested having a committee meeting to get started on the tree issue. President Mitcho said up to this point the tree committee has included everyone on council, and that Councilmember Miller is proposing that a new committee be formed of 3 people to discuss individual issues and make recommendations to council.
Councilmember Drushel asked if these issues are coming up because of the sidewalk replacements, or did they start before that and just accelerate recently. President Mitcho said this has been an issue for a while, and that he had his sidewalk replaced in 1997 because of a tree. So, it was an issue even before the borough had a Code Enforcement Officer. President Mitcho thinks there’s no solution to the sidewalk/tree issue. Councilmember Simonelli said he thinks he gave a solution when he suggested the borough get out of the tree business. Mayor Burton said eve1y month someone comes in in to talk about trees, and he would be glad to be on the tree committee, but he feels the homeowners should be allowed to take the trees down. He said if there’s room and they want a new tree they can pick one from the 3 trees on the approved list. Mayor Bmion agrees with Councilmember Simonelli about cutting every curb lawn tree in the borough down. Councilmember Drushel spoke about being in Philadelphia and seeing the same issue with the tree roots heaving the sidewalks. Councilmember Simonelli said Girard Borough will have problems with the Maple trees on Main St. affecting the sidewalks as well because they don’t have enough room in the squares. President Mitcho spoke about Councilmember Miller’s suggestion about forming a Tree Committee. Councilmember Miller, Councilmember Orr, and Councilmember Knapp will serve on the new Tree Committee.
Tim Vargulich, President of Dobler Hose, was invited by President Mitcho to speak. Mr. Vargulich requested free labor from council to help the Fire Dept. at their Gun Party on 08/16/25. The event has grown so big they don’t have people to do it properly anymore. They can’t run enough games, and they can make more money if they have more people to work. Councilmember Drushel asked what time the Gun Party is. The party is from 1:00p.m.- 6:00p.m. It takes them two days to set up for it, and another day afterwards to clean up. Councilmember Miller asked if they would be assigned to a pmiicular place to work. Mr. Vargulich said to see him when they get there, and he will assign them something to do. President Mitcho said he and Nancy Bronstein usually cook 600 hotdogs, 600 beef rounds, several dozen ears of corn, and many other foods. Mr. Vargulich said they average 700-800 people for that event every year, and its growing due to reputation of their food. President Mitcho said the tickets for the Gun Pmiy are $25 or three tickets for $50, and it’s all you can eat and drink. The food is handled by the kitchen staff, which could use a volunteer as well, but most volunteers are needed for the games of chance. Volunteers can contact President Mitcho, so assignments can be figured out ahead of time. The candidate for the Erie County Council Executive will be volunteering at the Gun Party. This event is the biggest fundraiser, and the biggest part of the Fire Depatiment’s income.
David Jeffery from 239 Olin Ave. spoke about Ordinance 760. He talked about a newspaper article on the 06/16/25 council meeting that said there would be no more notification letters. He said in the definitions section and in the penalty section of the ordinance, that there will be notifications. Either someone will come in person, or a letter would be sent as notification. He said Ordinance 760 appears to be based on the City of Erie ordinance. He noticed that Erie was celebrating the fact that they recently sent out 200 letters telling people to clean up their properties, and 196 people did clean up. Only four people had to be penalized. He also talked about there being a lot of things in Ordinance 760 that can affect a lot of people. Such as a funeral home on Main St., an apartment building next to the Presbyterian Church, and the Hotel Park propetiy, where the sidewalk was blocked for multiple weeks last winter. According to Ordinance 760 that would be an immediate fine.
Mr. Jeffery feels that the sidewalk by the Hotel Park propetiy is too close to the road because the State plows come by and plow in the sidewalk, and the borough doesn’t have time to clear it every time that happens, which would be a violation of the ordinance. He referred to a section of the ordinance concerning commercial vehicles not being allowed on residential property. He feels we should be careful about that because the borough garage is in an area that is zoned residential, including a business where there are a lot of commercial vehicles sitting on a property that is zoned residential. Mr. Jeffery said the old Moorelight Wrench Factory violates a ton of those ordinances, it’s a disaster, and someone is going to get hurt. The roof is falling in, there’s piles of junk around it, and he has seen kids in there. Councilmember Simonelli said he appreciates that Mr. Jeffery goes around town picking up litter.
