BOROUGH OF FRANKLIN PARK BOROUGH COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025 A work session of the Borough Council of the Borough of Franklin Park was held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 2344 West Ingomar Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237. The meeting was also held virtually via remote audio and video conferencing. Council President Uday Palled called the meeting to order. COUNCIL MEMBERS: Laura Czekaj, Second Vice President. present Jiang Li, Vice President. present Brian S. Malkin present Lucas R. Myslinski. present Uday Palled, President. present Thomas C. Schwartzmier. present Junior Councilperson Mila Deli. present Mayor Dennis E. O'Keefe present ENGINEER: Dave Kovac, Lennon, Smith, Souleret Engineering, Inc. present Civil & Environmental Consultants, inc. absent SOLICITOR: Robert Max Junker, Babst Calland present STAFF: Zach Brower, Recreation Program Director present Gary Bucuren, Superintendent of Public Works. present Rege Ebner, Borough Manager present Jim Huff, Manager of Golf Course & Parks Facilities present Cathy Krummert, Borough Secretary present Aron Leach, Police Chief. present Andy Nock, Assist. Bldg. Insp./Fire & Tech Official.. present Tim Phillips, Building InspectorlZoning Officer.. present Scott Weiskircher, Finance Director/Borough Treasurer. absent AUDIENCE: 2 ANNUAL MEETING WITH PLANNING COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON - Chairperson Colin Lampark provided a report on the Planning Commission noting that this is his second term as Chairperson. The commission tries to rotate the Chair responsibility every couple years. They have a couple new members, and it takes a while for them to get up to speed. The Commission is heavy on engineers and attorneys but there is a good balance. The attendance is good, and members come prepared. Things have slowed down a lot from ten years ago when he joined the commission. The Planning Commission will be looking at possible zoning overlay districts at some of the major intersections. Council noted that they welcome new ideas from the Planning Commission that would benefit the Borough, and they asked if anything in the ordinances have given the commission any issues. Mr. Lampark noted that applicants have an issue with the stormwater requirements. Mr. Phillips stated that the requirements have reduced stormwater complaints although the applicants are not happy with the costs. Mr. Ebner noted that the Borough will be reviewing the stormwater ordinance to comply with the 2022 DEP version. PERFORMANCE OF BOROUGH PENSION PLANS - Jason Staley of Schneider Downs provided an update regarding the performance of the General Employees' and Police Pension Plans and answered questions. The market has been volatile but both plans are positive at this time. 1 BOROUGH OF FRANKLIN PARK BOROUGH COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025 OLD BUSINESS: Dedication of open space; fees in lieu thereof - Council had briefly discussed the fee at a previous meeting. The fee is paid by developers in lieu of dedicating quality open space. Mr. Palled noted that the fee has not been changed since 2015, and he discussed some data points showing that the Borough is leaving money on the table. Council then discussed increasing the fee to cover costs, and Mr. Junker noted that it could be increased by resolution. Mr. Ebner will look at the data and will make a recommendation. REGULAR MEETING AGENDA REVIEW - Mr. Junker briefly reviewed the agenda. STAFF REPORTS: Report by Max Junker, Borough Solicitor He attended the ALOM Conference and discussed a session regarding advertisements for bids. The guidance was to use 30 days from the first advertisement to the date of the bid opening. Report by Gary Bucuren, Superintendent of Public' Works They have been doing a lot of storm cleanup from last week's S powerful storm, and they will probably be brush chipping for another two weeks. Report by Tim Phillips, Building Inspector/Zoning Officer The Planning Commission will be revisiting the Emma Gross Plan located on private a lane. We may have to tighten up the ordinance based on the outcome. The Zoning Hearing Board will consider two applications for rear and side yard encroachments. He is pursuing civil complaints at the District Magistrate's office for zoning violations, and he noted that the Borough is not required to pay for the filings. He stated that Deerfield Estates 2B will be under construction within the next few weeks. Report by Zach Brower, Recreation Director He is busy with summer camp registrations and has received a few complaints regarding cancellation fees that were put in place to cover processing fees. Mr. Schwartzmier asked ift there is a fee to play pickleball at Blueberry Hill Park. Mr. Brower noted that the first two pickleball courts are rentable for $15 per hour for residents only. If they are not rented, they are available for drop-in play. Mr. Schwartzmier asked if a tennis court could be put in where the two pickleball courts were located in Old Orchard Park. Mr. Brower stated that the space is not big enough. The Festival in the Park planning is going well. He is looking for another dessert truck that does not conflict with other vendors. It was suggested that he contact Northland Library since they had food trucks at their Garden Gala recently. Report by Jim Huff, Manager of Golf Course & Parks Facilities He plans to pressure wash and repaint the pickleball courts in Old Orchard to alleviate people trying to play pickleball. Some parents of younger children use the space for play or to ride bikes since iti is fenced in. They will start planting the trees received from Tree Pittsburgh. The "Save the Dates" were mailed for the Scholarship Golf Outing to be held at the new venue. Flyers will be mailed next month for registration and sponsorships. He noted that we need help to push to try to get 100+ golfers. He is looking to increase the price per golfer. He noted that the boxwoods used for landscaping at the Activity Center have blight and will need to be removed. As a result, they will need to redo some of the landscaping. Report by Dave Kovac, Borough Engineer The bids for the golf course clubhouse exterior renovations will be opened on Monday. The bid award will be added to the May meeting. They are finalizing the bid documents for the roof replacement in Blueberry Hill Park. 2 BOROUGH OF FRANKLIN