1 1 2 OLD FORGE BOROUGH COUNCIL 3 IN RE: COUNCIL WORK SESSION 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 HELD: Tuesday, August 6, 2024 TIME: 7:00 P.M. LOCATION: 01d Forge MUNICIPAL BUILDING 310 South Main Street 01d Forge, Pennsylvania COUNCIL MEMBERS: RUSSELL RINALDI, President 16 JIM HOOVER, Vice President 17 MICHELE AVVISATO - absent 18 ANDREW BUTLER 19 MICHAEL KOMENSKY 20 JENNA JONES-SHOTWELL 21 MARYLYNN BARTOLETTI, Borough Manager - absent 22 ROBERT LEGG, Mayor 23 WILLIAM RINALDI, Esquire, Solicitor 24 25 MICHELLE SMOLSKIS OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 (Pledge of Allegiance.) MR. RINALDI: Roll call, Bill. ATTY. RINALDI: Ms. Shotwell. MS. SHOTWELL: Present. ATTY. RINALDI: Mr. Komensky. MR. KOMENSKY: Present. ATTY. RINALDI: Mr. Butler. MR. BUTLER: Here. ATTY. RINALDI: Ms. Avvisato. Absent. Mr. Hoover. MR. HOOVER: Present. ATTY. RINALDI: Mr. Rinaldi. MR. RINALDI: Here. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tuesday, August 6, 2024, work session of the 01d Forge Borough. The purpose of tonight's meeting is we'17 go through some of our department heads, we'1l hear any reports they have for tonight or anything they have for the agenda. We have a public sign-in sheet. If anyone from the public would like to address us, we'17 give you a few moments at the end. We'17 then hear from our Council 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 members, we'11 go down the table, and our solicitor if anybody has anything for the meeting tonight or for the agenda coming up. Before we begin the work session, though, we're going to call Joe from CDBG. He has a report from Lackawanna County he wants to give us. Joe, if you want this sheet here, we have it signed for you. MR. ROVINSKY: Thank you. I appreciate it. MR. RINALDI: And then we'17 let you get on with your presentation and then your evening. MR. ROVINSKY: Thank you. MR. RINALDI: You're welcome. MR. ROVINSKY: The reason I'm here tonight is to go over the community development block grant program for Lackawanna County. The Lackawanna County Department of Planning and Economic Development is the administrative agency for the CDBG program in the County. CDBG funds are federal funds from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development which are administered by the 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 PA Department of Community and Economic Development. There are eleven entitlement communities, which 01d Forge Borough is one, and twenty-seven non-entitlement communities. To be considered an entitlement community, which 01d Forge is one, it has to have a population of 4,000 people or more and meet the current minimum standards of physical and economic distress of the Federal Urban Development Action Grant Program. Currently, 01d Forge Borough has access right now to $208,477. That money currently has been allocated as part of a senior center improvement project with the 2023 funding which is not yet technically available. The 2023 application has not been approved by the State : it has been approved but it's at the Governor's office currently right now, and that's for 144,633, and that's the money that'11 be used going towards the senior center project, which is a series of improvements to the senior center in the Borough. So, the 2023 money should hopefully 5 be available for the Borough in a few weeks, and that money will be spent for the senior 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 center project. Now, 2024 funds, the current allocation is 142,086, and that will not be available until 2025. So, that money will not be available any time soon to the Borough. The State's about a year behind in terms of approving applications, and again, we're still dealing with 2022, and 2023 is still not technically available to start any projects. As soon as '23 is available, we'11 be able to do the project for the senior center. The goals of the CDBG program are to assist communities preparing community development plans designed to address the different needs of the borough, assist communities, administering all the activities designed to address a number of needs identified by the plan, to encourage and assist communities to focus upon and address housing and the community facility problems and to pursue economic development to commercial revitalization through public investment 6 initiatives. That will result in the 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 development and expansion of job opportunities within the Commonwealth. There is numerous activities that should be spent upon. Again, 01d Forge is working on a senior center project, but the project's gonna include water and sewer improvements, street improvements, parks and recreation and senior center facilities. In the past we put the elevator in 01d Forge from CDBG. As mentioned, we're doing currently the senior center project. This is a restrictive program. Grants have to be spent on : meet one of three national objectives. It has to benefit low to moderate income individuals, address blight or to address any threat to the health and safety of the community. And usually at this point in time I'd be asking for project ideas but right now 01d Forge has an allocated project for the senior center which ties it pretty much to the current funding that's available. So, that's all I have. MR. RINALDI: Joe, quick question. 7 MR. ROVINSKY: Sure. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. RINALDI: The funds, 208,477 for 2022 : MR. ROVINSKY: That's currently available. That's already put towards the senior center, yes. MR. RINALDI: That's already put towards the senior center. The 2023 funds that aren't out yet : MR. ROVINSKY: That will go towards the senior center, as well. MR. RINALDI: That's gonna : (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. RINALDI: That's gonna go towards the center, as well? MR. ROVINSKY: Yes. MR. RINALDI: Okay. MR. ROVINSKY: The 2024 funds, which won't be available, that'11 be for a new project. MR. RINALDI: Right. MR. ROVINSKY: So, if there's any street improvements you're looking at down the line or anything, that you might be looking forward to 2024 for application. 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. RINALDI: When are we expecting the 2023? I know you said : MR. ROVINSKY: Hopefully within a few weeks. MR. RINALDI: Okay. MR. ROVINSKY: It was approved by the : it goes to the Governor right now. It was approved by DCD and it usually takes about two to three weeks. MR. RINALDI: How much was that total? MR. ROVINSKY: That was 144,633. And then we go out to bid for the senior center project with that process. MR. HOOVER: Can we go out to bid with it now or wait for the money? MR. ROVINSKY: We have to wait for the money because there's not enough money to cover the cost estimate currently. But that should be within a week or two, sO hopefully that'11 be done. MR. HOOVER: It's just that we're waiting a long time for it. MR. ROVINSKY: Yeah. That's in the State's hands. 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. HOOVER: Yeah. MR. ROVINSKY: You're about a year behind, unfortunately. Once we pass it along, it goes right to the State. It's been a long time. We've been wanting to get it going, too, sO : MS. - SHOTWELL: When do we have to spend the funds by? MR. ROVINSKY: This current funding expires : really, you're not really : I mean, by the end of 2026 really : MS. SHOTWELL: Okay. MR. ROVINSKY: So, that project will be done in : the 2024 money, that's five years, sO that's way down the line, but if there's any projects that you could think about now, as long as we get ahead to -- especially street, storm water improvements, maybe something that may be larger sO we can get it taken care of. MS. SHOTWELL: Thank you. MR. ROVINSKY: That 2024 money, that's probably 2025, late 2025, based off the current way things are going, unfortunately. MS. SHOTWELL: Yeah. 