Mrs. Malehorn presided over the meeting as Council President Krystle Bristol announced her resignation last month. The resignation resulted from Mrs. Bristol’s appointment as Bradford County Auditor, a position considered legally incompatible with a Council seat.
The minutes were accepted as written. Council approved paying bills of $183,707.91 and highway bills of $1,170.
Mrs. Bristol’s resignation was accepted ”with deep regret.” Mrs. Malehorn thanked her for her service. Mr. Close said, “She did an excellent job.” Mrs. Malehorn said, “I would clap, except she’s not here! [to appreciate it]” Council also voted to advertise the vacancy and to seek letters of intent from interested parties, who must be registered voters who have lived in Troy Borough for at least one year. She said, “A couple of people have informally expressed interest. Council will have thirty days to make the appointment or else it will be turned over to the vacancy board. Mr. Close said, “We will need the letters within fifteen days,” He said the advertisement will list the qualifications.
In response to a comment from Council, Mr. Close said that most business before Council can be decided by a majority of those present but some decisions legally require a majority of the board. Mrs. Malehorn said she feels that a full council should be in place before a decision is taken on choosing a new president.
Resumes have been received for a vacancy on the Police force. At least three of the resumes will be discussed at a meeting of the Personnel Committee.
The County Commissioners have asked Mr. Close to join the Economic Development Commission. Council favors the appointment but their consent is not legally require, so no vote was taken.
Council voted to approve a review of the wastewater plant by Larson Design Group at a cost of $17,000. Mr. Close stated that the plant current is in compliance with effluent standards but this is due to frequent sludge removal, the costs of which are in the $50,000 to $70,000 range annually. “We can’t live with those costs much longer,” Mr. Close told Council, “without an exorbitant increase in sewer rates. I think the study is worth every penny." He said that if sludge removal costs could be reduced by half because of changes suggested by the review, the Borough would be ahead. “[Larson] will look at a ton of things,”Mr. Close told Council. “It could take a year.” He said the Borough was applying to DEP for a dechlorination process. “We have been meeting standards, except for a couple of months, but the standard [to meet] gets higher in the summer and we may have trouble to be in compliance. We have tried to do things on our own, but we need the next level of professional help.”
The Borough has an average daily water withdrawal equal to or exceeding the 150,000 gallons limit set by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, which seeks to bring that number back into the acceptable range. “We have no choice but to do what [the Commission] wants,” Mr. Close said. “We have been over that average for several years.” Borough officials will meet with the Commission. “Problems in our water system are causing us to lose water,” Mr. Close said, but added, “Even if we fixed all our leaks we still would be over the average. We have been above 150,000 gallons for at least seven years.” He said two leaks were repaired recently. He added that [the borough] was grandfathered, but we want to protect our water.”
Mrs. Malehorn said a meeting will be arranged with Chemung Canal Trust Company. The Borough has used C & N as a depository for several years. “Chemung would like some of our business,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt to hear what they have to say.”
Luminaries are needed on two of the poles being erected under the ARLE grant program, which is to replace equipment and improve traffic flow, etc. at the intersection of Routes 14 and 6. However, Penelec does not install luminaries on private poles – only on its own poles. Therefore the Borough must order and install two luminaries at a cost of $855 each. There is a five-week lead time for delivery, and the Borough must cover maintenance costs as well.
The Borough received a $40,000 Source Water Protection grant from DEP, which hired an outside firm to investigate how water enters the Borough’s wells and to define hazards to the watershed to make sure no contaminants enter the system. Once this work is completed, “water source area” signs will be installed. “We want to make sure our drinking water is protected,” Mr. Close said.
The low bid for the Paine Street resurfacing project was about $207,000. Five hundred feet of sewer lines were replaced at a cost of $12,000 so the work could be completed before the paving is installed. Mr. Close said that there was lot of ground water infiltrating into the system, and there are concerns that with the water no longer able to enter the system, it may cause problems with washouts, etc. “A ton of water comes off Pinnacle Hill,” he said. The Borough engineer will look into the situation.
With so many costly projects scheduled, Mr. Close told Council, “We are spending a ton of money. We have to tighten our belts.”
A notice to proceed has been issued for the Eureka Bridge project.
Council adopted the Bradford County Hazard Mitigation Plan. This will remove the need for the Borough to have its own plan.
Chief Morelli gave the Police report. He said that it was a busy month. He asked Council to “expedite interviews so we can move forward to get [officers] hired.” Council commended the Chief on the thoroughness of his report. He also was thanked for his presence at the Memorial Day parade.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 pm.