The meeting was called to order by President Toroney.
Councilors Allen and Gibson were not in attendance. (Councilor Allen arrived late, after the roll call was taken.)
Minutes were approved.
Comments from the peeps (full house tonight)
A member of the Human Relations Committee requested locks on doors and file cabinets. Currently they have neither and sensitive documents are stored at committee member’s homes. They also requested a computer and a database. (Now there’s a thought in 2010!!)
A condo owner from the Light Foundry complex told council that the condo owners pay their association fees each month to a manager who is supposed to be paying the bills for the complex. This person is not doing that. Their water is scheduled to be shut off this month. They cannot afford to pay their bills twice. They owe the borough $13k! They are paying $200 a month for association fees that should cover water/sewer/trash.
A resident from E. Second St. said there is trash everywhere and the rental/Section 8 people make a mess. The street is mostly renters.
A property owner spoke against the new rental ordinance. He said he feels the Sunshine Law was broken and that the ordinance content has changed since being presented to the property owners. He also stated that the ordinance does not meet the plain language guidelines as dictated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A Pottstown landlord and realtor said she hears all the time that Pottstown is too difficult to work with from investors and prospective homeowners are also not interested in Pottstown. She also objected to some language in the new rental ordinance.
Another landlord said he felt the Sunshine Law was broken by Council and the Borough Manager. President Toroney vigorously defended Council and Jason by stating that this has been discussed at the last 5 or 6 public meetings and in many committees for months. Council has been continuously advised and given drafts of the ordinance in progress. Pottstown’s new rental ordinance is based on the Gettysburg Pennsylvania ordinance.
http://www.gettysburg-pa.gov/applications_forms/regulated_rental_unit_application.pdf
http://www.gettysburg-pa.gov/applications_forms/regulated_rental_unit_addendum.pdf
Another opponent of the rental ordinance spoke. She said she doesn’t think Pottstown has sufficient code enforcement officers to enforce the new ordinance. The new ordinance gives Codes the power to direct landlords to evict tenants.
Jeff Leflar (Code Blue) read an excellent and fact-filled prepared statement outlining Pottstown’s current demographics and spoke against the low-income riverfront senior housing proposal.
Mary Beth Lydon (Code Blue) spoke against the low-income riverfront senior housing project. A petition was presented to council with over 70 signatures opposing the senior project. Many people Code Blue talked to at the River Festival on Saturday were not aware of this project and did not support it. She also outlined this demonstrated a lack of communication from the borough to its residents.
Another investor/landlord spoke against the proposed rental ordinance. He referred to it as heavy-handed.
Yet another investor spoke against the rental ordinance. He said it was draconian. There are provisions for jail time for infractions. He feels this ordinance is a turn-off to investors.
A previous Pottstown landlord spoke against the proposed rental ordinance. It gives Code Enforcement too many powers and Pottstown doesn’t enforce the code already on the books so why are we adding more?
Another speaker was against the proposed rental ordinance, especially the security deposit language (he wants that deleted). It’s open season on landlords. The ordinance is heavy-handed and favors owner occupant vs. investors.
Another Pottstown landlord requested common language be used.
Katy Jackson (Code Blue & CPR) spoke about a property at 117 Washington St. The police have been there 10 times since January! Three police visits occurred between 9/10 & 9/11 (fight). The renters are dangerous and have weapons. The neighborhood needs stabilized. She again called for a Task Force to be created to handle this problem. Katy stated that Code Blue & CPR want the good landlords to stay in Pottstown! She also spoke against the low-income riverfront senior housing project stating that Pottstown already has enough of this type of housing and adding more will create a stigma. We can do better!
A North Charlotte Street resident complained to council about illegal activity (drug use, loitering and a shooting) in her neighborhood. The police are called but if they don’t see it, they can’t write up a report. Between January and June of this year she called the Pottstown Police Dept. 20 times. The problem is a rental unit and the tenants.
A resident spoke in favor of the low-income riverfront senior housing project.
The Rector of Christ Episcopal Church spoke in favor of the low-income riverfront senior housing project.
A neighbor of the woman on N. Charlotte Street said he wishes he could move. Ever since the shooting, right in front of his house, he feels unsafe and is very worried about his children. He won’t allow them to be downstairs and they avoid windows. They were home the night of the shooting, which occurred right in front of their living room window. He stated he now owns a gun. He has gotten into altercations with the rental tenants. He stated no police came after the shooting was called in. He said it was caught on surveillance tape.
Whew! That was a LOT of speakers!
Mayor’s report – Puppies and sunshine everywhere. All is well.
Manager’s report – Construction has begun on the Norfolk Southern bulk transfer station on South Keim St. We can expect the railroad crossing to be upgraded as the result of construction (Hallelujah!).
There will be a store front wiindow decorating contest downtown for Christmas.
There is a cooperative effort between PSD and the borough to rehabilitate 22 E. Second Street, using PSD students.
There is a group that uses the Schuylkill River to promote tourism and marketing for towns in our area. Jason attended their meeting.
As a result of the First Suburbs initiative Pottstown, Norristown and Coatesville are talking about Section 8 housing issues such as vouchers and inspections with HUD.
If all goes well in November they can advertise for the new PAID Director position. That won’t come SOON ENOUGH IMHO!
Due to declining attendance, Jason is looking to have one last joint Ward meeting on November 10th at the First Church of the Brethren on York St.
On October 20th, Norristown and Pottstown will have a joint council meeting here in Pottstown to discuss common issues.
Jason is trying to organize a meeting between Council and PDIDA to work with existing business owner’s downtown.
It’s budget time. One item Jason mentioned was that for years 3, 4, & 5 it was hoped that Rickett’s would have become self-sustaining. Until he speaks with Olivet about the borough’s contribution for Rickett’s, that is a gray area for the budget. Money was not budgeted for those years hoping Rickett’s would not need assistance from the borough.
The Pottstown Authority wants a review of the water fund budget. They want costs moved into the general fund. This will be discussed further at Finance.
Motion to adopt the new rental ordinance passed unanimously.
The low-income riverfront senior housing project passed unanimously. The Lincoln underwear factory property, where the riverfront low-income senior housing will be built, was appraised at $470,000. The two lots are 1 ½ acres. Welcome to Pottsamucil.
The motion to authorize the joint venture between PSD and the borough passed unanimously (22 E. Second St. rehabilitation by PSD students).
The motion to authorize the submission of the Pottstown Skyline Lighting Project to the Montco Community Revitalization Board was approved and the project was made the number 1 priority as part of the vote. (Think boathouse row downtown).
Motion to approve the submission of an EPA grant for Brownfield cleanup at Bethlehem Steel aka the Pottstown Industrial Complex was approved.
Council labored over the Mrs. Smith’s site again regarding the last mustard colored building (Foil Company) and what to do with it. The options are: do nothing and keep the $85k, paint and keep $45k or do the mural and keep $45k. They chose Option 2, paint and keep $45k. $85k is in escrow from the developer for esthetics regarding this building. Nobody likes the color much.
The bills were paid and the meeting was adjourned.
Editor’s note: Councilor Kirkland (Ward 7) felt the need to give a diatribe regarding opposition to the low-income riverfront senior housing. Using a move from Tom Hylton’s playbook, Mr. Kirkland berated those opposed to this project as spreading misinformation and not caring about Pottstown. Mr. Kirkland, have you been paying attention to people who use this methodology? They end up like the Shade Tree Commission. A word to the wise is hopefully sufficient.
Roy's Rants - For Your Information 