Carmichaels council approves extension
CARMICHAELS – Carmichaels Borough council voted Tuesday to extend the charter of the Municipal Authority of Carmichaels Borough by 50 years.
Though the charter does not expire until 2027, the authority needs the extension as a requirement for receiving a $610,000 low interest loan it was awarded by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, Lloyd Richard, authority manager told council.
The 20-year loan will be used to make improvement to the water treatment system to reduce the levels of trihalomethane in the authority’s treated water.
The authority had a problem with THM several years ago. The improvements were recommended by a study completed by the authority’s engineer to prevent a re-occurrence of the problem in the future.
The work will include the installation of aerators and mixers on the authority’s two water storage tanks and the replacement of the backwash controls at the treatment plant.
The contractor that will install the aerators and mixers guaranteed the equipment will lower THM levels by 40 percent or it will make additional changes to meet that reduction level, Richard said.
With a separate $250,000 matching grant from the state’s H2O program, the authority also built a new sludge lagoon and will add new motor controls to the plant, Richard said.
In anticipation of the projects, the authority increased rates last August, the first increase in more than 19 years. Richard said the authority would not to have to raise rates further to pay for the improvements.
The borough formed the authority in 1946 and is required to approve any extension in its charter.
In other business, council asked borough secretary Brandi Streit to arrange a meeting with borough solicitor Jeff Grimes to discuss several problem properties.
Council wanted to know what can be done in regard to a problem with garbage that has continued to pile up behind a house owned by Chris Watson on East George Street.
The problem had been discussed at the council’s last meeting and since then Watson has been cited by borough police, though a hearing on the matter before a district judge has not yet been held.
It was suggested the borough pick up the garbage; however, council president Charles Walker said the borough had been told by the solicitor it can’t enter a person’s property.
Questions also were raised regarding whether the house itself is structurally sound. Council wanted to know from the solicitor how the borough can have an engineer enter the residence to inspect it.
Streit reported, in addition, the borough had received a call concerning the poor condition of an old barn at Greene and Liberty streets.
Council also tabled action on a lot split requested by Bobbie Dobbins for property on which he intends to park a recreational vehicle until it receives further information on the request.
Councilman Ralph McWilliam questioned why borough street worker Jim Petrone was off work on election day. Streit said that is a past practice. Because the municipal building is used as a polling place, Petrone would not have access to tools or the rest room, she said.
When McWilliams continued to discuss the matter, Walker cut him off and moved to the next agenda item.
McWilliams later criticized Petrone for not cleaning the exterior of the municipal building. Petrone and Streit both said Petrone, the borough’s only street worker, had many other duties and McWilliams was unaware of what goes on at the office each day. When the discussion became heated, Walker again ended it, this time by calling for the meeting to be adjourned.