The Borough's regularly scheduled Council meeting will be held via Zoom conference due to the recent surge in COVID-19. The meeting can be accessed through the following link and/or telephone number:


Topic: Cheswick Council Meeting - February 2021
Time: Feb 16, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 841 0064 9969
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Meeting ID: 841 0064 9969
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Public comments can be emailed to [email protected]

AGENDA
CHESWICK BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
February 16, 2021

OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZENS TO BE HEARD ON MATTERS CURRENTLY IN FRONT OF COUNCIL
(4 MINUTES):

MEETING MINUTES:

•Motion to approve January 13th Caucus and January 19th, 2021 Council meeting minutes.

AVJSA REPORT:

AVRPD REPORT:

MAYOR:

ZONING OFFICER’S/FIRE INSPECTOR’S REPORT:

TREASURER’S REPORT:

SOLICITOR’S REPORT:

COMMITTEES:

BUDGET & FINANCE – Frank Meledandri, Chair:

•Motion to approve bill due list #2-21. Bills posted 01/13/21 – 02/11/21.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & ZONING – Brian Testa, Chair:

GENERAL OFFICE ADMINISTRATION – Michael Girardi, Chair:

PARKS, PUBLIC PROPERTY & RECREATION – Brad Yaksich, Chair:

PERSONNEL – Karen Stauffer, Chair:

PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY & UTILITIES – Kristina Stiner, Chair:

PUBLIC WORKS – Kathy Gillard, Chair:

• Update on water usage/readings
• Activity related to Winter Maintenance

ZONING & CODE ENFORCEMENT – Dan Carroll, Chair:

COG:

• 2021 CITF Grant. Motion to approve concurring resolution 2021-6, authorization to enter into the Grant Contract between the Borough of Cheswick and Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County (RAAC). The execution and delivery of the Grant Documents executed and delivered in connection with the transactions are approved and ratified and the Authorized Official, Thomas J. Benecki - AVNCOG be authorized to execute and deliver such documents. Also, to assure the provision of the full local share of project costs and that the project will be awarded or under construction within 180 days after contractual execution.

OLD BUSINESS:

NEW BUSINESS:

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

ADJOURNMENT:

Health and Safety Guidelines for Attendance at Public Meetings

The Borough of Cheswick (hereinafter “the Borough”) will conduct their regularly scheduled meetings beginning on May 26, 2020 in person at the Cheswick Volunteer Fire Hall building located at 1411 Spruce Street. In light of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, the following guidelines are hereby made for the safety of all individuals attending public meetings. These guidelines may be updated from time to time, so be sure to check our website frequently for the most recent updates prior to attending any public meeting.

>Certainly, if you have COVID-19 type symptoms please stay home and do not attend public meetings. We will continue to accept public comment via email to [email protected] and will make meeting minutes available upon request for your convenience.

>The Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, has required patrons and employees of businesses to wear protective masks. We encourage all individuals who find it necessary to attend public meetings to do the same.

>You are encouraged to bring hand sanitizer with you to the meeting. Hand Sanitizer will be available in limited quantities at public meetings, and we encourage you to use it as often as necessary (i.e. before and after touching documents/objects, shaking hands, etc.)

>We will have the meeting room set up in a manner to maintain social distancing consistent with State and Federal recommendations.

The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens. We will provide updated information consistent with the Governor’s Orders as necessary. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Lorraine Zebrine via email at [email protected] . Thank you for your consideration and understanding during this difficult time.

Dear community members: As many of you are aware, the presence of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has been reported in Pennsylvania. The Borough of Cheswick is sensitive to the serious nature of the Coronavirus and is following guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in order to keep our employees, public officials, and citizens safe. The Borough will continue to monitor updates from CDC and other government agencies as they become available.

The Borough of Cheswick will hold is regularly scheduled public meetings via Zoom until further notice as advertised on 4/10/2020 in the Valley News Dispatch. The public is encouraged to submit their comments or concerns to management in advance.

The Borough of Cheswick will post continuing updates and meeting agendas online for your convenience. Feel free to submit any general questions or comments on agenda items to Lorraine Zebrine by email, [email protected] or phone, 724-274-5125.


We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this difficult time and we wish you and your families the best.

To the Residents of Cheswick,

In response to COVID-19 concerns and for your safety and the safety of our Borough staff, the Borough office will be closed to face-to-face interactions until further notice however all services will be offered.

