BRIDGEVILLE BOROUGH
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 12, 2020 – 7PM via Zoom.us
October Reports to Council [PDF]
ROLL CALL
Council President, William Henderson
Council Vice-President, Nino Petrocelli, Sr.
Council Member, Bruce Ghelarducci
Council Member, Joseph Colosimo
Council Member, Joseph Verduci
Council Member, Virginia Schneider
Council Member, Nicholas Ciesielski
Mayor, Betty Copeland
Solicitor, Thomas McDermott
Borough Engineer, Kevin Brett
Borough Manager, Joseph Kauer
Police Chief, Chad King
Fire Chief, Raymond Costain
Southbridge EMS, Dan Miller
COMMENTS FROM THE FLOOR – VISITORS, PLEASE STATE NAMES AND ADDRESSES
BUSINESS:
1. A motion to approve the September 14, 2020 Regular Meeting Minutes as submitted was made by Mr. Ghelarducci, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski, motion carried unanimously.
2. A motion to approve the October 2020 Bill List was made by Mr. Verduci, seconded by Mrs. Schneider; motion carried unanimously.
A motion to approve the October 16, 23, 30 and November 6, 2020 payrolls was made by Mr. Colosimo, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; motion carried unanimously.
3. A motion to approve the October 16, 23, 30 and November 6, 2020 payrolls was made by Mr. Colosimo, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; motion carried unanimously.
4. A motion to adopt Ordinance No. 1015, an Ordinance of the Borough of Bridgeville, adopting minimum construction standards for the repair, improvement, or construction of public infrastructure within the Borough was made by Mr. Verduci, seconded by Mr. Colosimo; motion carried unanimously.
5. A motion to adopt Ordinance No. 1016, an Ordinance of the Borough of Bridgeville, electing to amend its non-uniform pension plan administered by the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System pursuant to Article IV of the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement Law; agreeing to be bound by all provisions of the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement Law as amended and as applicable to member municipalities was made by Mr. Ciesielski, seconded by Mr. Petrocelli; motion carried unanimously.
6. A motion to adopt Ordinance No. 1017, an Ordinance of the Borough of Bridgeville, authorizing the incurring of nonelectoral debt by the issuance of a general obligation note in the principal amount of one million seven hundred thousand dollars ($1,700,000); covenanting to pay, and pledging unlimited taxing power for the payment of, the note; fixing the form, interest rate, maturity, redemption and other provisions for the payment thereof; authorizing a filing of required documents with the Department of Community and Economic Development; ratifying and directing certain actions of officers; and making certain other covenants an provisions in respect of the note was made by Mr. Petrocelli, seconded by Mrs. Schneider; motion carried with Mr. Verduci abstaining.
7. A motion to adopt Resolution No. 2020-16, a Resolution of the Borough of Bridgeville, authorizing execution of a Cable Franchise Agreement between the Borough and Verizon Pennsylvania LLC was made by Mr. Petrocelli, seconded by Mr. Colosimo; motion carried unanimously.
8. A motion to approve executing a Service Agreement with Noble Environmental for the 2021 Electronic and Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Collection Event was made by Mr. Ghelarducci, seconded by Mr. Verduci; motion carried unanimously.
9. A motion to accept the lowest responsible bid received and award contract in the amount of $117,800 to Jet Jack, Inc. for the Backwater Valve Contract – Phase 3 was made by Mr. Ghelarducci, seconded by Mr. Verduci; motion carried unanimously.
10. A motion to accept the lowest responsible bid received and award contract in the amount of $89,860 to Jet Jack, Inc., as read, pending certification by the Borough Engineer, for the Bower Hill Road Stormwater Improvements Project was made by Mrs. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; motion carried unanimously.
11. A motion to accept the lowest responsible bid received and award contract in the amount of $106,811.00 to Brex Enterprises, as read, pending certification by the Borough Engineer, for the Jane Way Streambank Stabilization Project was made by Mrs. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; motion carried unanimously.
12. A motion to accept the lowest responsible bid received and award contract in the amount of $273,500.00 to LM&R Excavating, LLC, as read, pending certification by the Borough Engineer, for the McLaughlin Run Park Flood Improvements Project was made by Mr. Ghelarducci, seconded by Mr. Colosimo; motion carried unanimously.
13. A motion to schedule and authorize advertisement of the 2021 Budget Meeting for Monday, November 2, 2020, 6:00PM was made by Mr. Verduci, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; motion carried unanimously.
14. A motion to ratify the appointment of the law firm Dinsmore and Shohl as special Bond Legal Counsel was made by Mr. Petrocelli, seconded by Mrs. Schneider; motion carried with Mr. Verduci abstaining.
15. A motion to authorize the disbursement of $20,974 from the Capital Project Fund to Stefanik’s Next Generation Construction Co. for Payment No. 1 / Final of the Commercial Street Culvert Headwall Repair Project was made by Mr. Ghelarducci, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; motion carried unanimously.
