Rush Township Municipal Building
Hometown, PA 18252
Minutes of the Monthly Meeting of the Rush Township Board of Supervisors
The monthly meeting of the Rush Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 6:00 o’clock p.m. by Chairman William J. Sanchez, Jr. Those in attendance were Vice-Chairman Shawn Gilbert; Supervisor Stephen Simchak.; Secretary/Treasurer Terri Conville; Attorney Robert Yurchak; and Officer Duane Frederick. Approximately twenty residents and two reporters were also in attendance. The pledge of allegiance was then recited.
Ms. Conville read the following statement: These proceedings are being recorded for the sole purpose of constituting the accuracy of written minutes. Tapes are reused, eliminating recorded records of these proceedings. For the record, please state your name if you have comments to make.
Presentation by SEDCO-(TIDE)
Frank Zukas did a presentation on the lots in the TIDE Industrial Park in Hometown. The KOZ designation of five lots is set to expire on December 31, 2008. Mr. Zukas asked the Board to approve a resolution to extend the KOZ designation by another ten years. Mr. Zukas noted under the new resolution, the tax exempt status on each lot would not take effect until the lot is developed. In the meantime, taxes would be collected. The resolution does not need approval until July and also would have to be approved by the school district and the county.
American Water Services Report
John Tiejaro read the American Water Services report as of March 17, 2009. A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to accept the American Water Services report for the month and place it on file. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak for Charlie Price Excavating and Construction to install a new roof on the sewer building in the amount of $6,800.00. Mr. Price was the lowest estimates of the three estimates received. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Supervisor Simchak stated Mr. Tiejaro and Ms. Conville worked up a report for the grinder pumps needed for Lake Hauto. Approximately 15-18 grinder pumps are rebuilt each year. A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to purchase twenty grinder pumps for a total price of $29,700.00 from Site Specific & Design from Glenside, PA. Vice-Chairman Gilbert stated another quote was received for the purchase 6 grinder pumps in which we would split the order with Butler Township. A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Gilbert to buy six grinder pumps and split the order with Butler Township. Chairman Sanchez, Jr. seconded the motion. Under the question, Mr. Starry wanted to know why we deal with Butler Township. Sanchez Jr. and Gilbert voted for the motion. Simchak voted no. Motion carried.
Police Report
O.I.C. Duane Frederick read the police report for the month of February, 2009. Officer Frederick asked for permission to apply for a grant for the police department. The grant is part of the stimulus package and would pay the full salary of up to three police officers for the first three years. Then the township would have to pay the salary for one year and all the benefits. A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Gilbert for Officer Frederick to apply for that grant for up to three full time officers. Motion dies for a lack of a second. A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to accept the police report. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Bid Openings
The bids received for the sale of the 1991 International 4900 Diesel Dump-truck were as follows: Nick Beltrami Excavating $2,121.71, Mike Veneziano $5,201.00, Mark Madara $1,875.00, Robert Argust $800.00, Ron Lindenmuth $3,625.00, Ed Sabol $500.00, and Ron’s Garage $3,251.00. A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to award the truck to Mike Veneziano for the bid amount of $5,201.00. Gilbert noted we had an offer on the truck of $10,000 but Sanchez Jr. stated we still have to go thru the bidding process. The motion was seconded by Chairman Sanchez, Jr. Under the question, Mr. Starry wanted to know where the gentleman was from that was awarded the truck. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Minutes of Previous Meetings
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to approve the minutes of the monthly meeting February 17, 2009. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Treasurer’s Report
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to approve the treasurer’s report as of February 28, 2009. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. Under the question, Chairman Sanchez, Jr. asked Ms. Conville to read the treasurer’s report. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Approval of Current Township and Sewer Bills for March, 2009
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to approve all current township and sewer bills for March 2009. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Municipal Reports
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to approve and accept all municipal reports for the month. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Correspondence
A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Gilbert to accept all correspondence for the month and place it on file for public review. Supervisor Simchak seconded the motion.
Key areas noted by Ms. Conville in the correspondence file for the month were as follows:
1. Letter from Schuylkill County Planning & Zoning Office
2. Letter from Schuylkill County Tax Claim Bureau
3. Letter from Eugene Milus
4. Letter from Bob Scutta
5. Tax Claim Bureau
6. Cathey Schimpf
7. Marion Lazur
8. News & Views from Pa. Economy League
9. Correspondence PSATS
10. Township Today Newsletter
11. Schuylkill Courant Newsletter
12. NEPA
13. Andrew Snyder
14. Booklet from the US Census Bureau
All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Attorney’s Business – No report was given for the month.