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. RINALDI: Joe, you mentioned blight properties : MR. ROVINSKY: Yes. MR. RINALDI: : how could we use CDBG funds for blight properties? I'm confused. MR. ROVINSKY: There was a demolition. The State has told us in the past not to use :- they tried to push us away from demolition because there's sO many different things it has to go through, but they do want it to be : if there's a property that's identified as blight, we can supply that to the State for review to see what has to be done for housing demolition or housing rehab. MR. RINALDI: So, if the house is vacant, abandoned, blight, does it have to be condemned? MR. ROVINSKY: Yes. MR. RINALDI: Okay. MR. ROVINSKY: That could be possible, yes. That has to be through a State office and then it goes through their approval process. They kind of always push us away 11 from doing those projects because it takes them longer to get things approved, but, yes, there is demolition that could be taken care of. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Yes. MR. RINALDI: Okay. MR. ROVINSKY: And also housing rehab and first time home buyer programs are also included, as well, as possible expenditures. We have : on the first time home buyer programs now through CDBG funding. That's this past year sO : MR. RINALDI: So, if there's a blight property, instead of knocking it down, go the other route? MR. ROVINSKY: Yeah. Rehabbing. Yes. MR. RINALDI: Correct. MR. ROVINSKY: Like, it gets into a lot of maintenance, a lot of things. So it takes some time. It takes a little bit longer but it's doable, yes. MR. RINALDI: Okay. MR. ROVINSKY: If you're looking at 2024, since you have such a long period of time, maybe you have a considerable project for 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 something like, but since you have five years to spend that money. MR. RINALDI: Okay. A17 right. Anything else? MR. ROVINSKY: That's all I have. MR. RINALDI: Anybody have any questions for Joe? MR. HOOVER: Thanks, Joe. MR. RINALDI: Anyone from the public have any questions for Joe? (No response.) MR. RINALDI: Joe, thanks for coming. We appreciate it. MR. ROVINSKY: Thank you. MR. RINALDI: Have a good night. MR. ROVINSKY: You, too. MR. RINALDI: Thank you. We'11 go through our department heads, we'll see if they have anything for the meeting this evening or for the agenda coming up. DPW manager, Joe Lenceski. Joe, anything for tonight or for the agenda? MR. LENCESKI: Nothing for tonight or the agenda. MR. RINALDI: Anyone have any 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 questions for Joe? MR. HOOVER: Joe, that Astound that's going through my neighborhood, it just so happens there's 39 cuts in the road that they : I walked that whole subdivision today, there's 39 cuts. There's about six on that new paved road that we just did Kohler Avenue last year. Id don't know what they're : they're one by sixes, one by fives, they're small cuts. I don't know what their intentions are. I think we should find out from Astound, you know, what their intentions are. MS. SHOTWELL: Are they definitely from Astound? MR. HOOVER: Yeah. MS. SHOTWELL: Because someone on my street asked me today and said that Roto-Rooter was on the street and there were cuts made. MR. HOOVER: No, I mean, I know the difference between those and Roto-Rooter and yeah. MS. SHOTWELL: Okay. I was curious. MR. HOOVER: But these are just, 14 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 they're, like, one by six, one by seven cuts. Just enough for the bullet to go through, it hit something, sO they had to dig a hole. MR. LENCESKI: Right. MR. HOOVER: So, I think we should ask the guy from Astound to come move it. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I was talking to Joe, we could get together, and I hope maybe if you would come, all three of us go and check out this : (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. HOOVER: What we have to do is we have to mark the prior ordinance, Billy. Like, on Kohler Avenue, they're going to have to pave half the road. You know, go from the center of the cut, I think it's 15 feet on both sides. ATTY. RINALDI: I don't know off the top of my head. MR. HOOVER: Yeah. I think that's what it is. ATTY. RINALDI: Did they pull permits? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. Every time he makes a cut, he calls me. 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. HOOVER: Gets a permit. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: And then if he runs into something, like you said, the small ones, he calls me and says, I need another permit because they ran into something. MR. HOOVER: Because Comcast never fixed some of the cuts that they put in the road. You know, I gave Joe one today. I don't know whose it is. The piece of casing is actually up out of the ground on Kohler Avenue : or Tommy Drive. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. They've been on delay because of the rain, the weather and everything, so when he comes back, he said not this week but next week. So, we can get together. MR. HOOVER: Yeah, we'1l get together. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Go through the whole thing before they start. MR. HOOVER: I'11 have to look at that. Okay. That's all I have. MR. RINALDI: Any other questions for Joe? (No response.) 16 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. - RINALDI: Thank you, Joe. MR. LENCESKI: Thank you. MR. RINALDI: You're welcome. Mike Sokolowsk1, code enforcement/zoning officer, anything for the meeting tonight or for the agenda? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: No, I don't have anything. No. MR. RINALDI: Anyone have any questions for mike? (No response.) MR. RINALDI: Thanks, Mike. Engineer, Dave Lopatka, anything for the work session tonight or the agenda? MR. LOPATKA: Just the discussion on the Pagnotti Park. The mechanical electrical plumbing engineer who's doing the work to extend it, I'd like to go over and extend the water over, brought something to my attention, which if you look on the back, I think the last page, that's the deed that's in : there's an easement that comes from Villa Road to the Borough's property. It's a 15-foot wide easement, I think, but the easement is only the way that 17 the deed, or the easement agreement reads, it's only for ingress and egress, it's not for utilities. So I'm not sure how that needs to 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 be handled. And I did talk to Bill briefly about this the other day, but if you look at the plan on the back, there's one all the way on the back, it's colored. Yeah. So that shows where the easement's located, but it's : and if you could flip back and read one of the early paragraphs in the deed, it says it's for emergency vehicle access and for ingress and egress of pedestrians only, and it doesn't say anything with regards to running a utility line through there. So I don't know if, Bill, you have any information that we could : or how we need to do that, because if we're going to bring water to that building and irrigate the field with sprinklers, we need to bring water from somewhere. And in talking with Joe, the line that comes into the building out of center field going a half inch line, which does not have enough water capacity to actually sprinkle 18 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 the field. So my question is, you know, how do we want to move forward with that portion of the :- MR. RINALDI: So, you're saying that according to the easement it doesn't allow the utility to : MR. LOPATKA: No. If you read on the first page of the deed of dedication of easement and you go down where the paragraph the second paragraph below where it says, See property description attached on Exhibit A, it says, (Reading) Being an easement intended to be granted by The Villa Incorporated to the Borough of 01d Forge for use of emergency vehicles and personnel and pedestrians to provide ingress and egress and regress to the Borough owned ball field. It doesn't say anything about running a water line through there to bring water to the : MR. RINALDI: To the field. MR. LOPATKA: : to the field. MR. RINALDI: So, my first question to you would be that's our first plan would be 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 to bring it from there? If we couldn't use that, we'd have to go from another distance, which is probably a lot longer and more difficult. MR. LOPATKA: Quite a bit further, I would think. MR. RINALDI: Right. MR. LOPATKA: Plus it needs to be a substantial line. It can't just be a half inch line. It probably needs to be a one-inch line or two-inch line to provide the water to irrigate the field. MR. HOOVER: Are we ever going to use this for ingress and egress for emergency vehicles? MR. LOPATKA: Well, I don't know. That's what you got it for originally when you got it, but probably not but : MR. KOMENSKY: But, Dave, when you go to the next page, it says, (Reading) Together with all the singular improvements, ways, streets, alleys, passages, waters, including pipes and inlets as part of the roadway storm water drainage conveyance system, water courses. See it? 20 MR. LOPATKA: You got to ask Bill. