​RIVERSIDE BOROUGH COUNCIL
 
The Riverside Borough Council met in the Municipal Building, 415 Dewart Street, Riverside on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 7:00pm.  Meeting was called to order by President John Domanski.
 
Council members present: 
Vice President Barb Kriner, Peter Fleming, Brian Whitenight, Delavan Whitenight, April Shuman and Beth Rake.
Also present were Solicitor Attorney Joseph Michetti, Chief of Police Kerry Parkes, Street Superintendent Dan Gable and Secretary Lisa Fritz.
 
Absent from Meeting:
Mayor John LaMotte and Zoning Officer Brian Anderson.
 
Pledge of Allegiance
 
Citizens to be Heard:
Resident, Scott Oldfield, proposed for an increase in the number of chickens (up to six) be permitted in the Borough, as he finds 2 chickens are inadequate. Peter Fleming asked if he had any roosters, Mr Oldfield stated he only has hens. Resident, Mary Beth Palmer stated her chickens are pets. Resident, Jillian Johnson owns 2.5 lots and has 16 chickens. Resident, Sara Ombongi sent a letter to Council stating she owns one (1) acre of land and has four (4) chickens; permissible according to § 285-36. Sara stated chickens are a benefit in many ways.
Solicitor, Attorney Michetti stated according to § 285-36, properties under 20,000 square feet (approximately ½ acre) are limited to two (2) chickens. One acre is 43,560 square feet.
 
Resident, Leah Tedford asked if something could be done regarding the tractor trailer trucks damaging properties in Riverside. She would like to see signs prohibiting trucks from entering the Borough. She has contacted PennDot and was told a study would need to be done, the Borough would have to hire an Engineering Firm to do the study. Several residents have experienced property damage from these drivers following their navigation and not reading signs. There are signs in the Borough. John Domanski stated the Borough will contact firms to inquire about a traffic study.
 
Resident, J.W. Synder complimented the Street Department for repairing a dip in the road on Blue Hill Drive, saying it was taken care of within two (2) days of his request. Mr Snyder also stated the Borough has a great Street Department whom takes their jobs to heart. He also complimented the Police Department for their work and how quickly they respond.
 
Old Business:
Minutes of 8/7/2023 were read.
Beth Rake made a motion to approve the Minutes, Peter Fleming seconded the Motion. All in favor.
 
Zoning Officer Report:
Brian Anderson’s report was looked over by Council, as he was not in attendance.
Beth Rake made a motion to approve the Zoning Report, Brian Whitenight seconded. All in favor.
 
Street Department Report:
Dan Gable presented his report. He stated they had to board up some windows at the former school property, as the windows were broken out. For the start of school, they painted the road markings at the school, Stop Bars and the Railroad crossings. Dan also mentioned he has received many compliments on the Boyce Road repair work. John Domanski asked Dan if the Salt quota was met last year, Dan stated it was. But there is plenty of salt left to start the season with. Dan stated we are responsible to purchase 60% of the allotment specified. Barb Kriner stated the issue of salting the intersections and hills has been addressed numerous times in the past; therefore, it will no longer be the practice to ONLY salt intersections and hills. The Street Department should salt all roads where needed to keep residents safe.
Peter made a motion to accept the Street Department report, with Barb seconding. All in Favor.
 
Southside Fire Company Report:
Barb stated there has not been any property damage.
Beth made a motion to accept the fire company report. Brian seconded. All in Favor.
 
Police Report:
Kerry Parkes presented his report, he stated a Medical Marijuana Enforcement Grant is being worked on. This will pay to send an officer for Drug Recognition Expert training. Kerry state the National Night Out was a huge success again this year.
Brian motioned to accept the Police report, Barb seconded. All in favor.
 
Mayor’s Report:
No report was submitted.
 
Solicitor Michetti Report:
Attorney Michetti commented on the “Right-of-Way”; stating it is the Borough’s responsibility to maintain the Right-of-Way areas.
Brian made a motion to accept the Solicitor’s report, with Beth seconding. All in Favor.
 
Borough Life:
A resident made a comment on the Borough’s Facebook page asking if Trick-or-Treat Night could be moved to Saturday, 28th from 6:00 – 9:00pm versus on Halloween night, the 31st . Beth Rake stated she will check with the Boy Scout Troop to see if they would mind changing to the 28th.
Upcoming events are Halloween and the Parade of Lights on December 9th at 5:30pm.
Barb made a motion to accept the Borough Life report, Brian seconded. All in Favor.
 
New Business:
West End Sewer Project is moving along. Danville Borough has signed the documents needed.
John Domanski mentioned the Borough will start to enforce its’ Ordinance regarding Trash due to the vulture issue. Trash must be placed in containers, with a lid. There will be an ad in the Press Enterprise and the Daily Item reminding residents to use containers for their trash. Barb made a motion to place an ad in two (2) newspapers regarding the trash ordinance. Beth seconded the motion. All in Favor.
 
