Parks Township
Board of Supervisors
May 21, 2018
The
Parks Township Board of Supervisors held their regular monthly meeting on May
21, 2018 at 7:00 pm in the Community Building, 26 Jackson Street, North
Vandergrift.
MEMBERS PRESENT: F. L.
Shannon, Chairman Thomas
M. Filo, III, Vice-Chairman Gregory Artman, Member Mary E.
Ralston, Secretary-Treasurer
VISITORS PRESENT: Rev.
Scott Kifer, Heidi Kifer, Jeff Retter, Rich Simpson, Debbie Belles, Joseph
Seren, Tony Tvrdovsky, Jay Start, Denise
Russick, Joe Russick, Carson Coulter
OTHERS PRESENT: Mr.
Jethro Claxon, Holbein, Inc.; Chief Doug
Ciuca, Parks Township 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.
Mr.
Filo made a motion to adopt the Minutes of the April 16, 2018 meeting and Mr.
Artman seconded it.
Mr.
Filo moved to accept the Treasurer's Report for April 2018; Mr. Artman seconded
it and Mr. Shannon made the vote unanimous.
Receipts were $76,185.15 and expenditures were $55,085.16 leaving a
total balance of $258,151.09 (General Fund - $17,647.91; Capital Funds -
$22,284.28; State Fund - $206,563.39; and Street Light Fund - $11,655.51).
Mr.
Filo asked about the payment to NMS Labs and Mrs. Ralston explained that was
for blood tests for a DUI arrest. He then
made a motion to approve the Bill Payment List for April 13 thru May 16, 2018;
Mr. Artman 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.
BID OPENING
The
advertised bid was for 12,623 S.Y. Single Seal Coat, In Place and 1,583 Ton of
Superpave Wearing Course, 9.5mm, In Place.
Anyone wanting to bid had to attend a mandatory pre-bid meeting held
on May 10, 2018 at 10:00 am. Only one bid was received and that was from
Holbein, Inc., PO Box 156, 180 Parker Road, Sarver PA 16055:
Item Unit Price Total Price
12,623 Sq. Yds.
Single Seal Coat, In Place 3.80 47,967.40
1,583 S.Y.
Superpave Wearing Course, 9.55mm, In Place 100.32
158,806.56
TOTAL: 206,773.96
Mr.
Jethro Claxon explained that the Single Seal Coat would not be needed because
they planned to do two different lifts of the wearing course. If a single seal coat is put down right away,
the oil is just going to disappear. They
will put a scratch and level course on it and then come back and put a steady 1
1/2" on top of all the roadways, which will give a nice tight
surface. It won't have to be seal coated
for a couple of years. Mrs. Ralston
asked if that could be done for the same price and Mr. Claxon said yes, for the
$158,805.56 they would make two passes, going over the same road twice. Mr. Artman asked about the real high hump in
the middle of Run Road. Mr. Claxon
stated they could try to shape it up with 19mm, but there is no easy way to fix
it. Mr. Shannon clarified that they
could do that and take care of the humps.
He also asked if it was ready to be paved now. Mr. Claxon stated there is some patching that
still needs done, especially along the broken edges of the road; and the Water
Authority needs to get their castings loose or give them some risers to
use. Where the new basin was put in
along Elk Avenue, that stone needs dug out and some material put in. Mrs. Ralston talked with Mr. Pete Massetto
and told him that she would give Mr. Claxon his cell phone number and they
could talk directly. Also, they would go
in 3' for driveways. Start date would be
within 2 to 4 weeks. Mr. Filo made a
motion to accept the bid as discussed in the amount of $158,806.56; Mr. Artman
seconded it and Mr. Shannon made the vote unanimous. Mr. Shannon asked Mr. Claxon to maintain
contact with Mr. Rob Burkett and explain exactly what has to be done. Mr. Filo added that if the Water Authority
gets behind, let them know.
Mr.
Artman asked if the gas company ever fixed the road at Marshall and Elk; Mrs.
Ralston answered that Michelle Saxion, People's Gas, called and said a crew had
completed repairs. Mr. Artman will
inspect the road.
CORRESPONDENCE
KVWPCA
sent a copy of their March 21, 2018 Minutes.
PTMA
sent copies of their February 27 and March 27, 2018 Minutes.
Gateway
Engineers sent notice they are submitting an application for a DEP GP-5 Permit
for a natural gas line replacement project located on Dime Road and Stitts Run
Road; total length is approximately 1,100 LF.
Ms.
Vanessa Groholski, Director of the Vandergrift Library, sent a thank you letter
for the annual membership fee of $500.00 to cover all Parks Township residents.
Research
America, on behalf of Peoples Gas, sent a survey to assess their public
awareness programs and to measure the overall effectiveness of their
communications with local public officials.
The request was sent to Mr. Shannon to be completed.
Mr.
