Oakmont Borough Council Notebook: October Voting Meeting

In addition to approving the , Oakmont Borough Council discussed the following topics:

Sixty-Day Trial for New Parking Rules in Commercial District Requested

Council President Tim Favo requested council consider a 60-day trial of the enforcement of the current parking rules on Allegheny River Boulevard. Council is consideringchanging the time limit to three hours and incur the costs of new signage and a person—possibly an Oakmont police officer—to enforce the rules.

“We haven’t made any decisions yet on this change, but I think it’s a good idea to do this trial," Favo said.

Council Vice President Nancy Ride agreed suggesting the current signs about a two-hour limit in the commercial section stay, but Oakmont police start enforcing the three-hour limit.

“Communication of what’s happening there is very important,” Mayor Robert Fescemeyer said. “Oakmont residents should be notified of this enforcement in the area.”

Council agreed it would at least be mentioned it the borough’s newsletter.

It is still unknown when the trial will start.

Council Approves Money Transfer from General Fund to Capital Fund (Roads)

Council approved the transfer of $62,000 from the general fund to capital fund (roads) and the use of $148,298.56 from the refinancing of the sewer fund bond to use to start paying for the work done on the repair of the borough’s sink holes and catch basins throughout the year.

According to Oakmont Borough Manager Bruce Jamison, more money is still needed for , but the funds needed to be moved now because invoices were starting to come in for previous work.

“We can figure out where to transfer more money from next month,” he said. “This decision needs to be made now.”

This transfer also includes $20,000, which will be set aside for any other repairs that may be needed before the end of the year.

Council Approves Establishment of Procedures for Procurement of Professional Pension Services

Council approved the borough’s adhesion to Act 44, passed in 2009, which amended the Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard and Recovery Act and set new ethical procedures and requirements for procurement of professional services for pension plan management.

Act 44 requires municipalities follow a set of standards described on every municipal pension plan in Pennsylvania. Oakmont will establish procedures for awarding professional service contracts paid out of the pension plan, including criteria to choose the most qualified bidder after a competitive selection process, conflict-of-interest standards, restrictions on political contributions, and annual disclosure requirements.

Bids Received for Work on Landscape Maintenance

Jamison read bids received for 2012-2014 landscaping projects on the Arboretum Trail and the Allegheny Avenue corridor north of Hulton Road.

Bids were submitted by three different companies for the work on the two areas and council will vote on these after the Allegheny River Boulevard Committee has reviewed them and submitted its recommendations.

Contractors Working to Complete In-Progress Projects in before Weather Changes

Jamison said work on the pavilions and the track is moving rapidly, so major work in the park can be completed before the weather starts getting bad.

“The pavilions should be done by the end of this week,” he said. “Everything is moving along.”

Additional trees also were removed by the tennis courts. These removals were recommended by the contractor working on the track to avoid damage to the tennis courts from the tree branches and future root damage to the track.

Hulton Bridge Inspection to Continue until Next Week

According to Police Chief David DeSanti, and construction will wrap up on Oct. 18. The Oakmont Police Department has been directing traffic on the Oakmont side of the bridge and DeSanti said he’s been receiving positive feedback about the department’s efforts.

“We have a good system in place,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can with moving traffic through smoothly.”

The Harmar Township Police Department is directing traffic and controlling the traffic light on the other side of the bridge.