President Mitcho said that Mr. Jeffery also took it upon himself to paint the fence at the Girard Cemetery. President Mitcho said Mr. Jeffery shows how much he cares about our community by everything he does, and he wants him to know everyone appreciates what he does for the community.
Fred Carlson, from 624 Olin Avenue, wanted to address the traffic light coming east into Girard for Rice Ave. He said the traffic light only allows two cars to turn onto Rice Ave. and then you have to wait for it to recycle. President Mitcho said the turn arrow is a new feature we didn’t have before. Mr. Carlson suggested that traffic light have a flashing yellow arrow like the other traffic lights, or a longer cycle. Currently the arrow goes from green straight to red. Councilmember Simonelli said Ryan McNulty told him the borough has control of setting the traffic lights, and he also saw the same information on the news. He asked if the borough has control of the box to change the light patterns. The Borough does not have latitude to change those things without PennDOT’ s approval. We have access to have our contractor reset the control panel if there is a power surge, but we can’t change the parameters, timing, or cycles of the traffic lights. Councilmember Simonelli said we could request an engineer to come and change the turn arrow to have a blinking yellow light. Mark Corey said he believes PennDOT won’t allow that, its relatively new. They did a study and there are some intersections where they don’t believe the traveling public can safely discern if there’s time to take a left turn. He believes PennDOT wouldn’t allow the change because of the offset intersection. Councilmember Wright mentioned it could be a liability issue as well. Previously, there was no designated turn lane. Now, the green arrow is taking green time away from the other movements, and that is probably why its such a short cycle. Mr. Carlson said even if there’s no westbound traffic you still have to wait, and sometimes you have to sit through two cycles before you can get through the light.
COMMITTEES Councilmember Orr spoke about the West County Emergency
Management meeting on 06/11/25. Sean Wroblewski would like notification of when Dan Rice Days are, so he can look in on things. They have now went to V-Net for $131 a month. There’s a new website that is $275.88 a month, and you have to contact Sean to get onto the new website. For Hazmat Mitigation, the county recommendations are followed.
Councilmember Simonelli suggested the Parks Committee put permanent lights in the park like we have on the street and have power in the park at all times for events, instead of using 2×4’s and temporary hanging wires. The power could go underground and up the poles. He thinks it could be cost saving in the future because we wouldn’t have to put up and take down temporary lights. President Mitcho said there could be outlets at the base of the lights so we wouldn’t need so many temporary outlets.
President Mitcho said Dobler Hose is using the unoccupied house at 129 Church St. for training. An instructor for an Essentials Class is coming on 07/21/25 for the 211d session out of 3 sessions. They are using the house to train first responders how to carry someone up and down a staircase, and how to extract someone out of an upstairs room. This house is one that is to be torn down, but Dobler Hose is asking if it can be used for a controlled burn training. There are various things that need to be done before the controlled burn can happen. The house was purchased a few years ago by the Girard Cemetery, they use the garage on the property, and they would like that to stay intact. On Saturday 07/19/25 Dobler Hose had their first ever barbeque. They set a goal of 150 dinners but sold out early. They received $211 in donations. They may do another barbeque in September or October. This is the time of year for fundraisers, and they are raising money for the new $1.2 million engine pumper. They are also purchasing $31,000.00 worth of battery operated extraction tools because the new engine pumper does not have a generator.
MARK COREY ENGINEER
The Hotel Park Project is coming along nicely. Most of the concrete work is done, there’s still some curb work that needs done closer to Vine St., and the light poles were put in on 07/21/25. The sign will not be done by Dan Rice Days, but some early plantings could be done by then. We have pay estimate #1 from Amendola Construction for $76,100.00, which Mark has reviewed and would recommend payment. Associated with that, is change order #1 for $4,991.00 for an additional concrete slab near the entrance of the walkway at Main St. near the railroad tracks, which is included in the $76,100.00. Mark Corey is requesting council approve change order #1 and pay estimate #1. Motion by Councilmember Wright for pay estimate #1 to pay $76,100.00 to Amendola Construction. Seconded by Councilmember Knapp.
