TOWNSHIP OF NORTH HUNTINGDON, BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION MEETING, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2025, 7:00 P.M. 11279 Center Highway, North Huntingdon, PA 15642 Presiding Officer - Jason Atwood, President, Board of Commissioners CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. ROLL CALL Commissioner Hempel - Present Also Present: Commissioner Haigis = Present Manager Harry Faulk Commissioner Gray = Present Assistant Manager Ryan Fonzi Commissioner Zona - Present Solicitor Chelsea Dice Commissioner Bevan - Present Josh Andrykovitch Commissioner Gass - Absent Commissioner Atwood - Present PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ACKNOWIEDGEMENT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION **There was an Executive Session held tonight prior to the Work Session to discuss legal and real estate matters** CITIZENS INPUT Greg Rodgers - 501 Janet Drive- states he is here to discuss the lease on the sports complex and asks ifthe public is going to be able to see the lease agreement before it is voted on. He states he has never experienced a lease that does not require the lessee to divulge in writing the scope of business and a business plan before being considered. He finds it genuinely concerning that in the past, the athletic complex developers stated they will not obligate their financial resources before the Township and citizens relinquish control ofthe property. He hopes the new lease will give the Township control to reject the time oft the lease, subdividing parcels and include property taxes to be borne by the developers. He states during this lease process, it was exposed unforeseen environmental issues creating financial risks to be borne by the Township and he feels it would be irresponsible to enter into a lease agreement with this type oflanguage. Amy Ghetian = 11575 Dennis Circle states she is asking for transparency regarding the sports complex lease and would like to see the lease before it is sent to the developers. She would also like to take into consideration the public works employees. Ryan Senica - 130 Walker Lane introduces himself as the recently elected fire chief of Strawpump VFD. He states standing behind him are dedicated members. In July 2024, they were notified by mail that the ISO rating was ten, the worst rating a department can receive. He reached out to the ISO and was informed the audit did not turn in training documentation and he told them February 13, 2025 he had the documentation to turn in and did SO shortly after, Mr. Senica states he reached out to the audit company multiple times and has not provided a name or email address where the documents were sent to. He states they made the difficult decision to relinquish their service area between Hahntown VFD and Westmoreland City VFD while they got this squared away. He states this was presented to Township management by the fire chiefs who accepted the proposal and six weeks after this took effect it was changed to have their organization disbanded. Mr. Senica states they are one of seven fire departments with one of the busiest areas in relation to emergency response. He states he is committed to leading the department with transparency and community engagement to best serve the residents. Alan Silverio - 149 Skellytown Road - states he is a supporter of Friends of Norwin Trails and if grant funding was available to fund the project of connecting all the parks with trails, he feels would be a great opportunity. Regarding the sports complex, he is asking for an update on the draft lease and if a real estate consultant is involved to review the lease. Nicholas Carrozza = 1223 Guffey Road - addresses Commissioner Gray's comments on letting go of the past and accept that the world and society have changed and to keep moving forward. He also addresses several Board members on other matters. Mary Zugai - 140 Charles Drive states she is in sixth grade and doing this for a project regarding the sports facility. She feels this will bring a safe space for athletes and a sense of community. She states it is difficult for Norwin coaches to secure practice and playing fields for the football, cheerleading teams, and other sports teams. A new complex will also stimulate the economy and bring more jobs. RESPONSE TO CITIZENS INPUT Sports Complex Lease - Commissioner Atwood states the Board has been discussing the lease and is moving forward. He states whenever the Board reaches a consensus, the lease will be brought forward to vote on. Commissioner Gray states he thought the Board did not need to vote and the lease would be sent to the developer without a vote. Commissioner Atwood states you can'tenter into a lease without a formal vote. Commissioner Zona states it was his motion that the Board works on a lease that the majority of the Board agrees to, then it is sent to the