Donora Council hires John Bedner as new borough administrator
DONORA — Council members held a special meeting Thursday evening to select a new borough administrator.
In a 6-1 vote, the council voted to hire John Bedner as the borough’s administrator, secretary and treasurer. He will succeed Warren Cecconi, who has served as interim borough administrator since Dennis Fisher resigned from the position at the end of 2016.
“We interviewed seven candidates, and Mr. Bedner emerged as the best person for the job,” said Councilman John Conger. “He has special expertise in many areas, including accounting, which should help the borough as we try to work through some of our budget issues.”
Bedner, a resident of Carroll Township, will be considered a permanent employee, pending a satisfactory evaluation after a 90-day period. While Bedner will not receive health, dental or vision insurance, he will be eligible for other benefits, such as vacation and sick time. His annual salary will be $45,000.
“Our council wants to thank Warren Cecconi for doing such an outstanding job during this transitional period,” said Council President Dennis Gutierrez. “He was a great asset to the borough during this time.”
Following the special meeting, council members reconvened for a work session in the council chambers. During this session, Jason White, chief of staff for Rep. Bud Cook’s office, updated the council about plans to include Donora as part of the Rail to Trail project.
According to White, four trail heads are under consideration for the project, including Bentleyville, Cokeburg, Donora and Marianna. This trail could potentially be linked to the Great Allegheny Passage.
“We want Donora to become an applicant and leader for this project,” said White. “Donora would be an ideal trail head because Palmer Park already has some important amenities, such as bathrooms and shelters.”
White pointed out that Donora could be eligible to receive a 50/50 matching grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to establish a trail head at Palmer Park while the Commonwealth Finance Authority is offering an 85/15 matching grant.
“If everything goes through, Donora wouldn’t have to pay a dime for this project,” said White. “We are confident the borough could get money from other state grants to pay for the matching funds. Washington County would take care of the construction of the trail. All we need is your backing.”
The borough is submitting a grant application to DCNR and hopes to get a decision about funding by May. A feasibility study and master site plan would then be developed before construction starts in 2018. Donora can drop out of consideration if it does not receive matching funds.
Among other topics discussed during the work session, the council decided to reduce the hours for a part-time borough clerk and it pledged to move forward with cleanup of the historic Gilmore Cemetery.