MINUTES

STROUDSBURG BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING

APRIL 7, 2010

7:15 P.M.

1.                 Council President Kim M. Diddio called the meeting to order at 7:18 PM.   Borough Manager Barb ara K. Quarantello called roll.  Members present:  Ms. Diddio, Council members Joanne Kochanski, Eric Scelza, Jeffrey Ewen, Matthew Abell and Boyd Weiss. Borough Solicitor Ralph Matergia and Mayor Charles Baughman were also in attendance.

2.                 The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

3.                 Award Presentation by the Fire Department, and the Swearing in of Fire Chief and Assistant Chiefs:  Fire Chief Todd Martin and Assistant Fire Chiefs Michael Seip and John Stevens were sworn in by Mayor Baughman individually. 

Mrs. Kochanski presented teddy bears to Borough Manager Barb ara Quarantello, Fire Chief Todd Martin and Assistant Fire Chiefs Michael Seip and John Stevens and read aloud a poem.  The teddy bears were made out of Butch Kochanski’s Fire Department dress shirts and the poem indicated Butch is watching over them. 

Fire Chief Martin presented a plaque with Butch Kochanski’s retired badges to Mrs. Kochanski and family.  Mayor Baughman presented a plaque from Borough Council to Mrs. Kochanski and family as well.  Representative Scavello presented a citation from the House of Representatives in Harrisburg honoring Butch Kochanski's many years of service where he protected lives and property of the Borough residents. 

A short recess was taken and the meeting resumed at 7:43 PM.

4.                 Public Hearing and Adoption:

          A.  Public Hearing on a Proposed Ordinance of the Borough of Stroudsburg                             Amending Chapter 15; Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Parking Regulations,                        by Removing the Late Notice Notification.  Ms. Diddio opened the public                           hearing and there were no comments from the public.  The hearing was                      closed.  Motion by Mr. Abell, second by Mr. Ewen, to adopt the ordinance.                       Motion passed unanimously.

          B.  Public Hearing on a Proposed Ordinance of the Borough of Stroudsburg                             Amending Chapter 15; Handicapped Parking Zones.  Ms. Diddio opened                       the hearing and there were no comments from the public.  The hearing                              was closed.  Motion by Mr. Weiss, second by Mr. Abell, to adopt the                                     ordinance.  Motion passed unanimously.

5.                 Public Input:  Cindy Slye of Resources for Human Development (Crossroads) was present to ask if they could hold their Annual Mental Health Awareness Walk on May 21, 2010.   They will gather around 10 AM and the walk will begin at 11 AM on the sidewalk.  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to approve the walk.  Motion passed unanimously.

          Mr. Berkowitz asked if the local business owners could pursue lamppost banners for Main Street .  Ms. Diddio directed him to submit a proposal to staff for review      and discussion.

6.                 Approval of Minutes:  Motion by Mr. Abell, second by Mr. Ewen, to approve the March 18, 2010 meeting minutes.  Motion passed with Mr. Allen abstaining due to absence at that meeting.

7.                 Old Business:

          A.  Solicitor Matergia summarized they have a revised draft development                                agreement which has been re-circulated after meeting with the district                                   solicitor this week.  He recommends the issue be tabled until the April 15,                              2010 meeting because they expect the bid results to be available on April 14,                         2010.  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Weiss, to table this topic                              until the April 15, 2010 meeting.   Motion passed unanimously.

8.                 New Business: 

A.     Discussion of a Proposed Zoning Amendment Establishing a New C-2-0 Central Commercial Overlay District along a Portion of Main Street .  Staff met with Charlie Schmehl to discuss how this overlay could allow taller building heights in the commercial district.  Solicitor Matergia stated it gives the property owner the right to opt in to an overlay option to go higher than what the C2 district allows.  The application would be heard by the governing body that would grant it or deny it.  An overlay option can be assigned to any area within the district and does not have to apply to the entire district.

