​RIVERSIDE BOROUGH COUNCIL
 
The Riverside Borough Council met in the Municipal Building, 415 Dewart Street, Riverside on Monday, February 5, 2024 at 7:00pm.  Meeting was called to order by President Steve Wagner.
 
Council members present: 
Vice President Beth Rake, Peter Fleming, John Domanski, Barb Kriner and Ken Gardner.
 
Also present were Solicitor Attorney Joseph Michetti, Chief of Police Kerry Parkes, Street Superintendent Dan Gable, Mayor John LaMotte and Secretary Lisa Fritz.
 
Absent from Meeting:
Zoning Officer Brian Anderson and Council Member Delavan Whitenight, Jr
 
Pledge of Allegiance
 
Citizens to be Heard:
Resident, Aaron Wright stated on behalf of the “Victory of Life Church”, they are interested in perhaps purchasing the former school property to move their Church there and hopefully make a nice area for residents to walk and bring their families.
 
Old Business:
Minutes of 01/15/2024 were read.
John Domanski stated there was never a Vote by Council members to approve the purchase of a vehicle for the Police Department this year. The Police purchase a vehicle every three (3) years through Co-Stars. John D suggested to get three (3) sealed bids for the purchase. Chief Kerry Parkes stated Co-Stars did get three (3) bids and Zimmerman’s in Sunbury was the lowest. Solicitor, Attorney Michetti said it has been custom and tradition to put Bids out to purchase a new vehicle. He also said the Borough can take phone solicitations for vehicles. Beth Rake said the issue is that previously, prices were brought to Council for review and approval. Dan Gable stated if we go through Co-Stars, it is not a requirement to Bid out.
A vehicle has already been ordered for the Police Department. Council President Steve Wagner stated a vehicle purchase does need to be brought to the table for approval. Barb made a Motion to ratify the purchase of the vehicle that was ordered and in the future, bring the purchase to the table. Peter Fleming seconded. John Domanski opposed.
 
Barb mentioned the Minutes do not have to be typed verbatim, but would like to continue to have the Secretary send them to Council for review. Barb stated there have been many times in the past they have looked back at minutes and what they were looking was not in the Minutes. Barb said she feels the 1/15/2024 Minutes make it sound like her and John Domanski rushed into the sewer projects. Steve Wagner stated, “No one feels that way.” Steve stated we cannot pick things apart. Beth made a Motion to go back to streamlined Minutes. Peter seconded. Barb and John D. opposed. Beth made a Motion to approve the 1/15/24 Minutes, with Barb seconding. All in Favor.
 
East and West End Sewer Projects – Barb stated Danville Borough will be closely watching the levels of Nitrates and Phosphates in 2024 and if they are over the limit, Danville Borough will be charging a fee to Riverside Borough.
Steve and John D met with Justin Skavery (Northumberland County Grant Writer) to discuss the grant option use for the East and West projects. Justin said the grant monies could be used for one or the other or both, as long as it is documented. Riverside Borough must match any Grant monies. A loan was applied for through PennVest. Steve asked Barb to work with PennVest, through the loan process.
Steve asked John D to work with the Grant(s) process. Larson Design Group recommended work to be done on the East End first. The Borough has until 2026 to use the One Million dollar ($1,000,000.00) grant. Ken stated the he read over the Grant and nowhere in the information does it state the Borough must match the funding. Justin Skavery informed the Borough that there are no grants that are not matching. Steve asked Peter to look into the possibility of selling the sewer. Ken felt if the Borough does sell, most of the grant will be an investment.
 
A discussion was held to change the locks on the Borough building and get locks for the filing cabinets in the Borough office. Beth will look into lock additions/changes.
 
Zoning Officer Report:
Brian Anderson’s report was read. Brian visited a property to verify no sewer usage was in place. No usage was found; therefore, the owner will cap the line. The owner will have to pay a tap-in fee if re-connecting. Barb made a Motion to accept the Zoning report. Beth seconded. All in Favor.
 
Street Department Report:
Dan Gable read his report. Dan will make a list of the trees that need removed, including stump removal. There are trees hanging over the Pump Station. Dan received a quote from Northeast Tree Service. John D made a Motion to have NorthEast cut the trees. Peter seconded. All in Favor. John D discussed Pine Swamp Hollow Rd, a section needs to be repaired. PennDot looked at the roadway, it does not appear the bank or shoulder is giving away. The Street Department did place reflective markers to alert drivers in that section of the roadway on Pine Swamp Hollow Rd. Beth made a motion to accept the Street Department report, with Peter seconding. All in Favor.
 
