Borough appoints new zoning board member, provides update on valley properties
SHENANDOAH – Borough council voted Monday night to appoint a new zoning hearing board member after the borough’s solicitor reaffirmed that the prior selection was not eligible.
“The members of the board cannot be an employee of the borough,” Solicitor James Crossen told Shenandoah Borough Council at Monday night’s meeting. “That’s clear, there’s no exceptions.”
Crossen’s affirmation came a month after the borough initially voted to appoint Jon Levandusky, a sanitation department worker at the borough. At the time, Crossen said he believed it was okay for an employee, “as long as they’re not elected.”
In the public comment portion of that meeting, council was reminded of the text of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code and voted 7-0 to “hold off on Mr. Levandusky until our solicitor does all of the background to check and make sure.”
The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, which governs planning, zoning, and the existence of their corresponding commissions and boards, explicitly prohibits an employee of the municipality from serving on its Zoning Hearing Board.
At this Monday’s meeting, council voted instead to tap Edward Kolonsky, a retired dentist from the west end of town, to the zoning board.
The vote passed 5-0. Council members Katie Catizone and James Burke were absent.
In other business, borough council discussed the sale of a landlocked parcel in the Lofty area to the Blue Knob Rod and Gun Club.
Council had previously voted to sell the property to the gun club for $30,600 following a bid from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for $30,000.
The parcel is landlocked about midway between the village of Girard Manor and the borough of McAdoo.
It is wholly surrounded by lands owned by DCNR and is upstream from the Rod and Gun Club.
In an update, Crossen said they have a sale agreement in hand that needs to be approved and signed and the sale could close in December.
The agreement, though, had a lower sale price of $24,600.
“DCNR put in $30,000, so if we take a lower bid and they were higher, we’re going to get ourselves in trouble,” Council President Joe Boris said.
Council voted to reaffirm the $30,600 bid.
Speaking of properties north of Shenandoah, Boris said taxes are going up for the former Municipal Authority of the Borough of Shenandoah properties where the Locust Ridge Wind Farm operates.
Boris said, though he didn’t have a tax bill in hand, it seemed like the taxes would double.
The borough pays property taxes on the wind farm and is supposed to be reimbursed by Avangrid Renewables, the operator of the wind farm.
Boris also provided an update on the Pumping Station Dam and plans for a pavilion and well at the property.
“It should’ve been up by now,” he said, noting the project has been at a standstill.
Councilman Michael Whitecavage said the bid needed to be re-advertised as the specifications were not properly included in the ad.
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