Parks Township
Board of Supervisors
August 21, 2017
The
Parks Township Board of Supervisors held their regular monthly meeting on
August 21, 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, Art Walker, Heidi Kifer, Tom Passarelli, Julie Passarelli, Debbie
Belles, Brenda Milliman, Joe Seren, Jeff Shuster, Jay Start, Gregg Artman
OTHERS PRESENT: Chief
Doug Ciuca, Parks Twp. Police
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.
Mrs
Ralston announced that an Executive Session had been held on July 27, 2017, at
7:30 am at the Community Building, to disperse information concerning
contractual items that could lead to litigation. Problems have come up that make the use of
the proposed products on Kepple Hill Roads unacceptable for now; there have
been physical alterations of the road surface after the bids were awarded that
were not done by the Township. The
Solicitor has advised rescinding and voiding the contracts, and rebidding the
project. No decision was reached.
Mr.
Duriancik made a motion to adopt the Minutes of the July 17, 2017 regular
monthly meeting. Mr. Filo seconded the
motion. The Minutes will stand as
presented.
Mrs.
Ralston presented the Board with a Budget Report up thru August 16th for both
the General and State Funds. The amount
of Impact fees for 2016 was $7,138.67. Mr. Duriancik moved to accept the Treasurer's
Report for July 2017; Mr. Filo seconded it, and Mr. Shannon made the vote
unanimous. Receipts were $47,058.05 and
expenditures were $42,678.29 leaving a total balance of $405,519.15 (General Fund
- $160,803.46; Capital Funds - $39,052.35; Fire Escrow - $13,956.94; State Fund - $182,228.07; and Street Light Funds - $23,435.27).
Mr.
Duriancik made a motion to approve the Bill Payment List for July 13 thru
August 16, 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.
CORRESPONDENCE
KVWPCA
sent a copy of their June 21, 2017 Minutes.
PTMA
sent a copy of their June 20, 2017 Minutes.
PennDot
sent notice that a Public Meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2017,
at the Community Building from 4:00 to 5:00 pm for officials and from 5:00 to
6:00 pm for the public, to present the proposed plans for the bridge/culvert
replacement on Dime Road over Stitts Run.
Mr. Duriancik asked if we notified Duda Cable, and Mrs. Ralston answered
she did, plus several other businesses in the area.
PA
Dept. of Labor and Industry sent a copy of a letter to Betty Rose Fischer,
Secretary of Teamsters Local #538, that Mr. Michael J. Yagercik has been
assigned as mediator during contract negotiations with the Township. As of today, we have not heard anything from
the Teamsters nor Mr. Yagercik about meeting dates.
KVWPCA
sent a copy of the Minutes for the Post Construction Monitoring/Modeling
Meeting held on August 3, 2017.
PA
One Call announced the 2016 Excavator Fee rebates; Parks Township will receive
a credit of $41.97 to offset our operating costs for participating in the PA
One Call Program.
DEP
sent a copy of a notice that an application from Mr. Dennis Munko for a
proposed culvert and driveway construction had significant deficiencies. He had been given 60 days notice to correct
the application and nothing was done. A
second notice states that unless a response is received within 10 days, the
application will be considered as withdrawn.
PA
One Call Safety Days will be held on Thursday, September 14th, from 7:00 am to
2:00 pm at the Monroeville Convention Center.
STAFF REPORTS
Police
Report - Mrs. Ralston read the Police Report for July 1 thru July 31, 2017.
Maintenance
Crew - Mr. Duriancik reported that the Crew has been cleaning drops for the
last two weeks, repaired some roads in Kepple Hill, some of the time a truck
was broke down, and all right-of-ways have been mowed. He commended Baylee Summerhill for the
tremendous job he did keeping everything mowed this summer. He
added that we keep jumping around from
what we're doing; and that's a big problem.
Locust Road caved in. People keep
stealing our signs; they steal our flags; they steal the cones from Kepple
Hill. They need to talk with Joe Stone
about the Industrial Park Road and the damage done; he can't say for sure, but
he thinks it was done by the water truck that was parked there. Mr. Shannon added that they also received
complaints about the bottom of Kiskimere Road where other equipment was
parked. They purchased blocks of tar to
seal cracks. Some of the drops and
ditches haven't been cleaned in a long time; they were cleaned on the top but
they had to get down under there so they could get pictures for the MS4 permit.
