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Jonestown Borough Council on Tuesday provided updates on the 49 W. Market St. park beautification project.
54 names were submitted to the park’s naming contest, and the council has narrowed that list to five names. The winning entry will be drawn at an event at the park later this month, said council president Thomas Keefer.
Trees were planted at the park late August. While costs were expected to total around $11,000, the final cost was $8,700. The borough has collected $8,400 in donations toward this project, with $5,000 of that coming from Jonestown Bank and Trust.
Keefer also announced that the bank will donate $45,000 toward the beautification of 49 W. Market St. He said that the money has not been assigned to a specific project as of now.
The council also unanimously agreed to add park tree accent lighting to the park for around $5,000. The lighting will have color-changing capabilities and will be able to be set to different colors for events and holidays throughout the year.
The council also discussed Jonestown Park.
They had previously asked the solicitor to look into whether e-bikes are allowed in the park. While class 1 bikes are allowed by insurance, class 2 and class 3 bikes are not.
The council will pursue purchasing signage to notify visitors that these bikes are permitted, but based on current ordinances, they do not have the power to enforce this.
Jonestown Park is also scheduled for tree plantings Oct. 7.
In other news, the council:
- Unanimously agreed to provide leniency for fines against the owner of 128 E. Market St., which has not been up to code since 2019 and has accrued over $70,000 in fines during that time. Council has agreed to accept $3,102.95, the base amount owed, as long as the property is maintained and there are no future Notices of Violation.
- Unanimously agreed to set the 2024 Minimum Municipal Obligation for the non-uniform pension plan as $7,989, following the standard employer contribution rate of nine percent the payroll.
- Unanimously agreed to deposit an annual farmland rental donation of $2,250 from Werner Acres LLC.
- Heard the engineer’s report, including progress on the TASA grant.
- Unanimously approved minutes for its Aug. 1 meeting.
- Unanimously approved the treasurer’s report.
Jonestown Borough Council meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at 295 S. Mill St. The next meeting will be held Oct. 3. These meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.
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