Southside Fire Company Report:
Reports were submitted for the months: September, October, November and December of 2023. John D made a Motion to accept the reports, with Barb seconding. All in Favor.
 
Police Report:
Kerry Parkes presented his report. Kerry stated Danville Borough has a tax for PA Skills Games. Barb stated there is an Amusement tax in the Code Book.
John motioned to accept the Police report, Barb seconded. All in favor.
 
Mayor’s Report:
The Mayor had nothing to report.
 
Solicitor Michetti Report:
One property in the Borough is scheduled for Sheriff’s Sale.
Whitenights’ signed an agreement to discontinue the action regarding the tree issue. The Action will be a stipulation of the Court. Beth made a Motion to accept the Solicitor’s report. Barb seconded. All in Favor.
 
Borough Life:
Nothing to report.
 
New Business:
FaceBook – the Borough will be implementing a new FaceBook page.
 
Motion to Approve:
Beth made a Motion to approve the 2024 TRA Electric Maintenance Agreement. Peter seconded. All in Favor.
John made a Motion to accept the 2024 PennDot Municipal Winter Traffic Services Agreement. Barb seconded. All in Favor.
A discussion was held regarding the past due sewer accounts. The penalty is currently $5.00 per quarter. John Domanski made a Motion to increase the penalty amount to $25.00 per quarter effective with the first quarter of 2024. Beth seconded. All in Favor.
 
Action Items:
No action items.
 
Executive Session:
At 9:30pm, Peter made a Motion to move into Executive Session. John seconded.
 
At 10:14pm, Barb made a Motion to go back into Regular Session, with Peter seconding. All in Favor.
 
Council adjourned at 10:15 o’clock pm.
 
Respectfully Submitted:
Lisa Fritz
Secretary

AGENDA
BOROUGH OF RIVERSIDE COUNCIL MEETING
FEBRUARY 19, 2024
 
PLEDGE TO THE FLAG
 
CALL TO ORDER
 
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD: 
 
 I.   OLD BUSINESS
            A. Minutes of 02/05/2024 meeting.
          B. Update on Terms and Conditions for 2 grants.        
II.  BORO LIFE COMMITTEE          
III. NEW BUSINESS
       A. Tax Collector, Ruth Peck – Delinquent Per Capita Collection
IV.  MOTION TO APPROVE
       A. Dumpster Day – Saturday, 4/27 or 5/4 from 7:00am to 1:00pm
             Getting the dumpsters from Fought’s Disposal in Bloomsburg. (4/27 works best for Fought’s)
       B. Checking Account Signors
 V.   ACTION ITEMS
        A. Bridge Lights
       B. Spring Cleaning – EMA Office
       C. East End Lateral repair by property owners
VI.  EXECUTIVE SESSION
ADJOURNMENT
NEXT SCHEDULED COUNCIL MEETING IS Monday, March 4, 2024 @ 7:00

​Friendly Reminder:
Riverside Sewer discount payments for the first quarter are due by 2/15. There is a drop box located on the Municipal Office building door ( Mail-slot) to leave payments at your convenience.

Effective immediately, the Sewer penalty rate will increase from $5.00 to $25.00 per Quarter.
​The discount amount will remain in effect if paid by the stated discount date.

RIVERSIDE BOROUGH COUNCIL
 
The Riverside Borough Council met in the Municipal Building, 415 Dewart Street, Riverside on Monday, January 15, 2024 at 7:00pm.  Meeting was called to order by President Steve Wagner.
 
Council members present: 
Vice President Beth Rake, Peter Fleming, Barb Kriner and Ken Gardner.
Also present was Mayor John LaMotte, Zoning Officer Brian Anderson and Secretary Lisa Fritz.
 
Absent:
John Domanski and Delavan Whitenight Jr
 
Citizen (s) present:
Resident Ashly Skrine
 
Pledge of Allegiance
 
Citizens to be Heard:  
Resident, Mr. Skrine stated he was only in the audience to observe. He did say he was recently new to the area and asked if anyone could recommend a Dentist. Several people offered local Dentists’.
 
Old business:
Approval of the minutes of January 2, 2024.
Barb Kriner made a motion to approve the minutes, Peter Fleming seconded the Motion.  Approved by all.
 
