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MAY 7, 2012
The regular meeting of the Martinsburg Borough Council was held on Monday, May 7, 2012, in the municipal building. The meeting started at 7:00 p.m. with prayer by Randy Stoltz and the Pledge of Allegiance.
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT: Mayor Rex L. Hartman, President Connie S. Lamborn, Vice-President Doreen K. Easly, Pro-Tempore Durban D. Metzler, Councilman Shawn D. Daughenbaugh, and Councilwoman Linda K. Smith
ALSO PRESENT: Borough Manager Randy Stoltz, Borough Secretary Jane Staily, Chief Kerry Hoover, Rich Brantner, Jr., Attorney Frederick Gieg, Jr., Attorney Matt Gieg, and Attorney Chris Jancula, Greg Buzulencia of the Tour de Toona, Ryan Brown of the Altoona Mirror and Allan Bassler of the Morrisons Cove Herald
Ryan Brown introduced himself as the reporter from the Altoona Mirror. His job is to cover Morrisons Cove and Bedford County.
Greg Buzulencia introduced himself as the new race director for the Tour de Toona. The Tour de Toona is the professional 5K bicycle race. The last time they were in Martinsburg was 2007. This year they are changing it around a little to make it more spectator friendly. This year’s race will be August 8 through 12. On Saturday, August 11, they will be holding a community ride to give people a chance to do part of the professional course. They will also have a barbeque and some children’s games and races. They would like to do a 20 mile loop in the Martinsburg Borough/North Woodbury Township area on Friday, August 10. This year there will be just two events instead of five races going on at one time meaning less road closures. They are looking for an appropriate place to hold the event. They have two potential places in mind: 1) here at the municipal building lot or 2) at Central High School. The Gospel Sing at the park will be in town the same day as the race which may pose traffic problems with having both events going on at the same time.
(Rex Hartman arrived at 7:14 p.m.)
Tour de Toona is trying to solicit sponsors and attract spectators by having the race later in the day this year starting at 2:00 p.m. in Martinsburg instead of in the morning as in years past. Some of council seemed to think there would be less traffic problems by having it early in the day since it is on a Friday and on the same day as the Gospel Sing. Mr. Buzulencia said that the Tour de Toona will eventually want a Letter of Resolution to permit the race to take place and to close down the necessary roads. They would like the resolution prior to obtaining the proof of insurance so they can get the necessary permits. The resolution could state that the race would be permitted subject to obtaining the required proof of insurance. If closing Route 164 becomes an issue the race could be rerouted to use Route 866 instead.
(Greg Buzulencia left at 7:25 p.m.)
The MINUTES of the regular meeting of April 2, 2012, were approved on a motion by Doreen Easly, seconded by Durban Metzler. The motion passed unanimously.
The FINANCIAL AND TREASURER’S REPORTS were presented for April, 2012 as written.
The LIST OF BILLS for April 2012, check nos. 6453-6501 in the amount of $50,461.27 was approved on a motion by Doreen Easly, seconded by Durban Metzler. The motion passed unanimously.
Police Chief Kerry Hoover presented his police report as written. Chief Hoover and Sgt. Davis attended a mandatory MOPAC training on April 5 & 6; attended planning meetings for the mock airport disaster scheduled for Saturday; and attended a Neighborhood Watch planning meeting in Altoona on April 19.
Tri Star Motors brought three new cruisers in for the department to test drive on April 19. Chief Hoover would like to order a new car in the next two weeks. The new police radios were ordered on May 1. Motorola has a sale going on right now that allowed the department to get their radios for $1800 less than budgeted. The sale price is cheaper than the trade in program and the department gets to keep their old radios. Blair County may be digitally ready by early October 2012 instead of the original plan of by the end of the year 2012. The borough crew will be using the old police radios plus getting two new radios. The police department will be waiting until it gets the new cruiser before installing the new radios. Tri Star is offering the department $1000 for the old cruiser. The new car will have a molded rear seat and has a drain so it can be hosed out for easy clean up. The molded seat will be a deterrent from hiding contraband since it is seamless.
Manager Randy Stoltz reported that the borough crew sprayed weeds on May 3; on May 1 the committee of Linda Smith, Doreen Easly, Ed Bennett, Randy Stoltz and Cindy Wareham met to review the five engineering proposals for the streetscape project – ranking forms are also need to be completed to officially choose the engineering firm – a second meeting will be scheduled to review and complete the forms.
The Community Clean Up Day was held on May 21. A total of 125 to 130 cars and trucks passed through. 100 cubic yards of stuff was collected and landfilled; 31 gaylord boxes were filled with electronics; 17 tires were collected and taken to the tire shop for recycling; and 7.7 tons of metal was collected. The borough trucks took the electronics up to the Buckhorn on April 24. Thirteen volunteers helped with the cleanup. The rain held off until after the cleanup was over. The Morrisons Cove Herald came and wrote an article on the cleanup. Three local haulers also participated in the cleanup.
