Parks Township
Board of Supervisors
February 13, 2017
The
Parks Township Board of Supervisors held their regular monthly meeting on
February 13, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the Community Building, 26 Jackson Street,
North Vandergrift.
MEMBERS PRESENT: F. L.
Shannon, Chairman Paul R. Duriancik, Vice-Chairman Thomas M. Filo, III, Member Mary E. Ralston,
Secretary-Treasurer
VISITORS PRESENT: Jeff
Retter, Debbie Belles, Nancy Palyok, Raymond Palyok
OTHERS PRESENT: Amy
Perroz, Tax Collector; Chief Doug Ciuca, PTPD; Sgt. John Arce, PTPD
Mr.
Shannon called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm following the Pledge of
Allegiance to the Flag. Copies of the
Agenda, Minutes, Treasurer's Report, and Bill Payment List were posted on the
bulletin board for review. Public comments
will be taken at the end of the meeting.
Mrs. Ralston was taping the meeting.
Mr.
Filo made a motion to adopt the MInutes of the January 3, 2017 Reorganization
and regular monthly meetings. Mr.
Duriancik seconded it. Minutes will
stand as presented.
Mr.
Filo moved to accept the Treasurer's Reports for December 2016 and January
2017; Mr. Duriancik seconded it and Mr. Shannon made the vote unanimous. Receipts for December were $31,552.36 and
expenditures were $41,998.59 leaving a total balance of $187,408.07 (General
Fund - $66,315.86; Capital Funds -
$31,815.00; Fire Escrow Account - $13,956.94; State Fund - $71,105.48; and
Street Light Fund - $18,171.73). Receipts
for January were $38,346.42 and expenditures were $47,805.77 leaving a total
balance of $177,948.72 (General Fund - $26,031.86; Capital Funds - $38,815.00;
Fire Escrow - $24,623.34; State Fund - $71,106.68; and Street Light Fund -
$17,371.84). Police Pension CD #15166
for $326,187.32 and $74,000.00 from the Police Pension Fund checking account
were transferred to an Investment Trust with First Commonwealth Bank; the total
amount invested is $400,187.32.
Mr.
Duriancik asked about a payment to Flynn's Tire for $1084.72 and Mrs. Ralston
explained it was for winter tires for the 2012 and 2015 police cruisers, 8
tires total. He asked about the payment
to YIS/Cowden and was told it was for Vascar Callibration for the Police
Department. He then moved to approve the
Bill Payment List for January 1 thru February 8, 2017; Mr. Filo seconded it and
Mr. Shannon made the vote unanimous.
Each Supervisor stipulated that his vote did not include anything
pertaining to himself or any member of his family.
Release
of Escrow - As the requirements of the
Fire Escrow Ordinance have been met, Mr. Filo moved to release the Fire Escrow
payment of $10,666.40 for 1178 Penn Avenue to the owners. Mr. Duriancik seconded it and Mr. Shannon
made the vote unanimous.
Ms.
Amy Perroz, Tax Collector, explained that the County Commissioners have decided
to cut the Tax Collector's compensation from a 2.5% commission to a $4.00 per
collected bill, which means that as Parks Township is the 8th largest
municipality in the County she will be taking a 65% to 70%
pay cut or over $10,000 a year.
That being said, she would still like to be tax collector but she can't
justify keeping her office open and paying the rent on it with losing that much
money. By law, tax collectors only have
to office hours or be available six days two weeks prior to discount ending, or
12 days a year. That would be the last
week in April or the first two weeks in May and the last two weeks in September.
She asked if she could use the office
space here for those 12 days, for a few hours a day; all she would need would
be a table to set up her computer and copier.
Her driveway is definitely not accessible, so she can't collect in her
home. She would have a post office box
to receive mailed payments. Mr.
Duriancik asked if it should be a more private area, like setting up a petition
for privacy. Ms. Perroz said there is no longer a privacy issue
because she doesn't collect wage taxes and real estate taxes are public
information. Mr. Filo moved to approve
her request to use the building beginning 2018; Mr. Duriancik seconded it, and
Mr. Shannon made the vote unanimous. The Supervisors clarified that if someone
else runs and wins, they would have to have their own office.