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. KOMENSKY: Yeah. ATTY. RINALDI: Yeah, that was probably carried over when they dedicated the roads. So that included everything in the roads, sewers, electrical, water, gas line. MR. LOPATKA: That's actually if they extend the road as opposed to just providing an easement. ATTY. RINALDI: Right. But there's nothing between Villa and Pagnotti of the sewer or anything like that. That's strictly a path that the Borough wanted at the time to be able to get emergency vehicles in. MR. LOPATKA: Joe, do you know where the water line comes from that goes to that other one? I know it's only a half inch. Do you know where it comes from? MR. LENCESKI: Yes. The parking lot from : MR. LOPATKA: From Humphrey Street? MR. LENCESKI: Yeah. MR. HOOVER: Would we have to go back to Louis and ask him to move this right of way? 21 ATTY. RINALDI: You need an easement 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 from either him or anybody on that street that says you want to just : MR. LOPATKA: You would need to add to the easement language. ATTY. RINALDI: Yeah. Or get another one from anybody else there. There's, like, two or three other lot owners there, right, you just : MR. HOOVER: There's two lots there. Well, maybe three lots. MR. LOPATKA: So he owns : and because it hasn't been sold yet, it may have been subdivided, but there's : he owns basically, I think, three additional lots that are there, but they're all technically part of the overall until he actually sells them, and then they're broken off with a description. ATTY. RINALDI: There's a house somewhere there because : MR. LOPATKA: What's that? ATTY. RINALDI: Somebody has a house there. They put a hole in the gate, right? MR. LENCESKI: Yes. MR. LOPATKA: And I think there's 22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 another house on this lot that's shown on that back page that's :- ATTY. RINALDI: I see Patel. MR. LENCESKI: Patel. MR. LOPATKA: Yeah. But I don't know if the rest of that, I don't know if there's a lot there. ATTY. RINALDI: You can ask him for an easement, you can ask, who's the next one there, Martinelli, you got Viola. I don't know if Kim Domiano's up too far, but that's up to you. You could put it through anywhere. MR. HOOVER: Who owns that big lot right next to the right of the right of way that's marked in black? Where all the trees are. MR. LOPATKA: That's all Villa property. MR. HOOVER: That's all Villa property? MR. LOPATKA: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: Not sold yet. MR. HOOVER: How about the lot going up the : say going up? ATTY. RINALDI: That's Patel. 23 MR. HOOVER: That's Patel? MR. LOPATKA: Yeah. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ATTY. RINALDI: Then you have Martinelli, then you have Viola and Domiano. MR. HOOVER: That's too far, right? ATTY. RINALDI: Domiano's up the top. MR. HOOVER: I mean, why don't we ask Louis if he'17 give us a right of way for the lot that he owns up the other end from Patilla's? MR. LOPATKA: Yeah. I mean, you could do it either way. You could ask him to modify the existing easement that you have. MR. HOOVER: Yeah. I think that would be, I mean, in my personal, I think that would be a better route. It's closer to the field. MR. LOPATKA: Where's this now? MR. BUTLER: It's between Patel's and MR. HOOVER: Where it says 130 feet, one inch or something. MR. LOPATKA: Yeah. I mean MR. HOOVER: If we use that and get 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 rid of the one at the bottom, because we're never going to use that for emergency vehicles. That's not a road. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Well, it would be easier up that higher - MR. HOOVER: It would be easier up that higher one. ATTY. RINALDI: I mean, you can use it because they want to be able to get the ambulance back there to the baseball field. MR. RINALDI: He's gonna eventually sell these. MR. HOOVER: Yeah. That's why we have to ask him if we can have 15 feet up at the other : MR. RINALDI: For the road or just tor run the : MR. HOOVER: Just to run the utility line. MR. RINALDI: Right, just to run the line, because it's undeveloped anyways right now, sO that would be the better way to go. MR. HOOVER: I mean, you could put it, for the water service, put the water meter there, run your pipe. It'17 be easier, I 25 think, but I don't know if you guys -- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. LOPATKA: I don't disagree with you, but : MR. HOOVER: I don't think he's gonna want -- I mean, we'11 have to ask him. MR. LOPATKA: I mean, I don't think it needs to be a 15-foot easement either. It could probably be a 10-foot easement just for the : MR. HOOVER: Just for the water line. (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. LOPATKA: : it's not a big water line. MR. RINALDI: Obviously we were just designated for the water line and the - (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. LOPATKA: What's that? MR. BUTLER: : there and push his property down. MR. HOOVER: Yeah, that's what I mean. MR. RINALDI: We would just designate it for the water line and the water line only, because eventually he's gonna sell 26 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 those lots. MR. LOPATKA: Well, yeah, and then that : like, if you're talking the way you're talking, there would be an easement on that first lot that he ends up selling, the next one down. MR. RINALDI: Right. MR. LOPATKA: A ten-foot wide easement for the water service. MR. LENCESKI: Why can't you just put it down the center of the road that we already have easement on? MR. LOPATKA: You could but you need to revise the easement to say that you could put utilities in there. MR. LENCESKI: Right. MR. LOPATKA: Yeah, you could. You could do it either way, but somehow you have to have an easement or some kind of language or agreement with him to do it. MR. RINALDI: Right. So, whether we go through where the current easement is, we have to get permission from him to rewrite the easement, or we need a new easement if we want to do it closer to -- 27 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ATTY. RINALDI: Yeah. You need a new easement. MR. RINALDI: Oh, we need a new easement? ATTY. RINALDI: Yeah. MR. HOOVER: We need a easement either way because you can't put it on the one that's marked because it's only ingress and egress, that's it, and you'd need another one because the other one doesn't exist. MR. KOMENSKY: So you would just add utilities, a whole new one, same language, add utilities to it. Right, Bill, is that what you're saying? MR. RINALDI: Yeah. ATTY. RINALDI: Whatever he wants. MR. HOOVER: Somebody want to -- I mean, I'17 call Louie. MR. LOPATKA: Yeah. We would have to get something drawn up. ATTY. RINALDI: We could pretty much take this and just add to it. MR. LOPATKA: You could. ATTY. RINALDI: And that's not a problem. I could do that. 28 MR. LOPATKA: Yeah. I - mean, if you 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 use the same one, it's already described in this deed that I provided you. MR. KOMENSKY: So, it'd be like an addendum, right, an amended one? ATTY. RINALDI: It would just be a new easement to add utilities. MR. LOPATKA: And it would reference probably back to this one then if you use the same one. ATTY. RINALDI: Uh-huh. MR. KOMENSKY: Right. MR. RINALDI: Okay. So, Bill : ATTY. RINALDI: Get the okay from him and : MR. HOOVER: I'17 call him. MR. RINALDI: Do you want to call him? MR. HOOVER: I'71 call him see if he wants to meet this week and hopefully I'11 have an answer. MR. RINALDI: Okay. MR. LOPATKA: That's all I have. MR. RINALDI: Anyone have any questions for Dave? 29 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 (No response.) MR. RINALDI: Thanks, Dave. Chief Dubernas, anything for the meeting this evening or for the agenda coming up? CHIEF DUBERNAS: After the meeting if I could get a five-minute executive to discuss an issue? MR. RINALDI: Sure. CHIEF DUBERNAS: And second, possibly a hire that tested certified. MR. RINALDI: For the upcoming meeting in August? