Parks Township Board of Supervisors May 17, 2021
The
Parks Township Board of Supervisors held their regular monthly meeting on May
17, 2021 at 7:00 pm in the Community Building, 26 Jackson Street, North
Vandergrift.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas M. Filo, III, Chairman Gregory Artman, Vice-Chairman Scott
Kifer, Member Mary
E. Ralston, Secretary-Treasurer
VISITORS PRESENT: Jeff
Retter, Rich Simpson, Cindy Reilly, Ken
Reynolds Jr, Gene Bell, Joe Seren
OTHERS PRESENT: Chief Doug Ciuca, Parks Township Police; Sgt. John Arce, Parks Township Police
Mr.
Filo called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm following the Pledge of Allegiance
to the Flag. Copies of the Agenda,
Minutes, Treasurers Report, and Bill Payment List were posted on the bulletin
board for review. Public comments will
be taken at the end of the meeting.
Mr.
Artman made a motion to adopt the Minutes from the April 19, 2021 regular
monthly meeting. Mr. Kifer seconded it, and Mr. Filo made the
vote unanimous.
Mrs.
Ralston presented the Treasurer's Report
for April 2021. Mr. Artman moved to accept
the Treasurer's Report; Mr. Filo seconded the motion and Mr. Kifer made it
unanimous. Receipts for April were $73,125.48
and expenses were $53,384.06 leaving a total balance of $329,987.82. (General Fund – $33,913.45; Capital Fund – $7,008.68;
State Fund - $288,914.20; and Street
Light Fund – $7160.17).
Mr.
Filo made a motion to approve the Bill Payment List for April 16, 2021 through May
13, 2021 and Mr. Artman seconded it; Mr. Kifer made the vote unanimous. Each Supervisor stipulated that his vote did
not include anything pertaining to himself or any member of his family.
CORRESPONDENCE
The Vandergrift Public Library sent a thank you
letter for the $500 check to cover library memberships for Parks Township
residents for 2021.
STAFF REPORTS
Police
Report – Mrs. Ralston read the Police Report for April 1, 2021 through April 30,
2021.
Maintenance
Crew – Mr. Artman reported that the crew
started berming and ditching the roads; we rented a grader for a month because
ours is junk and we aren’t putting any more money into it. So far two and a half roads have been
completed. Mr. Artman stated that if
anyone had any suggestions, please tell him.
He asked Mr. Gene Bell if he would consider coming to work for the
Township and they discussed several road issues.
Mr.
Filo reported that with the resignation of Ms. Summerhill, Ms. Jeanna Cerra was
hired as Assistant Secretary.
TOWNSHIP
COMMITTEES
Parks
Committee - There was no meeting held. Lowes has been contacted for replacement parts
for the fence at the Veterans Memorial; Mr. & Mrs. Kifer provided and
planted flowers at the Memorial. Mr.
Gene Bell voiced concern about dogs crapping throughout the North Vandergrift
Park, people parking on the grass, and signs that need to be replaced. The Secretary was instructed to ask the
Solicitor if we need an ordinance for dogs and their waste; and to ask for
suggestions on how to enforce Park Rules.
Mr. Ken Reynolds stated poop is a form of toxic waste. Mr. Bell stated that the equipment at the
other two parks was much better than that in North Vandergrift, where many
repairs are needed and the equipment updated.
Mrs. Ralston explained that North
Vandergrift Park was done in 2003 and Kepple Hill and Kiskimere Parks were updated
in 2009. Mr. Bell added that a speed
bump or something is needed on the alley before some kid is hit. Mr. Filo explained that the Township is not
permitted to install speed bumps. All of
the parks are due for an inspection, which should be done every year. Mr. Bell told Mr. Kifer that they were
supposed to meet before the pandemic started.
Mr. Bell also expressed concerns that people are actually parking in the
park; no one is paying any attention to the posted signs. Mr. Kifer stated that if we are going to enforce
all the rules at all the parks, we need to have 4 signs at each corner of each
park stating what the rules are. Any worn out sign will be replaced. Mrs. Ralston reported that there is about
$1800 in a separate Parks account that can be used. Mr. Artman added that someone has been mowing
the Memorial. Since the same fence
panels are no longer available, the Supervisors approved purchasing two
different panels to place on each end. The
Secretary will contact Niki’s Quick Six about the fence at the Veterans
Memorial, the parking curb blocks and the broken fence panel; perhaps she would
make a donation towards the fence repair. Mr. Bell asked if there was going to be a
clean up day and Mr. Filo told him we are thinking about one in the fall. Hopefully we can use money from the American
Recovery money to cover the cost. There
was some discussion about the accumulation of trash throughout the Township;
what happens when citations are issued; and fines levied. Chief Ciuca explained that our ordinance does
not cover daily citations and should be updated so that each day is a separate
offense.
Planning
Commission – There was a meeting on May 10th but only two members
showed up. The next meeting is on June
14th at 6:00 pm. Meeting
dates might have to be changed so more members can attend. Mr. Filo made a motion to appoint the
Secretary-Treasurer as a member of the Planning Commission and Mr. Artman seconded
it. Mr. Kifer made the vote unanimous.
