Council Minutes – July 8th, 2024

Meeting Overview

The Duncansville Borough Council met on Monday, July 8, 2024, at 7:00 P. M. in the Borough Building. The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call by Secretary Paula J Fox.

Attendance:

• Council Members: Eric Fritz (Mayor), Annette Lewis (President), Jeffrey Lynn (Vice President), Cindy Blontz (Pro Tem), Dave Shaw, Nicole Estep.
• Officials: Rodney Estep (Police Chief/Borough Manager).

Key Decisions & Motions

• Minutes Approval: The minutes from the June 10, 2024 meeting were approved.
• Police Report: The June 2024 Police report was accepted.
• Zoning Officer Appointment: Bryan Rhodes was appointed as the Borough Zoning Officer, replacing Amy who is not retaining the position.
• Park Address: The park address was established as 601 Park Drive following contact with the Blair County GIS department.
• Alley Closure: A motion was passed to advertise for the closing of the alley west of the community center. This is being done in lieu of a traffic study, though Brian Smith from Keller Engineers offered to look into the study if needed.
• Antique Depot Phase 2: The Council voted to contact Mr. Dively and his engineer to correct construction deficiencies before considering the Phase 2 Amended plans.
• Gillian’s Run Cleanup: Brian Smith was authorized to look at cleaning out Gillian’s Run behind the Boucher property.
• Staffing: A motion was passed to hire a part-time public works employee (capped at 20 hours/week) to assist with upcoming projects, contingent on the Finance Committee discussing available funds.
• Bills: Monthly bills for July 2024 were approved for payment.

Department & Committee Updates

• Chief Estep: Reported on the Zoning Officer appointment and the alley closure procedure.
• Parks & Recreation: The pickleball courts are finished and operational. A grant applied for through the Blair County Conservation District was not funded.
• Streets & Equipment: Jim and Jordan have been working on borough alleys.
• Duncansville Community Days: Mayor Fritz reported 38 organizations are participating. Council members were asked to help staff the information/ticket booth; Paula will create a sign-up schedule.
• Unfinished Business: Dan from YOBCO is scheduled to start "Agreed Upon Procedures" on July 11th. An update on the Phase 1 Community Center Project noted additional expenditures are needed for office completion (see attached list).

Administrative Notes

• Office Closure: The Borough office will be closed on Friday, July 19th, to allow staff to prepare for Community Days.
• Executive Session: The Council went into executive session at 8:10 PM for personnel reasons and returned at 8:47 PM.
• Next Meeting: Monday, August 12, 2024.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:48 PM by President Annette Lewis.