The Mayor and Council renewed the contract with its grant writer and introduced an ordinance to protect pedestrians near construction sites at its July 14 meeting.
The Council voted to renew its one-year contract with Millenium Strategies. It was the only company to submit a bid for the appointment. Millenium’s previous contract expired June 30.
Borough Administrator Gregory Franz told the Council that the company seemed very thorough with its work for the borough. He said several grant applications had been submitted and are still pending since the grant cycle is usually in the summer or fall.
The Council passed the resolution unanimously. Millenium Strategies’ previous contract was for $5,000 a month, the same amount as the new contract.
The Council also passed a motion to make three regular part-time Community Center staff members full-time workers for the summer. The three college students won’t get benefits since the work is seasonal. Franz said the staff members who work at the Center all year long have had to put in a lot of extra hours already this summer.
An ordinance requiring 8-foot tall fences around construction sites was introduced and will go up for adoption in September.
The borough’s regular construction code doesn’t allow fences taller than 6 feet in residential neighborhoods, but these fences will be coded as temporary construction fences. Councilman David Weschler, who introduced the ordinance, said the state’s construction code requires wooden fences but he understands the concerns from the police that a wooden fence would be more dangerous. Having a see-through fence allows officers to see if anyone has broken into a construction site or notice any other dangers like a small fire.
The Council doesn’t wants to ensure that the fence can’t be climbed from the outside, but it also doesn’t want the material to be too expensive for developers.
In other news, the borough has started using a new garbage collection service. Mayor Nancy Merse encouraged residents to call if their garbage is missed as the new service learns the routes. Borough Clerk Barbara Rae said that if residents need to call before regular office hours at 9 a.m., they can call the Department of Public Works (DPW) at around 7:30 a.m. The DPW number is 201-943-1700 ext. 5000.