16. A motion to authorize the disbursement of $6,913.76 from the Sewer Fund to Advanced Plumbing and Drain for final payments on both the 2016 and 2017 CCTV Inspection and Cleaning Projects was made by Mrs. Schneider, seconded by Mr. Colosimo; motion carried unanimously.
17. A motion to authorize the disbursement of $8,487.64 to Jet Jack, Inc. for Payment Applications 2, and 3/final for the 2018 CCTV Inspection Project was made by Mr. Petrocelli, seconded by Mr. Colosimo; motion carried unanimously.
18. A motion to authorize the disbursement of $3,397.23 from the Capital Project Fund to Gregori Construction, Inc. for Payment Application 2 / Final for the Maple Street Retaining Wall Project was made by Mr. Ghelarducci, seconded by Mr. Petrocelli; motion carried unanimously.
19. A motion to authorize the purchase and erection of a LED Display Message Board at the Borough Building from North American Display, installed by Wholesale Digital Signs, with masonry work completed by Luick & Sons, at a total project cost of $37,235 was made by Mr. Colosimo, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; Mrs. Schneider questioned if the base of this sign would be brick? Mr. Henderson stated yes; motion carried unanimously.
20. A motion to authorize executing a Confidentiality Agreement and Authorization with the Southwest Allegheny Tax Collection District appointing the Borough Manager as the authorized contact person for the Borough was made by Mr. Petrocelli, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; motion carried unanimously.
21. A motion to approve the following Real Estate Tax Refund due to a change in the assessment as requested by the Real Estate Tax Collector. A copy of the official change order has been attached to the request was made by Mr. Ghelarducci, seconded by Mr. Petrocelli; Mr. Verduci questioned the Solicitor and asked to see if the School District had intentions to appealing this order. The Solicitor stated that this refund is due as they already prevailed at an appeal but will see where the School District is with this reduction; motion carried unanimously.
| YEAR | LOT/BLOCK | AMOUNT | NAME/ADDRESS |
| 2020 | 255-L-295 | $3,981.25 | Bridgeville Savings and Loan |
22. A motion to accept and pay any commission due – September 2020 Real Estate Tax Collector Report was made by Mr. Verduci, seconded by Mr. Petrocelli; motion carried unanimously.
23. A motion to acknowledge receipt of the September 2020 Treasurer’s Report was made by Mr. Verduci, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski; motion carried unanimously.
24. A motion to accept the disbursement of $74,730.90 for Partial Payment No. 1 and approving Change Order No. 1 in the amount of $1,776 to install eight-foot guiderail posts along the eroded portion of stream bank, to Sciarretti Site Development and Paving Co. was made by Mr. Petrocelli, seconded by Mr. Ghelarducci; motion carried unanimously.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ADMINISTRATION, VIRGINIA SCHNEIDER
No report.
FINANCE, JOE VERDUCI
Mr. Verduci reported that on finances for the end of the third quarter. He highlighted the following:
• General Fund revenue is at 93.21% for the year / last year this same time it was at 90.61%.
• Real Estate Tax Collection is up slightly compared to last year (95% of budget / last year at 93%)
• The areas we are down are expected: Business Privilege, Mercantile taxes and fines.
• Earned Income Tax is ahead of budget by 5%, same as last year. He expects to end the year significantly over budget as we have done in the past. Appears that layoffs did not affect the Borough to-date.
• Expenditures are down for the year, ending the quarter at 63.94% / last year it was 72%. If we took out the County CARES Aid of $125,000 – we’d be $12,000 ahead of where we were this same place last year.
• Garbage Fund is performing as budgeted and in line with the prior year – nothing notable there.
• Sewer Fund revenue is down by 7% compared to last year, expenditures are pretty close to the same.
Mr. Verduci stated that the Finance Committee will be meeting next week with the Manager to review the draft 2021 Budget. He stated that the first budget meeting with Council will be on November 2nd and available on Zoom.
PARKS & RECREATION, JOE COLOSIMO
Mr. Colosimo reported that he has been reviewing the construction progress at McLaughlin Run Park. He stated that today the stone base for
the asphalt work has been completed and forming for concrete curbs is ongoing.
He also stated that Mr. Frank Ziegler, the COG representative from Stowe Township recently passed away.
PUBLIC WORKS/BUILDINGS, NINO PETROCELLI, SR.
Mr. Petrocelli reported the following:
• Street sweeping was completed every Wednesday and finished for the season on September 30th.
• Leaf collection started Monday, October 12th and will run through first week of December. Leaves are to be swept into piles at the curb. Please do not place any other yard waste such as sticks and debris in the leaf piles.
• Brush Grinder Crew will be collecting tree trimmings and limbs placed at curbs during the month of November. All brush material must be no larger than 12 inches in diameter
• Grass cutting of parks, borough properties, right of ways and abandoned properties continues.