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Uh-huh. MR. RINALDI: Okay. An executive tonight, you said? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: Sure. CHIEF DUBERNAS: For just two minutes. MR. RINALDI: A17 right. Anything else? CHIEF DUBERNAS: That's it. MR. RINALDI: Anyone have any questions for the Chief? (No response.) 30 MR. RINALDI: Thank you, Chief. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Assistant Fire Chief Bill Stull. Bill, anything for the meeting tonight or for the agenda coming up? MR. STULL: No, nothing for tonight or for the agenda coming up. MR. RINALDI: Thank you. Anyone have any questions for Bill? (No response.) MR. RINALDI: Thanks, Bill. Attorney Rinaldi, anything for the meeting tonight or for the agenda coming up? ATTY. RINALDI: Probably I can talk about the legal stuff in the executive. I can get you up to date on that. And you're gonna have a Council vacancy resolution on the agenda. You're going to have approval of the Felitto sister city. I guess they're all coming into town on the 6th, 7th and 8th, if you want to do a signing. You're going to have the grant with the grant writer. He's making some changes that is going to give you the ability to cancel it on 60-days notice. You're not locked in if 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 he's not doing anything, paying him for 24 months. And an auditor resolution that Marylynn talked about last time, if she has that ready, to hire an auditor. That's it. MR. RINALDI: Does anyone have any questions for the solicitor? MR. HOOVER: The paving bill, the paving contract, where's it at? MR. LOPATKA: Marylynn has to sign it MR. HOOVER: Oh, Marylynn has it. MR. LOPATKA: And then I have to get it out to American once it's signed. MR. HOOVER: A1l right. MR. RINALDI: Anyone else have any questions for Bill? (No response.) MR. RINALDI: Thanks, Bill. Before we go down the table we'17 go into public comment. Jim Pon. MR. PON: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: How are you, Jim? Good evening. MR. PON: Oh, not too bad. How you 32 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 doing? MR. RINALDI: Good. What can we help you with? MR. PON: So, I was here two months ago, I came here and discussed me closing the alley behind my house on Fallon Street. MR. RINALDI: Yes. MR. PON: And you told me go through the procedure, sent the e-mail. I did everything you told me, I got no response. MR. RINALDI: Who'd you send the e-mail to? MR. PON: The lady who was sitting here giving me a business card with the e-mail on it. MR. RINALDI: Marylynn? MR. PON: Yep. She came back, gave me a card. That night I left and I sent, like you said, all the information, the date, my information. I sent the e-mail. - heard nothing. Wait a couple days, sent another one. Wait a couple days, sent another one. MR. RINALDI: When's the event? MR. PON: It was the Fourth of July. 33 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. RINALDI: Oh, it was Fourth of July? MR. PON: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: Oh, I thought it was in August. I'm sorry. MR. PON: No, no, it was fast. July 6th it was. So that's why I wanted it closed off, but I heard nothing from nobody. And you said I'd hear from the police chief, the fire chief. I sent an e-mail, nobody got back to me, not one person. CHIEF DUBERNAS: Sir, I never received an e-mail from you. MR. PON: Are you the police chief? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah. MR. PON: Yeah. Well, he -- I sent the e-mail to whatever was on the business card from the lady sitting here. And you said I'11 be hearing from the police chief, but I never heard nothing from nobody. MR. RINALDI: Yeah, because the chief of police would have contacted you to : MR. PON: Yeah. Nobody. MR. RINALDI: close it and - or you would explain to him how you wanted it 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 closed. MR. - PON: Well, that's what I did, I e-mailed. So, I sent an e-mail to that card she gave me, you know, I sent it all out. I sent everything I was supposed to do, you know MR. RINALDI: Did you have the event? MR. PON: What's that? MR. RINALDI: Did you have the event? MR. PON: No. I can't have the event. The police would be at my house all day if did because of the CHIEF DUBERNAS: He got a rough neighbor. to us. MR. RINALDI: Yeah. He explained it MR. PON: Oh, you know? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Oh, yeah. He came here and complained. MR. PON: About me? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah. MR. - PON: It's good to be famous. CHIEF DUBERNAS: Three days before 35 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 the Fourth of July he was here. MR. PON: He complained about the Fourth of July and I didn't even have my party. He must have been disappointed. So, anyway, I'm back because I'm having another party. CHIEF DUBERNAS: Want me to give him my e-mail? MR. RINALDI: Yeah. MR. PON: But listen. MR. RINALDI: Go ahead, explain yourself. MR. PON: It's for my grandchildren. It's on the 17th. Did you get the invite? MS. SHOTWELL: Yeah. MR. PON: So, it's going to be pretty much all kids, because I had one two, three weeks ago for my three-year-old granddaughter, no alcohol, no loud noise, kids running around, they called the police. MR. RINALDI: The neighbor? MR. PON: Yeah. So, the cops come and he's apologizing to me. I'm like, What are you guys doing here? He's like -- I'm like, Dude, there's nothing but kids. It's my 36 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 granddaughter's third birthday party. He's like, Well -- I mean, I called : the cop called me, I was on the phone with him trying not to come, because we know the situation. Like, Do we really have to come? And he insisted. She was intimidated to go in her back yard because of all the people. Three year old, four year old, five year old kids, she's intimidated. Now, mind you, at 11:00 that morning, like I told you last time, they park in the front. Any time I say I want to have a little get-together, they pull around back and park in the driveway. That's what that son of a gun did. By 11:00 I went out back, I started setting my tables up, he sees it, he gets in his car, he drives out and parks in the alley. Now he has a reason to call the police on me because, one, I'm blocking the alley; two, she's intimidated; three, I'm shooting off fireworks. We had no fireworks. And he was just shaking his head at me, the cop. He's like apologize. Apologize? 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Come on out, get some cake. We got a big ass birthday cake. So the cops, when they come, they're really good guys. I feel bad for them for coming because they know when they're coming they're coming for nothing. I mean, this is, you know, I got my family, that's all I ever raised is family and friends. That's the American dream, man. Am I not right? MR. RINALDI: You're right. MR. PON: And to have the cops come every 20 minutes, it's just insane, it really is. MR. RINALDI: Well, then why don't we do this, we're gonna double check with Marylynn, make sure she got your e-mail. I'm just curious to see what happened with that even. MR. PON: Well, that's just : MR. RINALDI: I know, I know (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. PON: That's old news. MR. RINALDI: But I'm just curious to see what happened. We're gonna have the 38 Chief give you the e-mail, you could direct it 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 right to him. MR. PON: Okay. MR. RINALDI: Because he's gonna be the one you're gonna have to contact sO he could meet you to block the road off and : (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. PON: Okay. So, instead of doing all the e-mail stuff, could we do this right now? Because you mentioned last time about the horses, you got the : CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: Yeah, he has the horses. (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. PON: I'11 do it myself. CHIEF DUBERNAS: So, it's Henderson to MR. PON: Henderson and Fallon, whatever the alley : CHIEF DUBERNAS: You want the whole alleyway? MR. PON: Nope. From Henderson to my driveway in the alley. That's it. Give him access. 