Cornwall P&Z unanimously recommends Greg Roussey for board vacancy

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Following public interviews of Greg Roussey and Dale Reppert as candidates for a vacancy on the board, Cornwall’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously agreed to recommend that Cornwall Borough Council appoint Roussey to the position.

As the P&Z is an advisory board, council will ultimately make a decision on the appointment.

This comes after former P&Z member Jeff Snyder stepped down from the role after 27 years on the commission, leaving a vacancy in the five-member board.

Each current commission member had the opportunity to ask questions of both candidates. Questions included relevant experience, reason for submitting letters of interest, candidate visions for Cornwall’s future, and thoughts on rezoning (a matter which neither candidate supported or opposed at this point).

Chairman Ray Fratini said candidates did not make their job easy, with both having relevant experience working as construction managers. Reppert worked for 34 years with Arthur Funk & Sons, while Roussey worked for 40 years with a civil engineering firm.

Roussey was lauded both for his regular attendance of council and P&Z meetings, which he said he began doing after moving to Cornwall in 2016, and service to the borough through the Water and Sewer Committee and zoning hearing board (ZHB). Several board members also said they had previously worked with Roussey and trusted his experience.

“The resumes are both very, very impressive,” said Fratini, then addressed Roussey directly: “This gentleman here, I’ve been seeing him come for the last almost 10 years, and he sits quietly, he doesn’t voice an opinion, he doesn’t badger me after it’s done, and he’s attended pretty many things along the way.”

Fratini recommended that Reppert consider submitting a letter of interest for the ZHB, noting that if Roussey is appointed to the P&Z, he will need to step down from that board.

Commission and council member Bruce Conrad also recommended that Reppert consider getting involved in a standing committee discussing the Freeman Estate, calling him a “great fit” for the committee. 48-year Cornwall resident Reppert mentioned during his interview that he lives adjacent to the property and has previously interacted with owners and helped to maintain historic areas.

During the interviews, Fratini said the board is a “thankless job,” emphasizing the importance of not attempting to enforce personal agendas and remembering the commission’s role as an advisory board. He asked both candidates to describe the purpose of the ZHB and zoning, and said he was satisfied with both answers.

The primary role of the P&Z is to examine plans that come before the borough alongside the borough engineer and determine if plans meet borough code. The P&Z also examines waiver requests and recommends council to either approve or reject them. Should the borough disregard legal requirements, developers can take legal action against it.

“I survived this for almost 38 years as chairman, and the only reason I survived is because I don’t interject my feelings into it,” said Fratini. “You must understand that, when you sit on this board, you have to read the book. The book will tell you what you need to do. The zoning is in place, you follow it to the letter, you don’t deviate from it.”

Both candidates expressed understanding of this concept, and mentioned the need to cooperate with developers. Both candidates also spoke positively to the character of Cornwall Borough and the desire to preserve where possible.

Roussey said he has a preference for “cluster homes,” where a developer is allowed to build homes on smaller plots of land than is typically allowed in a zoning district in order to preserve open space within a development, accessible to residents.

Reppert said he hoped to foster small communities within Cornwall in future developments, and preserve green space and aesthetic/historic character where possible.

Though the commission traditionally meets once per month, it has been holding special meetings on the morning of council meetings to discuss policy recommendations. Council has directed the P&Z to examine possible legislation, a process that involves finding and analyzing draft ordinances and ironing out the details of new legislation.

They are currently discussing possible ordinances concerning blasting, camping, data centers, and solar and wind farms, which they will further discuss Feb. 9 at 10 a.m.

Borough manager Cody Rhoads said solicitor Josele Cleary has drafted ordinances for the commission’s review. Previously, they were examining sample ordinances from other nearby municipalities.

In other news, the P&Z discussed Iron Valley and Cobalt Alley dedication as part of the Cliffs plan. Cornwall Properties has offered to donate land along the alley to widen the road, as current property lines place Cliffs lots partially in space existing property owners have already been using to park.

They reviewed a drawing of the plan, which includes 15 feet width to be dedicated on the eastern side of the alley and 10 feet width to be donated on the western side. Fratini requested that Cornwall Properties representative Mike Swank see if the western side’s width could be widened to 15 feet, and Swank said he would see what he could do.

The commission unanimously agreed to recommend that council approve the lot addition (to the Jones property) and the dedication of Cobalt Alley and the part of Iron Valley Drive leading up to Cobalt Alley, with revised width.

In other news, P&Z:

• Heard that Cornwall Properties is still working on engineering for the 92-townhome Knoll plan.
• Did not take action on the Lake Resort Community zoning overlay, noting that the borough is waiting to act until discussions with Elizabethtown Area Water Authority have concluded regarding a possible land purchase around Miners Lake for a bypass.
• Heard from a resident in a historic district looking to enclose his back porch. P&Z directed him to go through the borough engineer, noting there was not likely to be a problem as the area is not front-facing.

The Cornwall Planning and Zoning Commission meets the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. It will hold a special meeting at 10 a.m. Feb. 9. These meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.