CLEARFIELD – Last night, Clearfield Borough Council adjourned for an executive session to discuss personnel issues, in particular the matter of certifications for Code Enforcement Officer Larry Mack.
Afterward, council approved by unanimous roll-call vote to rescind a motion made Aug. 16, 2012, requiring Mack’s certification within the year. Councilman James Kling said the motion was in regards to International Property Maintenance (IPM) certification, which Pennsylvania does not require. He noted that Mack does have Building Code Officer (BCO) Certification.
Police Officer Nathan Curry gave a report, as the grant administrator for a state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) safety education grant.
He said the police department and PennDOT District 2 Safety Press Officer, Dawn Roussey, teamed with Domino’s Pizza to distribute informational brochures pasted on pizza boxes. Two brochures provided information on aggressive driving and wearing seat belts. Curry said they distributed 9,000 brochures between July 8 and Aug. 15, with an estimated 13,500 people reached with the campaign. Curry plans to present a Certificate of Appreciation to Domino’s Pizza for their help in the campaign.
Roussey also spoke regarding the effectiveness of the educational campaign. She thanked Curry for his work in administrating the grant and campaign. She said she and Curry did a seat belt survey at the Clearfield High School as part of the “Click it or Ticket” campaign.
She said under the new seat belt law, drivers under age 18 driving without a seatbelt can be cited with a primary violation.
Roussey stated that just fewer than 50 percent of all accidents are due to aggressive driving, and that speeding is the top cause of aggressive driving accidents.
Fire Chief Todd Kling reported applying for 2014 State Fire Department grant of $60,000. He said he will also apply for the federal grant programs for 2014 as soon as the applications are available. He said the fire company will be busy in October with Fire Prevention Month activities. Kling reminds residents to check smoke and CO2 detectors and fire extinguishers to be sure they are working, change alarm batteries with the time change and make or update a safety preplan.
Kling also stressed that drivers be mindful regarding school bus and work zone safety. Mayor James Schell repeated the reminder especially for school buses. He said he has watched vehicles pass school buses when their lights are flashing. He said he understands some see it as an inconvenience to stop for school buses, “but it is the law.”
Kling reported on plans for improvements to the Third Ward fire house. The plans include replacing doors and windows and adding insulation and drywall for energy efficiency and appearance. The estimated cost of the improvements is between $16,000 and $20,000. Council approved to proceed with engineer drawings, with target date to begin in October. Plans will be presented at the next council meeting.
Council approved requests for four different street use or closure events for October and November, including a 5K run in October to benefit a Clearfield High School Scholarship fund, a “Run for the Ritz” scheduled for Nov. 9, the Clearfield Eagles “Save the Ritz” street dance during the fall festival, and the Kiwanis Halloween Parade for Oct. 29 at Stadium Drive and Park Street.
Council noted that street events will need to have three months prior approval in future, particularly if PennDOT permitting is required.
Kling also pointed out a safety issue with event coordinators using colored paints to delineate event routes. He noted that specific colors are used for marking utility line locations for digs and repairs. For a recent event, green paint was used to mark an event route, which was nearly mistaken for a utility line dig.
Street Manager Steve Biancuzzo said white is the best color to use for marking for street events, and the paint should be a water-based, water soluble paint. It was noted that this information will be included in applications for street functions.
Biancuzzo reported that HRI Inc. will begin paving projects on Monday, starting with Walnut, Leavy and Locust streets. Council approved his recommendation to replace the traffic sensor loop at Locust and Third streets, pursuant to paving.
Council also discussed the poor condition of the roads from 10th to 14th streets resulting from work previously done by the Clearfield Municipal Authority in repairing lines. Borough Operations Manager Leslie Stott said she will address the problem with CMA Friday.
Police Chief Vince McGinnis reminded residents the borough police will be participating in the Drug Take Back program Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the police station. He said details are available on the department’s Facebook page.
Stott reported receipt of $35,319.02 from the Clearfield County Fair Board for Amusement Tax payment, which goes into the borough’s general fund.
In other business, the council approved:
- Trick-or-Treat night for Halloween, Thursday, Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. People wanting to be visited should leave their porch lights on;
- Resolutions for completion of 2013 CDBG grant application in amount of $97,472;
- To advertise for street materials, including High Performance Stock Patch;
- To advertise for snow removal proposals;
- The Fall clean-up schedule;
- To accept the resignation of part-time police officer Eric McBride;
- The police retirement plan financial requirement and minimum municipal obligation for 2014 budget; and
- The employee uniforms plan for 2014 municipal budget.