Cornwall Borough Council sets meeting protocols, approves park contract

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Cornwall Borough Council opened its meeting Monday night with president pro temp Bruce Conrad explaining new protocols for the meetings in regards to public comment and agenda items. 

Protocols for public comment specify that speakers must be residents of Cornwall Borough or pay Cornwall Borough property taxes, and comments cannot exceed three minutes. When it comes to agenda items the new protocol states that public comments on a particular agenda item cannot be made until that item is up for discussion. 

These new protocols come after a nearly four-hour-long council meeting in July, which was dominated by public comments focusing on various proposed development projects. 

“If any of you have been at recent meetings you know they have gone quite long and they kind of got out of hand so we need some order,” said Conrad. He stated that these protocols were pulled from a resolution passed by the borough in 2015.

The Snitz Creek Park project was originally put out for bid earlier this year, with only one bid received, totaling $1.4 million. The borough had budgeted approximately $500,000 for the project and ultimately rejected the bid because of the significant difference in cost.

In an effort to keep the project moving forward, the borough obtained a contract through the Keystone Purchasing Network for $559,495.91. While the new contract is still above the borough’s original budget, council members felt it represented the best price they were likely to obtain given the current cost of materials and construction.

The borough also has a grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) that provides matching funds for the project. Under the grant, DCNR will cover approximately half of the eligible project costs, with the borough responsible for the remaining portion.

The contract includes construction of the walking trails, pickleball courts, and general landscaping. The bathroom has been removed from the contract because of the cost, and council is discussing options for completing that portion of the project.

In the meantime, the borough plans to provide portable restrooms at the park, including at least one ADA-accessible unit.

Work on the park is expected to begin later this year, with the goal of completing the project by the start of the spring baseball season.

Council was presented with a Granite Street plan proposal from Cornwall Properties that would make Granite Street one way and create angled parking spaces. 

Last week, P&Z had been presented with three proposals from Cornwall Properties, and this was the proposal the board had preferred. However P&Z chairman Ray Fratini said he was unaware that this was going to be before the council at the meeting. 

“Where this came from tonight, it’s like it blindsides us,” said Fratini. 

Alternate borough engineer Josh Weaber explained that, while P&Z had expressed a preference on which proposal they’d like to see Cornwall Properties advance, that does not imply it was entirely approved.

“While that was the direction given, the plan itself was not 100% approved, you have to come back with the plans, the design has to be reviewed, grading reviewed, to make sure those recommendations were adhered to,” said Weaber. 

Jonathan Byler of Cornwall Properties explained that they had gone to P&Z for a recommendation, as they are trying to “work with the borough and work with the residences.”

Council tabled the matter until they get a full recommendation from P&Z. 

Following Cornwall resident Jane Clark’s concerns about soil quality and stormwater management, brought up at the previous P&Z meeting, a request for proposal was drafted to search for a geotechnical engineer to look at these matters.  

Bowman then read an email that she was sent over the weekend, dated July 2025, which was addressed to Mike Swank of Cornwall Properties from the state Department of Environmental Protection regarding “sludge like material that was dried out and removed not in accordance with DEP policy,” said Bowman. 

Swank emphasized that they had completed all the required testing, per the borough’s ordinances and with oversight from DEP, and that all matters had been closed with DEP.

Council approved to move forward to the creation of an RFP for soil sampling of The Knoll. 

In other business:

• Council member John Karinch said he will recuse himself from votes involving matters related to Steckbeck Engineering following a review by the state Ethics Commission. Karinch’s son works for Steckbeck Engineering, an employee-owned company.
• Bowman updated council on a traffic study the borough agreed to fund, which will focus on Boyd Street and either the lakefront or warehouse development proposal. 
• Borough recommends that borough engineer Jeff Steckbeck and alternate borough engineer Josh Weaber submit themselves to the PA State Ethics Commission for review.
• Council tabled any action on a lake resort text amendment until they receive a plan to match the changes. Byler stated that they still plan to move forward with the lake resort plan.
• Council tabled action on vacating approximately 30 feet of the right of way on Boyd Street to Cornwall Properties, until they have more information as to why the right of way was originally placed there. 
• Conrad is looking into cost and placement for a Cornwall Borough LED sign. 
• Council is continuing to consider the establishment of a planning session the week before the regular council meeting. 

Cornwall Borough Council will next meet on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at 44 Rexmont Road. Meetings are also live streamed via the borough’s Facebook page.