Attorney Frederick Gieg, Jr. reported that the borough is finally in the position to take over the street beside the Riverside Market as Borough Way. He thanked Manager Stoltz for obtaining the right of way signatures. As per the February motion to proceed with the takeover of the street Attorney Gieg will proceed with preparing the advertisement for the Borough Way Ordinance No. 2012-588 and for the advertising of the public hearing which will be held at 6:45 p.m. just prior to next month’s regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. The pedestrian access easements and utility easements are signed and will be recorded. Attorney Gieg prepared the Retention of Engineering Firm advertisement for the streetscape project. It is an open bidding situation with no specific engineering firm in mind. All five engineering firms interested are good firms. Attorney Gieg sent a letter to the Bank of American by certified mail regarding the liens entered on the property located at 406 W. Allegheny St. for the mowing situation. They did sign for the certified letter but there has been no response from them yet. The next step would be to serve them with the Sheriff and reduce the lien to a judgment to get ready to sheriff sale the property. May 9th will be the date they need to respond by to the thirty day notice. Council on a motion by Doreen Easly, seconded by Linda Smith, authorized Gieg and Gieg Attorneys to issue a Writ of Scire Facias and reduce the lien to a judgment on the property at 406 W. Allegheny St. currently owned by the Bank of America for the costs to date of the lien placed on the property for mowing (and delinquent water and sewer charges). The motion passed unanimously.
Durban Metzler reported that a new water line was connected at the corner of Blattenberger and S. Mansard Streets on April 18; and a new 8-inch water line was connected at the corner of Mansard and W. Allegheny Streets on April 26. New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. will pave the repair on W. Allegheny St. when the blacktop plant opens.
Linda Smith reported on the Revitalization Committee meeting held on April 23rd. Cindy Wareham wrote a letter to apply for the Keystone Community Funding. The committee is working towards cleaning the parking lot and sidewalks in town center. The next committee meeting is scheduled for May 14. The committee will be working on the sidewalks. Six large planters are to be made and a display put out at the post office. They talked about the memorial trees. The entire committee wants flowering trees planted in random order on the municipal building lot. Connie Lamborn felt the memorials should not be limited so that can be made available to as many people as possible.
A new relief valve was repaired on the water heater at the ambulance building.
Connie Lamborn reported that there will be a rain barrel meeting at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
Connie was hoping to have some photographs this evening of trees planted in rows but her son the photographer is away. She did find a few places in town that have them planted in a row that look very nice such as on N. Mulberry Street at the cemetery entrance and on Maple Street.
Two bids were received for the 2012 Paving Project as follows:
New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. $30,275.05
Grannas Brothers $35,337.10
Manager Stoltz had estimated the project cost to be around $32,024. The project includes two alleys and Borough Way (also to be milled). Council on a motion by Shawn Daughenbaugh, seconded by Doreen Easly, to accept the bid price of $30,275.05 from New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., Inc. for the 2012 Paving Project subject to Attorney Gieg approving their bid bond. The motion passed with 4 yays, 0 nays, and one abstention from Durban Metzler.
Attorney Matt Gieg completed the preparation of the Borough Way Ordinance No. 2012-588 making sure the wording within the ordinance was consistent. It is ready to be advertised. He also prepared an advertisement for the public hearing to take place on June 4, 2012 at 6:45 p.m. The long version of the ordinance was filed at the law library last Friday.
The committee appointed to review the Retention of Engineering Firms will be meeting again to complete the required ranking forms for the following five engineering firms:
Keller Engineering – Hollidaysburg
Stiffler, McGraw and Associates, Inc. – Hollidaysburg
GAI – Altoona
Ed Bellock, PE – Roaring Spring
HRG – State College
Council on a motion by Linda Smith, seconded by Durban Metzler, authorized to open a checking account entitled Comp[rehensive] Plan MAP Grant at First National Bank as a requirement to administer the grant. The motion passed unanimously. The grant documentation must be mailed in by May 14th .
There was further discussion about the Tour de Toona. Due to the change in time of the bicycle race from morning to afternoon on a Friday which is one of the heaviest traffic times of the week, the fact that there is less room to set up in the municipal lot now that we’ve built the new building and since it falls on the same day as one of the days of the Gospel Sing at the park, it was the consensus of council felt it would be better suited to have it at the Central High School this year. Manager Randy Stoltz was asked to contact Greg Buzulencia of the Tour de Toona to relay council’s decision.
Back to the memorial trees – Doreen Easly spoke with Chris Ritchey and he said that he rarely ever plants trees in a row because if one of them dies then the newly planted tree would not be the same size as the other trees. Connie Lamborn still felt that planting them in a row just on Woodlawn Avenue would make the lot look more governmental and less like a park.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. on a motion by Linda Smith, seconded by Doreen Easly. The motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
M. Jane Staily
Borough Secretary
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