JUNE 15, 2020

CALL TO ORDER

PRESENT

VISITORS

MINUTES

BILLS

MAYOR/POLICE

Council in regular session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. in council chambers. President McNally presiding.

Dennis McNally, President Alfred Noble, Vice President Peter Burton

Kathy Lyons Jeanne Miller Gregg Mitcho Robert “Doc” Orr

Mayor Robert Kremenik

Robert Stubenbort, Borough Manager Joseph Yochim, Solicitor

Mark Corey, Engineer

Kevin Rafferty, Chief of Police

Dennis McDonald, Public Works Supervisor

Jim Simonelli Ginger Cinti

Councilmember Mitcho mentioned that the call to order for the May 18, 2020 minutes read special meeting rather than regular session. This will be corrected. Motion by Councilmember Burton to  approve  the  minutes  from the May 18, 2020 council meeting. Seconded by Councilmember Lyons. All in favor. Motion carried.

Councilmember Miller mentioned that Sharp Print Services bought out GR Graphics who have supplied the borough for many years.

Councilmember Miller asked if we would be receiving any other bills for the bathrooms at Waterworks Park. There might be a bill for a box for the drain line. Motion by Councilmember Mitcho to approve the bills. Seconded by Councilmember Noble. All in favor. Motion carried.

Mayor Kremenik thanked Officer Zuern for the new medical disposal box.

He was able to get the box through a grant from Rite Aid and no application process was necessary. Councilmember Mitcho asked Chief Rafferty about the one arrest under “Driving Vehicle at Safe Speed” on the incident report. Chief Rafferty said the incident is essentially for driving at an unsafe speed but worded as safe by the state.

STREETS AND SIDEWALKS

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Councilmember Burton asked if Larry and Mary Jane Vogt’s curblawn tree at 1006 Lawrence Court will get back on the tree list for removal. Mr. Stubenbort said that if the tree service has to take it down that will not happen until fall. If the tree is small enough the Public Works Crew can take it down sooner.

Councilmember Noble asked if Taco Bell has been reminded of the continuation of their concrete sidewalk. Mr. Stubenbort mentioned that this is on the Partial Projects and Activities List.

Councilmember Noble also mentioned that Rice Avenue is the second most traveled street in the borough not only by cars but pedestrians. It is just over one mile from Main Street to the Lake City border and we have only three crosswalks. There is one located at Nickel Plate that we put in for the school and the other two are located at Hathaway Street. Councilmember Noble feels we need to add more crosswalks from Hathaway Street up to Main Street.

Mark Corey stated that the permitting process through PennDot is the boroughs responsibility.

Councilmember Burton asked if we wanted to proceed with the Sidewalk Program this year. Mr. Stubenbort said that for anyone that has called we

are still offering the $30.00 per sidewalk square for up to three. We do not have any arrangement with any contractors so the  homeowner  would need to arrange to have the work done. They can then bring us a paid bill and we will reimburse them for up to three sidewalk squares. Councilmember  Mitcho asked if we could put out a message about the sidewalks on the monthly utility bills.

Councilmember Orr stated that all of the Fire Departments can send their masks in to be sanitized.

Councilmember Orr said there was discussion of who has to pay if a disaster should happen in our community. This will hopefully be put into the by laws of the EMC so municipalities will be aware.

Councilmember Orr asked if the borough could vote by teleconference.

Mr. Stubenbort said yes as long as there is a quorum. Before you were allowed to teleconference in but not permitted to vote. Councilmember

Miller asked if someone had to zoom in on a meeting is that legal. Mr. Stubenbort will verify this.

Chief Rafferty is asking council for permission to purchase  riot gear consisting of six helmets and six riot shields for a total of $1,737.48. After the riot incidents in Erie, Chief Rafferty reached out to several Chiefs in

smaller jurisdictions in the county and everyone agreed that it would be

a good idea to purchase riot gear. If we went in on a group order with Edinboro,

Lawrence Park and Northeast Police departments we would get a discount which would bring our total to $1,551.60. Councilmember Noble said it is better to have the gear for safety if ever needed. Motion by Councilmember Burton

to purchase six helmets and six shields totaling $1,551.60. Seconded by Councilmember Noble. All in favor. Motion carried.