TOWNSHIP COMMITTEES
Parks
Committee - Mrs. Brenda Milliman reported that the charcoal grills have not
been installed at Kepple Hill and North Vandergrift; none of the signs have
been replaced. Mrs Ralston reported that
Mr. Summerhill installed signs before he left, except at North Vandergrift
because there was a problem with the ceiling at the pavilion and accessing the
bolts to replace the sign. There is a problem with kids jumping off the
equipment in North Vandergrift. Mrs.
Ralston said the new parts were due to be delivered this week. Mrs. Milliman asked how long the port-a-johns
would be in the parks and was told they are due to be picked up on the
Wednesday after Labor Day, which is September 6th. The Committee is looking into other options
for a lunch program for next summer.
Mrs. Belles added that the rules they had to follow for County Community
Action were not the rules required by the Dept. of Agriculture. Hopefully they will be able to partner with
Kiski Area's lunch program next year.
Mrs. Ralston reported that a lady called about using the NV Park next
Sunday to hold a fundraiser to raise money to pay for funeral expenses; they
are planning on having a Chinese Auction, food, music, pony rides, and other
activities. Mr. Shannon said there would
have to be a waiver, especially if there were animals. She will check with the Solicitor. Mrs. Milliman asked about parking at the NV
Park, because they were told by a non-resident businessman that they were
impeding traffic while parked along Jefferson during the lunch program and it
wouldn't hurt them to park under the bridge and walk to the park. Mr. Shannon stated the dry hydrant area will
be discussed later on under Old Business, and added there is parking
established along Jefferson.
Planning
Commission - Mrs. Ralston reported that the Property Maintenance Ordinance is
on hold; they are waiting to see what the County Commissioners are planning to
do about blighted properties. A 10-year
review of our Comprehensive Plan is due in 2018 and they will be working on
that.
OLD BUSINESS
Pump
Station Road Update - Mr. Shannon reported that Mr. Knepshield gave him a
drawing of a bridge that has been recently installed in Manor Township, that
might work for Pump Station. A project
like this is under $60,000. He thinks we
should get Senate to get this approved with the DEP. Mr. Duriancik asked what road was done in
Manor and Mr. Filo answered Scout Road.
MS-4
Program Compliance - A Homeowners Guide
to Stormwater BMP Maintenance was reviewed; the Supervisors approved having the
brochure printed to hand out to residents.
Kepple
Hill Drainage Project Update - Following the Solicitor's advice, Mr. Filo made
a motion to rescind the contracts for the Fibermat Seal and Paving of the
streets in the drainage project area.
Mr. Duriancik seconded the motion and Mr. Shannon made the vote
unanimous. Concerning the Clarion Avenue
Water Line Project, Mr. John Poproch came up with 93 ton of 19 mm applied would
be needed to cover where the water lines were installed to complete the project
and the contract. The cost of the
binder is almost $7,000 and to have it applied would be much more. We need invoices from Knepshield Excavation
for the work he did on Kepple Avenue and Elm Street. Mr. Shannon asked Mr. Duriancik to explain
the options to him. Mr. Duriancik stated
that it's not what he wants to do with it, it's what they (the three of them)
want to do with it. You have the option
of having Knephield pay them an "X" number of dollars and forego
having anything put in those dug areas, or stick by this contract and have
Knepshield fulfill that part of the contract.
That's the only two options they have.
