Ellwood City Borough Council June Meeting Brief

The following is a brief summary of the Ellwood City Borough council meeting held on Monday, June 21:

Zoning Ordinance Amended

Council amended the Zoning Ordinance to remove a limitation on non-pedestrian use businesses on downtown Lawrence Avenue. The ordinance, passed in 2016, limited businesses such as doctor and lawyer offices to the 2nd floor.

Council considered allowing setbacks on Lawrence Avenue, but ultimately decided to maintain the requirement that storefronts be flush with the sidewalk. Vice president Jim Barry said setbacks wouldn’t conform to the look of the downtown.

According to council president Judi Dici, the 2016 ordinance has created reoccurring issues that need amending. Out of the four current council members who were seated in 2016, only Dici voted against the ordinance.

Misc.

Council president Judi Dici announced the borough is still conducting interviews for the position of Borough Manager. Four finalist candidates withdrew their applications, citing the upheaval over the electric department. According to Dici, one candidate specified he didn’t want to move his family into the borough due to combativeness and turmoil in council meetings.
Visitor Dom Viccari, former borough manager, urged council to plan ahead in the event House Bill 2030 passes, which will cut the borough’s budget by approximately one-third. He also recommended council stop increasing taxes and transferring money from the Electric Department to the General Fund and instead find ways of reducing the budget.
In a 5-2 vote, council voted against rescinding several address changes related to public safety. This, along with protests from Beechwood Boulevard residents, was covered in a previous article. Michelle Lamenza, who proposed the motion, and George Celli cast the dissenting votes.
Council unanimously approved an event request by Scott and Caroline Golmic, amid a contentious conversation.
Council approved a motion to accept proposals from consulting firms to provide services for the submission of an “Early Intervention Program & Five Year Financial Plan” to the Department of Community and Economic Development. Dici explained the borough applied for a grant to participate in the plan, and the consultants will advise on borough spending, such as where the borough is spending too much or too little.
Council voted to purchase lighting for the new sand volleyball court in Ewing Park from LSI Industries in the amount of $9,068.98 to be paid from the Marcellus Shale Fund. Celli and Lamenza voted no. Celli had previously cited concerns about park activity extending after dusk and having to purchase lights for other courts.
Council approved a motion made by Rob Brough to amend the fireman’s dress code to allow uniform shorts between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Brough said the current dress code didn’t allow for shorts, and the fire station could reach extremely high temperatures in the summer. According to Fire Chief Rick Myers, the change will not affect safety or response time at all as the fire fighters can simply throw their suits on over the shorts.
Brough, speaking on behalf of borough Myers, asked council to look into ways for the fire department and police department to communicate. Ellwood’s police officers use encrypted cell phones, and the two departments cannot easily communicate, which has been a problem in emergency situations. Council agreed to work with the police and fire departments to find a solution.
Construction will procede on the new public works building on 105 Sixth St once a soil test is completed as part of a state requirement.
The borough will host a senior adult pool dance party on Tuesday, June 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. (rescheduled from June 25).