Mr. Weiss questioned how this discussion came about and who directed Mr. Scmehl to do this.  Ms. Diddio mentioned there are open lots on Main Street and just a few months ago a project came before Council requesting approval to go above the current height limit.  Mr. Abell recommended forming a committee to discuss this further and offered to be on it.  Mr. Weiss also offered to be on the committee.  Ms. Diddio asked them to report back to Council in about one month.

B.     Consider Waiving Banner Permit Fees for Stroud Fest.  Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mrs. Kochanski to approve waiving the permit fees for Stroud Fest.  Motion passed unanimously.

C.     Consider Acceptance of the Resignation of Ken Lang as Chair of the Historic Architectural Review Board.  Motion by Mr. Ewen, second by Mr. Scelza to accept his resignation with regret.  Motion passed 6-1 with Mr. Weiss voting no.  Ms. Diddio said this opening should be posted on the Borough website as soon as possible.  Mrs. Quarantello was contacted by Mrs. Strasser of HARB and asked if the Pocono Record could also post something about the opening.

D.    Discussion of an Amendment to a Proposed Ordinance of the Borough of Stroudsburg Amending Chapter 15; No Parking Regulations, in Municipal Lot Number 2.  Mrs. Quarantello asked Council to consider changing the ordinance to allow parking on Tuesday night on the east side of the deck and on the west side of the deck on another night instead of closing the lot completely on Tuesday night.  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to advertise splitting the overnight parking in Lot 2.  Motion passed unanimously.

E.     Consider Approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness of Kenneth and Jacqueline Wynder for their Exterior Alterations and Renovations at 519 Thomas Street .  Mrs. Quarantello stated that Mr. Wynder was asked to be present tonight to explain his project but he did not show up.  Solicitor Matergia said it is not a requirement to be present.  Mr. Wilkins was not present at the HARB meeting but did listen to the entire audio file of the meeting.  HARB voted 4-1 to not hear the application despite the fact that Mr. Kimes told Mr. Wynder his application was complete and should go before HARB.  They did ask Mr. Wynder to stay to discuss the project after the meeting but Mr. Wynder left.  When asked if there was a current permit for this work, Mr. Wilkins stated no, but went on to explain that he did have a current building permit that can be amended.  Solicitor Matergia explained HARB doesn’t have to act on it but because there was no action by HARB, it must go before Council for a final decision. He recommended this topic be tabled and discussed at the April 15, 2010 Council meeting.  Motion by Mr. Ewen, second by Mr. Scelza, to table this issue to April 15, 2010 so staff can review it.  Motion passed unanimously.  Mr. Wilkins will prepare a timeline of what has happened to date.

F.      Consider Request of the Pocono Arts Council to Hold their Annual Art on Main/Pocono Arts Squared Celebration on Saturday, May 15, 2010.  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to approve this event.  Motion passed unanimously.

G.    Consider Award of the Chlorine Bid for the WWTP.  Mrs. Quarantello summarized the bids as follows:  JCI Jones Chemicals, Inc., $650/ton cylinder; Univar USA, Inc., $1111/ton cylinder; Kuehne Chemical Company, Inc., $3000/ton cylinder and recommended offering it to the lowest bidder.  Motion by Mr. Weiss, second by Mrs. Kochanski, to award the chlorine bid to JCI Jones Chemicals, Inc.  Motion passed unanimously.

H.    Discussion of the Parking Meter Placement on Palmer Alley.  Mrs. Quarantello said there is enough room to get eight metered parking spaces on one side of the alley.  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to authorize advertisement of an ordinance installing eight metered spaces on this alley.  Motion passed unanimously.  Mrs. Kochanski also asked that staff take a look at South Eighth Street from Ann Street to the Hampton Inn. 

I.       Stroud Fest Update.  Mr. Berkowitz reported they will not make use of William Street as they did last year.  He asked if they could close off one lane of Main Street on the north side between Sixth and Eighth Streets.  They would like to put the vendor tents in the parking spaces on the north side and then have the vendors park their cars behind their tents.  Ms. Diddio asked them to work with the Fire Department and Street Department to discuss where to put vendor cars.  Mr. Berkowitz also said there will be more signs directing traffic this year.