developers. Commissioner Gray asks ifit will be public before that. Solicitor Dice states it is up to the Board to decide whether to disseminate the lease to the public before it is sent to the developers. Commissioner Gray feels it should be made public before it is sent to the developer. Strawpump VFD - Commissioner Atwood thanks Ryan Senica for coming to the meeting and states there is a meeting scheduled for tomorrow. Commissioner Gray wishes the department best of luck. Commissioner Atwood states they support Strawpump VFD and would like to see it reopened. Commissioner Zona states he hopes this all gets worked out. February 13, 2025 Work Sessions Discussion Topics 1) EMS Building Upgrades (Grant Funded)* Manager Faulks states the Township owns the building and are planning on doing upgrades with lighting and the generator. He states EMS are applying for a grant through Scott Electric and there is no cost to the municipality or tax payers. 2) Traffic Signal Maintenance Agreement* Manager Faulk states PADot did a recent audit and found there was not an updated maintenance agreement. An agreement and resolution will be provided at next weeks meeting to update the agreement. 3) Military Banners Manager Faulk states the Norwin Rotary maintains the banners on Norwin Avenue and are looking for some alternatives. Parks Coordinator, Lydia Kinkaid, states it was decided by the Board to develop aj program that would work in conjunction with the rotary. She states the rotary's program is for active-duty members only. The proposal she put together will come with a cost of fifty dollars to each participant plus the costs of printing, brackets, etc. She also suggests a year display from November to November. The banners will be displayed in the Township parks focusing on Oak Hollow Park and Indian Lake. Commissioner Zona thanks Lydia for this project and will be no cost to the Township. Commissioner Hempel feels this is a great idea and will support it. 4) Proclamation* 5) Comp Plan Update Manager Faulk states the last time the comprehensive plan was updated was in 2000. The Township received a twenty five thousand dollar grant to update the plan and the steering committee started the process in October 2022 in which the Board adopted the plan on August 2023. Some items with room for improvement are lack of Township programs & events, traffic congestion, road safety and infrastructure, limited public open space programming and repetitive and unstainable land use patterns. Manager Faulk states an eighteen hole disc golf course has been completed, currently constructing two pickleball courts, investing two hundred seventy thousand dollars for parks improvements to include playground, trash cans and water fountain upgrades, and restructured the parks department and created a coordinator position to focus solely on expanding recreational opportunities, and working with Friends of Norwin Trails to develop new trails at Braddocks Trail Park and connecting neighborhoods to the parks. Also, increased the programming budget from seventy five thousand to one hundred thousand dollars to introduce new contests and special events. 6) Friends of Norwin Trails Grants* Friends of Norwin Trails approached the Township for help with DCNR grant funding to apply for grants on their behalf. February 13,2025 7) 2025 Capital Improvement Plan a. Salt Shed Tarp Replacement* Manager Faulk states the tarp on the salt shed needs replaced and will cost twenty nine thousand dollars to protect the salt stock. b. Indian Lake There are several issues at Indian Lake where the lake will need dredged, there are beams on the covered bridge that need replaced, the Kenda Dam is leaking and streambank stabilization. He states grants will be applied for to help with the repairs. C. Vehicle for Public Works* Manager Faulk states a Dodge Ram 550 will be purchased and the chassis will be financed at seventy three hundred dollars and to outfit the vehicle with the dump, plow, spreader and hydraulics will be an additional fifty seven thousand dollars to be paid in full. d. Vehicles for Police Manager Faulk states historically three vehicles are purchased every year for the police department, but the prices have increased significantly, sO two vehicles will be purchased this year totaling ninety four thousand dollars. e. Parks i. Water Fountains* The water fountains were removed in Spring of 2024 and never replaced. Ms. Kinkaid states the removed water fountains have left exposed hook-ups. She states she would like to purchase new water fountains and upgrade others. Oak Hollow Park will need five water fountains. Manager Faulk states the low quote of eighteen thousand dollars was received. ii. Garbage Cans* Ms. Kinkaid states the current garbage cans in the parks are large metal barrels. She states there are issues with chipping paint, rust, and open tops filling up with water making it