RESOLUTION 1-6-2020

FUEL CONTRACT

ROAD RESURFACING

This resolution would permit a “lien free” tax sale of properties in Girard Borough and to allow for the collection of delinquent property taxes and possibly revenue on certain delinquent real estate taxes. Motion by Council­ member Lyons to pass Resolution 1-6-2020. Seconded by Councilmember Mitcho. All in favor. Motion carried.

The fuel contract was bid through the COG (Coalition of Governments) so that Girard Borough could get the best price possible. We received bids from Petroleum Traders, Melzers Fuel Service and Harned/Reed Oil. The lowest bid was from Melzers Fuel Service which are our current suppliers. Motion by Councilmember Noble to award the fuel contract to Melzers

Fuel Service. Second by Councilmember Burton. All in favor. Motion carried.

The bids for milling and paving Hemlock Drive and Boothby Drive were opened on May 20, 2020 and were as follows:

  1. Lindy Paving
  2. McCormick

79,988.70

105,280.00

Motion by Councilmember Orr to accept the bid from Lindy Paving in the amount of $79,988.70. Seconded by Councilmember Lyons. All in favor. Motion carried.

BOROUGH

POOL                           Mr.   Stubenbort said that the pool has been filled with water. The coating on the pool floor was ground down as needed to compensate for any coating deficiency. Also, the pool house floor has been cleaned and the Public Works Department will now repaint it. The state recommends that swimming pools remain closed during the yellow  phase  but  there are some pools in the area that are opening with some changes. The YMCA pool is opening but they will not be providing any tables, chairs or food. Once every hour they will shut down the pool to wipe everything down. There is actually a ten page document that the CDC put out and we would have to follow the guidelines. Mr. Stubenbort recommends to council that we keep the pool closed for this year as a safety precaution. If we open the pool we will have to go through the hiring process and possibly a limited

schedule. Councilmember Lyons said that the Edinboro Legion will allow people to schedule a three hour swim session. Councilmember Burton spoke with someone from the Kahkwa Country Club and Harry Lund at the

Edinboro Pool. They are consistently taking temperatures of the kids when they

come in. Edinboro is scheduling morning and afternoon swim sessions and sanitizing between each three hour session. The Kahkwa Club is sanitizing at the end of the day and asking people to stay in their chairs and not walk around.

Councilmember Burton reminded council that there are only six cases of Covid reported between Girard Township and Girard Borough as of last week. He knows it would certainly be easier to be closed but not sure what the kids will do all summer. President McNally said we can see if we can hire any lifeguards to work and go from there. Mr.  Stubenbort  said that from a  liability standpoint if council decides to open the pool a committee should be formed to

discuss and write down all the specific items from the CDC report that would need to be implemented. Motion by Councilmember Lyons to have the pool committee meet in the next few days to discuss options and protocol for opening the pool. The pool committee members are Councilmembers Lyons, Mitcho and Burton. Seconded by Councilmember Burton. All in favor. Motion carried. Councilmember Mitcho asked if Kevin Fuller would be available to manage the pool. Mr. Stubenbort said yes.

LAKE STREET

BRIDGE                        Mr. Stubenbort mentioned  that Mekis Construction  will be in town to work on the Route 20 Bridge from June 15 th-19th • They will be applying a coating to the bridge surface to provide longevity for the concrete surface. Since they will be in the area we received a price of $11,299.00 to  apply the same coating to  the Lake Street Bridge. This was recommended by George Pushcar when the bridge was being constructed. The bridge should only be closed for one day. Motion by

Councilmember Burton to have Mekis Construction apply the bridge deck and sidewalk coating on the Lake Street Bridge. Seconded by Councilmember Noble. All in favor. Motion carried.

