As approved at the June 7, 2021 Council meeting, minutes of May 3 follow:
The Riverside Borough Council met at the Municipal Building, 415 Dewart Street, Riverside on Monday, May 3, 2021. Meeting was called to order by President John Domanski at 7:00 pm. Present this evening were Vice President Barb Kriner, Council Members Beth Rake, Peter Fleming, Kevin Romansik, Brian Whitenight and Delavan Whitenight Jr. Also present were Solicitor Joseph Michetti, Mayor John LaMotte and Secretary Deborah Bausch.
The audience this evening included Jon Stassel, Southside Fire Company and Rick Dandes, Danville News reporter.
Old business started with approval of the Minutes of April 5, 2021 by a Motion from Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Peter Fleming; all voted for.
Budget report for March 2021 was approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Brian Whitenight; all voted for.
Brian Anderson presented his Zoning report for April. Borough has quieted down a lot since last month; there were no major issues. He is busy with sewer inspections. Report approved on a Motion by Brian Whitenight and seconded by Vice President Barb Kriner; all voted in favor.
Dan Gable then took the floor with the Street Department Report. His discussion focused on truck traffic in the borough and signs for truck traffic. Chief Parkes added that he would like to shut down the lower portion of the borough streets for truck traffic. Signs would have to be put on every corridor for police to enforce them. Mayor John LaMotte inquired about if the trucks cause property damage would a sign make a difference? President Domanski spoke about what streets to post and how we would need to change the ordinance. He does not want to have to be changing the ordinance every time we want to add a street. Dan Gable then stated most of the problem is trucks using Route 54 and going straight across; he felt maybe a sign could be placed by the red light to alert them which way to go. Merck traffic is a major contributing factor in this problem; the company uses 100 Avenue C which sends truckers using GPS on the wrong streets. Beth Rake stated a sign needs to be placed to show truck drivers which way to Route 80. President Domanski asked Dan to get a list of streets to the secretary and she will contact Solicitor Michetti with them to amend the ordinance.
Prior to opening the bids, Solicitor Michetti inquired about the pipes on private property with the water issue. Dan stated the pipes were part of the bid package; we would need to get permission to put them on the private lanes that access the roadway. Beth Rake inquired about maintenance of the pipes and was told it would be our street department’s job to maintain the pipes. Bid packages were then opened by Solicitor Michetti with the low bid going to R C Young Inc. Beth Rake made a motion to accept the bid of R C Young and award the contract to that company; seconded by Kevin Romansik. All voted for.
Vice President Barb Kriner then made a Motion to Approve the Street Department Report and it was seconded by Brian Whitenight with all voting in favor.
Jon Stassel addressed council with the Southside Fire Company report. He stated it was also a slow month and they were thankful for no major property damage. Accidents were near Boyd station in Rush Township. He wanted to say Kudos to Vice President Barb Kriner for her work with the fire company in preparing things for the upcoming Borough Celebration. Beth Rake asked if there will be a carnival this year and council was informed it will be May 25 – 29, 2021! Report was approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Beth Rake. All voted in favor.
Police Chief Kerry Parkes took the floor to discuss the police report for April. Car switch outs were a nightmare but all done now. The generator was picked up by Locust Township for the SWAT team; Jason has picked up the 4 wheeler to go over to see what repairs are needed. Chief Parkes then asked if anything had been discussed about body cams; council agreed they had not looked at them further. Secretary will get the copies out to council members to look at before the next meeting. Chief Parkes likes the Watchguard system best as they would take charge of securing, maintaining, protecting data. He also stated spring cleanup is in full swing – residents are reminded of junk vehicles and grass, trash removal or be cited. Police report was approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Kevin Romansik. All voted for.
Mayor John LaMotte spoke of Dumpster Day; 11 skids were loaded and a good job done by Street Crew and Fought’s Dumpsters. Metal dumpster was not accepted so next year other arrangements will need to be made for metal drop off. Delavan Whitenight Jr stated perhaps a separate dumpster from Jeff’s would work out better. Donations totaled $275.00 from residents for tires, appliances, etc. One resident stopped in the office to state she was so happy with the crew that worked the event; they were helpful and so pleasant. Report was approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Beth Rake. All voted in favor.
Solicitor Michetti informed council the hearing for the sale of the school is now on the Court Calendar for July 8th, 2021; should be able to settle by mid-July. He will do a new extension of the Sales Agreement. Report approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner; seconded by Peter Fleming with all approving.
Mayor John LaMotte asked who would like to speak at the cake cutting ceremony on May 8th; President John Domanski will say a few words. Mayor John LaMotte will introduce speakers before the cake is cut. The 2021 Committee report was in council packets; parade is Saturday and hope that all council members will be present to walk and/or participate. Committee Report approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Brian Whitenight; all voted for.
Under new business President Domanski spoke of the borough holidays. He is suggesting we change the 1st day of antlered deer and Good Friday into floating holidays. Not everyone hunts or celebrates the religious holidays On a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Brian Whitenight, the holidays will be changed to floating holidays with the days to be used within the calendar year; days off would be at the discretion of the supervisor. Police holidays will be pending until speaking with them.
All voted in favor.
Resolution 21-04-21 was put before council. Solicitor Michetti highlighted the bullet points and complies with Action 537. Resolution approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kiriner and seconded by Beth Rake. All voted for.
Final agenda item was to let Council know we have been approved to use the Federal Surplus site in Harrisburg for office needs, etc.
At approximately 8:05 pm a Motion was made to adjourn the meeting. Council adjourned.
