Brownsville Borough Council looks ahead to Market Street demolitions
Brownsville Borough Council held its regular monthly meeting Tuesday after it was canceled last week due to hazardous weather conditions.
Council announced that Pittsburgh-based Trek Development Group was slated to oversee demolitions at 15, 17 and 21 Market St. next month as a step toward developing the Brownsville Senior Housing Project downtown.
State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, said in a news release last year that the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency approved $750,000 in funding and $692,279 in tax credits to launch the Brownsville Senior Housing Project. The housing project was estimated at that time at $7 million to $9 million, with Trek Development project manager Trey Barbour telling the Herald-Standard then that the tax credit approval was for a 10-year period, resulting in more than $6.9 million available for the development project.
Council president Tracy Zivkovich said a document containing details about the project would be at the borough building for public review.
In unrelated business, council member Bob Kovach detailed the borough’s response to last month’s snowstorm, reporting that 22 inches of snow fell in the borough, which required snow removal workers to put in 47.5 consecutive hours to keep up with the storm.
“It was quite a task for the guys to do that,” Kovach said.
One of the borough’s two snow trucks broke down, leaving the borough with only one truck, Kovach said, adding that the snow-removal effort relating to that storm totaled $6,323. Kovach noted the borough had used 100 tons of ashes and 40 tons of salt since Jan. 12.
In other business, council approved a motion by council member Ross Swords Jr. to sell a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria owned by the borough police department after stripping it of police-related equipment. The vehicle will be sold as-is through sealed bids, and the borough will pursue information on a new vehicle through the Costars program. Zivkovich advised Swords that council had authorized the purchase of four body cameras at a cost of $2,000 or less for borough police in May 2015, so the borough was free to move forward with seeking such a purchase.
Council entered into a 13-minute executive session late in the meeting to discuss a legal matter pertaining to borough property and neighboring property.
Later, council named Tami Sealy to the Brownsville Borough Planning Commission.
Council member James Lawver was absent from the meeting, with his brother Jack Lawver saying the former was sick. Mayor Lester Ward was also absent.