Councilmember Orr asked if bricks from the old Girard Hotel will still be used to build a monument. Councilmember Drushel said he came up with a different option. He could get a nice metal stand that shows a picture and description of the Girard Hotel, and next to that have a picture and description of the Erie Canal. All in favor. Motion carried. Motion by Councilmember Knapp for change order #1 for $4,991.00 included in the
$76,100.00. Seconded by Councilmember Simonelli. All in favor. Motion carried. Councilmember Drushel reminded council of the
$80,000.00 grant received from Erie Community Foundation. A second grant was received for $25,000.00. These grants cover about half of the cost for the Hotel Park Project. Mark Corey said the Hathaway Water Tank repainting has not occurred because T-Mobile’s contractor took extra time to install the temporary pole and move their equipment. Our painting contractor has moved onto other jobs due to the delay, so we are discussing with him when he can fit it into his schedule. But the project will be done this summer.
JOSEPH YOCHIM, SOLICITOR
We are in the process of purchasing the Wirtz Alley parking lot from Sama Holdings, LLC. There’s been a hold up in terms of getting the necessary personnel to handle the closing. Sandra Holding, LLC is using Marsh Law Firm for the closing. Marsh Law Firm is having difficulties because they are backed up due to not having enough people in their Closing Department. Solicitor Yochim has been calling twice a week about this issue. Mayor Bmion asked Mr. Stubenboti ifwe are putting millings in that lot. Mr. Stubenboti thinks putting millings in would be a good idea.
MANAGERS REPORT
ORDINANCE 759 At the meeting held on June 9,2025, the Girard Borough Planning
Commission voted to respectfully recommend favorable passage of Ordinance 759. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE BOROUGH OF GIRARD, ORDINANCE 521 ZONING DISTRICTS, C-1 COMMERCIAL DISTRICT AS
HERETOFORE AMENDED, by adding the following restriction: CONVERSION OF A COMMERCIAL/ RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE OF MIXED USE IN C-1 INTO A TOTAL RESIDENTIAL USE IS
NOT PERMITTED. The Ordinance has been properly adve1iised, and Mr. Stubenboti respectfully recommends that Council pass this ordinance. Motion by Councilmember Wright for approval of Ordinance 759. Seconded by Councilmember Simonelli. Councilmember Orr asked if the ordinance is strictly for the first floor. The ordinance is strictly for the first floor and is stated as such. All in favor. Motion carried.
ORDINANCE 760
BOROUGH POOL
NEW PAYROLL SYSTEM
240 TEMPLETON
Lack of maintenance of properties, littering, improper storage of trash and rubbish, storage of inoperable/nonregistered vehicles, vendor operations without permits, high grass and weeds, graffiti and accumulation of snow and ice are costly problems that contribute to the deterioration of property values and general disorder in a community. These problems degrade the physical appearance of the Borough, which reduces business and tax revenue, inhibiting economic development. The quality of life and community pride of the citizens of Girard are negatively impacted by the occurrences and existence of these activities. Recognizing these are community problems, the purpose of this ordinance is to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the Borough by helping to create and sustain a clean, healthy living environment for the citizens of Girard. The Ordinance has been properly advertised, and Mr. Stubenbort respectfully recommended that Council pass this ordinance. Motion by Councilmember Wright for approval of Ordinance 760. Seconded by Councilmember Knapp. Councilmember Orr thinks we already have a lot of this verbiage intact, and he doesn’t think this ordinance is necessary. President Mitcho said the difference is how the borough will handle compliance. Currently we have repeat offenders who get multiple warnings, they correct the situation but then the violation happens again. Each registered letter sent costs $10.00, and hundreds of letters are sent each year. Chief Rafferty feels this ordinance will be a relief to our Police Officers, especially our Ordinance Officer who keeps track of all the violation letters that are sent out. With Ordinance 760, if there is a Fine or Warning Card any officer can handle it. The information can be put in their records management system which can be referenced to see if that address already had a warning and what kind of violation it is. This will be more cost effective and easier on enforcement. All in favor. Motion carried.
June 8, 2025 the borough pool opened. The week of June 17th NFG installed a larger capacity gas supply line, so the new pool heater now works at full efficiency. Over 930 pool passes have been sold this season. The first pool movie of the year attracted 232 patrons to the pool.
Everyone had a good time. The last free movie night attracted 190 patrons. Thank you to the Rec Board for putting on these movie nights.
(ECCA PAYROLL+) Erie Payroll began providing payroll services to Girard Borough July 1, 2025. Now that the new payroll is up and running, we will be working on convetiing our Freedom Software System over to Springbrook Software. A meeting is scheduled with Springbrook later this week. By the end of the year we will hopefully be on that new system.
