Municipal News
- Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 August 2013 02:59
Peters Township Council Meeting – August 12, 2013
A former council member, Michael McCaig, was selected by Peters Township Council on August 12 to fill the seat of Robert Atkison, who passed away in July. Council approved McCaig by a vote of 4-2, and he will serve for the remainder of the year. A special election will be held in November to select a permanent replacement.
Voting in favor of McCaig, who served on council in 2008 and 2009, were James Berquist, Robert Lewis, James Ball and Frank Arcuri. Council members Monica Merrell and Gary Steigel voted for another applicant, Frank Kosir Jr. Six other residents who applied for the council member vacancy included Harry Verlato, Scott Kleinschnitz, Dale Griffith, William Furedy, Otto Szabo Jr., who withdrew, and Richard Caporal Jr., who was not interviewed.
Merrell said that while she appreciated McCaig’s willingness to serve on council again, she felt his appointment may be a conflict of interest in that he is a municipal bond advisor and has advised the township on bond issues in the past. Township Manager Michael Silvestri said that he does not expect any bond issues to come before council this year.
Arcuri said that McCaig’s financial experience could be helpful to council, who will be working on formulating the next year’s budget. If council does vote on any bond-related matters, McCaig would be required to recuse himself from the deliberations.
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To honor long-time council member and ambulance service leader Robert Atkison, council plans to install a memorial street marker near the municipal building. The presently unnamed roadway leading into the library from McMurray Road will henceforth be called Atkison Way, and a brief ceremony dedicating the sign will be held at 7:15 p.m. August 26.
In other business, Peters Township Council:
- Was informed by Silvestri that the Valley Brook Road intersection project was on schedule for July 2014 completion. He said that traffic counts show that 4,000 vehicles per day are now using Hays Road as an alternative route as compared with the usual 1,700 per day. Council agreed that the township should investigate using temporary speed humps to slow traffic on Hays Road.
- Was informed by Township Engineer Mark Zemaitis that construction of the trail bridge over Sugar Camp Road is still on schedule for completion by the end of October despite delays from Verizon in removing phone lines within the arch in a timely manner.
- Heard a report from Parks and Recreation Board member Melissa Sickmund that some drivers in Peterswood Park have been avoiding speed humps by driving around them onto the walking trail. There have also been reports of residents not having dogs on leashes in township parks and on Arrowhead Trail.
- Approved Phase 3 of the Hamlet of Springdale plan, which includes 14 new lots on the 46-acre site with entrances on Bower Hill and Springdale Roads. A request will be considered by developer Mark Hoskins to require construction vehicles to enter the site from Bower Hill Road to cut down on muddy road conditions in nearby developments.
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