Mr. Shannon asked what was the gist of him not wanting to do what he was
contracted to do? Mr. Duriancik replied
that his claim is he is going to fill in the ditch with 19 mm but the other
part of the road is going to be what? In
a way, Mr. Duriancik agrees with his reasoning there, but for the Township to
go and have to fix up all that area that has been dug up, he doesn't think they
want to do that. Mr. Filo commented that
Knepshield feels we are going to pave over it anyways, if he pays us
"X" amount of dollars, why waste the material here. Mr. Duriancik said Mr. Poproch said you have
to do something with that, you can't just leave it the way it is. The money offered is not near enough to pay
for what needs done. Also, since a quote
was accepted to install pipes on Kepple Avenue at a public meeting, that needs
to be invoiced separately. Mr. Duriancik
stated he can't say a trade-off would be something to do, especially just
him. He is satisfied with what was done
on Kepple Avenue. Mr. Shannon clarified
that they should pay him for that and have him complete his contract with the
Municipal Authority. Mr. Duriancik added that Bankson wants a
letter from the Supervisors stating that the Township will accept the
responsibility for repairing Clarion Avenue
and accept Mr. Knepshield's
monetary offer. He can't say yes
or no; that is a Board decision. Mr.
Shannon asked, if in his opinion, it would be the wise thing to do, to hold him
to his contract. Mr. Duriancik stated as
far as he knows, yes. Mr. Shannon
reiterated that Mr. Knepshield will have to bill us for his work on Kepple and
Elm, and fulfill his obligation with the Municipal Authority. That is what Mr. Poproch recommended should
be done. He said they would be foolish
to take a monetary offer that did not cover the cost of repair. The Maintenance Crew did some patching over
the crossover pipes that were installed, but didn't touch anything near the
construction of the water lines. There was a brief discussion with some members
of the audience about what could be done to get the roads passable for
winter. All three Supervisors were in
agreement that the contract with the Municipal Authority should be kept
separate from the invoices for work done on Kepple Avenue and Elm Street.
Kepple
Hill Road Slide Repair - Two proposals
were received, which Mr. Bill Braun of Senate Engineering reviewed. Mr. Braun doesn't like the idea of adding
more weight to the roadway. Mr.
Duriancik said the contractors are still not on the same page; they have
different opinions as to how it should be repaired. Mr. Shannon stated the road is going to have
to be built up with something, no matter who does it. Mr. Knepshield said he would cut it out where
it is sunken at the guard rails. Mr.
Filo said he should have put that in his proposal. Mr. Duriancik stated that Nagy changed his
proposal after seeing Senate Engineers recommendation. Mr. Nagy included an escalator clause that
due to new placement of pipe, unmachinable rock shall be on an hourly
basis. He's going to cut the pavement
back and then build it up. He said
there's no guarantee until you are down to bedrock; and this township may not
have enough money to go down to bedrock.
Mr. Knepshield mentioned about building gabion baskets there, but then
you are adding more weight. Mr. Duriancik
thought about driving guide rail posts into the hillside to help stabilize
it. A problem is the two 10" gas
lines, but then they may be holding the whole road. A registered letter was sent to the gas
company but we haven't heard anything back yet.
Mr. Duriancik said the weight limit should be lowered. Mr. Bill Braun had told Mrs. Ralston that it
would be better to make the road one lane only rather than lower the weight
limit; some bridges are 3 or 4 ton but he couldn't think of any roads with a
weight limit that low. When you get down
to a weight limit that low, you need to turn it into one lane only. Years ago it was 4 ton but once the road was
reconstructed it became 10 ton. Mr.
Duriancik said they could also move the road back into the hill; but you can't
move the road with three gas lines there that are supposedly abandoned. After discussing the proposals, and the
possibility of moving the road back, and installing cameras, and the
possibility of our workers doing the work, the Supervisors decided to table it
for now, as the scope of work was different on each quote. Mr. Nagy had the opportunity to revise his
quote, and they will give Mr. Knepshield an opportunity to revise his
proposal. They will also talk with Senate Engineering
again.
Seal
Coat Project - East 2nd Street, Locust paved, Kepple Hill Road, and West Penn
Road are scheduled to be seal coated (tarred and chipped). Locust Dirt, Piper Road dirt, Hickory Road,
Laurel Road dirt, and Garvers Ferry dirt were looked at by Mr. Duriancik and
Mr. Steve Pollick; we have an oil bid for MC-70 that could be used on these
roads. Mr. Duriancik stated only the
dirt sections will be done. Russell
Standard said they can get around the caved in section of Locust and will be
able to do the rest of the road to the Bethel Township line (from the farmhouse
driveway to the township line was just added).
