The Aug. 24 Fountain Hill Borough Council meeting was one of the last council meetings of the summer, and it was a summer pasttime that was a major subject of discussion at it.
Fountain Hill Little League president Mike Yurasek addressed council regarding recent costly vandalism to the ballfield on Spiegel Street near the Stanley Avenue playground.
Yurasek said several acts of mischief have included spraypainting graffiti that resembles “graffiti on the old Via building across the street.”
He further described the destruction of a $400 pitching screen and torn fencing on the dugout. Cinderblocks were thrown through the batting cage nets, Yurasek told council, and due to the monetary value of the damaged items a police report was filed.
Yurasek said to prevent future incidents of vandalism he was before council to “petition for surveillance cameras” at the ballfield.
Council president Norman Blatt, however, said cameras “are not in the budget for this year.”
Instead, Blatt said the possible addition of security cameras would be discussed in council’s upcoming October budget meetings. He invited Yuraseck to attend the meetings and to provide additional information about the Little League’s needs.
Borough manager Eric Gratz added he would source pricing from a municipal vendor.
Gratz also provided council with an update on recent borough road projects.
“Jeter Avenue is done,” he said, referring to a reconstruction project that began in late July.
Gratz said the work on Jeter and Delaware avenues ran over budget, which has put work planned on Sioux Street on hold. However, paving work on Lynn Street was completed after UGI partially covered the cost, and projects on Warren and Morrow streets were finished because the contractor was able to “save costs,” he said.
Gratz also confirmed that PennDOT will continue its work on Broadway in the spring.
Efforts to improve communications between borough officials and residents will improve if council purchases a Community Alert System Gratz has been researching.
At the meeting he told council his search has been narrowed down to two vendors.
Gratz recommend purchasing the Nixle system, which he said offers local government the ability to issue unlimited alerts to both property owners and renters, as well as issue Spanish translations of alerts. Gratz said he favors “going through the budget process, with a rollout (of the alert system) at the beginning of 2023.”
Fountain Hill Council Meeting information
The next Fountain Hill Borough Council meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. in-person at Borough Hall, 941 Long St., Fountain Hill. Meetings are also livestreamed and the recordings uploaded via the borough’s Facebook page.
Fountain Hill Borough Hall on Long Street is the location of borough council meetings, which are held in-person as well as livestreamed online.
