Council Establishes Stop Intersection on College Street at First Avenue

Ellwood City Borough Council voted 4-2 to establish a stop intersection on College Street at First Avenue (northbound and southbound).

“No” votes came from Councilman George Celli and Councilwoman Jan Williams. Councilman Caleb Cragle was absent from the meeting.

Before the vote, Borough Resident Robert Dibuono asked council to vote down the stop intersection. He said forcing traffic to stop there would impact the ability for some vehicles to get a running start to make it up the hill in the winter and might also be difficult for vehicles to stop at the bottom of the hill. Dibuono typically travels that road with a trailer attached to his vehicle for business purposes and said navigating that hill can be tricky.

“Let’s not put a stop sign there,” he said.

Mayor Anthony Court said the reason for the stop intersection is safety.

“We are airing on the side of caution because of school buses,” Court said.

The Mayor reported that there have been some incidents where children were nearly hit by vehicles.

Roadway safety was a topic of great interest as Court also said Ellwood City Police will be cracking down on speeding vehicles in the borough.

“No warnings will be given,” he said. “The message is quite clear: Please slow down!”

As the borough police monitor speed, borough officials will meet with the Ellwood City Area School District on Thursday to discuss speeding in school zones after Peri Malcolm, school crossing guard, attended a meeting of council in October and then attended the November 13th meeting of the ECASD board of directors to plead with officials to take action to stop speeding vehicles at the intersection of 4th and Crescent Avenue. Malcolm has said that on busy days she helps cross 35 to 40 kids and every day it’s the same thing: speeding vehicles. Malcolm said it’s teens, it’s school faculty, it’s borough residents, it’s everyone.

Mayor Anthony Court presents Borough Manager Kevin Swogger with a certificate.

Other news:

Mayor Anthony Court recognized Borough Manager Kevin Swogger for completing the Certified Borough Officials Program. Court presented Swogger with a certificate at the meeting.

Swogger thanked the public for their patience with the planned power outage in the borough. He said the outage allowed for the necessary fixes and maintenance performed.

He also announced that there have been upgrades to the borough’s website and email system against cyber attacks.

Court said scam calls targeting the elderly are on the rise and are particularly prevalent in this area. He urged residents to not pay any money in suspicious situations and when in doubt hang up and call police.

Other motions passed:

• A motion to approve the Minutes of the Special Meeting held 10/6/25 and the Regular Meeting held 10/20/25.
• A motion to approve the Pre-Paid Voucher List dated 11/13/25, in the amount of $578,488.86, and the List of Vouchers to be Paid dated 11/13/25, in the amount of $236,815.63.
• A motion to approve the Departmental Reports.
• A motion to adopt a Resolution, as submitted, authorizing free parking at all currently metered spaces located on Lawrence Avenue, Bell Avenue, Crescent Avenue, 5th Street, 6th Street, 7th Street and the Beaver Avenue parking lot for a maximum of two (2) hours from November 28 through December 31, 2025. Motorists exceeding the 2-hour time limit will be subject to a $5.00 fine if paid within 72 hours. Violators who fail to make payment within 72 hours will be subject to prosecution through the District Justice office.
• A motion to adopt a Resolution, as submitted, adopting the Lawrence County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Updated Plan as the official Hazard Mitigation Plan of the Borough of Ellwood City.
• A motion to adopt a Resolution, as submitted, requiring contributions to the police pension fund by the police department in the amount of 4.5% for all current employees and 5% for any employee hired after 1/1/25 for the year 2026.
• A motion to approve the request by the EC Area Chamber of Commerce to hold a “Let There Be Lights” event December 5 from 6-9 p.m. on Lawrence Avenue. It is further requested to close Lawrence Avenue from 4th to 6th Street at 4 p.m. for the event. Also, to approve suspending Part 10, Chapter 1066, subsection 1066.03 (a) of the Codified Ordinance Book pertaining to the prohibition of alcohol. This suspension only applies to participants of the “Let There Be Lights” event. Event insurance shall be purchased, naming the Borough of Ellwood City as an additional named insured. All necessary State and County permits shall be in place for this event.
• A motion to approve the request by the EC Parade Committee to hold the Christmas Parade December 6 beginning at 3 p.m.
• A motion to approve pay application #1 (repayment) to Youngblood Paving in the amount of $230,477.12 for costs associated with the 2025 Paving Program. This amount will be paid from the General Fund.
• A motion to rescind the motion made at the Regular Council meeting held 9/15/25 to “approve the quote from Saracon Industrial Services in an amount not to exceed $7,566.96 for the removal of sludge from the aeration basins. This amount will be paid from the Sewage Fund.”
• A motion to rescind the motion made at the Regular Council meeting held 10/20/25 to “approve the quote from Mccutcheon Enterprises, Inc. (MEI) in the amount of approximately $150,000 for sludge removal/cleaning of the oxidation tanks and influent tank at the wastewater treatment plant. This amount will be paid from the Sewage Capital Reserve Fund.”
• A motion to advertise an amendment to the sewer ordinance amending rates and effective dates. This is in conjunction with the 2023 PennVest Loan ($2.5 million) for the Wampum Avenue Pump Station Project. Rates shall be raised 3% each year for the years 2025-2032 and 2050-2055 to provide sufficient revenue to meet total expenses. Councilman James Johnson voted “No.”
• A motion to approve the request by the EC Area Chamber of Commerce to use Ewing Park from November 29 – December 23 from 6-9 p.m. for the annual Christmas in the Park event.
• A motion to approve the request by the EC Area Chamber of Commerce to hold an “Ugly Sweater 5K” event December 13 in Ewing Park with registration at 3 p.m. and the race starting at 4:30 p.m.
• A motion to advertise the vacancies on the following Boards/Commissions: Zoning Hearing Board, Planning Commission, Economic Development Authority, Civil Service Commission, Library Board, Board of Health, and Recreation Board.
• A motion to advertise an ordinance approving the editing and inclusion of certain ordinances and resolutions as parts of the various component codes of the codified ordinances.
• A motion to approve the year 2026 cost of living adjustments for retired police officers Jon Disher, Patricia Forester (QDRO), David Kingston, Matthew Liberatore, Richard List, Robert Magnifico and Wayne Parsons, as submitted by the Actuary.
• A motion to advertise an ordinance increasing the compensation of the Mayor to $5,400 annually and Council members to $3,600 annually, effective January 1, 2026. The increase in compensation applicable for the Mayor (beginning l /1/26), and every Mayoral term thereafter and every new term for Council (ie. Mancini) but not an incumbent (i.e. Lamenza, Ovial, Williams), and any newly elected council member elected after 1/1/26.