• Crew weeded and maintained the flower beds along Washington Avenue in the Business District.
• Sanitary Sewer Maintenance: Crew partnered with CHARWEST COG and cleaned sanitary sewer lines with the Vactor Truck the week of October 5th
• Washington Ave. Street Light Electric Repairs (at Station St.) – crew is working on running additional conduit north on Washington Avenue to reconnect the two streetlights that have not been working near the corner of Station Street.
• Park Maintenance:
McLaughlin Run Park:
-Repainted restroom building
-Repainted picnic pavilions
-Working on restoring the horseshoe courts
Chartiers Park:
-Crew chipped and cleaned up brush piles at Chartiers Park
-Removed weeds and cleaned up the infields.
PUBLIC SAFETY, BRUCE GHELARDUCCI
No report.
MAYOR, BETTY COPELAND
Mayor Copeland reported that there will be a Trunk or Treat event in the Borough on Halloween before regular trick or treating, sponsored by the Railyard Restaurant. Event will be from 5PM to 7PM.
POLICE CHIEF, CHAD KING
No report.
SOLICITOR, THOMAS MCDERMOTT
Solicitor McDermott provided the confidential solicitor’s report prior to the meeting. He added that he is currently working on the Ordinance that would permit chicken keeping in the Borough.
BOROUGH ENGINEER, KEVIN BRETT
Engineer Brett reported that in regard to the Flood Mitigation projects, he will have the preconstruction meetings scheduled as soon as possible and will expedite the park project. He stated that of the bids opened this month they are collectively $50,000 under budget. The Engineer reported that work on the 2020 road program is expected to start next week. He also reported that this past month he had a meeting with the Public Works Committee to review the long-term road plan. He also reported having a meeting with the Borough Manager coordinating sanitary sewer operations and maintenance and its 2021 budget.
FIRE CHIEF, RAYMOND COSTAIN
Asst. Chief Meglen reported that the Department responded to 19 calls for service this past month. He stated that with cold weather now here many people may be turning on their furnace for the first time. He encouraged anyone to call the Fire Department should their carbon monoxide detector activate. Asst. Chief Meglen reported that the BVFD’s Sleigh Full of Cash fundraiser is underway and that the Department will be out for Halloween patrols on October 31st.
SOUTHBRIDGE EMS, DAN MILLER
Mr. Miller reported that call volume for the year is down compared to prior years. He stated that COVID-19 is out in the community and that they have transported citizens with it recently. Mr. Miller reported that the agency received a FEMA grant to purchase mask mounted respirators for its staff and that their annual fund drive has been recently mailed out. He stated that in year’s past the fund drive was for capital costs, this year due to the pandemic the funds are needed to assist with operational costs.
BRIDGEVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, MARY WEISE
Mayor Copeland reported that the Historical Society has a new fundraiser going on now, the sale of Bridgeville note cards. Cost is $7 per pack. She stated that the speaker’s series program is continuing the last Tuesday of the month at the Fire Station. The Mayor reported that the Historical Society will be assisting with the Trunk or Treat event on October 31st. Lastly, she thanked everyone who purchased tickets for their recent raffles at the Railyard Restaurant.
BRIDGEVILLE LIBRARY REPRESENTATIVE
No report.
BRIDGEVILLE PARKING AUTHORITY REPRESENTATIVE
No report.
BRIDGEVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE
Mr. Tolmer reported that the Commission will be discussing 2021 budget needs at its next meeting.
BOROUGH MANAGER, JOE KAUER
The Manager reported that preparation of the 2021 budget is underway and that he will have a first draft available to the Finance Committee later this week. He also reported that the Borough’s hospitalization insurance policies are renewing for a slight decrease of half percent in 2021. He stated that the first “mini-newsletter” / quarterly update will be going out with October trash bills and will be occurring update each quarter.
Manager Kauer stated that it is planned to present the Engineer’s long-term plan to mitigate flooding along McLaughlin Run at its October 26th, 7:30PM meeting. Lastly, he stated that Code Enforcement duties have been busy, 28 notices and two citations issued this past month.
OLD BUSINESS
Mr. Henderson questioned those participating on Zoom to see if they could hear the meeting; all said yes.
NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Petrocelli suggested that we move the meetings to full-in-person and have them at the Fire Station. He stated there we could have social distancing and allow all to attend.
Mr. Henderson stated that everyone is frustrated about the pandemic restrictions but keeping the public on Zoom keeps everyone safe including them. He stated that there are no intensions to withhold information from the public through the official in person / public on zoom format.
Mr. Ciesielski welcomed all to the Trunk or Treat event on October 31st from 5PM to 7PM on Railroad Street.
ADJOURNMENT – A motion was made by Mr. Ghelarducci, seconded by Mr. Ciesielski, and carried to adjourn the meeting at 7:47 PM. All in favor, motion passed 7-0.