TOWNSHIP OF NORTH HUNTINGDON, BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING, WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER 20, 2024, 7:00 P.M. 11279 Center Highway, North Huntingdon, PA 15642 Presiding Officer-Jason Atwood, President, Board of Commissioners CALL' TOORDER Commissioner Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. ROLLCALL Commissioner Hempel Commissioner Haigis Commissioner Gray Commissioner Zona Commissioner Bevan Commissioner Gass Commissioner Atwood PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Present Present Present Present Present Present Present Also Present: Manager Harry Faulk Solicitor Chelsea Dice Asst. Manager Ryan Fonzi Chiefl Rizzo Rich Albert Lydia Kincaid Kody Grabiak Josh Andrykovitch ACKNOWLEGEMENT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION **The Boardo/Commisioners held an Executive Sesson prior to the meeting at 6PMt to discuss real estate matters** OPENING PRAYER PRESENTATIONS Parks Coordinator, Lydia Kincaid, congratulates all the 2024 Halloween House Decorating winners. Commissioner Atwood recognizes Rich Albert for his thirty years of service and honors his retirement. CITIZENS INPUT- Rick Keenan - 7001 Leger Road - states hei is here to speak ofthe sports complex and the one dollar per year lease is ridiculous. He states the property belongs to the tax payers and many residents are on a fixed income and would possibly force seniors out of town if taxes are raised. He feels there is too much secrecy regarding this sports complex. November 20, 2024 Mike DeRiggi - 541 Janet Drive = states he is not opposed to kids having a place to play sports however he is opposed to the Township being the landlord or lease holder. He feels the property John] Neubert - 451 Charles Drive - asks howi it is even possible that another undisclosed version of the sports complex lease has emerged and pre-approved by the tenants. He feels this is an Mike Peschock - 12480 Adams Drive - states the Township already has a sports complex called CNXI Resources Sports Complex, home ofthe Norwin Soccer Club, at Turner Valley soccer: fields featuring ten grass fields, five hundred parking spaces and concessions who accommodate field hockey, lacrosse, rugby soccer, frisbee, drone racing and boomerang tournaments that are rented. PAL also rents their fields. He feels negotiations should be stopped with a company that cannot or will not answers questions raised by the Commissioners and residents and work with the local organizations that are already here to try to build them up. He states leasing property to a for- profit business does not make sense and Township will take on the risk of liability. He feels to Pam Peschock- - 12480 Adams Drive - states she has lived in the Township for the majority ofher life and is devoted to the Township. She asks why this is being discussed again as eighty percent oft the residents at the Middle School meeting gave reasons why it is not a good idea and all ofthe sudden it's back for discussion. She states nothing has changed and Route 30 is still a disaster with daily accidents. She states the Township can build something for itself for the kids, adults, everybody and do not need tol bring in an outsider that will just collect revenue. Jon Tapocik - 571 Janet Drive - states he knows about investment real estate and typically when properties are rented there are certain steps that landlords take to rent the property such as proof ofincome toi make suret thet tenant can afford thei rent, verify how longt the tenant has been employed and how stable they are, and finally verify the credit score. He states none oft this has been done with at thirty million dollar project and are months into this project and they still have not submitted any kind of formal business plan. He stresses it needs to be verified this is a viable project and verify how long they've been employed and their credit history. He feels personal relationships are clouding the Boards judgement and lease should be made public to the residents to review and Lynda Funk - 14481 Winchester Road - asks why the sports complex is being discussed again when it was voted down and just put the land up for sale. She asks if the Board is legally empowered to lease citizen owned land and should be on ai referendum at mid-term election. She also asks how much are the tax payers paying for Dice Law to create a dralt lease and all the legal fees. If the complex is built, how will the children be protected from Public Works heavy machinery. Asa citizen, her vote is to advertise, sell the land and collect the business revenue. needs to be evaluated and appraised for commercial real estate. unnecessary necessity giving away valuable land virtually for free. sell the land to them at fare market value. give input before it is sent to the sports complex. November 20, 2024 Alan Silverio - 149 Skellytown