240 Templeton Ave. grass was cut by the contracted company responsible for the upkeep of the property. Grass will be cut twice a month going forward until the property is sold. If the garage situation is not addressed by August 8, 2025 the borough will have the garage razed. They claim they have someone in line to take it down. Dee Dee Green knows the daughter of the owner who passed away, and has approached her about purchasing that property to flip it. She is waiting for a response from the daughter about scheduling a time to see the property. Mr. Stubenbort said the borough has not received any notification of a change of hands.
WATER METERS
FROG ART
POLICE
CIVIL SERVICE TEST
Over 60 new water meters have been installed so far in 2025. Our original goal was 80, but it looks like we will go beyond that goal. Our part-time office employee has been helping the Water Department by making phone calls and setting appointments. The Water Department has agreed to go replace meters at odd hours to accommodate homeowners. Councilmember On asked if properties with water meters that don’t work at all can be put on the agenda first. Mr. Stubenbort confirmed the broken water meters are being replaced first.
The frog art piece has been placed in its new home in front of the pool house.
Regionalization
Platea Borough- not interested. Fairview Township- not interested.
Albion Borough- Notice of lnterest received. Girard Township- Notice of Interest received. Lake City Borough- Notice of lnterest received.
Is Girard Borough interested? President Mitcho would like to table this issue because there are huge financial considerations that he thinks should be discussed with our attorney in the executive session.
Contract
The Police and the Personnel Committee have reached an agreement on a four-year contract that will include years 2026 to 2029. This will be tabled for Personnel.
The Civil Service Commission will hold a test in the next few weeks to replace the exhausted list. The Chairperson is looking at the end of August 2025.
SIDEWALK
VIOLATIONS To date in 2025 over 273 squares (51 violation letters) have been marked for replacement. Councilmember Drushel asked what happens if someone doesn’t replace their sidewalk. A follow-up letter would be sent stating the borough will replace the sidewalk and send a bill to the homeowner. If the bill is not paid, a lien is placed on the property.
President Mitcho mentioned that our Code Enforcement Officer does remind people that this is a safety issue, and if someone gets injured due to their sidewalk, they would be liable. There is reimbursement available of $30 per square up to ten squares with verification of a paid receipt.
The sidewalk replacement is an entire program, where each street is looked at and problematic sections are addressed. Fred Carlson mentioned prope1ties on Mechanic St. that haven’t had the sidewalks replaced yet. Councilmember Wright asked if the Code Enforcement Officer had looked at Walnut St. yet. She has. Bev Bible asked if people are being cited for the heavy grass in between the sidewalks, or just the cracked and raised sidewalks. Right now, it’s just the cracked and raised sidewalks.
GARBAGE
COLLECTION The Girard Borough is bidding with the EACOG and the other West
County Municipalities on the garbage collection contract. The results should be ready for the August meeting. President Mitcho explained that EACOG is made up often municipalities. EACOG put together a packet and asked for bids. The contract would be three years, and the bids will be opened on 08/07/25. His concern is the glass recycling, and it is his opinion that it could be used as negotiating tool with Waste Management. President Mitcho reached out to our EACOG Executive Director John Barnicky in regard to Waste Management. Councilmember Wright asked if there are other companies we can deal with other than Waste Management. Councilmember Drushel mentioned Pro Waste Services, but it is unknown if they would bid. Councilmember Wright spoke about the unsatisfact01y service from Waste Management.
WATERWORKS PARK
MAIN STREET TREES
MISC.
On July 10, 2025 the Water Works park was sprayed for invasive species.
On July 14, 2025 Councilmember Drushel mentioned that he was having a landscaper spray Round Up and plant around the Main Street trees. He talked at this meeting about speaking with Liz Green from Greenscape regarding planting a tougher type of plant in between the trees lining Main St. because the previous plants didn’t work out well. The work may be complete by Dan Rice days. The $4,000.00 grant assigned from the Downtown Girard Committee will be used for this landscaping.
Mr. Stubenbort thanked Dee Dee Green for painting the town clock. There was a lot of work that went into that, and it looks outstanding. Dee Dee also volunteered to come back and paint the statues as well.
MAYOR Mayor Buiton talked about going to the 54th Annual Mayor’s Convention in Harrisburg with Lake City Mayor Andy Graves. There are 500 mayors in the state of Pennsylvania that belong to the organization, however only 80 were at the convention. The Mayor’s Association has been working hard over the 10 years to get local police to use radar guns, Pennsylvania is the only state that doesn’t allow the use of radar guns. The Mayor’s Association feels there is a majority of Senators that are in favor of this. Pennsylvania has one of the highest numbers of automobile accidents because of speed, so it is a safety issue. A law has been passed allowing semi-trucks to carry more weight through Pennsylvania rather quickly. So, they’re hoping this year it will be voted that local municipality police departments will be allowed to use radar guns.
