Mar 22, 2016 By Rachel Basinger for The 3 min read

MOUNT PLEASANT — Following a 50-minute executive session, borough council President Paul Wagner announced that there were no further questions for the Mount Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival committee.

“We have clarity where responsibilities lie between the borough and the glass festival,” he said, adding that it is now understood that the relationship between the two entities is a partnership with the borough having no “oversight” over the festival committee.

Wagner also said the line item of the festival that had been placed under the parks and recreation report chaired by Councilwoman Patience Barnes will no longer be there.

Councilman David Pritts asked Barnes, who questioned the festival’s finances, if she found anything in her investigation.

Barnes said she did question a $7,000 line item for the building of a storage unit on borough property that was never constructed.

Pritts said the festival committee informed council about that when it was originally discussed last year.

Councilwoman Cynthia Stevenson asked Barnes if she had found any “wrongdoing” by any festival committee member.

Barnes would not say one way or the other, instead saying that she didn’t have time to do a complete audit.

Mayor and festival co-founder Gerald Lucia said the glass festival would pay for an independent audit to prove there is no wrongdoing because, “I’m not going through this another month.”

Lucia said that if those who questioned the festival’s finances couldn’t admit there wasn’t any wrongdoing by any of its committee members, the public might still question them.

Later in the meeting, during Barnes’ report under parks and recreation, she addressed the glass festival topic briefly.

“Based on all the discussion, I’m willing to put this to bed this evening, and that’s all I have to say,” she said.

In other borough business, council approved the Mount Pleasant soccer league to use the soccer field in Willow’s Park on Sundays for their travel teams.

They also approved the use of Frick Park for the Mount Pleasant Girls Softball League from April to June with use in July for all stars’ games.

Randy Christman with the girls’ softball league said they will bring in S&S Processing from Pittsburgh to upgrade the field there at a cost of $10,684.

The upgrade will include the grading of the field and the addition of over 90 tons of field mix.

To protect the investment, council passed a resolution for the league to post signs prohibiting the use of bikes or steel cleats on the infield.

Also in other business, members of council have agreed to allow the Jacob’s Creek Watershed Authority to apply for a grant to the Department of Environmental Protection for engineering regarding storm water projects along Eagle Street, Warden Street and Park Avenue.