Aug 12, 2009 2 min read

MASONTOWN – The borough is looking for volunteers to serve on the town’s recreation board. Council members said Tuesday they recently disbanded the former recreation board and are looking for new members. There are five seats on the board and the borough has only heard from two interested individuals, council said.

Anyone wishing to serve on the recreation board is asked to send a letter of interest to the borough building at 2 Court Ave., Masontown Pa., 15461.

The borough is in the process of having an audit conducted of the former board’s finances.

In unrelated business, council authorized the placement of “No Loitering” signs along Main Street.

Council said loitering has become an issue and that the signs need to be in place for police to enforce the matter.

As for other matters, Mayor Thomas Loukota again asked council to consider adopting the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC).

Loukota said the borough abides by the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) building code, but he said the code is archaic.

Loukota has argued that the borough’s current code needs to be updated or replaced and that other progressive municipalities have adopted the IPMC.

Both the IPMC and BOCA codes cover houses built before the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) came into effect. The UCC covers all new residential, commercial and industrial construction and additions to existing buildings.

Council members Harry Lee, Kay Rendina and Frank McLaughlin said they have issues with the IPMC, noting issues it addresses that the borough does not want to get involved with, and would not vote to adopt the code.

Council members Bob Brown and Joseph Stillwagon did not comment on the IPMC at Tuesday’s meeting, and council members Edward Gulino and Carole Daniels were absent.

Loukota said that the borough needs to update all of its ordinances individually if council does not want to adopt the IPMC in order to properly address blight in the borough.

Lee said council took Loukota’s recommendation under advisement.

In other business, council entered into executive session to discuss legal and contractual issues, including road maintenance agreements with Shallenberger Construction and Atlas America.

Following executive session, council renewed an existing road maintenance agreement with Atlas but took no action on the road maintenance agreement with Shallenberger.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 25 in the borough building.