Council offers Allison Street neighbors remedy
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

A peaceful solution appears to be on the horizon for Greencastle residents unhappy with the quality of road construction on South Allison Street. They have voiced concerns since February about backfill and potential problems with the ground settling. They alleged Charles E. Brake Co., Inc. did not install the storm sewer according to contract specifications. Borough Council Vice President Paul Schemel offered a treaty at the April 7 meeting.

Acting on behalf of absent president Charles Eckstine, Schemel read a proposed resolution in which the borough promised to pay to repair any settlement damage to the property owners' sidewalks, curbs, water or sewer lines as a result of the stormwater project.

"This is our guarantee of essence," he said. "It is our response to your request, which we believe was a reasonable request."

He added that Brake made assurances the work was done properly and experts the borough consulted had said settling was most likely to occur within the first couple years, even more so during the first winter, which has just passed.

Council member Craig Myers wondered if the resolution lasted forever and whether a precedent was being set. The council believed it was the first time such a guarantee had been issued and agreed it should not last for 100 or even 30 years. They felt the critical period was over.

Schemel thanked the neighbors in attendance for bringing the matter to the borough's attention so patiently and said it was a learning process for council. He expected them to be more proactive with residents on any future street improvement projects.

Before the affected roads could be paved, the curbing had to be installed, Borough Manager Kenneth Womack said. He was working on getting a bid for the municipality, which would likely utilize prevailing wage. Resident Joel Bittner added he was making progress getting a bid from a private contractor. Once both numbers were available, the residents will choose who to hire for the work on their own property. Womack said the sidewalks could be done at the same time as the curbs or in the fall. He added that the June 1 deadline for curbs would likely be delayed because no one yet had hard numbers on the bids.

"We will work closely with property owners on the timing," he said.

The council authorized Eckstine to sign the acceptance of the Certificate of Substantial Completion submitted by Brake. Schemel said the document acknowledged that most of the work had been done and was paid for.

Another resident, Paul Helman, had written a letter to the borough March 24 asking it to seek a remedy to his concerns about the project prior to paving this summer. He had enclosed a picture of a sewer connection in his yard. Council member Harry Foley thought common sense indicated the connection was a temporary one. Schemel said the date on the picture matched the date from Brake's records of the initial dig and a permanent sewer connection would have been done later. Council members decided the resolution just passed was a sufficient response for Helman, who was not at the meeting.

Council seat open

Due to the resignation of Nancy Dunn, effective March 19, borough council must appoint someone to the seat within 30 days of that date. Solicitor Melissa Dively said if it had no candidates by then, the Vacancy Board had 15 days to appoint someone. Beyond that point, it would end up in the courts with a petition process. The borough is seeking interested parties to submit letters of interest. Dunn submitted her resignation to Eckstine, citing a conflict of interest. She is part of a lawsuit filed against the borough, council members and manager by singlefamily homeowners in Moss Spring Estates concerning a planned residential development in the borough and Antrim Township.

The council also had two vacant seats on the Shade Tree Commission, due to the resignations of Dunn and Doris Burdick. Jack Irwin was appointed Monday to one term through December 31, 2011. Citizens are invited to apply for this position as well.

Other business

Council hired Hinton and Associates, Information Technology Consultants in Camp Hill to evaluate the borough computer and IT systems. The professional services contract was not to exceed $2415. Womack said the phone system was outdated and he wanted the borough to be able to manage its own website.

They approved the preliminary/ final subdivision plan of Coblentz Development Corp. for 10 separate lots along SR 16. The approval was contingent upon the municipal authority agreeing to a waiver of the sewer easement, which was less than the required 20 feet in width, and also pending a dedication agreement of the sewer line to the borough.

They delayed action on awarding a bid for a meeting room sound system until the heating and air conditioning system could be examined. Council member Christopher Grimm questioned spending up to $13,000 until they knew why the HVAC system was so loud when it came on.

The board approved the purchase three digital cameras, one for each police cruiser, to be used for evidence collection. It also signed an agreement setting the conditions for special fire police mutual assistance for emergency and non-emergency conditions in Greencastle, Antrim Township and Greene Township. Nonemergencies include situations such as parades and community events.

The Public Safety Committee was handed the responsibility of what to do about one police cruiser currently out of operation. Schemel said the 2002 Crown Victoria needed $900 worth of repairs. Its' book value was $1000 and it had 112,000 miles. It had had $6600 of repairs and maintenance since 2006.

Mayor Robert Eberly said there was no money in this year's budget for another vehicle. The 2006 unit had 46,000 miles and the 2007 24,000 miles. He agreed with Myers that a replacement schedule needed to be put into place.

Womack said the new secretary/ receptionist would start April 21. Twenty-two people applied for the job, eight were interviewed and three selected as finalists. The salary was set at $12.50 per hour.