EC council

Ellwood City Borough Council April Meeting Brief

The following is a brief summary of the Ellwood City Borough Council meeting on April 18: Visitors [added at 11 p.m.] Paul Dici read a letter from Senator Elder Vogel’s office that a search of Pennsylvania Unified Judaical System turns up no records concerning Dici. This was in response to comments from former council member Ralph Chiappetta, who said he had once filed charges against Dici. Chiappetta addressed council concerning overtime rates and the police schedule. Holding a copy of the police schedule, Chiappetta said part-time officers were not properly utilized. He also recommended council take legal action against Mayor…


Council to Vote on Full-Time Police Officer on Monday

Ellwood City Borough Council will vote on a motion to advertise for a full-time patrol officer at its regular meeting next Monday. The motion was added to the agenda at Monday’s agenda meeting after a discussion. [Correction 12 a.m.: The motion will advertise the position, not hire an officer.] The police department currently has one lieutenant, one sergeant, eight full-time patrol officers and one part-time patrol officer. Council member Judi Dici started the discussion with statistics concerning overtime rates for the police department. According to numbers read by Dici, overtime costs for January through March are $42,606.84. According to borough…



Borough Municipal Building to Have New Handicapped Ramp

The Ellwood City Municipal Building will soon have a new rear entrance thanks to a Community Development Block Grant. The project will eliminate unused restrooms in the rear of the municipal building along with the current ramp. A new ramp will be built that will head toward Sixth Street and then turn toward Bell Avenue. The new ramp will be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including a more gradual incline and an automated door with an activation button. The project is being done with the assistance of the Lawrence County Commission and the CDBG will absorb all…


Borough to Apply for $268,000 Grant for Park Revitalization

The Ellwood City Borough will apply for a $268,000 state grant for upgrades to Ewing and Stiefel parks. The grant is a 50-50 match, so the total project will amount to $536,000. Earlier this month, council indicated it’d like to apply for at least $100,000 but by its meeting on March 21, council had established the current figure. The borough is working in concert with Lawrence County to apply for the grant provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The project will take place over 2017-18, which will spread out the cost. The borough’s contribution will utilize…


The Passed Police Motion that Was Never Implemented

In December 2015, council passed a motion to change the police schedule. That motion, proposed by former council member Ralph Chiappetta, was approved unanimously but was never implemented. In a letter to the Ellwood City Ledger, Chiappetta stated he believed the schedule change would save $50,000 in overtime a year. However, Mayor Anthony J. Court, who is in charge of the police department, believes it would not save money and may even increase police costs. Chiappetta has visited council several times to ask them to enforce the motion with a Writ of Mandamus, although at the meeting on March 21…


To Hire a Full-Time Patrol Officer or Not?

At Monday’s meeting, the Ellwood City borough council struck down a motion to advertise for a part-time patrol officer. An alternative, hiring a full-time officer, was discussed but no decisions were made as council wished to research the matter further. Council member Marilyn Mancini first brought up her reluctance to hire a part-time officer, pointing out that recently council approved two part-time officers, neither of which committed to the positions. In addition, the borough paid for tests for one of the candidates amounting to over $700. She added that Lt. David Kingston, the police department’s ranking officer, advised that part-timers…


Residents Encouraged to Register for Code RED Alerts

The Ellwood City council is encouraging residents to sign up for Code RED emergency notification system alerts. The program alerts residents of area-wide emergencies, such as severe storm warnings. Participants may choose between landline, cell phone and text message options. However, residents must first be enrolled in the program. The borough website has a page for online registration. In addition, the borough will send out notifications in the mail with the option to register via paper. The description of Code RED registration from the borough website reads, “The secure, customized Community Notification Enrollment (CNE) page allows residents and businesses to…


Ellwood City Borough Council Meeting Brief

The following is a brief summary of the Ellwood City Borough Council meeting on Monday, March 21. Announcements There will be a special council meeting Thursday, March 24 at 8 a.m. to approve renovation plans for the rear of the Municipal Building. Picnic shelter reservations will begin on March 28 for non-Borough residents. There will be a Young Republicans debate on April 6 at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building auditorium. The Ellwood City Police Department will have a drug take back program for unused or expired medication on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Municipal…


Council Divides over Fate of Building

A building on Lawrence Avenue caused disagreement during Monday’s borough agenda meeting. The building in question is on 509 Lawrence Ave., which the borough owns. The building used to house the Ellwood City Newsstand and has been deemed unfeasible for repair. Since the building can’t easily be put to use, President Connie MacDonald felt the building should be torn down. At best, a developer may buy it and at worse, it can be used as a parking lot. Vice President David DeCaria disagreed and backed himself with advice from Town Center Associates, a Beaver-based consulting firm advising Ellwood City on…