Pledge of Allegiance led by Maryann Weinstein, President

Public Comment

Any person from the public may speak for a 3-minute period. Total time allotted for public comment is 15 minutes. Please state your name, address and subject. Please choose a representative to speak if you have the same concern.

• Mayor Michael Gomber said he is resigning his position as Mayor effective Monday, April 12, 2021

• Terrance Cloonan 665 Lemoyne Ave Ext. –  (3 questions) 1. Mr. Cloonan asked council if there was any progress relative to paving Lemoyne Ave Ext. Elmhurst and South Watson was recently paved. He is concerned about the road conditions 2. He asked Council if the debris, excess timber, and leaves are going to be removed along the hillside. 3. The deer population is a nuisance and a safety hazard. Is council going to address this issue?President Weinstein stated that Lemoyne Ave Ext is on the list for paving but not at this time. Our feeling regarding the deer is that Council does not have options to address this. Mr. Aaron Lucero said he planned on removing the debris and timber from the hillside within the next few days.

Motions:

• Motion/second to approve Minutes March 1, 2021, and March 15, 2021. Mr. Joe Fulton said that the March 15, minutes were not reviewed by everyone. To be approved at the next meeting. Therefore, a motion was made by Doug Corwin, seconded by Joe Fulton to approve the March 1, 2021 minutes. – Motion passed.
• Motion Joe Fulton, second Doug Corwin to approve Bills GEN Acct.$ 36,503.97 (Checks 7077 to 7112) Motion passed. A motion was made by Joe Fulton, second by Kris LaGreca to approve PLGIT Acct. $ 10,738.38 (Check 983) – Motion passed.

Official Action:

1. Road Project – Motion/second to award bid for the EWB road project to ? in the amount of Council discussed the lowest bidder as Independent Enterprises. Some council members expressed concern because Independent Enterprises was the lowest bidder last year for the project but failed to get in touch with the Engineer and President of Council after several attempts to begin the project. Consequently, a motion was made by Dan Bird, second Kent James to table accepting the bid award until Council received more information from the borough Engineer, Rich Rush. Motion passed.

   President Weinstein stated that she had arranged for an informational Zoom meeting for Council to hear from Michael McCaig at RCBBM about issuing a bond on Monday evening, March 29 at 7 pm.

2. Bond/Loan discussion. – President Weinstein said that there was a meeting on Monday, March 29, 2021 at 7:00 pm via zoom with Michael McCaig at RCBBM to provide Council with an overview of the options for pursuing a loan or bond to repair the roads in the borough. Mr. Kent James gave a synopsis of the pros and cons of each. Kris LaGreca asked what projects would be considered luxury or would several projects at one time be based on economies of scale. Mr. Makel stated that American Rescue Plan estimate distribution to East Washington Borough is $178,951.00 . However, there may be regulations as to how the money can be spent but some may be used for the MS4 program. Mr. Lucero stated that the $240K estimate needed for the MS4 Project could be spread out over several years. Not all the funds were needed at one time. Other council members felt it may not be a good idea for the bond or loan, that for example, $60K is to be earmarked every year and subtracted from the budget without any flexibility. If the funds are not available to cover a major road project to include additional cost of storm drains, etc., that it may be best to wait until the following year to begin the road project. Mr. Joe Fulton said Council may need more time to think about the MS4 project and roads and seek more input from the Engineer. Determine the timeframe for completing the MS4 project. Mr. Kent James stated that he was fine with proceeding as we have been doing every year. It is hard to determine the revenue shortfall if any.

   President Weinstein asked that 3 people meet with Aaron Lucero to provide an estimate of the life span of the roads and if applying for a bond/loan would be a viable avenue to pursue and report back to Council.

3. Domain letter for EastWashingtonPA.GOV Joe Fulton is requesting the domain name change based on the federal government’s recommendation indicating a specific name for East Washington Borough. Mr. Fulton will re-submit the letter with the EastWashingtonPA.GOV domain name if approved by Council. Motion Kent James, second Demond Nixon to authorize Joe Fulton to move forward and re-submit the letter with the recommended domain name of EastWashingtonPA.GOV. – Motion passed.

4. Salt yard. Mr. Lucero took care of some clean up at the salt lot. He also said appx 12 blocks was previously approved to be used at the salt lot to contain salt and other items. He has not ordered them yet and is thinking he may need an additional 12 blocks. President Weinstein asked him to get the current price of the blocks. He is waiting for official approval from Council for getting a dumpster for glass recycling.

5. Glass recycling – Council discussed getting a dumpster for glass recycling at the salt lot and some residents had concerns about increased traffic and the overall area becoming unsightly. Mr. Lucero said the dumpster cost $300 and is to be charged when it is full. Motion Kent James, second Doug Corwin to get a recycling cap for the dumpster for the shortest term possible. – Motion passed.

6. Code enforcement. – President Weinstein said she met with Doug Corwin and Jerry Coleman. Harshman will assist Jerry with some rental inspections and Jerry’s hours will be reduced. Harshman picks up some hours but will balance out in the budget. Jerry will continue to send out the rental applications, letters and occupancy permits once units are inspected. Motion Dan Bird, second Doug Corwin to reduce Jerry Coleman’s hours to 24 hours per week. – Motion passed. Motion Kent James, second Doug Corwin to authorize Harshman & Harshman up to $1,400 per month (total). – Motion passed.

7. Thayer Park Sign – Joe Fulton presented Council with some photos of possible signs for the park. Mr. Fulton asked Council to increase the amount budgeted for a sign he recommends. Motion Doug Corwin, second Kris LaGreca to authorize a total not to exceed $2,500 for a new sign at Thayer Park. – Motion passed.

8. Reports from employees if not covered above

Reports

• Mayor Gomber – No report
• Solicitor – Dennis Makel
• Council Members – Reports / Discussion
  • Maryann Weinstein, President – No report
  • Daniel Bird – No report
  • Douglas Corwin– No report
  • Kent James, Vice President– No report
  • Demond Nixon – No report
  • Joe Fulton– No report
  • Kristopher LaGreca – No report

Motion

• Motion Kent James, second Dan Bird to adjourn meeting at 9:10 pm – Motion passed.