Schwenksville Council Passes New Ordinance, Gets New Member

From the council meeting at , Thursday, Sept. 8:

Animal ordinance
Council unanimously passed Ordinance 366, which states the type of animals permitted in the borough and the terms of their confinement. A person may not keep more than five animals without a permit. It prohibits the animals creating nuisance, and a person may be subject to fines for violating the ordinance.

Councilperson Lee Ann Miller asked if a person who wanted to keep a pet not listed in the ordinance could bring the matter to the borough manager, rather than going through a more complex process, such as a zoning hearing.

Council President Arthur Fairclough said that person could.

The ordinance’s passage is the culmination of months of review, research and debate by borough council and solicitor. Resident Robert Duda , saying his neighbor’s numerous dogs were causing disturbance and mess.

New face on council
 Lisa Dull was sworn in at the start of the meeting. She is replacing Maureen Giacomucci, who last month, and the rest of council approved the resolution for Dull to “fulfill the unexpired term until Dec. 31.”

“Congratulations and welcome,” Fairclough said.
“You have now made a friend of the neighbor on this side and an enemy on this side,” Councilman Ray Yeanish said, gesturing to either side of Dull. “You think I’m kidding, wait till you’ve been here a few years,” he added, as the other members chuckled.

Main Street concerns

Work, including striping has begun on Main Street, but many people at the meeting expressed dissatisfaction with the work.

“We explained to the contractor that we are not happy,” said Engineer Dave Leh, citing the gore lines that don’t meet the curb. Mayor Joe Giunta commented that the lines were “sloppy.”

Resident John Scioli, who was also in attendance, has also .

“We called them (the contractor),” Leh said. “They sent out a representative immediately afterward. They said the work was satisfactory. PennDOT has no problem (with the work), either.”

Borough Manager Mike Galla said he has taken pictures of the roads’ problems, and the “ultimate goal” is to sit down with the contractors to review them.

Leh also mentioned that the borough has not yet received an invoice for the work that’s been done, so the contractor hasn’t been paid.

“We’re the customer, and until we’re satisfied, they shouldn’t be paid,” Giunta said.

Miller mentioned that, on a positive note, some residents told her they were happy their respective roads finally had striping.

Deeming the bids for Meadow Park’s drainage work to be “too high,” council voted to reject all of the bids.

Leh said he received eight bids, which ranged from $23,000 to $65,000; he had been expecting the range to be $15,000 to around $22,000.

One of the requirements was that the bidders submit documents to show the company had done work similar to what is expected in the Meadow Park project, Leh said.
The two lowest bidders didn’t have that experience, Leh said. The next lowest bidder is reputable, according to Leh, and does have similar project experience, he said but the $30,000 bid was too high for the work.
“Do you suggest we rebid it?” Miller asked.

“Yes, maybe in the spring and pair it with the rain gardens,” Leh said. “We could get a better bargain with a bigger project and contractor with more experience.”

Finance

Income and budgets statement on track so far, said Fairclough, who gave the report in Rudy Micsko’s absence.

The borough has spent about $8,000 more than has been budgeted, he said. Part of the income problem is people not paying property taxes; the is among those with delinquent payments. The senior living community, which has recently filed for bankruptcy, didn’t pay last year, either, it was noted.

“The recession is hitting all sorts of people and businesses,” Fairclough said.

In other business

• Borough Manager Mike Galla thanked Fire Chief Jim Keyser and Doug Neil for their work during Hurricane Irene. He also noted that Montgomery County gave permission to proceed with the alleyway grant. Leh was authorized to go ahead with work to get the project ready for the bidding process.
• Giunta said he received a call from resident whose vehicle was illegally entered. Quite a few cars along Second Avenue have been gone through, Giunta said, noting that the caller’s car wasn’t locked.
“People have to learn to lock vehicles. There’s this constant problem,” Giunta said.
• Yeanish was directed to check out a portion of Summit Avenue, which is not a dedicated road in the township. A resident sent the mayor an e-mail, asking if the road could be dedicated. The resident said the road is deteriorating, and his neighbors are on fixed incomes, so they are unable to afford repairs.

• Leh will investigate what, if anything, can be done about the stormwater runoff from the Landis property. Yeanish said the entire property is not in the borough, but the corner that is is what is causing the majority of the problems.

“Council after council has said it would be dealt with when the property is developed,” Yeanish said. “The developers aren’t lining up, and the water is here.”
• Giacomucci, who attended the meeting, reported that the latest concert in the park went well. More than 200 people – of all ages -- attended, and “once it got dark, people started to dance like crazy.”

The board went into an executive session after the meeting to discuss possible litigation.