Residue from grandstand project fielded by Bloomfield council

During the Aug. 1 meeting of Bloomfield Borough Council, there was a discussion on what to do with $3,146 remaining after the completion of the grandstand restoration, ideas were discussed on how to manage traffic around the square, and advertisements for three proposed ordinances were authorized.

The meeting began with James Woods discussing the grandstand. He had noticed a safety issue and had taken steps to fix it himself.

“When we got the grandstand finished there were a couple edges on the grandstand that I was concerned about baseballs getting through,” Woods said. “I talked to Damon (Hartman) about how to maybe resolve that on my own. I went down, I bought my own materials and my own metal to fasten it, and I screwed things to the grandstand to make it safer.

“Apparently, I was out-of-line for doing that. I had a friend who came to me after the season was over and gave me the dickens for doing that, because it was ugly.”

Woods apologized to council and to residents of the borough for addressing the issue without authorization and offered to take down his additions immediately. Council thanked Woods for identifying the safety issue and asked him to leave his additions in place until next month’s meeting, as they wanted to see it with ebefore determining what to do.

It was also discussed what to do with the remaining funds left over after the grandstand restoration. Councilman Karl Cless suggested purchasing a storage shed that would be placed near the grandstand that could be used by sports teams. If the cost exceeds the remaining funds, the borough could cover the difference.

Three ordinances were authorized for advertisement. One would regulate the use of consumer fireworks in the borough. The second would amend health and sanitation. The third would amend yard waste pick-up, open burning, and free items left curbside for an extended period of time.

During the mayor’s report, Edward Albright Jr. talked about signs for around the square. He was traveling through Virginia recently when he encountered a similar traffic situation in a small town. They had a stop sign with a banner indicating that north- and south-bound traffic does not stop. Albright presented the idea to council, which plans to meet with PennDOT to discuss options.

Albright also mentioned Street Fair, which will be held Sept. 9. Due to a recent accident that knocked out power in the square, there was a concern over whether the event would have power.

Hartman said the fire company has been notified, and that they will be talking with the county to figure out power.

The borough has budget meetings scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19.

During the right-of-way and utilities committee report, Councilman J. Kevin Fitzpatrick brought up repairs on Chestnut and West High Streets.

“We’ve spent a great deal of attention with paving over the last several years,” he said. “We’ve done the majority of the southern part of town. We took an opportunity of McNaughton (Services Inc.) repaving the school parking lot to address the issue at Church and West High (streets). We took advantage of having that crew in town to not just patch that section of road, but to do it right. We did it in such a way that it’s fed in so that when we propose additional paving in next year’s budget, it will match quite nicely.”

Hartman also addressed a damaged PPL pole at the square.

“I guess everybody’s noticed we lost our pathway lights around the square and all the electrical. July 20, we had a tractor-trailer hit the pole and take it off. Basically, that’s the center where all the electrical comes in. That’s what the fire company uses for the Street Fair for electric, as well as our lighting. Oddly enough, it also runs the county’s lights on the line because they are out too. PPL is going to relocate the pole approximately 20 feet south from where it’s at now. As they’re doing that, we’re going to have to work with PennDOT and the county. I have a feeling this will be an ongoing project for a while.”

During the administrative committee report, Cless reported a mini-split unit was installed in council chambers at a cost of $5,000. He also reviewed the newly signed lease agreement between the borough and the U.S. Postal Service, which he said was fine. New toilet seats and flush valve mechanisms were installed in the upper and lower restrooms in the borough building.

During the grants report, Fitzpatrick said the borough is waiting to hear back about a Department of Community and Economic Development grant that would be used to update a park.

The next council meeting will be held Sept. 5 at 7 p.m.

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