CORRESPONDENCE
A
letter was received from Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson concerning the ashes that were used on Kiskimere roads
and flat tires.
KVWPCA
sent a copy of their November 16 and December 21, 2016 Minutes.
PTMA
sent a copy of their November 22 and December 27, 2016 Minutes.
Copney
Disposal Systems sent a letter announcing that they have merged with Vogel Disposal
Service effective January 2, 2017.
Collection day and 2016 rates will remain the same for one year, after
which we will be asked to sign a new contract.
In
an effort to better coordinate construction activities and minimize potential
damage to newly paved roadways, Peoples Gas requested copies of the 2017
schedule for road paving, along with restoration requirements for street
openings by March 31, 2017.
The
Armstrong County Elections Board sent confirmation of offices for which
candidates are to be nominated in Parks Township at the 2017 Municipal Primary. They are:
1 Auditor for a 6-yr term, 1 Supervisor for a 6-yr term, and 1 Tax
Collector for a 4-yr term.
EQT
Production sent notification of their intention to apply for a DEP natural gas
drilling permit in Burrell Township.
DEB
sent information concerning the renewal of Rosebud Mining's permit for five
years for reclamation. The Tracy Lynne
Mine has been sealed and a final map submitted to the DEP. Reclamations activities are currently
underway per the requirements of the permit.
Ms.
Jeanne Englert, Director of the Dept. of Tax Revenue for Armstrong County, sent
certification of 2016 tax year returns.
The total amount, including penalty, for Parks Township is $37,606.21.
Armstrong
Conservation District sent information on
Dirt and Gravel ESM Training for 2017.
The closest location is in Indiana County on April 5th & 6th. Mr. Duriancik was certified in 2015, Mr.
Burkett in 2013, and Mr Couslin in 2015.
The program now requires an ESM Certified person to be on the project
site during construction, even if the project has been bid out.
PSATS
sent updated Insurance information concerning Township-paid health and life
insurance plans, plus pension plans for Supervisors.
The
following documents and reports are available for review at the Township Office:
PTMA 2016 Annual
Report and 2017 Budget
KVWPCA
Engineering Report for 2015-2016 and Budget for 2016-2017
KVWPCA Audit for
2015-2016
Armstrong
County Dept. of Tax Revenue sent the supplement to the Real Estate Tax
Duplicate for 2017; the amount is 38,080,446.
STAFF REPORTS
Police
Report - Mrs. Ralston read the Police
Report for January 1 thru January 31, 2017.
Maintenance
Crew - Mr. Shannon reported the Crew has
been busy plowing snow and handling complaints on issues with the roads. A resident from Kepple Hill called and said
the crew did a wonderful job with the snow.
TOWNSHIP COMMITTEES
Parks
Committee - Mrs. Belles reported that they are kind of at a standstill. Mrs. Ralston reported that PennDot will be
removing the asphalt around the Veteran's Memorial and replacing it with
6" of concrete. Mr. Shannon
reported that the fence at the memorial has been repaired and the parking lot
cleaned up. Mr. Duriancik commented that
if the cement barriers were straightened out, that would keep cars away from the fence.
Planning
Committee - Mrs. Ralston reported that
the Committee took all the suggestions made at the meeting with the Supervisors
and started working on the property maintenance ordinances again. Mr. Ron Coleman has an attorney friend who is
going to review our current ordinances, and the draft proposals, to see if he
can come up with an ordinance more in line with what we are trying to
accomplish. The Committee did agree on a
burning ordinance; the DEP had sent a sample ordinance suggesting it might be more
easily to enforce than the current one.
It will be ready for the next meeting.
Mr. Duriancik said there was something on the PSATS website wondering if
the townships are going to come up with some type of an ordinance for medical
marijuana use, if it is going to be legalized.
Mrs. Ralston commented it is legalized and the State is already
licensing people to grow it. Mr. Shannon
said PSATS is probably on top of that and you could probably call them and get
more information.
OLD BUSINESS
Pump
Station Road Update - Mr. Shannon
reported that he has been trying to get an estimate from Mr. Knepshield, who
claims he has all the prices on the materials; he just needs to get a quote to
us.