David J. Croyle, President of Family-Life Media-Com, Inc., sent an invitation
to attend the Launch Party for Armstrong County's new FM radio station 103.7,
which is scheduled for noon on Saturday, August 11, 2018.
Neiswonger
Construction & Mining, Inc., sent notice that on April 19, 2018, they
purchased the Ridge Limestone Quarry located at 1032 Coleman Road, Saltsburg PA
15681. They also included a credit
application and a Tax Exempt Certificate form.
STAFF REPORTS
Police
Report - Mrs. Ralston read the Police Report for April 1 thru April 30, 2018.
Maintenance
Crew - Mr. Shannon reported that they've
been patching Kepple Hill to get it ready to be paved; Baylee's back and has
been taking care of the mowing. Mrs.
Ralston reported that someone called and reported that the grate on Johnson
Street, in front of the church, had been smashed in and there's a hole big
enough for a child's foot to go through.
A lot of cars was parked on top of it during church services instead of
the parking lot. It needs checked
out. Mr. Artman reported that the
backhoe has been fixed; the blades and bristles have come in from Walsh
Equipment; and Kepple Hill needs finished so some other work can be done. Mr. Shannon stated that he had talked with
someone from Beech Construction, and if the Township can use the materials from
the bridge project on on River Road, they will deliver it to the work site;
maybe some can be used on Locust, Maple, and possibly Laurel. Mr. Artman commented that we have pipes that
need replaced, and one calls have been done but they will have to be done all
over again because it is taking so long to get ready.
TOWNSHIP COMMITTEES
Parks
Committee - Mrs. Belles reported that the Free Lunch Program will start June
13th; Heidi, Jaime, Tracy, and she
attended training at the high school last week.
Sherrie and Karen Polka will be trained when they get back from
vacation. The lunches will be picked up
at 11:00 am and all three parks have to serve lunch between 11:30 and
12:30. Mrs. Ralston gave an update on
the Backpacks To Go Program; Ms. Brenda Milliman dropped off a list of products
that can be donated. An account has been
set up at the North Apollo Church of God, which will be working with the
program. Donations are needed. Mrs. Belles stated that the Parks Committee
is not going to be involved with the program, as there are some questions about
the distribution of the backpacks. Mrs.
Kifer added that there are some other issues that have to be worked out. Mrs. Belles and Mrs. Kifer clarified that the
Lunch Program and the Backpacks To Go Program are separate. Rev. Kifer reported that because of all the
questions raised, his church, House of Hope, could not be involved. There is also the issue of providing
backpacks to elementary school children, when
there are either older or younger siblings at home who are just as hungry. Mr. Shannon commented that they need to get
more answers before the Parks Committee gets too involved. Mrs. Kifer said there's a need for the food,
but a program is needed that will benefit all of our kids. Mrs. Belles reported that if there is any
food left, it can be given out; you don't have to throw it away. Mr. Shannon told them to continue with the
good work. Mrs. Belles also noted that
the Township Crew (Rob Burkett, Jim Couslin, Tim Metzler, and Baylee
Summerhill) worked their butts off on Clean Up Day; they did a remarkable
job. Mrs. Ralston added that in all the
years we have done this, this is the first year there was not one break between
vehicles; sometimes there was a wait while the dumpsters were switched out, but
the cars were steady. Vehicles were
backed up through the traffic signal, out the Dime Road, River Road from
Leechburg, and coming down Kepple Avenue to Jackson Street. There wasn't even time to make coffee. Cars started lining up at 6:45 am and others
were still trying to come through at 12:30.
Mrs. Ralston said she would have never
been able to handle it without Debbie Belles and Sherrie Polka helping
out; they worked the entire time. Mrs. Kifer
asked about the dumpster at the Kepple Hill Park. It is dumped regularly but it stinks really bad, especially during the
summertime while the lunch program is being held. For three years they have asked that it be
moved onto the Fire Department's
property so that area can be kept for parking and there would be a nice
place to set the Port-A-John. She asked
if there was any hope at all that the dumpster can be moved. Mr.
Shannon referred her question to Mr. Jay Start, Fire Chief, and he stated that
it has been setting there a long time.
Mr. Filo stated that he had gotten permission when he was at the Fire
Hall for it to be there; he doesn't see any reason to move it. Mr. Start commented that they put a concrete
pad there for it. Mrs. Kifer asked
about the dead animals that crawl in there and get stuck like happened two
years ago, which is why they couldn't serve lunches for a week up there. Mr. Filo told her to let him know if she
sees a dead animal there and he will come and take care of it. Mrs. Ralston
noted that the Port-A-Johns will be delivered before Memorial Day. Mr. Summerhill will be working on mowing the
memorial and cemeteries, and will try to get the grills installed before
Memorial Day. Mrs. Ralston told the
Committee to give her a receipt for the flowers for the Memorial and she will
reimburse them.