Old Business
New Business
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to appoint Kevin G. Leitzel to serve as the alternate member on the Zoning Hearing Board for a term of 3 years. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Gilbert to appoint Steve Simchak as the voting delegate at the 2009 State Convention. Supervisor Simchak seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Gilbert to hire the following part time police officers at the rate of $12.00 per hour: Robert Minnick, Richard Bekesy, and Amanda Reiber. Chairman Sanchez, Jr. seconded the motion. Under the question, Sanchez Jr. asked Officer Frederick if background checks were done on these people. Robert Leibensperger asked if the police grant was for full time or part time coverage. He thinks it was a good idea to review it on the cost. Supervisor Simchak stated he would be voting no for this motion. Simchak noted that revenues are down at this time of year compared to last year. Simchak noted there is a $5,000 deficit in the part time police budget at this time and the Board should take a look at it in a month or two from now. It is nothing against the people. Mr. Starry suggested hiring a full time officer now and eliminate some of the part time officers. Sanchez Jr. and Gilbert voted in favor of the motion with Simchak voting no. The motion carried.
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to re-schedule the Supervisor’s meeting of April 21, 2009 to Friday, May 1st at 6:30 pm. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. Under the question, Pat Tracey wanted to know why the meeting was being changed. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to authorize the meeting on the issue of ESP for Friday, May 1st at 7:30 pm. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. Under the question, Gilbert stated the business meeting would be at 6:30 pm and the meeting to discuss ESP would begin at 7:30 pm. Gilbert noted the meeting was changed because of the state convention being held that week. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
General Purpose Public Participation
1. Mr. Starry – wanted to know when the intersection would be fixed by the Beacon and Rita’s Italian Ice. He also wanted to know why the King Buffet closed at the mall.
2. Pat Tracey – wanted to know why payroll is outsourced by the township. Ms. Tracey also inquired about the township getting one key for all the doors in the building at a cost of $500.00. Ms. Tracey asked if the Board has another lawsuit against them about the piping. Ms. Tracey asked Attorney Yurchak if there was a filing by the FOP for Robbie since the last meeting and did he win his case with unemployment. She also asked if the Board had a twenty day period to enter a response. Attorney Yurchak noted that Robbie did win his case for unemployment and the rest is in litigation at this point and is up to the court. Yurchak also stated there is a 20 day waiting period for the lawsuit and it would be up to the courts to decide.
3. Jeaninne Motroni – wanted to know how many employees the township has and did we check into having another company do the payroll. Simchak stated it is not cost effective. Sanchez Jr. would like to see it back in house. Gilbert said he will make that motion if Sanchez brings the sewer billing back in house. Chairman Sanchez, Jr. stated we should move forward on payroll to resolve the matter. A motion was made by Chairman Sanchez, Jr. to move forward on this payroll issue for next month’s meeting to resolve this matter. Vice-Chairman Gilbert seconded the motion. Sanchez Jr. and Gilbert voted for the motion with Simchak voting no. Motion carried.
4. Marion Lazur – wanted to know what is being done with Quakake Park and if there will be a road program this year at all.
5. Barry Messerschmidt – stated there was confusion on the police issue to vote for the free money. A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Gilbert for Duane to apply for that grant for 3 years for an officer. After a brief discussion, Gilbert changed his motion to let Officer Frederick apply for that grant and bring back that information.
6. Cathey Schimpf – stated once the police officer is hired, he is in the union after one year. She stated the grant is a trap, there is no free lunch. Schimpf noted the township made that mistake ten years ago and never got out. Vice-Chairman Gilbert stated the police department is down one full time officer right now, and if you don’t apply you won’t get the money. Sanchez Jr. stated he has to vote with his heart and is voting no. Motion dies for lack of authorization.
7. Allynn Starry – spoke on behalf of her parents, Frank and MaryAnn Gilham in reference to the water problem at her parents’ home. Ms. Starry stated the previous engineer for the township noted the drainage problem was created by the development of Wal-Mart. Ms. Gilham will follow up with Bill McMullen on what process has been made. Chairman Sanchez, Jr. will talk to our engineer and be in touch with Ms. Starry personally.
8. Joe Yuranovage- asked if the township has applied for any stimulus money.
9. Tom Murphy – wanted to know if the drawings are in house for the Storm-Water Study.
10. Marion Lazur – asked if the engineer received payment for the study and can the residents see the part that is complete.
Supervisor’s Response Period
A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Gilbert to bring the road department back as of April 1st full-time. Chairman Sanchez, Jr. seconded the motion. All voted in favor of the motion, carried.
Chairman Sanchez, Jr. stated the Board had an offer of $10,000 for the truck, but this came after the Board approved to advertise the sale of the truck. The Board had to follow through with the bid process. Vice-Chairman Gilbert asked Attorney Yurchak if we could have rescinded that motion, restructure it as a trade in and redo the vote over. Yurchak stated it would have required action by all parties involved to agree to it.
Adjournment
A motion was made by Supervisor Simchak to adjourn the meeting. Chairman Sanchez, Jr. seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned 4 at 7:15 o’clock p.m.
Transcribed and Attested
___ Terri Conville, Secretary/Treasurer