PARK BOROUGH COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025 Report by Aron Leach, Police Chief The police department is now an accredited department. A plaque will be presented to the Borough at the July regular meeting. They were awarded a $5,000 grant to purchase a new forensic camera and to provide training to two officers. The drop-dead date for Microsoft Windows 10 is in October. The Chief did an audit of all police department computers and found that five desktops will be non-compliant and must be taken out of service. Hel has negotiated the price down to $7,500 for five new desktop computers, and he is hoping to use the funds from the upcoming sale of an old patrol vehicle to purchase new desk-top computers. in addition, he is hoping to defer the installation of cameras in Acorn Park until next year. The Chief will also have a second patrol vehicle to sell once the new vehicle is upfitted. In addition, some of the patrol vehicle computers use Windows 10. He also met with the vendor today regarding the patrol vehicle computers and it appears that the vendor will be able to temporarily overcome the issue. The Chief will then budget for new patrol vehicle computers in the future. Mr. Brower noted that cameras are needed at Acorn Park, especially with the pump track, and they cannot be delayed. Council agreed that the Chief should move forward with the computer purchases. Staff left the meeting at this time. MANAGER'S REPORT DISCUSSION ITEMS: Computer purchase for Borough Manager - We will need to purchase a computer for the new Borough Manager, and Mr. Ebner had forwarded a quote to Council. Mr. Nock then reviewed the specifications noting that computer prices have increased. Council discussed the quote, and Mr. Palled would like to review the specifications and make some changes in order to lower the cost. FIRE COMPANY REPORT, INVOICING FOR FIRE CALLS - Mr. Nock noted that the population growth has not increased fundraising amounts for the volunteer fire company. As a result, the fire company started to discuss the possibility of invoicing for interstate calls for non-residents. They obtained legal advice and were advised that all invoicing must be fair and equal. Council discussed the possibility of the fire company invoicing for calls and whether or not resident donations could be used as an offset to an invoice. Mr. Nock noted that the fire company is also concerned that they may lose resident donations if they begin to invoice. A lot of data would need to be collected during a call in order to process an invoice. The police department would also have to provide the information regarding all of the individuals involved in an incident. Mr. Ebner will research what municipalities in Allegheny County currently have a fire tax. The fire company needs guidance from Council, and Mr. Nock will schedule a meeting with a non-quorum of Council members and the fire company board of directors to continue discussions. HOME RULE UPDATE - Mr. Palled noted that he had met with the Spring Ridge HOA to provide information regarding Home Rule. Ms. Czekaj asked about the postcards that will be mailed to residents, and she requested that a notice be placed on the website to allow residents to submit questions via email ahead of the public meeting in June. REPORTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS: Dr. Li discussed the well pad site in Economy Borough and asked how we could find out if they are drilling under Linbrook Park. Mr. Ebner stated that the Borough did not grant permission for drilling under the park; however, many residents gave permission for drilling on their properties surrounding the park. Mr. Malkin noted that there is a state database where drilling information can be found. Dr Li also asked about the storage of wastewater, and it was noted that the DEP monitors the wastewater removal. Council discussed the numerous water trucks traveling to the well pad site that have been parking along I-79, the Wexford exit ramp and Route 910. The police will be conducting random safety checks of the trucks on Route 910. 3 BOROUGH OF FRANKLIN PARK BOROUGH COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025 Mayor O'Keefe has been receiving complimentary emails regarding the cleanup efforts by the Borough after the storm last week. First responders also provided assistance to residents as needed. Mr. Malkin received an email from a resident on Cole Road requesting speed bumps to slow down traffic. Council discussed and it was noted that the Borough applied for a grant for five solar powered speed signs. Mr. Palled spoke with MFPAA board member Jamie Bonomo to ask his thoughts about what is happening with MFPAA. Mr. Bonomo reported that Bradford Woods, Marshall and Pine have signed their agreements. McCandless has not signed and has indicated that they may not be willing to pay the requested contribution because they feel there is some inequity. Mr. Bonomo mentioned possible options if McCandless does not sign their agreement including charging McCandless residents a higher subscription fee or modifying their service level. Council discussed whether or not to sign the agreement and how to proceed. Mr. Palled received an email from a Traci Drive resident regarding a gap in connectivity along Rochester Road near Franklin Elementary School. Council discussed the possibility of installing the missing sidewalk and crosswalk. Since this is a state road, the Borough would need to seek approval from PennDOT and cover the costs. Mr. Palled discussed a newspaper article regarding the Quaker Valley School District doing some branding sponsorships to fund their facilities. It was noted that Council had previously discussed and decided against naming rights and sponsorships. Mr. Palled stated that it is something to think about. Mr. Palled attended the EAC meeting and there was discussion regarding the trees on Oakleaf Lane. He explained what has transpired, the Borough's position, and the compromise offered by the Borough. Mr. Palled also informed Council that the EAC would like to look into the slope requirements in our ordinance to be sure they are very strong, EXECUTIVE SESSION = An executive session was held to discuss personnel and property acquisition. As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at approximately 11:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, nununtor Cathy L. Krummert Borough Secretary 4