Senate
Engineering MS-4 Program Compliance -
All of our paperwork has been submitted to the DEP; now it's a matter of
waiting for a response and meeting the next deadline of September 16, 2017.
UCC
Meeting - Mr. Duriancik reported that we would have to adopt another resolution
to change the administration fee, which is now $25.00. Everything is going along okay. He and two other guys are going to meet and
make recommendations for the Appeals Board to be voted on at the next
meeting. Ford City has joined the group.
Mr.
Duriancik reported on the Sewage Enforcement Agency Meeting. They are going to keep the membership fee for
the townships at $200 a month. They are
also looking for a better place to rent; he talked with the Commissioners about
it and they said possibly at the Tourist Bureau. He stopped there and there is a real nice
space available. Today Mindy Shea was
going to meet with them at Indiana to see how they did theirs. There is also the possibility of moving into
the Planning Commission building, but there are times Planning and Sewage can't
seem to get along. Mr. Shannon said it's
not as bad now as it used to be. Mr.
Duriancik commented that Ms. Shea does a great job.
NEW BUSINESS
Summer
Projects -
According to Mr.
Gregg Smith of the Conservation District, three quotes can be gotten for the
Laurel Road project, rather than bidding it out. Mr. Duriancik suggested asking Mr. Metzler if
the company he worked for in Clarksburg would be interested in giving a
quote. Mr. Shannon said that company has
shut down. The Supervisors reviewed a
description of the project. Mr.
Duriancik thought we were going to do some of the work; however, the
Conservation District approved contracting out the entire project. Our share is $600 to do the surface and berm
the road after all the work is done. The
Secretary will contact Mr. Randy Shearer and ask if he is interested in
submitting a quote. She will also
contact Mr. Gregg smith and ask for some company names.
As long as
equipment rental and manpower for seal coating Locust, Kepple Hill Road, and E.
2nd Street is not more than $10,700, quotes are not required. The estimated cost provided by Russell
Standard is around $5,000. We already have a bid for the oil and use
Costars for the stone.
Kepple Hill
Streets (Overlook Dr, Clearfield Ave, Run Road, Armstrong Ave, Elk Ave, Cell
Tower Road, Marshall St, Clarion Ave, Bryan St, Pleasant View from Kepple Ave
to Erie Ave inclusive, Elm St, Kepple Ave,) sealed with fibermat must be bid
out.
Kepple Hill
Paving Project (same streets as listed above) must be bid out.
Mr.
Duriancik explained the fibermat application and how it works with the 1.5"
overlay. The end of June would be the
best time to do this. Mrs. Ralston asked
them to approve doing these roads for an estimated $121,000 so it can be
advertised; the bids opened in March; and it can be put on the schedule for
June or July. The Supervisors discussed
what would need done to get the roads ready; there are some high spots that
need taken care of and some pipes that need put in; some curbs are needed in
certain areas, and a couple catch basins.
Mr. Filo asked about pulverizing and was told that it isn't a part of
this project. Mr. Duriancik stated the
crew will not be able to mow grass, they will have to concentrate on getting
these roads ready. Mr. Filo stated he
plans to help with the mowing. Mr. Duriancik
said that we had not included Kepple Avenue from the stop sign to Pleasant
View, which is another $25,770 for a total project of $146,708. He then
made a motion to advertise for bids for both the Fibermat and Paving of Kepple
Hill Streets; Mr. Filo seconded it and Mr. Shannon made the vote unanimous. Mrs. Ralston will contact Mr. John Poproch to
review everything before the ad is published.
Mr. Shannon asked if they should look at that bad place on Ash Road
where the ripples are at. Mr. Duriancik
said a pipe needs replaced there, and then put a scratch and level course for
about 150 yards to 1,000 feet. They will
ask Mr. Poproch for a recommendation.
Mr.