On their way back they will get Laurel Rd, Piper Rd, and then they will
spray Hickory Rd. from Ridge Rd up to the second driveway and the Township will
have to spread the stone (just on Hickory).
On Laurel they will start on the Upper Mateer end and continue until Ron
Shuster's old driveway. On Garvers Ferry
they will start from Tom Park's place and go down to Stitts Run; because of the
possibility of wash boarding, they will close the road the day before it is
done. All of the MC-70 will be used; none of the E-1
Prime will be used; and not all of the E-3 will be used. Our bid runs out today; however, Mr. Steve
Pollick is giving us a letter stating that Russell Standard is so far behind in
their work because of the weather, they are honoring our bid from last year
until this work is done. They expect to
get here in September and will give us a two-week notice beforehand and he will
come and go over all the roads to make sure everything is ready. Mr. Duriancik stated that Locust dirt needs
bermed; Laurel ditchline needs some work done; we need the trucks. Russell Standard will do all these roads; we
will only have to spread the stone on Hickory. The equipment rental is
estimated to be under $9,000. Mr.
Duriancik said the money earmarked for Kepple will be used for this. Mrs. Ralston said some of the money will be
coming from other funds, the Kepple Avenue Fund, E. 2nd Street Capital Fund;
once the final bill is received we will know how much has to come out of the
State Fund. Mr Duriancik stated nobody
wanted to get something done up Kepple Hill more than he did, but Mr. Poproch
said if they tried to do something there now, they would just be throwing money
away. Mr. Duriancik made a motion to
seal these roads with MC-70; Mr. Filo seconded it, and Mr. Shannon made the
vote unanimous.
Ridge
and Slate Point Roads Speed Limit - Chief Ciuca submitted a report on the
traffic study he did on Ridge Road and Slate Point Road. After reviewing the data, he recommended to
the Board that a speed limit of 40 mph be set on both roads. Mr. Filo made a motion to post the roads at
40 mph; Mr. Duriancik seconded it; and Mr. Shannon made the vote
unanimous. The Solicitor will be asked
to prepare an ordinance. Speed Limit
signs will be ordered.
PTVFD
Dry Hydrant - The Solicitor reviewed the Easement Agreement the PTVFD signed
with Mr. James Boyd for the dry hydrant area along the Kiskiminetas River. Because this subject has come up at several
monthly meetings, Mrs. Ralston read the following statement to become a
permanent record in the Minutes: Under
the terms of the easement agreement the fire department has a right of way
described in the instrument for access to the river, to install a "dry
hydrant", install ramps for the "dry hydrant", lay hose and
supply lines. The easement agreement
remains in effect for so long as the fire department is in existence. The Fire Department has the right to use the
property described for the purpose set forth in the Easement Agreement. As to enforcement, the fire department is
going to have to decide if the actions of the land owner interfere with the use
of the facilities by the department. The
easement is not exclusive but there is language in paragraph number 4 that clearly
states that the use by the property owner (grantor), his heirs and assigns
shall not interfere with the use of the facilities by the fire department
(grantee). Obviously no one can predict
when the "dry hydrant" would need to be used so an argument can be
made that the area should always be kept open and accessible and should not be
blocked for any reason. The fire
department needs to have a letter sent on official fire department letterhead
advising the property owner (either the executor of the estate or the attorney
for the estate) as to what has been transpiring and that access has been
interrupted and the fire departments use of the granted easement has been
interfered with.
NEW BUSINESS
Locust
Road Slide - Senate Engineering submitted a proposal for engineering services
to prepare design and drawings for the stabilization of the landslide on Locust
Road. KU Resources will prepare a geotechnical report, including two borings
approximately 30 ft deep. Senate will
provide a topographic field survey, utility investigation (One Call),
construction cost evaluations, erosion and sediment control plan, design of
repair including construction details and sections drawings, technical
specifications, and bid documents for a
sum not to exceed $17,380.00. Mrs.
Ralston talked with Mr. Gregg Smith about using Locust Road for a Low Volume
Road Grant and he said nothing can be done with a slide area unless an engineer
is involved; even the DEP requires an engineer for any type of slide for the
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan. Mr.
