MINUTES

STROUDSBURG BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

7:15 P.M.

1.                 Council President Kim M. Diddio called the meeting to order at 7:15 PM .   Borough Manager Barb ara K. Quarantello called roll.  Members present:  Ms. Diddio, Council Members Joanne Kochanski, Boyd Weiss , Eric Scelza, and Matthew Abell. Members absent:  Council Vice-President Neil Allen and Jeffrey Ewen.   Borough Solicitor Ralph Matergia and Mayor Charles Baughman were also in attendance.

2.                 The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

3.                 Public Input:  Daryl Dennis invited Council and the public to an event being held by the East Stroudsburg Crime Watch at Dansbury Park on October 4, 2009, from 10 AM to 6 PM. 

4.                 Approval of Minutes:  Motion by Mr. Abell, second by Mrs. Kochanski, to approve the minutes from the Council meeting on August 20, 2009.  Motion passed unanimously.

5.                 Old Business:

a.       Discussion of the Stroudsburg Area School District High School Expansion Project:  Mr. Peter Terry, from Benchmark Civil Engineers is the traffic engineer for the School District .  He discussed several issues regarding the roads in the vicinity of the high school.

The first issue is that the School District would like the Borough to eliminate parking on the north side of Main Street between Linden Street and the Pocono Creek.  The borough supports this and will pass an ordinance to effect this change.

The second issue relates to a requirement from PennDOT that left-turn lanes be installed off of Main Street onto Linden Street and Elizabeth Street .  PennDOT would require the right-of-way including the turning lanes to be 33’ from curb to curb, and the road is not that wide.  They would have to destroy 12 more homes to meet this requirement.  The School District would like the Borough to send a letter to PennDOT stating we are not in support of installing these left-turn lanes.  Council supports the school district and agreed to send a letter to PennDOT.

The third issue is realigning the Dreher Avenue intersection with Main Street .  Westgate would have to give up the little park on the corner, and the road would be very close to the senior building.  The School District would like to make Dreher Avenue intersect with Main Street at a 90-degree angle.  This would create a pocket of land on the southeast corner.  The borough supports the School Districts plan.

                   Mr. Terry stated the fourth issue is that PennDOT claims a 33’ right away

                   of road on Main Street .  He would like correspondence from the Borough

                   within the next two weeks regarding clarification of ownership. 

Ms. Diddio said the Borough will have a draft letter addressing all the issues ready for discussion at the next meeting. 

b.       Consider the request of the Stroudsburg Area School District to connect their warehouse/maintenance building to the Stroud Township Sewer Authority sewer line: Mr. Matergia explained the reasons why the Borough’s approval is necessary.  Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mrs. Kochanski, to approve.  Motion passed unanimously. 

c.       Consider approval of change order requests from Pioneer Construction Company, Inc., for the Scott Street Drainage Project:  Nate Oiler from R.K.R. Hess presented the request from Pioneer along with his recommendations.   He does not recommend approving the Requests for Extra Compensation Nos. 1, 2, 6, and 8.  He does recommend approving REC Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 7 for a total amount of $9,230.38.  More information is needed before making any decision on REC No. 9.  Mr. Matergia said he has reviewed the recommendations and agrees with Mr. Oiler.  Motion by Mr. Weiss, second by Mr. Abell, to approve the Requests for Extra Compensation Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 7 from Pioneer Construction Co., Inc., for a total of $9,230.38.  Motion passed unanimously.

6.                 New Business:

a.       Consider Approval of the Request of the American Red Cross for their Fifth Annual Run for the Red Marathon on Sunday, May 16, 2010:  Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mr. Abell, to approve.  Motion passed unanimously.

b.       Consider Approval of a Certification Letter to the Brodhead Creek Regional Authority Indicating the Borough’s Willingness and Ability to Pay for Regional WWTP Start-up Costs for the Period of October 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009:  Motion by Mr. Abell, second by Mr. Weiss, to approve.  Motion passed unanimously.

c.       Consider Authorization to pay PennDOT the Remaining Balance of $356,000.00 for the Gateway Safety Project Phase I:  Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mr. Abell, to approve the payment.  Motion passed unanimously.  Discussion followed on the quality of the concrete used in the work.  Mr. Matergia stated that the integrity of the concrete should be tested by PennDOT.  We should contact PennDOT to report these issues before the final payment is made.  Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mrs. Kochanski, to rescind the previous motion and to table this issue.  Motion passed unanimously.

d.       Consider approval of a Contract Amendment to the Borough’s Grant Agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the Stroudsburg Parking Garage Project Extending the Termination date from October 31, 2009, to October 31, 2010:  Motion by Mr. Abell, second by Mr. Scelza, to approve.  Motion passed unanimously. 

e.       Consider Approval of a Resolution Appointing the Borough of Stroudsburg’s Voting Delegate and Alternates to the Tax Collection Committee as required by Act 32 Earned Income Tax:  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to appoint Mr. Scelza as the voting delegate, Mrs. Quarantello as the first alternate, and Ms. Diddio as the second alternate.  Motion passed unanimously.

7.                 Solicitor’s Report:  None.

8.                 Mayor’s Report:  Mayor Baughman mentioned some of the activities planned for Stroud Fest on September 5, 2009, and he encouraged everyone to attend.

9.                 Council Members’ Reports:  None.

10.             Manager’s Report:  Mrs. Quarantello reported that she met with Mr. Matergia, Mr. Wilkins, and Mr. Kimes regarding the cell phone towers.  She said they recommend contacting a planner.  Charlie Schmell was contacted and a proposal should be forthcoming next week. Mr. Weiss stated that the Codes Committee and Mr. Schmell should be part of this discussion.

Mrs. Quarantello also discussed a meeting she had with Street Superintendent Tim Ace, Asst. Superintendent Brian Bond, Mr. Wilkins, and representatives from PennDOT regarding the replacement of the Seventh Street Bridge .  The timeline for the project is to bid the project in December, 2010, and to award the bids in March or April, 2011.  The bridge will be shut down for 22 months.  A lengthy discussion followed. 

11.             Approval of Bills:  Motion by Mr. Weiss, second by Mr. Scelza, to approve the bills on warrant #090209.  Motion passed unanimously.

12.             Executive Session:  Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mr. Abell, to enter executive session at 8:29 PM to discuss a real estate matter. Motion passed unanimously. Motion by Mr. Scelza, second by Mrs. Kochanski, to reconvene in open session at 8:37 PM.  Motion passed unanimously.

There was a brief discussion regarding a 501C3 for the Stroudsburg Fire Department.  Mrs. Quarantello discussed possible funding options through the USDA for a 40-year loan at a possible interest rate of 4.375 percent.

13.             Adjournment:  Motion by Mrs. Kochanski, second by Mr. Scelza, to adjourn.  Motion passed unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at 8:42 PM.