Motion to Approve:
The MailChimp email program was rejected by Motion of Barb Kriner, with Beth Rake seconding. All in Favor.
Brian Whitenight made a motion, Ratifying the Action, permitting the Danville Cheer Leaders to place ribbons on the bridge for the start of football season. Barb seconded. All in Favor.
Barb made a motion to permit DAR (Daughters’ of the American Revolution) to place a Danville Ferry Crossing Historical Marker in Riverside. Brian seconded the motion. All in Favor.
 
Action Items:
Vultures – Council is waiting for an estimate to have USDA come in and trap the vultures.
John Domanski would like to hold a town Hall Meeting in the future to update residents about projects in the Borough.
 
Executive Session:
At 8:36pm, Barb made a motion to move into Executive session. Brian seconded. All in Favor.
 
At 9:18pm, Brian made a motion to go back into Regular Session. Beth seconded the motion. All in Favor.
 
John Domanski appointed Brian Whitenight to oversee the Street Department.
Dan Gable will report directly to Brian.
 
Barb made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Brian seconded the motion.
Council adjourned at 9:20 o’clock pm.
 
Respectfully Submitted:
Lisa Fritz
Secretary

We received the following message for chasing the Vultures:
​Green laser beams are employed as they are most effective and safe type of laser for bird scaring. Birds perceive the laser light as a predator-like presence, which encourages them to leave their roosts.

AGENDA
BOROUGH OF RIVERSIDE COUNCIL MEETING
September 18, 2023
PLEDGE TO THE FLAG
CALL TO ORDER
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD: 
I.    OLD BUSINESS
        A. Minutes of 09/05/2023 meeting.
II.  BORO LIFE COMMITTEE         
III.   NEW BUSINESS
IV.    MOTION TO APPROVE
 V.   ACTION ITEMS
        A. Recycling
VI.  EXECUTIVE SESSION
ADJOURNMENT
NEXT SCHEDULED COUNCIL MEETING IS Monday, October 2, 2023 @ 

​911 LINES: Currently there is an access/safety issue in the area of the fiber cut due to a utility power issue. Telco repair crews are waiting on the local power company to grant access so they can proceed with fiber repairs. Verizon indicates repairs could stretch into Friday morning 9/08 before their network issue is resolved.
You can call (570) 275-1911 for assistance.

RIVERSIDE BOROUGH COUNCIL
 
The Riverside Borough Council met in the Municipal Building, 415 Dewart Street, Riverside on Monday, August 7, 2023 at 7:00pm.  Meeting was called to order by President John Domanski.
 