Duriancik said they need to close the road and put a camera up or
something. He thinks a property owner
that lives there could get by, but up on Rosella Drive parents drive their kids
to the bus stop. Mr. Duriancik said he doesn't think they can repair this
themselves. Both Bill Braun and Gregg
Smith said it is imperative that they get the water off the road. There was a brief discussion as to the best
methods to deal with the water problem.
Mrs. Ralston asked if the cost of the core borings was included in the
quote from Senate. The Supervisors
discussed how best to close the road.
Road Closed Ahead and Road Closed signs would be needed. Large cement blocks could be purchased to
block off the road. They also discussed
using the gates that had been used on Kepple Avenue. Mr. Duriancik felt that residents need a way
to get by. They will get a couple of
blocks and put the gate up. Mrs. Ralston
will clarify the cost of the borings is included in the price. Mr. Duriancik suggested having a boring done
at the top of Kepple Avenue while they are here; but, Mr Filo said they will probably want another
$17,000 for that. He asked if we could
find that much in the budget. Mrs.
Ralston said funds would have to be moved around and some would have to come
out of the State Fund. Mr. Filo made a
motion to approve Senate Engineering's proposal if it includes the cost of the
two borings. Mr. Duriancik seconded it
and Mr. Shannon made the vote unanimous.
Armstrong
Conservation District Grant Applications - Mr. Gregg Smith met with Mr.
Duriancik about doing a project to address the mud flow from the hillside into
our parking lot. Chief Ciuca did the
required traffic study for the Low Volume Roads Grant Application, and Mr.
Smith drew a design for the project.
Chief Ciuca also did a traffic count on Locust in case we wanted to
submit a grant application for the slide area.
The grant application is due by 4:00 pm on August 31, 2017. Mr. Duriancik asked if it was possible to
apply for both sites, as sometimes there is extra money available. Mr. Duriancik made a motion to apply for
both, making Locust Road the priority.
Mr. Shannon seconded it and Mr. Filo made the vote unanimous. Mrs. Ralston will contact Senate Engineering
to find out what to ask for on the application.
Morton
Salt Quote - There is some salt left from last year, but if we don't have an
agreement and there is a bad winter, we won't be able to order any. Mr. Duriancik moved to accept the quote for
$71.99 a ton for Bulk Safe-T-Salt for the winter season 2017/2018. Mr. Filo seconded it and Mr. Shannon made the
vote unanimous.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mrs.
Brenda Milliman is still unhappy with the water situation under and around her
house. She stated it has been 5 months
in a row since she first asked something be done to divert the water from
running under her house. She appreciates
everything they are doing on Kepple Hill, but this is 5 months. Mr. Shannon asked if they took the ramp off
and Mr. Duriancik said no, they didn't yet but they will. Mr Duriancik said he thought they did go up
there and bermed and she said it helped.
Mrs. Milliman said they did a good job but it didn't do anything to
address the problem. Her house smells so
musty because of all the water that lies under it. Something has to be done. Mr. Shannon told Mr. Duriancik to send the
guys up there and cut the ramp off and try to correct the situation. Mr. Duriancik asked if you want to do that
before some of these other things or when do you want to put it on the priority
list. Mrs. Milliman said why don't they
wait until her house slides over the hill and then they can come up,
okay?. Is that soon enough? Mr. Duriancik said he's just trying to make a
point with the different things that
need to be done here. Mrs. Milliman said
she's been waiting 4 years; you're jumping on problems that happened yesterday
or a few weeks ago. She's been coming
here for 4 years complaining, enough is enough.
Mr. Duriancik said the ramp is in our right-of-way; Mrs. Milliman
questioned that. Mrs. Ralston said the
ROW for that road is 50 feet.
ADJOURNMENT
The
next regular monthly meeting will be held on September 18, 2017 at 7:00 pm in
the Community Building, North Vandergrift.
There being no further questions or comments, Mr. Filo moved to adjourn
at 8:40 pm and Mr. Duriancik seconded it.
Respectfully
submitted,
Mary
E. Ralston Secretary-Treasurer