Nov 14, 2016 3 min read

CHARLEROI – Charleroi Councilman Frank Paterra told borough officials Thursday there is a clear and present danger with parking near the railroad tracks that run through the town. He said he thinks it is an accident waiting to happen.

“If a train car went by loaded with scrap sticking out, it could be a tragedy,” he said. Paterra said Charleroi Regional police need to take care of the parking situation.

Councilman Jerry Jericho said this question has come up before, and that Norfolk Southern railroad doesn’t have an issue with the parking.

Council President Paul Pivovarnik said borough officials would have to investigate. “We cannot ticket on private property. We need to find out what party is responsible,” he said.

“No parking there would impact the local businesses. Some businesses have handicapped-accessible parking there,” said resident Mark Alterici, who asked if an incident had spurred the concerns.

Alterici added that he feels there is more danger at the crossing than parking near the tracks. “I have lived there 53 years, and I only know of one incident when a train derailed.”

Paterra said he will investigate further and contact Norfolk Southern and Charleroi police.

In other action, council approved the installation of Comcast business phone services in borough offices for a three-year contract at a cost of $623 a month. The service includes new equipment, internet service and service in the borough garage and police department.

Council approved changes to the zoning ordinance, which has not been updated since the 1960s. Changes included moving from less heavy industrial to more business, riverfront development and residential zoning. Pivovarnik said many land uses had changed in the borough as businesses and industry changed.

Council approved a resolution for the ACT 537 Sewage Facilities Plan Revision. The combined sewage overflow project bond issue has been reduced from $66 million to $27.6 million for the borough. David DiPiazzo, member of the board of the Authority of the Borough of Charleroi, said the reduction was the result of a lot of hard work. ‘I would like to get the cost down even further. We worked together very hard to bring the cost down,” said DiPiazzo.

Council also approved free parking from Thanksgiving through the end of the year in the business district.

Finally, council approved the 2017 tax levy ordinance and will be holding extra meetings to finalize the borough’s budget. The new Washington County assessments are creating many unknowns for the borough’s budget. Hiring is on hold for zoning officer, part-time secretary and street department. The street department contract has not been settled, and the budget is in limbo until the tax assessments are finished.

Councilman Jerry Jericho said he felt that the open positions need to be advertised now because the process to hire someone takes a few months. Pivovarnik said the discussion about job descriptions and positions are for agenda meetings. “I understand that we need to do this, but we don’t have a budget yet,” he said.

Council continued the meeting until 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29.