BOROUGH

OFFICE                          The HVAC unit above the  borough office is 28 years old and is often in need of repair. Keep Heating and Cooling do a scheduled maintenance of the unit every year but have commented that it should be replaced. This unit cools the lobby, borough office and Chief Rafferty’s office only. Mr. Stubenbort

is waiting on a quote for a new unit. He would much rather have the  unit replaced next year when we can budget for it. Also, we will have to see what the cost is first before we know if we have to put it out for bid.

GIRARD AMERICAN LEGION

WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Girard American Legion Post #494 was able to reopen with outdoor seating on June 9, 2020. The Legion is borrowing tables, chairs and umbrellas from the borough pool.

Girard Boroughs contract with Waste Management will end December 31, 2020. For the last bid, Girard Borough worked with other West County municipalities and bid together to get the best price possible. Mr. Stubenbort would like to work with them again for the new contract and council agreed.

COVID 19/

UTILITIES                       Mr. Stubenbort asked council how long should we continue  not  charging the late penalty on utility bills. It looks like most municipalities will continue through the July billing but come August the penalties will start up again. The PUC order stated that until the Governor Wolf lifts his Disaster Declaration we can not shut off utilities. We are not under the PUC but certainly like to follow what is happening. Mr. Stubenbort said if council agrees we will start charging the penalty with the August billing if the bill is not paid by the 15th but we will not disconnect utilities until Disaster  Declaration  is lifted. Councilmember  Noble said the new manager for PEMA is really proactive and she will keep municipalities informed as well. Councilmember Burton said at some  point we will have to shut off utilities because they are delinquent. He feels that August

1st  is when we should shut off  delinquent accounts.  Motion by Councilmember

Burton to have penalty (after due date charge) put back in place for August billing and disconnection of utilities for delinquent accounts resume. Seconded by Councilmember Orr. All in favor. Motion carried.

COMPOST

AREA                           The Public Works Department has been working very hard to place as much mulch from our compost area. There is still mulch available that we could allow contractors to haul away or deliver it to borough residents. If  we can clean this up as much as possible we will be 100% grass and chemical free. There has been zero interest in the compost because of the grass in it up to this point so this gives us the opportunity to start over. President  McNally thinks we could load  the mulch for residents but does not  feel we should deliver it  to  them. This could be done during the work week when Public Works is available.

Councilmember Noble has an area at his property where we can place the mulch if we need to. Motion by Councilmember Lyons to make compost available for residents. Seconded by Councilmember Orr. All in favor. Motion carried.

PRESBYTERIAN

CHURCH PROJECT          BSI Construction is requesting a letter of reliability from Girard Borough Electric so that a back up generation system would not need to be installed at the new Presbyterian Church. Girard Borough does meet the criteria of reliability. There are two lines coming down from the transformer. Line number one powers the church and is a back up for the fire suppression pump. The second line also comes from the transformer and is dedicated just to the pump. Mr. Stubenbort recommends that council vote favorably and allow the  reliability  letter be sent to BSI Construction. Solicitor Yochim and Mr. Stubenbort worked out the wording for the letter. Motion by Councilmember Burton to send a letter of reliability to BSI for the Presbyterian Church Project. Seconded by Councilmember Noble. All in favor. Motion carried.

Councilmember Burton mentioned that he feels the Presbyterian Church should be responsible to repair the road where they cut in for their water and sewer lines. Mr. Stubenbort said they will have to have that section of road repaired at

 

ELECTRIC GENERATION PROJECT

WATER TOWER INSPECTION

 

WWTP

their expense. They might choose to pay and have the hot mix put in when Lindy Paving comes in to do the road resurfacing for the borough.

The location of where the generators will be placed for  the  project with American Municipal Power has been completed. Dennis McDonald mentioned that there was a sewer line that runs underneath the area where the generators are to  be placed. We had a camera put  through the lines and discovered that the drain was crushed in several places, so the deteriorated sewer line was dug up and replaced. Mark Corey said to replace it with regular plastic and

set it properly and it should be fine. The weight from the Generation Project will be equally distributed over the area so there should not  be any problems. We will be ready for when the generators are installed. Councilmember Noble mentioned that we should think about purchasing a camera system. In the long run it would save us time and money.

