Sep 15, 2016 By Steve Ferris sferris@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read

PERRYOPOLIS — Borough council is preparing an ordinance that will place the parks and recreation authority in charge of historical activities like Pioneer Days, which the authority cancelled this year.

At Tuesday’s council meeting Wednesday, Councilman Frank Masney Jr. said the ordinance, which will be ready for council’s consideration by March, will call for the authority to develop contracts with the Perryopolis Area Heritage Society and the Civil War group that conducts re-enactments at Pioneer Days.

The society organizes the event, which has been held in the borough’s Sampey Park for 27 years, and helps maintain the grist mill that George Washington built in the 1700s and other historic structures in the park.

The authority cancelled this year’s festival, citing the lack of maintenance of the mill and the lack of organization within the society.

“This is all going to get straightened out,” Masney said.

He said the ordinance will spell out the responsibilities of the entities and include guidelines on spending, he said.

“I can assure you this will work out,” Masney said.

Before Masney discussed the ordinance, a representative from the re-enactor’s group said the group has always reported to the scoiety and turned over fees charged to re-enactors and admission to the society.

“That’s wrong,” Masney said.

Historical society member Amy Foor pleaded with council to help resolve the issues between the society and authority.

In unrelated business, several residents complained about sewage backing up into their basements and storm water flooding their yards following rain storms.

Barry Madorma said he has lived in his home on Cemetery Road for 32 years and started having sewage back up problems in the last few weeks. He said a storm drain near his home is nearly collapsed.

One of Madorma’s neighbors and residents on Hancock Street reported the same problems. They said they have had to sanitize their basements from sewage backs ups several times and their yards get inundated with water during rains.

Masney said the borough’s engineering firm spent two days using cameras to check sewage lines and determined that an 8-inch sewage line has to be replaced and the borough sewer authority is in charge of sewer lines.

The 8-inch line is fed by a 12-inch line, he said.

“They know what needs to be done. It needs replaced,” Masney said.

He said he would attend the authority’s meeting tonight with the residents who came to the council meeting.

However, Masney also said the storm sewers are council’s responsibility and they have not been maintained as well as they should be.

In other business, council:

n Hired Edward Cuneo as a police officer at a starting wage of $14 an hour.

n Approved paying the borough’s $21,625 obligation to the police pension fund and $10,799 to the non-uniformed employees pension fund.

n Appointed to Rebecca Baumiller to the parks and recreation authority.