Respectfully Submitted:
Deborah Bausch, Secretary
The Riverside Borough Council met at the Municipal Building, 415 Dewart Street, Riverside on Monday, May 3, 2021. Meeting was called to order by President John Domanski at 7:00 pm. Present this evening were Vice President Barb Kriner, Council Members Beth Rake, Peter Fleming, Kevin Romansik, Brian Whitenight and Delavan Whitenight Jr. Also present were Solicitor Joseph Michetti, Mayor John LaMotte and Secretary Deborah Bausch.
The audience this evening included Jon Stassel, Southside Fire Company and Rick Dandes, Danville News reporter.
Old business started with approval of the Minutes of April 5, 2021 by a Motion from Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Peter Fleming; all voted for.
Budget report for March 2021 was approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Brian Whitenight; all voted for.
Brian Anderson presented his Zoning report for April. Borough has quieted down a lot since last month; there were no major issues. He is busy with sewer inspections. Report approved on a Motion by Brian Whitenight and seconded by Vice President Barb Kriner; all voted in favor.
Dan Gable then took the floor with the Street Department Report. His discussion focused on truck traffic in the borough and signs for truck traffic. Chief Parkes added that he would like to shut down the lower portion of the borough streets for truck traffic. Signs would have to be put on every corridor for police to enforce them. Mayor John LaMotte inquired about if the trucks cause property damage would a sign make a difference? President Domanski spoke about what streets to post and how we would need to change the ordinance. He does not want to have to be changing the ordinance every time we want to add a street. Dan Gable then stated most of the problem is trucks using Route 54 and going straight across; he felt maybe a sign could be placed by the red light to alert them which way to go. Merck traffic is a major contributing factor in this problem; the company uses 100 Avenue C which sends truckers using GPS on the wrong streets. Beth Rake stated a sign needs to be placed to show truck drivers which way to Route 80. President Domanski asked Dan to get a list of streets to the secretary and she will contact Solicitor Michetti with them to amend the ordinance.
Prior to opening the bids, Solicitor Michetti inquired about the pipes on private property with the water issue. Dan stated the pipes were part of the bid package; we would need to get permission to put them on the private lanes that access the roadway. Beth Rake inquired about maintenance of the pipes and was told it would be our street department’s job to maintain the pipes. Bid packages were then opened by Solicitor Michetti with the low bid going to R C Young Inc. Beth Rake made a motion to accept the bid of R C Young and award the contract to that company; seconded by Kevin Romansik. All voted for.
Vice President Barb Kriner then made a Motion to Approve the Street Department Report and it was seconded by Brian Whitenight with all voting in favor.
Jon Stassel addressed council with the Southside Fire Company report. He stated it was also a slow month and they were thankful for no major property damage. Accidents were near Boyd station in Rush Township. He wanted to say Kudos to Vice President Barb Kriner for her work with the fire company in preparing things for the upcoming Borough Celebration. Beth Rake asked if there will be a carnival this year and council was informed it will be May 25 – 29, 2021! Report was approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Beth Rake. All voted in favor.
Police Chief Kerry Parkes took the floor to discuss the police report for April. Car switch outs were a nightmare but all done now. The generator was picked up by Locust Township for the SWAT team; Jason has picked up the 4 wheeler to go over to see what repairs are needed. Chief Parkes then asked if anything had been discussed about body cams; council agreed they had not looked at them further. Secretary will get the copies out to council members to look at before the next meeting. Chief Parkes likes the Watchguard system best as they would take charge of securing, maintaining, protecting data. He also stated spring cleanup is in full swing – residents are reminded of junk vehicles and grass, trash removal or be cited. Police report was approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Kevin Romansik. All voted for.
Mayor John LaMotte spoke of Dumpster Day; 11 skids were loaded and a good job done by Street Crew and Fought’s Dumpsters. Metal dumpster was not accepted so next year other arrangements will need to be made for metal drop off. Delavan Whitenight Jr stated perhaps a separate dumpster from Jeff’s would work out better. Donations totaled $275.00 from residents for tires, appliances, etc. One resident stopped in the office to state she was so happy with the crew that worked the event; they were helpful and so pleasant. Report was approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Beth Rake. All voted in favor.
Solicitor Michetti informed council the hearing for the sale of the school is now on the Court Calendar for July 8th, 2021; should be able to settle by mid-July. He will do a new extension of the Sales Agreement. Report approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner; seconded by Peter Fleming with all approving.
Mayor John LaMotte asked who would like to speak at the cake cutting ceremony on May 8th; President John Domanski will say a few words. Mayor John LaMotte will introduce speakers before the cake is cut. The 2021 Committee report was in council packets; parade is Saturday and hope that all council members will be present to walk and/or participate. Committee Report approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Brian Whitenight; all voted for.
Under new business President Domanski spoke of the borough holidays. He is suggesting we change the 1st day of antlered deer and Good Friday into floating holidays. Not everyone hunts or celebrates the religious holidays On a Motion by Vice President Barb Kriner and seconded by Brian Whitenight, the holidays will be changed to floating holidays with the days to be used within the calendar year; days off would be at the discretion of the supervisor. Police holidays will be pending until speaking with them.
All voted in favor.
Resolution 21-04-21 was put before council. Solicitor Michetti highlighted the bullet points and complies with Action 537. Resolution approved on a Motion by Vice President Barb Kiriner and seconded by Beth Rake. All voted for.
Final agenda item was to let Council know we have been approved to use the Federal Surplus site in Harrisburg for office needs, etc.
At approximately 8:05 pm a Motion was made to adjourn the meeting. Council adjourned.
Respectfully Submitted:
Deborah Bausch, Secretary
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