Road - asks the Solicitor what their firm's expertise is in real estate and conducting transactions on government land as this is a unique situation with lots of intricacies. He asks the Board and the investors where the funding is coming from and who is financially backing this project. He asks if. Josh Zugai and David Ponsonby have the experience tot take on such aj project and can they give examples oftheir work. He: feels this should go through planning & zoning to meet certain criteria before negotiations begin. He states the developers need to produce a business plan, prove their funding sources / plan, a credibility analysis, and case studies. He asks the Board if the investor have proven themselves to be qualified, professional, Leah McGhee - 149 Skellytown Road - states it ist thel Board'sj job tol look out for the best interest oft the community, including thei investment of our public property, as there is a glaring issues with this project. To date, the Township has not done any due diligence on the project, nor understood the actual plan or the qualifications oft the developers and marketed financial data. She proposes the Township implement a supplement procedure ofa due diligence process giving the opportunity to weigh the risks and benefits of the sports complex. She states a business plan has never been received or financial projections. Additionally, ai market analysis should bej provided and proofof funding. She also states it was heard at the Middle School meeting that the developers built four sports complexes, but after fact checking, found that was not correct and the sports complex in Montour was not built by David Ponsonby and if he worked with someone that did build it, why are we not talking to that person and openly known. She feels the Board should require the investors to go through Planning & Zoning first. She also states we. have been repeatedly told by David Ponsonby they cannot do a traffic study because it costs three hundred thousand dollars. Engineers agreed that does not sound right. Ms. McGhee also states the developers need toj provide an impact assessment to the Public Works Department as the employees will be greatly impacted by this plan. She closes with the possibility of hazardous materials needs to be in the lease and Nicholas Carrozza - 2331 Guffey Road - states hei is the father of the small child and woman who were hit by the ninety mile per hour driver. He states the case is still under investigation and moved to the DA's Office is why no one is permitted to talk tol him, but is hoping some will come Amy Ghetion - 11575 Dennis Circle - states Commissioner Zona had issues with the Oak Hollow sports complex and said kids do not need it and why is the focus on sports. However, with the new developer's proposal seems ok. She states the majority ofr residents who spoke at the Middle School were opposed to the: sports complex. Shei requests thei new lease be madej public asi itis our ligitment and addressed the issues brought up by the residents. put the assumption ofr risk on the developers and not the Township. forward to negotiate with him. land you are giving away. November 20,2024 RESPONSE TOCITIZENS INPUT Commissioner Atwood asks the Board ifthere are any comments on1 the sports complex. He states there is not an actual lease at this point, are discussing a base line, and nothing has been presented. Commissioner Haigis states he was concerned about the proposed lease from the developers and feels itisag good opportunity ifiti is right for the Township, but thought the whole process from the beginning was in the wrong direction and shouldn't have been given a lease from the developers but created our own lease about what the Township wanted. He states if the developers are not comfortable with the presented lease from the Township, can go elsewhere and purchase land on their own. Commissioner Gass states what the Board is trying to do is create an environment of open dialogue and ifthe land is sold, the Township loses all rights and control ofl land. Mr. Fonzi adds that normally when a property owner comes in would have all the engineering and all the studies done before it gets to this point and feels the current proposal process seems backwards. Commissioner Gass states there are: no backdoor deals and wants the residents to understand this isa difficult process. Solicitor Chelsea Dice states this matter cannot be put on the referendum because it is dealing with a private entity. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Gray Motion to approve (Sports Complex 10/2/24) with one correction in the header as Norwin Middle School. Motion carried7 7-0-0 Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Gray Motion to approve (Special Meeting 10/10/24) Motion carried7-0-0 Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Hempel PAYMENTOF BILLS Motion: Commissioner Haigis Second: Commissioner Hempel Motion to approve (Regular Meeting 10/16/24) Motion carried7-0-0 Motion to approve Voucher No. 34613 through Voucher No. 36854. Motion carried 17-0-0 November: 20, 2024 STAFF REPORTS: PUBLIC WORKS REPORT Director Albert states the department isi in good shape with a lot ofmaterial stocked. Commissioner Gass thanks him for the work on Pine Hollow. Road. PARKS REPORT Parks Coordinator, Lydia Kincaid, reminds the public to follow our social media platforms and our website to stay up to date on the events and activities. Commissioner Zona thanks her fora all the work she is doing and adding a lot of events and suggests next summer having a picnic for seniors. POLICE REPORT Chief Rizzo thanks Rich Albert for the many, many years working together. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORT There are: no. Board comments. ENGINEERING REPORT Commissioner Gass asks for an update on Frog Road. Mr. Grabiak states the proposal was just received today from KU Resources. Commissioner Gass asks for the update on Scotch Hill. Mr. Grabiak states it is scheduled to start the beginning of December, installing multiple inlets. Commissioner Zona verifies the swell on Lot 218 on Antonio Drive has been put back to the specifications, yes. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & FIRE OFFICIAL'S REPORT There were no. Board comments. SUBDIVISION & LAND DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REPORT 1) SP-07-2024: SimBa Holdings LLC Action to deny a demolition ofproposed building on SR30f for failure to submit response. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Haigis Motion to deny. Motion carried 7-0-0 November 20, 2024 2)S-14-2024: Lukart-Vigar Action to approve boundary line revision on Lincoln Way. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Gray Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 Planning Commission Approval 6-0 3) S-15-2024: Shorkey Consolidation Action to approve a consolidation oftwo lots on SR30 and Bonnie Drive. Motion: Commissioner Haigis Second: Commissioner Gray Motion to approve. Commissioner Gass asks what is being done to protect the residents on Bonnie Drive and Kansas Drive. Mr. Andrykovitch states there will be buffers between residential and commercial zoning areas. Commissioner Gass asks the access of large trucks in and out will be on Route 30. Commissioner Atwood states the discussion from last week said this consolidation will open the land-locked parcel to Route 30 to allow access. Motion carried7-0-0 Planning Commission Approval 6-0 4)S-16-2024: Luna Subdivision Action to deny a subdivision on Center Street. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Haigis Motion to deny. Motion carried7-0-0 Planning Commission Denial 4-2 5)SP-10-2024: Norwin Knights Stadium Renovations Action to approve stadium renovations on the Norwin Campus. Motion: Commissioner Haigis Second: Commissioner Zona Motion to approve. Commissioner Gass asks what the school board vote was. Commissioner Atwood states it was 8- 1. Commissioner Gass states this project is going tol be al burden and difficult for the tax payers to pay for the increase of taxes. He feels the Board should be fiscally responsible and vote against this. Commissioner Haigis states this Board are not the elected officials to approve spending money, just approving a site plan. Commissioner Bevan states she is not opposed to this, but suggests the school board have sponsors for the facility. Commissioner Gray states the school board controls this and should stay in our lane. Commissioner Zona states the Planning Commission approved the site plan 6-0. Motion 6-1-0 November 20, 2024 ROLLCALL: Commissioner Hempel - YES Commissioner Haigis - YES Commissioner Gray - YES Commissioner Zona- - YES Commissioner Bevan - YES Commissioner Gass-NO Commissioner Atwood- YES Motion carried 6-1-0 SOLICITOR'S REPORT - Solicitor Dice 1) Action to approve Ordinance No. 2305 designating Mockingbird Drive as a school zone area with a maximum speed limit of15MPH and incorporating this ordinance in the code known as the vehicles and traffic code. Motion: Commissioner Haigis Second: Commissioner Zona Motion to approve. Motion carried 7-0-0 TOWNSHIP MANAGERS REPORT 1) Action to approve the October check register. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Hempel Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 2) Budget Report - October 2024 Report. 3) Action to advertise an Ordinance affixing the various tax rates for the year 2025. Motion: Commissioner Haigis Second: Commissioner Hempel Motion to approve. Motion carried 7-0-0 4) Action to advertise the 2025 budget for public inspection. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Hempel Motion to approve. Motion carried' 7-0-0 5) Action to advertise an Ordinance adopting the 2025 budget. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Zona Motion to approve. Motion carried" 7-0-0 November 20, 2024 Action to advertise an Ordinance to adopt the Fee Schedule. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Hempel Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 7) Action to accept the 2023 Audit Report. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Bevan Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 8) Action to approve the North Huntingdon Township Fire District Map. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Gass Motion to approve. Commissioner Hempel states he looked at the audit report for Strawpump VFD and going into 2023 they had three hundred twenty two thousand dollars oftax payers money in their account and also gave another seventy four thousand dollars this year. He would like to see, because oft the situation of re-districting, to take back some of that money and hold it into an escrow account. Skip Cook states he feels it would be a wise move and if they recertify, can redisperse the money backa and ifthey do not recertify the money would bei reallocated accordingly. Solicitor Dice states she can put together ai resolution with perimeters for the next meeting to vote on. Motion carried7-0-0 9) Action to approve Pay Application No. 2 in the amount of $349,443.18 to JP Operations for the Pine Hollow Slide Repair Project. Motion: Commissioner Gass Second: Commissioner Hempel towards the project. Motion to approve. Manager Faulk states Senator Kim Ward gave the Township one hundred eighty thousand dollars Motion carried 7-0-0 10). Action to approve Pay Application No. 1 in the amount of $1,193,819.24 for the 2024 Milling and Resurfacing Program. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Gray Motion to approve. Motion carried 7-0-0 November 20, 2024 11)Action to enter into an agreement with Westmoreland County Transit Authority Local Share Assessment for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 in the amount of$ $6,027.00. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Zona Motion to approve. Motion carried 7-0-0 12)Action tol hire Mark Cypher as the Code Enforcement Officer. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Bevan Motion to approve. Motion carried 7-0-0 13)Action to accept the resignation ofMichael Gray, Public Works Director. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Hempel Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 14) Action to advertise for the position of] Public Works Director. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Hempel Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 15)Action to approve the 2024-2025 Real Estate Tax Assessment Appeal for parcel: 51-12-00-0-106 owned by Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Zona Motion to approve. Commissioner Gass states hei is vehemently against this because WalMart wants to have their taxes reduced nationwide causing less taxation to be collected and having a negative impact on our community. Solicitor Dice clarifies that as a result of the markets and the way the property real estate assessments have been going, the common level ratio has impacted all residential and commercial properties. She states the school district will be monitoring WalMart and as appaisals were done, the value that is coming in is only about two percent of a reduction while the school district gets ninety percent. Motion carried 6-1-0 16)Action to award the Bituminous Surfacing Materials bid to Tresco Paving in the amount of$22,000.00. Motion: Commissioner Haigis Second: Commissioner Hempel Motion to approve. Motion carried 7-0-0 November: 20. 2024 17)Action to award the Class A Concrete bid to Tresco Paving ini the amount of$ $83,980.00. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Bevan Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 18)Action to award the Drainage Pipe bid to Pleasant Unity Supply in the amount of $107,303.00. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Gray Motion to approve. Motion carried 7-0-0 19)Action to award the Stone and Anti-Skid bid to Heidelberg Materials in the amount of $297,826.00. Motion: Commissioner Zona Second: Commissioner Bevan Motion to approve. Motion carried 7-0-0 20).Action to award the Storm Inlets and Grates to Pleasant Unity Supply in the amount of $65,500.00. Motion: Commissioner Hempel Second: Commissioner Zona Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 21). Action to approve the 2025 Road Improvement Program. Motion: Commissioner Haigis Second: Commissioner Hempel FURTHER BOARD COMMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS ADJOURNMENT Motion to approve. Motion carried7-0-0 Motion: Commissioner Haigis Second: Commissioner Zona Motion to adjourn. (8:41 P.M). Motion carried7-0-0 1) Regular Meeting Minutes ofNovember 20, 2024 were approved by the Board of Commissioners on December 18, 2024. R. AEO Harry Faulk, Township Manager jh A