difficult to empty. She states she would like to start with Oak Hollow Park and Indian Lake and slowly upgrade all the parks. Manager Faulk states the cost is fifty six thousand dollars to be paid out ofthe parks fund. Ms. Kinkaid adds the cans are made from recycled materials and are weather resistant. ili. Playground Equipment* Ms. Kinkaid states while there are nice newer playgrounds, there are some components that need to be updated. Starting with Lions Park, she would like to replace the current playground equipment that is damaged with an Orbiter which is a platform that spins and is inclusive to all ages and handicap. Also, she would like to remove the current swing set and install a new one with five swings including an adaptive swing. Penns Woods, Lincoln Acres and Jacktown Acres have a similar situation with the swing set needing replaced to include adaptive swings. Manager Faulk states the cost to upgrade and replace the swings would be a thirty six thousand seven hundred five dollars. February 13, 2025 f. 2025 Milling and Resurfacing /) FiberMat Sealing Program * Manager Faulk states bids have been received, are ready to be approved and came within budget being able to pave all the roads plus additional roads. g. Police Grant Tech Upgrades* Manager Faulk states a grant was received in the amount of 1.2 million dollars in 2023 and are nearing the end ofit. He states this is one of the final items to upgrade the tower and antenna in the amount of sixty thousand dollars which will be reimbursed. PLANNING /1 ENGINEERING TOPICS: 1) S-01-2025: Harper Subdivision *) Proposed subdivision on Bickerstaff Road Director Andrykovitch states this is a proposed subdivision for Casey & Cheryl Harper of 2640 Bickerstaff Road who own 18.534 acres. They would like to subdivide 4.7 acres for the purpose of a single-family home. The Planning Commission recommended approval 6- 0 with sewage planning approval from the PA DEP. 2) S-02-2025: Sunset Valley / Revision 3 *Proposed residential development of an original phase ofSunset Valley Director Andrykovitch states this is a major subdivision on Sunset Avenue with Pasquarelli Property Management as the owner ofthe property and plans to develop the site with single family homes. The applicant is seeking preliminary approval and will need detailed reports and drawings provided at the time of final approval. The Planning Commission recommended preliminary approval 6 - 0 with all conditions deferred until the application for final approval is submitted. 3) S-03-2025: Tuscan Hills Phase VIII & IV Revision 1 *Proposed. subdivision on Antonio Drive Director Andrykovitch states this is a subdivision of single-family lots and will be the final two phases in Tuscan Hills. He states Phase Eight will include nineteen new homes and Phase Nine will include thirty eight new lots. The Planning Commission recommended approval 5-1 with any outstanding conditions from KU Resources being satisfied before final approval. OLD BUSINESS FURTHER BOARD COMMENTS Commissioner Zona states there has been a recent rade of a vape shop where the owners are accused of selling controlled substances out of the building. He states a lot of people have approached him appalled that it is occurring in the Township. He asks the solicitor or anyone else in the Township what our rights are on being able to shut down a business who blatantly and February 13, 2025 willfully violates the law. Solicitor Chelsea Dice states the vape shop is permitted to sell certain items and a controlled substance that they are not allowed to sell, if doing sO, can move forward and do a cease and desist to shut them down. She also advises to look through the ordinançes to identify any other sections that might be relevant to issuing a cease and desist. Commissioner Zona asks ifthey would have to wait until there is a conviction or guilty plea. Solicitor Dice states if our inspectors find that there is actual illegal substances and is very clear they do not have the authority to be selling, could move forward. Manager Faulk asks if when looking through the ordinances and have ai nuisance ordinance for a nuisance business would give teeth to shut it down. Solicitor Dice states absolutely and would be prudent to have such an ordinance. Commissioner Haigis asks Manager Faulk or Solicitor Dice if the Township got served any litigation for denying the Rhodin Subdivision. Solicitor Dice states yes we did and they already appealed. Commissioner Haigis asks Manager Faulk to keep track of the amount of money is being spent on the litigation. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Commissioner Zona Motion to adjourn. Second: Commissioner Haigis Motion carried 7 - 0-0 (8:17PM) Special Meeting minutes of February 13, 2025, were approved by the Board of Commissioners on March 19, 2025. & aft 27Ol Jason Atwood, President Harry R. Faulk, Township Secretary jh