Council members present: 
Vice President Barb Kriner, Peter Fleming, Brian Whitenight, April Shuman and Beth Rake.
Also present were Solicitor Attorney Joseph Michetti, Chief of Police Kerry Parkes and Secretary Lisa Fritz.
Absent from Meeting:
Mayor John LaMotte, Council Member Delavan Whitenight, Zoning Officer Brian Anderson and Street Superintendent Dan Gable.
Pledge of Allegiance
Citizens to be Heard:
Dennis Wildt of Sunbury Rd stated he receives two (2) Sewer bills. He asked if the one bill for his garage could be relinquished. He purchased the property three (3) years ago with a small home on it, he remodeled the home into a garage, leaving the commode in place. Solicitor, Attorney Michetti recommended having the two (2) properties Deeded into one, with a limitation in the Deed, stating no residential, business or In-law suite could be operated in the garage.  Another option would be to disconnect and cap the commode in the garage, then show proof of such doing. Upon doing one of the two (2) recommendations, the Solicitor and Council would review and decide on approval of deleting the garage sewer billing. John Domanski asked Dennis why he has not questioned the bill before now. Dennis stated he pondered it for a while, but the recent increase made him finally take action.
Another citizen (not present in the audience), requested to have a sewer bill waived for a second floor apartment that has been vacant for five (5) years. Attorney Michetti stated, again, that he would need to disconnect, showing proof to the Borough and also that the apartment is indeed vacant. Attorney Michetti did state if a sewer is disconnected, there would be a re-connection fee applied, along with back sewer amounts due at time of re-connection (which-ever was less). Brian Whitenight commented the Borough should not waive sewer bills on unrented apartments. Resident, Ken Gardner, stated he has asked at previous meetings about recycling. Beth Rake stated she checked into it with a recycling business and they told her they do not have enough resources to put a recycling bin and maintain it. Peter Fleming said he has private recycling, but he realizes the concern with plastics getting into the water ways. Brian Whitenight said many other municipalities do not use recycling terminals, partially due to people placing items in them that should not be.
Ken Gardner also asked:
1). if the Agenda could be advertised in the paper for each meeting.
2). burning could be eliminated in the Borough. Beth stated some push-back was received. John Domanski agrees to try and stop burning.
Old Business:
Minutes of 7/10/2023 were read.
Brian Whitenight made a motion to approve the Minutes, Peter Fleming seconded the Motion. All in favor.
Zoning Officer Report:
Brian Anderson’s report was looked over by Council, as he was not in attendance.
Beth Rake made a motion to approve the Zoning Report, Brian Whitenight seconded. All in favor.
  Street Department Report:
John Domanski read the report, as Dan Gable was not in attendance. An estimate was received for cutting a tree that fell on Pine Swamp Hollow Rd. John stated the tree trimming budget was lowered and there was not enough to cover the cost. Barb stated to transfer the money from the Money Market CD.  John mentioned the closing of Boyce Road due to heavy rain causing a hole. John stated that Grant Writer, Justin Skavery met with him and Dan to work on a grant for guardrails on Pine Swamp Road. April suggested that hours worked on projects should be on the Street Department report; consistently have vehicle mileage, fuel usages, and man hours worked reported, like the Police Dept and Fire Dept reports are. 
Brian suggested taking an inventory of items at the Street Department garage and would be willing to help do inventory. John will speak with Dan when he gets back from vacation to do the inventory.
Barb made a motion to accept the Street Department report, with Brian seconding. All in Favor.
 Southside Fire Company Report:
Reports for May and June were provided. Barb stated there has not been any property damage.
Beth made a motion to accept the fire company report. Brian seconded. All in Favor.
 Police Report:
Kerry Parkes presented his report.  He stated the PACE Scheduler has been implemented for employee time tracking and seems to be working well. Kerry ‘Thanked’ the Street Department for helping to get debris cleared from roadways caused by storms. Kerry stated he spoke with the Grant Writer from Hailstone to start the process of applying for a Grant for a Work Station and server tower. The Police hosted a check-point and averaged two (2) DUI’s.
Brian Whitenight motioned to accept the Police report, Beth Rake seconded. All in favor.
 Mayor’s Report:
No report was submitted.
 Solicitor Michetti Report:
Attorney Michetti stated the Union matters are still pending. At the request of the Street Department employees, there is a hearing scheduled with the Borough’s Labor Attorney and the AFSCME representative, Craig Vollkommer on Friday, September 15 in Harrisburg.
Barb made a motion to accept the Solicitor’s report, with Brian seconding. All in Favor.
 Borough Life:
April Shuman stated the postcards are almost ready to mail to residents regarding community communication. April reported the yard sale as a success, bigger than last year, with a lot of positive feedback, and appearing bigger for next year.
 Upcoming events are Halloween and the Parade of Lights in December.
Peter made a motion to accept the Borough Life report, Beth seconded. All in Favor.
 New Business:
No new business.
 Motion to Approve:
The Sewer waiver requests are on hold.
 Action Items:
SR 54 Pavement Markings; John Domanski and Kerry Parkes discussed doing the first stenciling for RT 54E, then if the markings help, the Borough could purchase the stenciling for 54W. PennDot will store the stencil and provide it the Borough upon a one week notice.
Barb made a motion to proceed with the painting of RT 54 E. Peter seconded. All in Favor.
Council will meet with Larson Design group on Tuesday, August 8th to get updated on the two (2) sewer projects. John Domanski touched base on the Sewer rate increase, stating it increased .34 per day from the previous rate. April Shuman stated it has been several years since they have had to increase the rates. There are two (2) sewer projects in the Borough. West End; the new sewer lines will handle the sewer and water with an eight (8) inch line versus the current 4” lines. East End; the terracotta lines are being checked. There has been high nitrates & phosphates reported, possibly due to ground water run-off.
 New Building; a meeting is scheduled with the Grant Writer from Hailstone on Wednesday, August 9th to discuss grants for the new building. Barb showed the residents in the audience, the plans for the new building.
 Executive Session:
At 8:28pm, Barb made a motion to move into Executive session. Peter seconded. All in Favor.
 At 9:22pm, Brian made a motion to go back into Regular Session. Barb seconded the motion. All in Favor.
Barb made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Beth seconded the motion.
Council adjourned at 9:23 o’clock pm.
 
Respectfully Submitted:
Lisa Fritz
Secretary

AGENDA
BOROUGH OF RIVERSIDE COUNCIL MEETING
September 5, 2023
PLEDGE TO THE FLAG
CALL TO ORDER
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD: 
 
I.        OLD BUSINESS
            A. Minutes of 8/7/2023 meeting.     
II.       ZONING OFFICER REPORT
III.      STREET DEPARTMENT REPORT        
IV.      SOUTHSIDE FIRE COMPANY REPORT
V.       POLICE REPORT
VI.      MAYOR’S REPORT
VII.    SOLICITOR MICHETTI REPORT
            A. Right-of-Way Responsibility
VIII.   BORO LIFE COMMITTEE         
IX.      NEW BUSINESS
             A. West End Sewer Replacement Project Update        
X.       MOTION TO APPROVE
           A. MailChimp program fee.
           B. Danville Area School Ribbon Placement on Bridge
           C. Danville Ferry Crossing Historical Marker        
XI.     ACTION ITEMS
            A. Vultures
           B. Proposed Town Hall Meeting
XII.    EXECUTIVE SESSION
 
ADJOURNMENT
NEXT SCHEDULED COUNCIL MEETING IS MONDAY, September 18, 2023 @ 7:00 P.M.

​A portable battery pack/phone charger was found in Riverside over the weekend.
Please contact Riverside Police at (5700 275-4305 to describe and claim.

​Attention Riverside Borough Residents:
Representatives from the PA Game Commission and USDA will be in the Borough on Monday morning, August 28th doing a site visit regarding the Vulture issue.