Planning
Commission - The Planning Commission spent most of the meeting discussing the
formation of a Land Bank for Armstrong County and what it would mean for the
Township. Mrs. Ralston attended a
meeting and participation will be limited to 10 municipalities; we are on the
list to participate. We had submitted 26
houses that need attention. Everything
was sent to the Solicitor for review. At
the meeting County officials were surprised that the municipalities had so many
questions and objections to the language in the Agreement. The Agreement will be revised; Mrs. Ralston
asked Mr. Favero to submit his changes to Planning and Development. Mr. Tvrdovsky reported that he went to the
Kiski Area School Board and they are in favor of this program. The Planning Commission will also be
conducting a 7-year review of the Ag Security Program. Also, Mr. Kifer notified the Supervisors that
he has resigned from the Planning Commission because of his wife's health
issues and Church responsibilities. Mr.
Shannon thanked him for his service.
OLD BUSINESS
Pump
Station Road Update - A representative from Beech Construction looked at the
Pump Station Culvert and said it would cost at least $260,000. Mr. Bill Braun had sent a list of pros and
cons for a bridge compared to a box culvert; a few years ago he estimated that
a GRS Bridge would cost about $79,000 with our guys doing a lot of the work and
using the deck and beams we have and he reported that a box culvert that was
installed last year was about $130,000. The Board voted at the last meeting to
replace the bridge, but didn't specify with what type of structure. The Solicitor advised that as soon as that
decision is made, a certified letter should be sent to the three property
owners to let them know the bridge is going to be replaced and the steps
involved. In answer to a question from
Mr. Carson Coulter, Mrs. Ralston explained that they have to make sure that
they have all the necessary permits for whatever type of structure they are
installing; all the DEP studies have to be completed; the engineering firm will
have to do a survey and complete a design for the project, and the property
owners will have to be provided with updates.
Mr. Coulter stated it is starting to erode and destroy his property.
Jackson
Street/Alley LVR Project Update - The
project has been completed; Mrs. Ralston is working on the close- out paperwork
for the grant.
Truck
Purchase - Mrs. Ralston has made several calls and messages have been left but
no one has returned any calls.
Armstrong
County Land Bank Formation - This was covered under the Planning Commission
report, but Mrs. Ralston added that the Land Bank will work with the
Supervisors by asking them where they should start and what is most important
and beneficial to the Township; they will then concentrate on those properties
first.
Summer
Projects Update -
Laurel Road -
Pipe replacement and removal of large overhanging rock; the Board had talked at
one time about getting quotes for this project.
Willow Road -
Replace 4 pipes; the pipe is bought and the one calls have been done.
Locust Road Slide
- They have to look at it.
Johnson Street
Drainage - Underdrain, new catch basin, and ditch cleaning.
Kepple Hill Park
Drainage - Mrs. Ralston talked with Mr. Bill Braun and he said what was done in
the LVR Project could be done in the Park; in fact, he recommended that two
years ago.
Maple Road Slide
- Nothing has been decided yet.
NEW BUSINESS
PTVFD
Annual Allotment - Mr. Shannon made a motion to give the Fire Department the
annual budgeted allotment of $7,215.00; Mr. Filo seconded it and Mr. Artman
made the vote unanimous.
Slovak
Club Annual Parking Lot Fee - Mr. Shannon moved to pay the Slovak Club the
annual $200 fee for the use of their parking lot; Mr. Filo seconded it and Mr.
Artman made the motion unanimous.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr.
Rich Simpson asked about the paving project for Kepple Hill, what streets. Mrs. Ralston told him Overlook, Clearfield,
Bryan, Marshall, Clarion, Armstrong, Elk, Cell Tower; Kepple Avenue, Run Road, Pleasant
View Drive from Kepple Avenue to Erie Avenue, and Erie Avenue. Next year the Board will apply to the County
for a grant to pave the rest of Kepple Hill.
Mr.
Jeff Retter asked what they were planning to do with Locust Road and Mr.
Shannon said they don't know yet.
Rev.
Scott Kifer reported that the Salvation Army in Vandergrift has closed. The Vandergrift Presbyterian Church will be
operating out of Westmoreland County Food Bank, but Armstrong County residents
will not have access to it. House of
Hope will be starting an Emergency Fund for anyone needing help; for now they
would like to keep it for Parks Township residents. Parks Township is part of the Food Bank in
Apollo operated by Armstrong County, but you have to fall under their
guidelines. House of Hope wants to take
care of emergency needs with no waiting time or restrictions.
ADJOURNMENT
The
next regular monthly meeting will be held on June 18, 2018 at 7:00 pm in the
Community Building, North Vandergrift. There
being no further questions or comments, Mr. Filo moved to adjourn at 8:00 pm
and Mr. Artman seconded it.
Respectfully
submitted,
Mary
E. Ralston Secretary-Treasurer