39 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 CHIEF DUBERNAS: By the Hoover residence there? MR. PON: Yes. Well, no, no, no, not even that far. He can get out that way. I'm on the corner of Henderson there. CHIEF DUBERNAS: Oh, sO you want it from your driveway to : (Inaudible crosstalk.) CHIEF DUBERNAS: You just want it at Henderson, you don't want a way to turn left? MR. PON: Right. Exactly. MR. RINALDI: Right. Because there's an alleyway by Hoover's where you could still access : (Inaudible crosstalk.) CHIEF DUBERNAS: And you could go out the other way. MR. RINALDI: And you could go out the other : MR. PON: So, two options he still has. Or he could keep his ass in the front, but he won't, you know what I mean? Sorry for saying ass. this is? CHIEF DUBERNAS: And when'd you say 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. PON: August 17th. It's not this Saturday, next Saturday. It's with all my grandchildren. So, my daughter plays for the 7th grade basketball team here in 01d Forge, sO they're gonna be there probably with their families. My grandson plays with her son on the football team, the B team. MS. SHOTWELL: Yeah. MR. PON: Probably gonna have the whole football team here. It's embarrassing the cops show up, you know what I mean? Like, what are these parents gonna think, kind of guy is this got the cops coming to his house. I don't need that, you know what I mean? MR. RINALDI: Well, contact him. We're gonna get you the police horses that say 01d Forge Police on them. MR. PON: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: So, maybe that'11 help. Maybe it'17 be like the police are blocking the road already. MR. PON: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: Maybe it won't. I don't know, but : 41 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MS. SHOTWELL: It's next Saturday, right? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah, what time? MR. PON: Saturday the 17th. CHIEF DUBERNAS: What time? MR. PON: Let's close the road from, like, 12 in the afternoon until 11 at night. CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah. We'17 let the fire department know. MR. PON: We just let them know, right? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Uh-huh. MR. PON: I'm only saying, I'm not being a wise guy, I sent the e-mails and I heard nothing. So, that's why when I came here tonight, I just want to get it done tonight. Like I said, let me know, that Saturday I'11 come pick the horses up myself. CHIEF DUBERNAS: We'17 drop them off probably on Friday. MR. PON: Even better. A11 right. So, you know where it is? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah. MR. PON: I live at 703 Fallon 42 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Street. And the knucklehead's 705, right next door. MR. LENCESKI: From the back? MR. PON: Huh? MR. LENCESKI: You put them in the back? MR. PON: You could put them in the back, yeah. And you'11 definitely drop them off? MR. LENCESKI: Yeah. MR. PON: A11 right. MR. LENCESKI: I'17 give you my card. MR. PON: Yeah. Does it have your number on it? I'17 be calling it. (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. PON: A17 right. So, this is it? We're all set up? MR. RINALDI: You're all set. MR. PON: A11 right, folks. I appreciate you all. MS. SHOTWELL: Thank you very much. MR. RINALDI: Thanks, Jim. Have a good night. MR. PON: Yes, you too. Thank you. 43 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. RINALDI: You're welcome. Nadia, come on up to the podium. Nadia, just state your first and last name for the stenographer. MS. MACHESKA: Nadia Macheska. COURT REPORTER: Can you spell that please? MS. MACHESKA: -A-C-H-E-S-K-A. And it's N-A-D-I-A. COURT REPORTER: Thank you. MR. RINALDI: How are you? MS. MACHESKA: I'm good. MR. RINALDI: Okay. MS. MACHESKA: I would just like to know what progress is being made on 516 Winter Street. MR. RINALDI: Okay. Nadia contacted me, she has the : it's been an ongoing problem. Mike, you're aware of it, correct? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Who owns the property? MS. MACHESKA: Well, that's what we're trying to find out. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. It's :- MS. MACHESKA: Are you the zoning 44 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 man? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yes. MS. MACHESKA: Okay. We spoke on the phone several times. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yes. MS. MACHESKA: Yes. And I'm trying to find out, I did look up on the Lackawanna County records today, and the property, according to Lackawanna County, is owned by Dominick and Julianne Guida. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yes. He died? MS. MACHESKA: I don't know. Did he? MR. RINALDI: What was the last name? Excuse me. MR. BUTLER: Guida. MR. RINALDI: Guida. Okay. MS. MACHESKA: Guida, G-U-I-D-A. MR. BUTLER: Julianne, she was a Giglio, I believe. MS. MACHESKA: She was a Giglio. Right. MR. HOOVER: His name was Donny? MS. MACHESKA: Right. MR. HOOVER: Don Guida? 45 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MS. MACHESKA: Right. MR. BUTLER: Yeah. MR. HOOVER: He lives on Oak Street now, doesn't he? MS. MACHESKA: That's what I heard. The house is abandoned. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: It's foreclosed right now, isn't it? MS. MACHESKA: Okay? And the weeds were so bad - well, first of all, the retaining wall fell down years ago, and it blocked my way. I was here several meetings, I spoke at them. I showed you pictures. I have everything here if anybody wants to see it, I have everything. My lawyer wrote a letter to them. My lawyer was corresponding with Attorney Rinaldi, Bridget Perry, and I'm not going to go with her because it's costing me money and I don't have it. I mean, I just about get by now. I'm trying to upkeep my family's property and it's very hard. The wall needs to be taken down. I'm going to say probably about 97 percent of 46 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 the wall is taken down, but there's all ragged edges where it's left. It's very dangerous. And all the dirt is falling onto my sidewalk, onto my side sidewalk, and weeds are growing, like, this high (Indicating). My neighbor on Saturday, he couldn't stand it anymore, and I really asked him not to do it, but he said, Nadia, he says, you're having a hard time walking. I mean, I'm falling and everything, I'm having a real bad balance problem and knee and hip and back, and I'm going through a lot, and he couldn't stand how it looked sO he trimmed everything. He got all the dirt, he shoveled all the dirt, and you know how hot and humid it was on Saturday, well he did all that for me. He cleaned up 516 sO now I could walk on my sidewalk there on the side, but I couldn't : well, I mean, I did, but I had to move through, like, weeds like corn fields, you know, how like the corn fields are? Well, that's what I had to move through. Nothing is being done. Nothing. MR. BUTLER: Nadia, how long is that 47 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 house empty? MS. MACHESKA: To tell you the truth, I don't really know exactly how many years, but it's a couple of years, and there are rodents there, there are rats there. I have a picture of a dead rat if you want to see it. I have it. MR. BUTLER: And when you called the : what'd you say, you called the state? Who'd you call? MS. MACHESKA: No. I went on Lackawanna County's website and I just looked at the : MR. BUTLER: Because they're divorced. They're divorced a long time. MR. HOOVER: Very long time. MS. MACHESKA: She's remarried. MR. BUTLER: Yeah. MS. MACHESKA: And she lives in another town. She's remarried. MR. HOOVER: I'm going to have to say that house is vacant about two years, two and a half years. He's out of there over a year, sO -- MS. MACHESKA: Oh, he's out of there 48 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 more than a year. More than a year and a half. He is, because : (Inaudible crosstalk.) MS. MACHESKA: And I have a girlfriend that is now retired but that worked at a bank, and she said to me that when a house goes, like, to the bank for whatever, you know : MR. HOOVER: Foreclosure. MR. BUTLER: Foreclosure. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah, foreclosure or whatever, the bank has responsibility to :- MR. RINALDI: Upkeep the property. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. But also, you know, to put, like, wood on the windows and to, you know, and they have to shovel the snow, cut the grass. The grass is being cut because I asked the kid who cut the grass once, I says, Who told you to cut the grass? He said, I got a phone call. I said, From who? Because I want to know who is his boss. Like, who is you know. And he says, I just get a phone call. said, Well you tell him that if he 49 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 owns this property that it's ruining my property, because now it's pushing over, and I have steps to get up to Winter Street, my steps are all cracked. Ih had to get a new wall, okay, in front, because my wall fell over, because everything is being pushed over from -- I mean, that's why I asked you to come and take a look at it. It's better for you to come and take a look at it than for me to explain because it's too hard to explain. MR. RINALDI: Well, I've seen it before. I've been there before. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. I mean, it's a mess. Were you ever there, Mike? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yes. MR. RINALDI: My question is is the bank the owner of the property now, Mike, or is he still the owner? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I have no idea. MS. MACHESKA: Well, I'17 tell you that. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: There was something on the door. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah, but that's 50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2022. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: That's sO, so old and nobody (Inaudible crosstalk.) MS. MACHESKA: That's 2022. Right. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: There's no contact. They said they have nothing to do with it. MS. MACHESKA: Okay. That was from Solid Foundation, and that is who you called. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Right. MS. MACHESKA: Okay? So, I've been calling Solid Foundation for years. So, on 6/26. MR. RINALDI: Of this year? MS. MACHESKA: Of '24 I spoke to a Diamond, that's what her name is, in Solid Foundation, and she told me that she will call the maintenance supervisor and call me back as to who owns the property by end of that week. She didn't. MR. RINALDI: Well, who's Solid Foundation? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: They were there before. They were property manager for : MR. RINALDI: Oh, property manager. 51 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Okay. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: for the mortgage company as of 2022. That's the only information I have, also. MS. MACHESKA: I gave that information to you. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yes. Right. MS. MACHESKA: That's what all the signs are on the door. I think there's, like, about three signs on the door or so, it's all for Solid Foundation. Now, I don't know who fumigated the place because I told them - oh, they moved - somebody moved everything out. I mean, not Donny, because I saw them. I mean, they were kids. And then I told them, I says, Look, Is says, There's rodents in there. I said, We saw rats here, okay, the neighbors. And he said, Okay. He says, We'1l put traps up and we'11 spray. I said, Okay. So, I called Diamond on 7/30 and she told me that it's owned by Rushmore Mortgage Company, and she gave me a number, a phone number, and I called it. And she said, But 52 they're going to be very hard to get in touch with, and they don't call you back. I said, 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Okay. So, I called that number and they said something about Rushmore Servicing, and he gave me another number, like, the recording, and he gave me another number to call, and he also said that I could e-mail him at, and he gave me the e-mail address, but I didn't e-mail him. MR. RINALDI: Not to interrupt you, but to stop you right there, could you give all that information to Mike? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. MS. MACHESKA: Sure. I mean, I just thought : MR. SOKOLOWSKI: It's the newest one that we have. MS. MACHESKA: But if I can get it, why can't you get it? I mean, I'm just one person, they're not going to listen to me. MS. SHOTWELL: Don't we Tegally have, like, we have to send them a letter that they're legally obligated to : (Inaudible crosstalk.) 53 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MS. MACHESKA: But I don't even know if this is true. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: You don't know. MS. MACHESKA: I mean, Diamond told me this. MR. RINALDI: If you give Mike all the information you have : MR. SOKOLOWSKI: It's newer stuff that I don't have. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. But why can't you get it, Mike? I mean, if I can get it, if I can look up records, why can't you look up records like me? I don't want to do your job. I have enough on my mind. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I have a lot, too. MS. MACHESKA: And I know you do, too, but you get paid for doing this. I don't. I have to worry about my house, my health and things like this. And if you have any questions, you can always call me, and you know you could. Do you want to listen to your last conversation that you left me on my voicemai1? Ih have it. I mean, I recorded it and I have it if anybody wants to hear. You said you could 54 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 do no more. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I called and called. Like I said, you have more information than I do. That's the last I have. MS. MACHESKA: Well, I have a mouth and I have ears, and you do, too. I mean, you could do what I did. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I have about ten of them. MS. MACHESKA: I understand. I understand, Mike, but this has been going on for :- (Inaudible crosstalk.) MS. MACHESKA: And I know that you haven't been in zoning when this began. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. Way before me. MS. MACHESKA: But this is going on from Steve whatever -- I have it in here somewhere. I mean, I've been to, like, three zoning managers already or two. Two or three zoning managers went through this already. MR. HOOVER: We have to find out who owns the property first. 55 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. I mean, I don't know if this is correct because he never called me back. I left a message and I never got a call back. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: The one on Sussex Street, the same thing. Whatever the property manager, we looked it up on :- Marylynn looked it up; they don't even exist. Whoever put this up, they're trying to take over these houses, from what we understand, and it's just -- to find these people and get in touch with them is sO hard. It's almost impossible. MS. MACHESKA: And the house is falling apart. MR. KOMENSKY: Mike, could you get that e-mail address from her, though? Maybe we could try it. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah, I could try it, like I said. MS. MACHESKA: Sure. I'm happy to give you anything I have. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Nobody calls me back. I'm in the same boat. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah, but you have 56 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 more clout than I do. I mean, I'm just, Hello, my name's Nadia Macheska, I live at 518 Winter Street, and I was wondering about the property next door to me, 516 Winter Street. Well, they're not going to call me back. MR. RINALDI: Well, that's why I said you give the numbers and information to Mike. He'1l call them. MS. MACHESKA: I mean, who am I? I'm nobody. MR. RINALDI: Well, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that if you give the : (Inaudible crosstalk.) MS. MACHESKA: Really, I am nobody to these companies, you know? MR. RINALDI: No, no, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that if you give him the information as the zoning officer, he'11 call. MS. MACHESKA: But I've given him the information. MR. RINALDI: But he doesn't have this new information, right? MS. SHOTWELL: He's not getting answers either is what he's trying to say. He 57 does call and -- as the governing body, once ABC company doesn't take care of it and XYZ company doesn't take care of it : I mean, there has to be a property owner. So where does, like, the buck end? The county? 