J.      Consider Authorization to Advertise for Bids to Install Handicap Ramps on McConnell, Second, and Third Streets to be Funded by the 2009 CDBG-R Grant.  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to authorize advertising for bids to install handicap ramps on McConnell, Second, and Third Streets.  Motion passed unanimously.

K.     Consider Authorization to Advertise for Bids to Mill and Pave Scott Street from Stone to Ninth, and Third Street from Kintner Alley to Second Street .  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Abell, to authorize advertising for bids to mill and pave Scott Street from Stone to Ninth, and Third Street from Kintner Alley to Second Street .  Motion passed unanimously.

L.      Consider Request of Brodhead Creek Regional Authority to Purchase the Kubota 7300 Tractor with Snow Plow, Brush Hog, and Mower Attachments for $1,000.  Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mrs. Kochanski, to authorize BCRA to purchase the Kubota 7300 Tractor.  Motion passed unanimously.

9.                 Solicitor’s Report:  Nothing to report.

10.             Mayor’s Report:  Nothing to report.

11.             Council Members’ Reports:  Mr. Scelza reported the lights under the Main Street Appliance overhang have not been on lately.  Mr. Wilkins and Mr. Kimes have spoken to the owner about this issue in the past.  Solicitor Matergia recommended Mrs. Quarantello speak to the owner directly. 

Mrs. Kochanski reported six violations during her lunch one day last week.  These violations included garbage on Dreher Avenue , parking on sidewalks, and a hanging gutter from the back of the Carlton House.

Mr. Weiss reported two health issues.  The Carlton House smells like rotting food and/or dead animals since the fire.  He stated we need an ordinance to handle burned buildings and provide a timeline of how long it can sit as is.  Solicitor Matergia confirmed action was brought against the Sixth Street building under different circumstances because there is a question regarding the integrity of the building structure.  There are also bags of garbage behind 530 Main Street and they are piled eight feet tall.       

12.             Manager’s Report:  Mrs. Quarantello mentioned the pool needs to be re-caulked this year before it opens.  Mr. Ace received a quote from Jones Pool for $4700 to do the work.  Motion by Mr. Weiss, second by Mr. Scelza, to authorize re-caulking the pool.  Motion passed unanimously.

Mrs. Quarantello requested to have spring clean up on Saturday, June 12, 2010 from 9 AM – 3 PM at the Borough shed.  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to authorize advertising spring clean up day on June 12, 2010 from 9 AM – 3 PM.  Motion passed unanimously.

Mrs. Kochanski asked if we were going to hold the Borough wide yard sale Memorial Day weekend this year.  Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mr. Weiss, to authorize advertising the Borough wide yard sale for Memorial Day weekend.  Motion passed unanimously.

Mrs. Quarantello mentioned that the Stroud Area Regional Police Department currently has an insurance policy which       costs $15,000 to provide coverage to the family if an officer was killed in action.  Pennsylvania Act 44 provides for the state to cover the cost, thus the insurance policy is not needed and we can save $15,000.  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to authorize advertising an ordinance amending the police pension plan to delete the kill in the line of duty benefit.  Motion passed unanimously.

          Mrs. Quarantello said the Stroudsburg Fire Department would like to have a car   wash fundraiser in front of the Municipal Building on either April 18 or April 25             during the day.  Motion by Mr. Abell, second by Mrs. Kochanski, to approve the        Fire Department fundraiser.  Motion passed unanimously.

13.             Approval of Bills:  Motion by Mr. Weiss, second by Mr. Scelza, to approve the bills on warrant #100407.  Motion passed unanimously.

14.             Executive Session:  None.

15.             Adjournment:  Motion by Mr. Ewen, second by Mr. Scelza, to adjourn.  Motion passed unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at 9:18 PM.