On June 11, 2020 KLH Engineering inspected Girard Boroughs three water towers. KLH will provide us with a summary that will outline what needs to be done at each tower along with a price estimate. The Walnut Street tank which was put in about 1940 needs the most work so that is the one that we should consider working on first. The tank itself is solid but it does need a new roof and a few other things to help out with the mixing. If we are going to  drain the tank to repair the roof we might want to consider painting it inside and out. Mr.

Stubenbort asked KLH to get a price estimate for the painting. Councilmember Orr asked if we had to put in some extra valves so that DEP will be satisfied.

Mr. Stubenbort said yes.

KLH will be providing a feasibility study and cost estimate to eliminate the lower pump station at the WWTP. We are hoping that if we can eliminate the RBC’s it will gravity feed to the digester. Mr. Stubenbort reminded council that the RBC’s are well beyond their normal life span and only half (two of the four) of the units are currently working. We will have to petition the DEP to see if they will allow us to turn them off. If we have to keep the RBC’s we need to make it a project to put them where they need to be so they are in line and we can gravity feed to the lower digester.

Also, Mr. Stubenbort mentioned that when the WWTP was being designed we were trying to conserve money. One of the items that was not looked at was the small building at the top of the hill where the sewage comes into the plant. There is a grit channel inside the building where the grit would settles to the bottom and anything else would go through the grinder (Muffin Monster). The grit chamber does not work properly. Mark Suscheck has to shovel the grit out

and sometimes a pump with a vacuum is used. Mr. Stubenbort asked KLH if they could come up with a design so that it would be easier to clean the grit out.

The grit is not meant to go through the system. Mr. Stubenbort will share the information from KLH when he receives it.

ERIE METROPOLITIAN TRANSIT ATHORITY

TEAM MEETING

DOWNTOWN GROUP

CONNEAUT SAVINGS BANK

CIVIL SERVICE TEST

MISC

 MISC.

We received an invoice from EMTA in the amount of $3,000.00. Mr. Stubenbort asked council if they want this bill to be paid. Councilmember Burton reminded council that this was for the feasibility study to get a new route for Lake City Borough, Girard Borough and Albion. The plan was to set up a route to go into Walmart, Giant Eagle, Downtown Girard and Lake City three times a day.

Councilmember Miller asked if they did the study. Councilmember Burton said it is a $3,000.00 commitment that council agreed to and we should honor that.

This will be experimental and if things do not pan out then we will not pay this fee again. Council agreed to pay the $3,000.00.

Solicitor Yochim mentioned that the TEAM Meeting through the PSAB has been cancelled this year. They are hoping to still have the Fall Conference.

The Downtown Group, through funding from the ECCGRA is currently offering three grants.

  1. Renaissance Block Grant – Up to $5,000.00 matching grant for home owners that live on Main Street from the post office to
  2. Business Recovery Grant – Up to $1,000.00 matching grant for Main Street business owners that have COVID 19
  3. Fac;:ade Grant-year two of three – Up to $10,000.00 matching grant for Main Street business owners to make upgrades to the fac;:ade of their building.

There is a meeting on June 16 th from 6- 7pm to meet with the applicants for

the Renaissance Grant so they can get their paper work filled out and turned in.

Conneaut Savings Bank located at 259 Main Street East will be closing their doors on October 2, 2020.

The last day we will accept applications for the upcoming Civil Service Test is June 17, 2020. The test has not been scheduled at this time.

As Councilmember Burton mentioned the Downtown Group will be meeting with the Renaissance Block Grant recipients on June 16th from 6-7pm.

On Saturday, June 27, 2020 from 10 am to noon there will be a food drive for the Christian Cupboard and money donations will be excepted as well. They have been offered a three to one match from Farmers Insurance for all of the monetary donations. They will be holding the event in Wells Park and using the stage in case it rains.

Shirley Hall thanked the Public Works Department for all of their hard work cleaning up the kitchen in the social hall before the election.

Councilmember Burton mentioned that he attended a meeting at the Girard

Township. They are rebuilding their garage and pouring a new heated floor. He  is not sure what the cost difference is but they have come so far on the material that goes into the concrete that will last for many years to come. Mr.