East and West Sewer Projects: Barb Kriner stated the Borough was notified that Northumberland County was giving Grants out for infrastructure projects and the deadline to apply was the end of week they were contacted. John Domanski contacted LDG and asked for prices for the two (2) sewer projects that the Borough was working on. LDG estimated one million ($1,000,000.00) for each project. The Borough also applied for Grant money for the school; however, that project did not qualify for that particular Grant. The Borough received $1,000,000.00 ($500,000.00 each for the East End and West End projects). Barb Kriner stated when they applied for the sewer Grants, they did it fast; John Domanski contacted Larson Design Group and told them the information needed to be sent to Northumberland County as soon as possible for a Grant to do these projects. Ken Gardner stated at the ‘Town Hall Meeting’, Larson Design Group estimated the West End project to be $1,600,000.00 to $2,000,000.00. Now the estimate for the West End is at $2,500,000.00 and the East End project is estimated at $1,500,000.00. John LaMotte stated the total estimated Sewer project comes to $4,500,000.00; we have $1,000,000.00 in Grant monies. John L asked if the Borough could afford to pay $3,500,000.00. Barb Kriner said that is a “hellacious” amount of money. Ken said according to the loan, the funding does not pay for laterals or hook-up. John L stated there is approximately $50,000.00 in delinquent sewer bills. Liens are placed on properties over the amount of $500.00; but payment(s) are only received if a property with a lien on it is sold. John L questioned why we have not pursued a collection agency versus placing Liens. Council discussed increasing the penalty fee from the current $5.00 per quarter to a higher amount or a percentage.  Peter stated our quarterly fee for sewer is less than other areas.
Ken Gardner made a Motion to change the sewer late fee to 15% per quarter. Peter seconded the Motion. All in Favor.
 
Steve did speak with Katie from Hailstone, asking her if we decide not to move ahead with the sewer projects, do we have to pay the entire grant monies received back or just the proportion we’ve used so far.
 
Ken Gardner asked when the present sewer was done for West End Project. Barb felt it was done in the 1970’s. She stated larger lines should have been installed versus the four (4) inch lines they did install. Barb said the Borough received a notice from DEP saying the mound was not functioning properly. She said, Council at that time, went with the cheapest option, as it was another $15,000.00 back then to install the eight (8) inch lines. Barb stated Nitrate and Phosphate readings are high at times now. Peter Fleming asked why Riverside levels are higher than other communities. Beth Rake stated there are no set limits to what the levels should be. Ken Gardner asked if the driving force for the sewer project(s) is the Danville Plant. Barb Kriner said yes, it is Danville. Beth said there was an issue in Sunny Acres regarding pumping up. Barb stated Sunny Acres was a whole project, with all sewer lines hooked up to the main line. Barb stated that Brian Whitenight had previously gotten information to sell the sewer, but Council Members did not want to sell because they worried about the fee increases for residents. Ken stated if we sell, there would be professional working with the Plant and sewer fees would be controlled by PUC. John L asked if we could explore both selling and replacement? If sold, prices would be controlled by the PUC (Public Utility Commission). There is an issue at the Janice Drive pump station when it rains, the pumps cannot handle all the water. Barb stated the main section of Riverside has terracotta pipes and that could be a part of the problem. John l asked how many lines were run with PVC, Barb said they went all the way on Avenue D. Brian Anderson stated an Ordinance was placed into effect to have laterals’ inspected once a property is sold. Brian also stated inspections have been done in Sunny acres with no bad inspections to date. Brian said Sunbury Rd down has the most issues during inspections. In five (5) years, Brian said he has only found a few sub-pumps going into the drainage. He feels the water has to be coming in from some holding tanks. Ken recommended to have Brian and Dan search where the extra water is coming from.
In 2023, Riverside Borough paid $206,000.00 to Danville Borough for processing sewage, maintenance and call-outs. Danville Borough stated the sewer is an inconvenience to them. Steve state the sewer line running across the Susquehanna River is a liability.
 
Steve Wagner gave some options for Council to consider:
1). Continue to fix and repair
2). Purchase our own Plant
3). Sell the Sewer
 
Generator - the estimates for a Generator came in at: $13,000.00 for Engineering costs, plus $61,821.00 for the generator. Ken Gardner stated the quote is not complete and does not include prevailing rates for the natural gas line from UGI to engine. Danville Borough gave us a generator quote for over $125,000.00.
 
Budget – Steve asked Council if they wanted to re-visit the Budget. He said we are constantly pulling money from the kitty to pay bills. Barb stated the deficit for the 2024 Budget was $35,000.00. She said after receiving State Pension funding, we only have to put approximately $20,000.00 in the General Fund. Peter asked if a Tax increase was necessary. Barb stated she felt it was 2019 when they increased taxes by ½ Mill. Barb said they did not budget as much for paving this year, so they will not be able to do as much paving. The Money Market account is for rainy days.  The Capital Reserve has $95,000.00 and hasn’t been touched. Kerry Parkes stated, the Budget didn’t start at zero and there is wiggle room to trade in for a newer Police vehicle. He stated, historically, Riverside has never budgeted enough money for vehicle purchases. Kerry said he looks ahead to project what he needs in the future. Beth said she does not want to re-open the Budget for this year. She would like to review the Budget each quarter. Peter feels looking at the Budget each quarter will keep everyone abreast of the Budget status. Barb made a Motion to approve quarterly financial meetings, with Peter seconding. All in Favor.
 