Shannon asked about Locust Road, it will be seal coated where it was paved, but
what about the rest of it? Mr. Duriancik
said we have 5,000 gallons of MC-70; he thinks we should go from there back to
the farm driveway. The hill can't be done until the drainage is
taken care of. Whatever is left, we can
take to Piper Hill Road on the Lower Mateer side. Mr. Shannon verified that Mrs. Ralston was
recording their conversation. Mr. Filo
asked about Slate Point Extension where it is real rough. Mr. Shannon replied that they are going to
fill it with what they have, and talked about using some of the old ashes
there. Mr. Durianick commented that they
could possibly do a little dirt & gravel project there. Also, Mr. Shannon said there may be some slag
and fill from the bridge project PennDot is doing that might work on Slate
Point Extension. Mr. Duriancik said
something has to be done on Kuruc's side of Garvers Ferry. Mr. Shannon said that would work there
too. Mr. Duriancik was concerned about
any rebar that might be left in the materials.
Mr. Shannon said he would set up an appointment and they can talk to Mr.
Joe Stone, project manager.
Mr.
Shannon made a motion to participate in the 2020 Census Local Update of Census
Addresses Operation, with Mrs. Ralston being the contact and would also verify
the addresses. Mr. Filo seconded it and
Mr. Duriancik made the vote unanimous.
This is the only opportunity we will have to comment on what addresses
are used.
KVWPCA
sent a letter requesting the Supervisors sign an acceptance letter for the Flow Meter Locations in the Township;
however, they didn't indicate where the
locations are. The Board instructed Mrs.
Ralston to call for more information on the locations.
Mr.
Shannon moved to adopt the Resolution Page for the Municipal EOP; there are no
changes for this year. Mr. Duriancik
seconded it and Mr. Filo made the vote unanimous.
Mr.
Shannon moved to continue participating in the DGS Federal Surplus Property Program;
Mr. Filo seconded it and Mr. Duriancik made the vote unanimous.
Mr.
Filo made a motion to reserve the Community Building for the 2017 Election; Mr.
Duriancik seconded it and Mr. Shannon made the vote unanimous.
Mrs.
Ralston asked Mr. Filo if he knew of any reason why the fire company could not
access Emmerson Lane. He said there
might be a problem getting to the very top house, but the rest of the lane is
accessible. He advised her to check with
the Mr. Jay Start, the current Fire Chief.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr.
Duriancik said he thinks they should concentrate on one particular park, and
thought we should address the biggest problem first. Mrs. Belles said Kiskimere should get mulch
first, because Kepple Hill has the drainage problem and North Vandergrift has
rubber mulch; but as for painting and cleaning up, North Vandergrift should be
done first. Mr. Duriancik mentioned the
roof of the NV pavilion and was told Ms. Sherrie Polka was arranging for her
son to replace it, as a donation. There
was some discussion about options to fix the drainage at Kepple Hill and how to
route the water runoff. If there is a
lunch program at Kiskimere, that will definitely have to be done. Mr. Duriancik stated that before any mulch is
put down, all of the growth has to be removed.
Also, there are three new grills that have to be installed. Mrs. Belles said there are also three benches
that have been donated and need put in.
Ms.
Amy Perroz suggested contacting the Key Club at Kiski; they have a youth day of
caring where they work in various places putting down mulch, pulling weeds,
painting, etc. The school could be
contacted to see if they could help out.
Mrs. Ralston stated we had contacted the school before and some kids
helped out with the lunch program for a week.
Ms. Perroz said either Mrs.
Strong or Ms. Wagner is in charge of the program. Mr. Shannon said that was a good suggestion
and told the Secretary to contact the school.
There was a brief discussion
about the trees, both at Kiskimere and Kepple Hill. Mr. Filo and Mr. Duriancik will look at them.
Mr.
Jeff Retter informed the Board that there are a lot of pot holes on Locust Road
that need fixed.
Ms.
Amy Perroz told the Supervisors that at the Commissioner's meeting last week,
they decided that Armstrong County will no longer have Jury Commissioners; the
position was eliminated.
ADJOURNMENT
The
next regular monthly meeting will be held on March 20, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the
Community Building, North Vandergrift.
There
being no further questions or comments, Mr. Filo moved to adjourn at 8:12 pm
and Mr. Durianick seconded it.
Respectfully
submitted,
Mary
E. Ralston Secretary-Treasurer