City council hires Braddee-Roycroft as city clerk
Uniontown City Council opted to stay in-house Tuesday and hired a part-time employee in the code enforcement office as the next city clerk. Brenda L. Braddee-Roycroft of Lemont Furnace was hired as the next city clerk for Uniontown at a salary of $25,000 per year. She will replace Grace Giachetti, who retired last month after a 41-year career with the city. Braddee-Roycroft will begin her new full-time job on Monday.
For the last two years, Braddee-Roycroft has worked in the code enforcement office. She will fulfill the remainder of Giachetti’s term, which expires at the end of 2003. City clerk is an appointed four-year position.
The motion to hire Braddee-Roycroft was approved with a 5-0 vote with Mayor Jim Sileo and council members Bob Cerjanec, Gary Crozier, Blair R. Jones Sr. and Joseph Giachetti voting for the hiring.
Before the hiring was approved, city council met in executive session for 20 minutes. Prior to voting, Jones said he believes the city should hire in-house and said Braddee-Roycroft was well qualified. Crozier concurred, saying that she was “very qualified to step in.” Giachetti echoed their sentiments as well.
After the vote was taken, city code enforcement/zoning officer Myron Nypaver said Braddee-Roycroft brought organization to the code enforcement office in the two years she has worked. He said many times she went above and beyond the call of duty and said she is an “exceptional individual.”
In other business, council voted to adopt a new zoning ordinance for the city to replace the one that had been in use since 1972. The only change to the ordinance is that communications antennas and towers will be allowed in the C1 and C2 zones by special exception.
The ordinance includes eight zoning districts and outlines exactly what is permitted in each zone. The zones include R1, low-density residence; R2, medium density residence; R3, high density residence; C1, local business district; C2, central business district; BP, business professional; IST, institutional; LI, light industrial and HD, local historic overlay.
During public comment, Janet Bill presented council with a petition signed by residents of the Gallatin Street area objecting to the removal of streetlights. She said the removal is an open invitation for crime. Bill also said two locations, 211 and 218 North Gallatin, are junkyards. She said they are a breeding ground for rodents.
Sileo said the mercury lights have been taken down and are slated for replacement with sodium lights. He said the lights have not arrived from Allegheny Power yet, but as soon as they do, they will be installed.
Nypaver said he is working to clean up the Gallatin Street area. He said four properties have been torn down on Millview Street and plans are to tear down two more. He said eight citations were issued Tuesday and District Justice Mark Blair has set up a monthly building court date.
Sileo announced that today is Red Raider Day in the city and a parade and program are slated for 6 p.m. Prior to the announcement, Al Owens reiterated a request for the city to hold an annual “School of Champions” day. He said Uniontown Area High School has had 88 champions in its history. Owens was directed to speak with Downtown Business District Authority executive director Leigh Anne Sperry about the event.
In anticipation of the paving season, council opened bids for resurfacing various alleys in the city. A motion was approved to enter into a contract with AC Moyer Co. Inc. in the amount of $88,625. It was the lowest of five bids received for the project.
A motion was approved to re-appoint John Sharp to the Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority for a five-year term to expire April 1, 2007.