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. RINALDI: No. We have to get the property owner. MR. BUTLER: The tax roll. MS. SHOTWELL: Right. But that's what I'm saying, the property owner's ABC but it's not really, it's XYZ. Who gives the actual answer of who owns the property, the county, right? (Inaudible crosstalk.) MS. - SHOTWELL: The county records the deeds. They record the deeds. ATTY. RINALDI: It could be just hung up on the foreclosure process where nobody really owns it, everybody has an interest in it. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: It's the same one on Drakes Lane, same thing. ATTY. RINALDI: Until there's a MR. SOKOLOWSKI: It went for final sheriff's sale. 58 sheriff's sale twice and it didn't sell. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MS. SHOTWELL: It went for sheriff's sale twice? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Twice. And it didn't sell. MS. MACHESKA: I remember this home went for sheriff's sale, because I called the sheriff's office, and I don't know if I have the deputy sheriff or whoever I spoke to's name, I did, and he told me that they had a letter two days before the sheriff's sale to take it off sheriff's sale, that it was being something with mortgage or something. I C don't know. So, it was never put on sheriff's sale, I guess. 516 I'm talking about. You know, 516 Winters. But I'17 be happy to give you whatever you need. But something has to be done. I mean, the deck on the back, the boards are all falling off. I mean, I'17 show you the pictures. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I saw that. I've been there. I know. MS. MACHESKA: Why didn't you stop 59 over my house? Why didn't you call me and, you know, and we could talk? I'm right there. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Let me have the information, I'11 try again tomorrow. I'11 try this other company. MS. MACHESKA: I'11 be happy to give you the information. You know, my writing stinks, sO I'17 have to give it to you. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: A11 right. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. This is what I have. And this is what I found out. Today I printed this out from Lackawanna County. See, if you look on the top it says owners. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Uh-huh. MS. MACHESKA: That's Lackawanna County. So, that's from the assessor's office. It's Dominick and Julianne Guida are the owners. MR. RINALDI: It's saying that they're still the owners as of today? MS. MACHESKA: As of today. I just MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I think it still printed that out today. stays in the name even though the mortgage company : there's a different mortgage 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 company. Id don't know how that works. The name still stays on there. I don't know. MR. RINALDI: Mike, could you call the County, see who's paying the taxes on it tomorrow? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. MS. MACHESKA: Does Gary Percy know anything? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I can talk to Gary, too, but : MS. MACHESKA: I mean, who paid the taxes for 01d Forge, city and school? MS. SHOTWELL: Probably nobody. MS. MACHESKA: But, I mean, Gary should know that, right? MR. KOMENSKY: Yes. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: If they were paid or not, yes. MS. MACHESKA: Right. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: If they're not paid, yes. MS. MACHESKA: Right. MR. RINALDI: Unless there's a bank or a mortgage company that owns it, they would have to be paying the taxes on it. 61 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MS. MACHESKA: Right. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Then you'11 see, yeah. MR. RINALDI: Right. MS. MACHESKA: Because if nobody's paying the taxes on it, then what happens to the house? I mean, what does 01d Forge do? MR. KOMENSKY: Then they have a sale usually, an upset sale. Right, Bill? ATTY. RINALDI: Yeah. I mean, they could be paying the taxes just sO it doesn't go to tax sale because they have a mortgage on it. If they have a mortgage on it, they want to protect their mortgage sO they'17 pay the taxes. MS. MACHESKA: Who? ATTY. RINALDI: The mortgage company. MS. MACHESKA: Oh, the mortgage company. But then Gary Percy would know the mortgage company is what I'm saying. MR. KOMENSKY: Yes. MS. MACHESKA: I mean, you have him right here, or somewhere. MR. RINALDI: That's if they're 62 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 paid. Right. Correct. ATTY. RINALDI: If somebody's paying them through the year. If they're delinquent, they get paid at the county. MR. RINALDI: If they're delinquent, though, it's on -- I would assume they are, but if they're delinquent, they do from the county like Bill said. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. But somebody should know something about who owns 516 Winter Street. Somebody has to know. MR. RINALDI: Well, that's why I asked you to give Mike the information. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. I know. MR. RINALDI: He'1l call that new number. Also, we asked Mike now to call the county tomorrow and see if he could find out who's paying the taxes. MS. MACHESKA: But I know you really don't need that, but that's from the county. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Right. MR. RINALDI: Well, as long as he has the phone numbers. MS. MACHESKA: I mean, I just printed that out from my computer. 63 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. RINALDI: No. The phone number of MS. MACHESKA: Oh, yeah. Rushmore or whatever, yeah. MR. RINALDI: The woman that you spoke with, Diamond. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: Right. MS. MACHESKA: Diamond. But she's from Solid Foundation, and she's the one who told me this, sO God knows if this is even right, you know? I mean, I don't know if she told me the right information either. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I don't know, because I get so many, so many, so many, but they just, they never pan out. MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. I know. Well, and he didn't call me back either, sO I don't know. MR. RINALDI: Well, let's see what he finds out tomorrow. You have Mike's number, correct? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yep. MS. MACHESKA: Oh, yeah. MR. RINALDI: Okay. If you want to 64 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 call him in a day or two, see what he found out. We'11 check with him, as well, but, I mean, if you wanted to just find out for yourself, give him a call, too. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Okay. Could I have that information? MS. MACHESKA: Sure. I just wrote on any available paper I have. This is what Diamond told me, Rushmore Mortgage Company. And this is the -- I don't know if you could understand my writing Rushmore :- let me look. I'17 transcribe it for you. Rushmore code, C-0-D-E, violations. That's what it looks like to me, at something. Oh, here, and I wrote it over here better. But that isn't a good e-mail number. Imean, that's not a good e-mail address. I don't think so, because, you know, you have to have the dot something. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: But you have a .com here on the end. MS. MACHESKA: Oh, okay. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: You don't know what this is? MS. MACHESKA: Something cooper. 65 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 You know what to do, if you call this number, they're going to give you this. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: This is the one they gave you? MS. MACHESKA: Yeah. And Rushmore Servicing, I don't know, I got that number, too, sO if you want to - MR. SOKOLOWSKI: A11 right. I know MS. MACHESKA: Solid Foundation I it's Rushmore. haven't had :- MR. SOKOLOWSKI: They never got back to me. MS. MACHESKA: Oh, you have the number. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. MS. MACHESKA: But it's Diamond that It talked to. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Okay. I'17 see what I can come up with. MS. MACHESKA: Okay. Thank you. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Thank you. MR. RINALDI: You're welcome. Thank you. Anyone else from the public before we move on? 66 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 (No response.) MR. RINALDI: We'1l go down the table see if the members have anything before we adjourn. Mayor Legg? MAYOR LEGG: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have nothing. MR. RINALDI: You're welcome. MAYOR LEGG: I have nothing. Thank you. MR. RINALDI: You're welcome. Councilwoman Jones-Shotwell? MS. SHOTWELL: I have nothing this evening. Thank you. MR. RINALDI: You're welcome. Councilman Komensky? MR. KOMENSKY: I have nothing this evening. Thank you. MR. RINALDI: You're welcome. Councilman Butler? MR. BUTLER: Just the only thing I was talking to Jason about before about the guy that has the junk cars across the street from 01d Forge Golf. Those cars are too close to the road. You come out of Oak Street, you 67 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 can't see who's coming around the bend. Somebody's gonna get killed there. MR. RINALDI: Is that a new car lot, Mike? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: No. MR. BUTLER: It's a junk yard is what it is. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah, that's been there. MS. SHOTWELL: Well, it's a car lot but now he has junk cars there. ATTY. RINALDI: That's a good one for NEIC. MR. BUTLER: The cars are right on the road. There's about three feet of space there. (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. RINALDI: Coming up to Oak Street looking left, correct? MR. BUTLER: Looking to your left, yeah. MR. RINALDI: On the grass? MR. BUTLER: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: Okay. MR. BUTLER: There used to be a car 68 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 wash there at one time, was there not? MR. KOMENSKY: Right. Yes. MR. RINALDI: I'm not that old. MR. BUTLER: Come on, Russ. MR. KOMENSKY: This is the one we got the pictures the other day. MR. RINALDI: I know where you're talking about. Yeah, up on the left. MR. KOMENSKY: Right. MR. RINALDI: Mike, that's the separate property from the car lot, isn't it, or no? MR. BUTLER: There used to be a body shop there at one time. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. I think Chickey owns it, the property. MR. RINALDI: But it's not connected with the old Dave's body shop. It's two different properties. owns the other one. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. Bernie Cap MR. RINALDI: Right. The old Dave's body shop, that's listed to Bernie. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: And then the corner 69 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 is MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Chickey. MR. RINALDI: Chickey. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I C don't know who runs the lot. I called them, left messages, nobody will call me back. There's a phone number on the sign. MR. KOMENSKY: On that trailer there, right? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: Bill, if the person who owns the car lot is renting it off of Tommy Chickey, which is the property owner, is the car lot responsible to move the cars? ATTY. RINALDI: No. The owner is. MR. RINALDI: Oh, of the property. Okay. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: Chickey. I could call him. MR. RINALDI: Call him tomorrow, notify him that the cars : Chief, were you up there? CHIEF DUBERNAS: No. I ( drove by it. They're right in the wooden telephone poles. But there's a new sign there. It's not - it 70 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 used to be Dave. It used to be Mix Autos. I don't know whose it is now. MR. RINALDI: Yeah, it is different. Those are the pictures that the assistant fire chief sent us. MR. HOOVER: Wouldn't they need an occupancy permit after being closed for sO long? MR. SOKOLOWSKI: It hasn't been closed. MR. HOOVER: Well, there's nothing going on there forever. Now all of a sudden there's eight cars there. CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah. He pushed them together, pushed them all the way wayup to the :- MR. HOOVER: Yeah. (Inaudible crosstalk.) MR. RINALDI: On the other side. MR. HOOVER: So, don't you need an occupancy permit? it was opened. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: I don't know when MR. RINALDI: No. It think what he's saying is it was never closed. They just moved 71 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 them up there now. MR. SOKOLOWSKI: They just moved them. CHIEF DUBERNAS: They pushed them all the way up. MR. RINALDI: They pushed them all the way up. They used to have them on the side. MR. HOOVER: So, I'm thinking about a PennDOT problem again, ingress and egress on a highway. MR. BUTLER: Yeah. That's true. MR. RINALDI: Right. That's because : MR. HOOVER: They have to do that. MR. RINALDI: Right. They have to : oh, are you talking about permit or have to move them? MR. HOOVER: Is there an entranceway highway occupancy permit to go in and out, ingress and egress? I don't know that there is one. MR. BUTLER: I don't think there's any way in or out. MR. HOOVER: The only way that you 72 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 can get in there : MR. RINALDI: Is through the old Dave's. MR. HOOVER: : is over by the crick by Casper Street, come up that way, or you have to go in through Dave's. MR. RINALDI: Right. MR. HOOVER: But then you can't do that. So that's another issue. MR. RINALDI: Mike, tell Tommy Chickey tomorrow. First notify him that those cars have to be moved. Correct, Chief? CHIEF DUBERNAS: Yeah. You can't even see. Like I said, they're right up the telephone pole, sO : MR. RINALDI: First notify him that they have to be moved, and then if you could, notify the State, see if there's a highway occupancy permit there. Anything else, Councilman Butler? MR. BUTLER: That's it. MR. RINALDI: Councilman Hoover? MR. HOOVER: I have nothing. MR. RINALDI: I ( don't have any items. The only item I have is James Pisa, one 73 of our DPW workers, he asked me just to address 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Council with this. He's gonna be : (Reading) I, James Pisa, am writing to seek an extension obtaining my CDL license. I'm in the process of studying and looking into taking classes. Once an update becomes available on my timeline, I will provide the information to the Council. Thank you. Bill, would this have to go on the agenda : ATTY. RINALDI: Yep. MR. RINALDI: : for the next meeting : ATTY. RINALDI: Yeah. MR. RINALDI: : for approval or not? ATTY. RINALDI: Well, I'17 talk to Marylynn see what the issue is. MR. RINALDI: Okay. I'11 let you you could keep that copy of that letter. I don't have any items either. Anyone else from the public before we adjourn? (No response.) 74 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MR. RINALDI: At the time the Chair would make a motion to adjourn the work session. MR. HOOVER: I'17 make that motion. MR. RINALDI: Motion on the floor by Councilman Hoover. A11 in favor? ALL MEMBERS: Aye. MR. RINALDI: Good night everyone. Thank you for coming. (Meeting adjourned.) 75 1 2 3 CERTIFICATE Ih hereby certify that the proceedings and 4 evidence are contained fully and accurately in the 5 notes taken by me of the above-cause and that this copy 6 is a correct transcript of the same to the best of my 7 ability. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Michelle Smolskis Official Court Reporter (The foregoing certificate of this transcript does not 24 apply to any reproduction of the same by any means unless under the direct control and/or supervision of 25 the certifying reporter.) 75 1 2 3 CERTIFICATE I hereby certify that the proceedings and 4 evidence are contained fully and accurately in the 5 notes taken by me of the above-cause and that this copy 6 is a correct transcript of the same to the best of my 7 ability. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 MichelTe Smolski's Official Court Reporter (The foregoing certificate of this transcript does not 24 apply to any reproduction of the same by any means unless under the direct control and/or supervision of 25 the certifying reporter.)