Stubenbort said they decided to do a hybrid with some overhead heating and some in floor heating so the Public Works Crew can work on the trucks. The Public Works Department will be able to install the tubing for the

floor.

Councilmember Burton asked if Lake City Borough purchased our old street sweeper since we bought a new one. Mr. Stubenbort said no because we used it as a trade in.

Councilmember Burton mentioned that while talking with people in the community there is a big push to put in a pickle ball court. It might be possible to add the pickle ball court in with the basketball court redesign.

Councilmember Miller said there is a grant for $25,000.00 which we can apply for next year. Mark Corey will have his study completed and we need that to apply for the grant.

Councilmember Noble mentioned that the junk car that was sitting next to Mike Beams property at 343 Main Street, West has been removed. Thank you to  Chief Rafferty.

Councilmember Burton mentioned that the old conduit on the outside  of the Clark Building needs to be removed before painting. Is this something the borough can remove. Mr. Stubenbort said we would be willing to help. This project will require PennDot permission to block part of Rt. 18. Also, if this building is not  fixed up the  borough could pursue ordinance violations against the owner. Councilmember  Burton also asked if  there is room for a lift and safety cones to be placed on the street so Larry Keith can paint the Clark building. We need some notice when the painter is going to start because PennDot will need to be contacted. We could give the painter enough space and have him start very early in the morning. On one end we could have a borough truck parked and the painter can park his own truck on the other end for his personal safety.

Councilmember Noble said that when Covid 19 started Governor Wolf declared through resolution that it was a disaster. Under Pennsylvania law, section 7301C under health and safety, it states that if the governor declares a disaster by resolution and the House and Senate vote by majority to end the disaster then the resolution has ended. HR836 was passed and Councilmember Noble feels that the disaster is over. Motion by Councilmember  Noble that Girard opens in the Green Phase. Seconded by Councilmember Burton. Voting in favor of the motion: Councilmember Noble, Orr, Burton and McNally. Opposed  to  the motion: Councilmembers Mitcho, Miller, Lyons. Motion carried. Councilmember Lyons said there are still guidelines for the pool that will need to be followed.

Councilmember Miller thanked the Public Works Department for taking care

of Wells Park. The flowers pots mounted on the light poles look great. Councilmember Miller said the restrooms down at the pavilion look fantastic.

Councilmember Miller asked if one of our officers has a felony are they still eligible to collect their pension. Chief Rafferty said there is nothing in the written in the contract. That would be something that council would have to vote on. He will also look into this by reviewing the state law.

Councilmember Miller said she would like to further pursue the idea of

putting up a gazebo in Water Works Park. This idea was previously presented by a group of students from Rice Avenue Middle School.

Councilmember Lyons mentioned that the grass at 325 Lake Street is very high. Councilmember Mitcho said it was just recently cut.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

REGULAR MEETING

SUNSET WATER PROJECT

PERSONNEL

ADJOURN

 

Robert A. Stubenbort Borough Manager

Meeting adjourned at 8:50 for a five minute recess before going into executive session.

At 8:55 p.m., President McNally asked for an executive session to discuss personnel and legal matters.

The regular meeting was called back into session at 10:19 p.m.

This project will replace the water line on Sunset Drive from Main Street East to Tilden Avenue. The newer water main on the southside of Main Street will be attached to the water system on the north side of Main Street.

McLallen $250,447.80
Chivers $250,635.00
Amendola $272,273.00
Empire $222,626.00
XL $354,601.00

Council discussed the qualifications as outlined in the bid specifications with Borough Engineer Mark Corey P.E., Solicitor Yochim and Manager Stubenbort. Motion by Councilmember Noble to  award the  Sunset Water project to McLallen Construction. Seconded by Councilmember Lyons. All in favor. Motion carried.

Motion by Councilmember Noble to eliminate the position of Public Works Foreman. Seconded by Councilmember Lyons. All in favor. Motion carried.

Motion by Councilmember Orr and seconded by Councilmember Burton to adjourn at 10:23 p.m. All in favor.