OLD BUSINESS
Locust
Road – Senate Engineering reviewed the bids and a discussion was held with the
Solicitor. Bids received from Tim Fouse
Excavating LLC and White’s Excavation were rejected because they didn’t include
a bid bond. Out of the four remaining
bids, Terry Bowser Excavating (Wolf Creek Valley LLC) had the lowest bid at
$18,500.00. Both the engineers and
Solicitor recommended that the bid be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder,
which was Terry Bowser Excavating. Mr.
Filo moved to award the bid to Terry Bowser Excavating; Mr. Artman seconded it
and Mr. Kifer made the vote unanimous. While
replacing pipe and working on the ditch line, there was an excessive amount of
water that needs to be controlled. Mr.
Artman will meet with Mr. Bowser to come up with a solution. This repair will be separate from the
landslide repair and the awarded bid. The
water problem will have to be fixed before the Landslide Repair Project can
start.
Maple
Road and Summer Projects – Mr. Artman
stated he has not had time to meet with Mr. Bill Braun to inspect Maple Road,
but hopes to schedule a meeting in the near future. After a brief discussion, the Board decided
to meet with Mr. Gregg Smith of the Armstrong Conservation District to discuss
possible grants (Low Volume and Dirt & Gravel) and to verify if Ridge
Extension can be returned to a dirt road.
Maple Road is listed by the County as a dirt road, so could be totally
torn up and reconstructed. The maximum
grant amount would be about $40,000, unless you have a better idea for
maple. The grant would cover all
materials (stone, pipe, catch basis). The
grant wouldn’t pay anything for labor unless the project was contracted
out. Mr. Artman said we might have to
contract it if we want it done right. There
was some discussion about Ridge Extension and what could be done. Ridge Road was tarred and chipped several
years ago and is still in good condition.
The Supervisors briefly discussed Laurel and Garvers Ferry from the Dime
Road to the Gravel Bar Road intersection.
Mr. Kifer suggested putting slow-down grooves on the Garvers Ferry Road
hill, but Mr. Bell said those grooves would quickly fill up. The Board agreed the best action would be to
close the hill for the winter and use Gravel Bar Road. The Secretary asked if the Supervisors wanted
to consider paving Kiskimere Roads for a Multi-Modal grant application, which
is due the end of June. We could easily
tar and chip Ridge Extension, Laurel, and Willow this year. Mr. Artman said Ridge has to be fixed first,
which means ripping it up and putting a base down. He commented that it would be better as a dirt
road. Mr. Bell said you would have to
put calcium o it to keep the dust down
Mr. Artman stated the best road we have, and that has held up well, is
Oak. The Secretary explained that
Russell Standard used their LBM product to pave Oak; the LBM was made on site
about ten years ago. The Secretary will
contact Russell Standard to get updated information.
Ordinance
to Vacate Pump Station Road Update - After
some research, the Secretary discovered that the Ordinance had been advertised
in March 2020 and the Supervisors voted to adopt it; however, that was not
included in the Minutes for that meeting.
The Solicitor advised that the Board needed to affirm the action taken
and add an appendage to the Minutes when the Agreement to Vacate was
signed. Mr. Kifer moved to affirm that
the Ordinance was adopted; Mr. Filo seconded it and Mr. Artman made the vote
unanimous.
Dehumidifiers
for Community Building Update – The Supervisors discussed if they should
purchase two or three dehumidifiers. Mr.
Kifer will research different models and send the information to the Secretary.
NEW BUSINESS
Traffic Study Grant Street – Chief Doug Ciuca
conducted a Traffic Safety Study on Grant Street with the determination and
feasibility of making the street a One Way street from the eastern end (Route
66) to the western end (Firsts Street).
The roadway width was measured at three locations and varied from 12
foot 1 inch to 14 foot 7 inches. The clear
sight distance at Route 66 is 233 feet; the minimum for a 45 MPH roadway is 383
feet. Chief Ciuca recommended making Grant Street a One Way roadway from east
to west as the roadway is narrow and the exit onto Route 66 has insufficient clear
sight distance. He also recommended that
a “Do Not Enter” signage be placed 96 feet from the first Street intersection
due to parking areas behind two Washington Street residences and the Stiitt Machine
Shop as well as the driveway at 1198 Grant Street. Based on PennDOT publication, the residents
along Grant Street should be notified in writing at least 30 days prior to
enactment of the One Way provision. Mr. Kifer made a motion to have the Solicitor
prepare the ordinance; Mr. Artman seconded it and Mr. Filo made the vote
unanimous.
Email and Computer Updates – The Supervisors
discussed different options for individual Township email accounts. Mr. Filo
had one quote but didn’t want to release the amount until more quotes are
received. Mr. Kifer said the emails
through Go Daddy are $3.00 a month.
Audits- The Supervisors
were provided with copies of the 2020 Municipal Annual Audit and Financial Report,
Police Pension Plan Compliance Audit, Non Uniform Pension Plan Compliance Audit,
and Estermyer & Associates Audit.
Hyde Park Borough Municipal Aid Agreement – Mr. Filo
suggested that they look into the Mutual Aid Agreements we have and Table this
item until the next meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Ken Reynolds asked about Grant Street and
pulling out.
.ADJOURNMENT
The
next regular monthly meeting will be held June 21, 2021 at 7:00 pm in the
Community Building, North Vandergrift.
There
being no further questions or comments, Mr. Artman moved to adjourn at 8:17 pm;
Mr. Kifer seconded it and Mr. Eilo made the vote unanimous.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Mary
E. Ralston
Secretary-Treasurer