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Politics & Government

Oakmont Borough Council Notebook: October Work Session

Council discussed shifting funds again to accommodate unforeseen road work in 2011 and the possibility of an ice rink at Riverside Park.

Here's a roundup of items discussed at the October 3 Oakmont Council meeting:

Transfer from General Funds to Capital Roads Fund

Borough Manager Bruce Jamison requested council vote next week on moving $62,000 from the general fund to the capital roads fund to account for the $415,000 in repairs to roads, catch basins and sink holes around the borough. This has been up for discussion for the last few months.

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"We’ve had several major sink holes around town," Jamison said. "We couldn’t have accounted for this."

With the average repairs on sink holes and catch basins costing $5,000, and the latest one costing Oakmont $15,000, the borough’s largest road repair year is coming to a close as, according to Jamison, all repairs of existing issues are complete.

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After the money is moved, council will determine if more money is needed. If it is, members could vote to take additional funds from money the borough received during the refinancing of a loan.

"We’ll be putting more money in the budget next year than we did for 2011 for road repairs," Jamison said. "This year was bad."

Borough Applies for CITF Grant

An application for a Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund grant was submitted by the borough to the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County for work on a trail and lighting at Riverside Park.

According to the CITF program guidelines, the grant is intended to provide financial assistance to facilitate economic development through infrastructure assistance, stabilize or correct existing infrastructure problems, or plan and prepare sites and building for future use and will not exceed $250,000.

Council will vote next week on what should be included in the concurring resolution section of the application, which is a confirmation of the formal request of the grant and entrance into the grant contract.

Council Might Vote on Ice Rink in Park

Council might vote next week on the installation of by this winter in Riverside Park. The rink is likely to be placed on the football field at the park.

Whether the vote happens depends on council receiving additional information requested as far as possible storage options when the rink is not in use, maintenance and size. The borough recreation board already has raised about $5,500 with an estimate of an additional $5,000 left to obtain.

Parking Resolution in Business District Still Being Considered

Council President Tim Favo discussed concerns business owners are having about people parking on Allegheny River Boulevard by their shops for more than the specified two-hour limit.

Previously, council has discussed changing the limit from two to three hours to give those parking more time, hiring someone to enforce the time limit, and implementing devices that would help catch parking violators. A decision still hasn’t been made.

"Right now I have to determine the cost of the signs and installation of the signs before we can move forward with a decision on anything," Jamison said.

Riverside Park Renovations

According to Jamison, Northern Athletic Construction completed the tennis courts at Riverside Park and its preparing for a lot of work that will be done for drainage.

The pavilions will have roofs by next week, according to Jamison, and in two weeks, Northern Athletic will begin work on the new track.

According to Jamison, the rain hasn’t really had an effect on the renovations.

"We’re close enough on schedule that it’s not having an impact," he said.

New park policies are also in the works.

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