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Cleona’s Borough Council discussed the borough building’s upcoming renovations during its Sept. 9 meeting.
The project began as an effort to expand the police department office at 140 W. Walnut St. but grew to include other improvements to the building, according to borough manager Jonathan Johnson.
Read More: Former council member Jonathan Johnson is Cleona’s new manager
“Right now the fire department has part of it, so we want to expand, knock out some walls and expand that,” he said. “Since we’re doing that, we might as well do some other stuff.”
Alex Kauffman, with Steckbeck Engineering and Surveying Inc., presented project updates to the council. He said the rough estimate for renovations is about $322,000.
He offered some options to bring down costs — including using the most basic and cheap finishes or entirely removing the bathrooms that were going to be added.
In the borough manager’s report, Johnson said the estimated costs could be between $295,000 to $491,700. He said there are a few options to pay for it.
Through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the borough has $233,000 available. Johnson said a combination of ARPA funds and the 2022 capital fund or a bank loan could be an option. Or, the project could be scaled back and paid for entirely with ARPA funding.
Though council did not take further action on the payment options, members unanimously approved several of SESI’s requested motions to continue with the project. The engineering firm will be able to work with architect James Crum, prepare electrical plumbing and HVAC plans and utilize G.F Bowman as a subconsultant if necessary.
SESI representatives at the meeting said the project should be ready to accept bids in December.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, several Cleona residents asked questions and gave feedback about code enforcement in the borough.
They brought neon green pieces of paper that they said were left on their windows recently.
The signs cited issues on the properties, such as high grass, weeds or tires. However, they said there weren’t clear instructions about what actions they needed to take.
Johnson said the borough recently hired new code enforcement officer David McDermott, and he is working on ways to keep the community in line without going through a legal citation process.
Previously, Johnson said residents in violation would get a notice, and going through an appeal process would cost money. This new way would allow violators to fix any problems before reaching that point.
“They have a softer way of doing it,” Johnson said. “Let people know that there’s a problem and fix it before going to the heavy hammer stuff.”
Councilmember Tricia Springer said she appreciated the feedback from the community, but McDermott only works about 20 to 30 hours per month, so it’s also important to find a solution that doesn’t require a large time commitment.
“If we can come up with a different way that works better, I think we’re all open to that,” she said. “So this is good feedback.”
Springer said they will try to be clearer about what needs to be done to address the problems rather than just listing the violations.
In other business:
- Johnson announced weekly leaf collection will start Oct. 8.
- Council approved a “Borough Beautification” committee, which will include council members and borough residents. Its goal will be to beautify the borough and plan events for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- Councilmember Patrick Haley said this year’s Fall Festival will not have a haunted walk due to a lack of volunteers available to help set up and tear down. The Fall Festival will take place on Oct. 26 from 2 to 6 p.m. and will include a costume contest, sack races, bobbing for apples and more.
Cleona Borough Council will meet next at 140 W. Walnut St. on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.
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