Frackville awards bids for 2024 road program

FRACKVILLE – Several streets in the mountain city are set to be repaved.

At Thursday’s meeting, Frackville borough council awarded the 2024 road program to Meckley Limestone, Herndon, at a cost not to exceed $120,000. That sum will be paid through liquid fuels funds.

Meckley was the lowest of five bidders.

Streets to be repaved include:

  • West Linden between Elm and 4th;
  • North Hickory between Washington and Spring;
  • West Linden/Brown between Center and Beech;
  • North Beech between Washington and Spring;
  • South Birch between Chestnut and Oak;
  • South Elm from West Oak south to a dead end;
  • South Elm between Oak and Frack;
  • North Elm between John and High;
  • North Elm from High to the borough line;
  • South Kehler from Middle to Pershing.

Frackville and Butler Township will split the cost of the Elm Street paving, as the road is on the border between the municipalities. Butler’s share is $36,830.10.

In other business, council approved the hiring of three part-time/seasonal workers.

Councilman Brian Russell made a motion to hire John Meridionale, Nicholas Meridionale, and Leonard Lukow.

Councilman Charles Berger questioned how the hirings will impact the budget.

“We never budgeted for these people,” Berger said.

“We have a pool of employees. It doesn’t mean they’re going to be guaranteed hours,” Russell responded. “We would work from the consistent budget we already have now for our part-time employees.”

“It still doesn’t give us money,” Berger said. “We could have a pool of 20,000 people, but if we don’t have the money to pay for them.”

Council President Ron Jordan asked Russell if the personnel committee had considered the budget.

Russell said that hours assigned would be monitored to stay within the budget.

“You can have three guys work 30 hours a week each, or you can have six guys work 15 hours a week, and it’s all the same hours and the same budget,” Jordan said. “When you look at it with simple math, you can have as many people as you want, you just can’t give everybody more hours. You’ve got to divvy it up.”

Berger voted no for the hiring, the lone dissenting vote. Russell, Jordan, Ed Beneshunas, and Stephen Tertel voted yes.

In other business, council approved:

  • the appointment of Keith McCauley as building and maintenance supervisor;
  • a change in status from temporary to permanent for a stop sign on North Fourth at Frack;
  • two paving projects with Ron Troy:
    • the rear entrance to the municipal building off South Willow Street at a cost of $2,900;
    • the apron of the salt shed at a cost of $2,500;
  • the purchase of two Ford Police Interceptor Utilities at a cost of $79,950 total through the police grant.

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