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Cornwall Borough Council agreed on Monday to pass on information regarding a proposed A/V upgrade to the finance committee.
In July, the committee will report back to council, which will make a decision.
Read More: Here’s a look at the details of Cornwall’s proposed $49,000 A/V upgrade
All were in favor except councilman Thomas Burton.
Council president Bruce Harris presented proposals from Illuminated Integration, Sage Technologies, and Vistacom. Their proposals, adjusted to include prevailing wage as the solicitor recommended, were $50,373.40, $39,837, and $48,163, respectively.
However, the details of the proposals differed significantly and several council members said making a decision now would be “comparing apples and oranges.”
They also noted they may not know what features are necessary until they try out the newly renovated meeting room, which Harris said has excellent acoustics.
Harris noted that Illuminated Integration has informed council that if they are not selected for the upgrade, they will charge the borough $5,000 for design costs. Harris said he disputes the charge, as the borough did not enter an official agreement with Illuminated Integration.
Council also unanimously agreed to authorize an audit of Comcast by Cohen Law Group for $6,500. The firm said that they have discovered underpayments in 65 percent of their similar investigations.
Read More: Former Rep. Frank Ryan airs concerns about Comcast franchise pact in Cornwall
The audit, going back four years, will analyze Comcast’s payments to Cornwall Borough to determine whether they sufficiently fulfilled their franchise agreement. Last year, Comcast paid $114,000 to the borough.
If a discrepancy is found, Comcast will pay Cornwall the difference.
Mayor Mark Thomas agreed with the decision, saying it was a gamble he was willing to take.
Council also agreed to reestablish the public works department, as has been discussed in several previous meetings. The public works department was dissolved several years ago.
All were in favor except council vice president Bruce Conrad, who said he wants additional opinions before combining departments.
The public works department combines the highway department with water and sewer. The former has four employees and the latter has two, with one having resigned last month.
In other news, the council:
- Unanimously awarded the 2023 paving bid to H&K, with the low bid of $240,910.10.
- Unanimously agreed to send letters to PennDOT and Cornwall Properties requesting updates on the Cornwall Quarry development, in response to the request of Cornwall United 4 Responsible Development.
- Unanimously agreed to authorize curb reconstruction on Rexmont Road with M. Webster Construction for $15,700. Harris abstained.
- Held an executive session regarding an offer of employment to Gerald Hallman for the highway department.
- Unanimously agreed to the purchase of a zero turn mower, with the upper limit of $10,000, for the former CLSD property.
- Unanimously approved an extension letter for Cornwall Manor.
- Unanimously approved reports including the secretary’s, treasurer’s, and water and sewer reports.
Cornwall Borough Council meets the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. These meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.
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