Zoning:
Brian Anderson gave a brief description of the process –
* Zoning permit, BIU (Building Inspection Underwriters of Pennsylvania, Inc) does the inspections. They notify Brian when the permit is done.
* Customer picks up the permit.
* BIU does inspections at different stages and gives the final approval. Contractors usually let BIU know the stages of construction.
* If a permit is obtained for fencing, shed, etc. those repairs/improvements do not require inspection from BIU.
 
Borough Life:
Beth said she plans to do a St. Patrick’s Day event in the Park.
Beth suggested to have one person manage the Boro Life checkbook. Peter made a Motion to have Beth manage the Boro Life checkbook. Barb seconded. All in Favor.
 
 
New Business:
Police vehicle – Kerry stated a Police vehicle was ordered and there is money in the budget. Ken Gardner asked Kerry if a vehicle purchase was brought to the table for Council to approve? Ken stated, we need to vote on all purchases as a whole. Kerry said it was not brought before Council, as it was in the budget for a vehicle. Kerry stated the purchase is through Co-Stars, which is a buying program for Municipalities. Ken asked Kerry why they need three (3) vehicles. Kerry stated at times, there is more than one (1) person working; they do speed traps and DUI checkpoints. Also, if one vehicle breaks down, they have another one to use. Kerry stated vehicle purchases are on a three (3) year rotation. Ken said he feels three (3) Police vehicles is too many for the community. Steve Wagner stated, “bottom line is, we need to discuss purchases”. John LaMotte said in past years, Council always knew the Police were purchasing a vehicle, but this time no one knew about the purchase.
 
Locks – Steve asked if we need different locks for the office. He also said some filing cabinets do not lock and we need to change that to keep everything secure. Council will discuss changing the locks at a future meeting.
 
Street Department Coverage – Steve asked if we need to have a part-time person to help with plowing in the winter and leaf collection in the fall. Barb mentioned to put something in the employee handbook to not allow any time off for the Street Department employees during winter. Steve stated that wouldn’t be fair and we were not going to do that. Peter spoke with Nathan Apple (former part-time Street Depart employee) to see if he might be available to help out, but Nathan said his schedule is unknown; as sometimes he is told he must work overtime just as his shift is ending, or he gets called in. Barb feels we should advertise for a part-time employee. Beth mentioned to have Kerry help plow when someone is off.
 
Motion to Approve:
Appointment of a Pro-Tem. Ken Gardner made a Motion to appoint Peter Fleming as Pro-Tem. Beth seconded. All in Favor.
 
Action Items:
No actions items were discussed.
 
At 9:05pm, Steve made a Motion to move into Executive Session, with Ken Seconding. All in Favor.
At 10:25pm, Peter made a Motion to adjourn and Ken seconded. All in Favor.
Respectfully Submitted:
Lisa Fritz
Secretary

AGENDA
BOROUGH OF RIVERSIDE COUNCIL MEETING
February 5, 2024
 
PLEDGE TO THE FLAG
CALL TO ORDER
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD: 
 
I.        OLD BUSINESS
              A. Minutes of 01/15/2024 meeting.
            B. East & West End Sewer Projects
            C. Locks & Keys
II.       ZONING OFFICER REPORT
III.      STREET DEPARTMENT REPORT       
IV.       SOUTHSIDE FIRE COMPANY REPORT
V.        POLICE REPORT
VI.       MAYOR’S REPORT
VII.     SOLICITOR MICHETTI REPORT          
VIII.   BORO LIFE COMMITTEE       
IX.       NEW BUSINESS
           A. Guiderail
          B. Meeting Minute Changes.
          C. Facebook                              
X.        MOTION TO APPROVE
            A. 2024 TRA Electric Maintenance Agreement
          B. 2024 PENNDOT Municipal Winter Traffic Services Agreement
          C. Sewer-past due payments
XI.     ACTION ITEMS            
XII.     EXECUTIVE SESSION
ADJOURNMENT
NEXT SCHEDULED COUNCIL MEETING IS Monday, February 19, 2024 @ 7:00 P.M.