The office will remain staffed during normal business hours and available by phone at 724-274-5125 or by email at [email protected] or [email protected]

Payments for the Borough utility and tax bills can be made by check or money order and will be accepted by mail or via the drop box mail slot at the front entrance.

This is one of several measures the Borough will be implementing in response to coronavirus concerns.

Police will remain in service to residents. Call 911 for all emergencies. Non-emergency calls can be made to 724-274-2843 or by email at [email protected]

Free Rides for Seniors Shuttle transports seniors in our community to grocery shopping and UPMC medical appointments in the Route 28 corridor.

Communities served by the shuttle include: Brackenridge, Cheswick, Harwick, Natrona Heights, Springdale, and Tarentum,. The shuttle runs on Mondays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Fridays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Please call 412-449-0151 for a schedule.

This is a 10-passenger shuttle and riders must be able to get on and off the shuttle unassisted.

The shuttle is driven and dispatched by friendly volunteers from North Hills Community Outreach and funded by St. Margaret Foundation. The service is truly free - seniors (60 and older) do not pay for the service.

Seniors are encouraged to call Kerry or Tracy at the Free Rides for Seniors office at 412-449-0151 to learn more about the shuttle.

As of January 1, 2019 Vogel Disposal Service, Inc. is the new garbage collectors. Garbage pick up will be on Wednesdays.

Garbage should be put out after 5:00 pm on Tuesdays.

Holidays that are observed by Vogel are New Year's Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day (July 4th); Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If your scheduled collection day falls on or after a weekday holiday, your collection will be 1 day later that week. If your scheduled collection day falls before a weekday holiday, there will be no change in your collection day,

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and E-Waste Collection will be 4 times a year, contact Vogel Disposal for collection dates. A containment package with instructions will be send to your home. Each package cannot exceed 50 lbs. Containment packages must be collected from the resident's property on or near the door or garage door and may not be collected from the curb or public property. Items must be placed outside the residence no more than 24 hours prior to your scheduled collection date.

Please call Vogel Disposal Service at 724-625-1511 to schedule.

Here is the process for reporting streetlight outage to FirstEnergy/West Penn Power:

Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877)and say "streetlight" after the greeting.

Use this to report the lighting problem online: https://www.firstenergycorp.com/content/fecorp/newsroom/news articles/fe-tips-report-streetlight-outage.html

When reporting an outage, let them know:
Your name and phone number
Address where the streetlight is located (nearest house or cross street)
Number on the utility pole
What is wrong with the streetlight (damaged pole; broken light fixture, light is off at night, on during the day, or flickers)

Senior Guidance is an organization dedicated to providing helpful senior living resources for the elderly: https://www.seniorguidance.org/.

There is a dedicated section that provides extremely well detailed and thorough information on Pennsylvania assisted living:
https://www.seniorguidance.org/assisted-living/pennsylvania/

The website discusses all services available for seniors living in Pennsylvania, outlines helpful state programs for seniors and allows
them to find assisted living facilities in every city, town and borough in
Pennsylvania.

If you have any questions, please go to the website.

Cheswick Recreation Board is looking for new members to revitalize their committee. The Recreation Board provides recreation activities for the community. The meetings are at the Borough Building on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. The annual Strawberry Festival that is held on the first Sunday in June is the largest activity. This is a good opportunity to get to know your neighbors and provide a day of good food and activities. Please contact Bob Kristof at [email protected] for more information.

Under Act 32, Pennsylvania's system for collecting local Earned Income Tax was streamlined down to 69 new countywide tax collection districts. Starting January 1, 2012, all Pennsylvania employers (excluding those in Philadelphia) must withhold the local earned income tax as part of their payroll obligations. Cheswick Borough office will no longer collect local wage taxes for residents after the 2011 tax year.

Keystone Collections handles Cheswick's Earned Income Tax. Employers have withheld income taxes, paid it to Keystone and Keystone in turn, pays it to Cheswick Borough. Please reconcile at the Keystone website (keystonecollects.com)

If you are a RESIDENT of Cheswick filing an Act 32 Residency Certification Form, the "Resident PSD Code" is 710101 and the "Total Resident EIT Rate" is 0.1 or 1%. Please note that not everyone with a Cheswick Zip Code (15024) is a resident of Cheswick. O Call our office if you are uncertain.