The City of Bradford is similar in size as Girard Borough, and a number of years ago they were about to go into Act 47, but they revamped their borough officials. They staited a community foundation which receives over $100,000.00 a year from Zippo Lighters, and has over 100 donors that give $1,000.00- $I 0,000.00 a year. Their community foundation usually covers the 50% match that most grants now require.
The Borough of Kane Pennsylvania have had 42 new businesses stait since COVID with a lot of help from PA Wilds, and Erie County is in the PA Wilds. PA Wilds is a group that help with website design for free, marketing, and logos for PA start-up businesses. Mayor Burton printed out information that can be given to new businesses that come into the Girard Borough.
One borough that had a shrinking population, and since COVID they started setting aside $25,000.00 a year to offer an incentive of $5,000.00 to new home buyers if you work remotely, move to the community, and stay in their home 5 years.
One of the presenters was from ICE about the Municipal Police Rule in working with the 2870 Program regarding immigration. Luckily we have Border Patrol in the next community so we haven’t had to work with the 2870 Program.
The Governors Center for Local Government Services can be contacted about ordinances, laws, or any other help that is needed.
An economist from PNC spoke about the United States and PA economy. The Economic Outlook people are feeling very good about where the U.S. is after COVID with the unemployment rates and inflation.
There was a presentation on AI and how it can help municipalities. AI can be used to help with communication to the public.
The Federal Government has cutbacks in grants, so a resource was given on Pennsylvania grants and where grants are available.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Councilmember Drushel asked about the Olin Ave. railroad crossing. Some asphalt was put in place to help level the crossing. He also mentioned the trash cans in the borough have graffiti on them and asked if they can be painted.
Councilmember Orr asked when we will know more about the time capsule. The time capsule was buried in 1976, so it will be buried for fifty years as of next year. Bev Bible is talking to Maryann Mook about doing an article in the paper about the time capsule. Kathy Lyons is also going to get information about the time capsule.
Councilmember Orr asked if the bicycles at the borough garage that have been collected over the years can be taken care of. We have donated them in the past, but have not been able to find an organization to take them in the past couple of years. It was brought up that there are people in the area that rebuild bicycles.
Councilmember Orr spoke about the Girard Police cars sitting behind the building for hours while idling to keep the laptops on at all times in case they get a call. He feels that the cars could have a charging unit installed that will keep the equipment on without having to keep the cars idling. Chief Rafferty has put an order out to the officers that the vehicles can stay running if they are stopping at the office for short time. But if they are going to be in the office for an extended period of time, the vehicle is to be shut off and put in the garage.
Councilmember Miller said that Wendy Nickerson gave a report at the Borough Association meeting about a council with a population of less than 5,000 being allowed to get an increase in their monthly stipend. The paperwork will be given to the Borough Manager.
President Mitcho spoke about a Dedication Ceremony hosted by Presque Isle Lighthouse Association that’s being held at the Girard Cemete1y stmting at 11:00a.m. on 08/07/25 for Andrew Shaw who was the lighthouse keeper on Presque Isle from 1901 to 1927. Light refreshments will be served at the First Presbyterian Church.
Meeting adjourned at 8:09 p.m. for a five-minute break before going into executive session.
EXECUTIVE
SESSION At 8:18 p.m., President Mitcho asked for an executive session to discuss personnel and legal matters.
REGULAR MEETING
FULLERTON SIDEWALK
The regular meeting was called back into session at 9:20 p.m.
Council agreed to allow Mr Fulle1ion to remove the sidewalk west of his driveway and plant grass.
POLICE REGONALIZATION Motion by Councilmember Knapp and seconded by Councilmember Orr
to join Lake City, Albion and Girard Township in a police regionalization study. All in favor. Motion carried.
POLICE CONTRACT Motion by Councilmember Simonelli and seconded by Councilmember
Wright to approve the Police Contract for the years 2026 to 2029. All in favor. Motion carried.
ADJOURN Motion by Councilmember Orr and seconded by Councilmember Wright to adjourn at 9:23 p.m. All in favor. Motion carried.
Robert A. Stubenbort Borough Manager