Apollo has a new manager who officials say is "very friendly" and has a "great personality," but will not be in charge of the borough's police department.
Council voted 4-0 Thursday to hire borough business owner Cindy McDermott as manager. Council members Karen Kenzevich and Pat Zelonka were absent.
McDermott will start a six-month probationary period on July 30 at a salary of $28,000.
McDermott, who owns The Blossom Shop, did not attend the council meeting and could not be reached for comment.
She fills the vacancy left by the departure of former Manager Lori Weig-Tamasy. The borough permanently laid off Weig-Tamasy June 15 as part of a settlement and release agreement.
As manager, Weig-Tamasy had oversight of the police department, which Mayor Rich Dixon had delegated to her.
Council President David Heffernan said oversight of the police department has returned to the mayor.
Dixon did not attend the meeting and could not be reached for comment afterwards.
Having the mayor in charge of the police was the desire of the majority of council, Heffernan said.
The borough's police department is now down to one part-time officer after the departure of part-time officer Ralph Varrato.
Council accepted Varrato's resignation Thursday. Varrato had turned in his badge on July 7, Councilman Darhl Goldinger said.
Council is reviewing applications to hire more part-time police officers. Solicitor Chuck Pascal suggested the borough look for someone who can be an officer-in-charge.
The borough's only full-time officer, Chief Paul Breznican, has been suspended with pay and faces charges he sold guns that belonged to the borough and had been seized from residents. He was previously not working because of an injury.
McDermott was one of about two dozen applicants for the manager's job, Heffernan said.
Although she has no prior municipal experience, Heffernan said she was chosen because she had "a good resume," and is computer knowledgeable, intelligent and sincere, with a great personality.
Councilman Darhl Goldinger chimed in that she is "very friendly."
"That's what we were after," Heffernan said.
"It will be a real challenge for her for a while," Heffernan said. "I feel confident she'll do well."
Weig-Tamasy was often criticized for being rude to residents.
Heffernan said council chose to keep a manager, rather than change the position to secretary, because of the additional authority and responsibility the title carries.
Sewage costs to rise
Apollo residents could see their quarterly sewage bills double from $12 to $24 because of cost overruns on the borough's sewage separation project.
The borough will have to borrow $600,000 to cover the additional costs after the state's PennVEST program said it had no more money to give, said Rich Craft, borough engineer with Olsen & Associates of Butler.
The borough has already received $7.5 million in grant funding to install a new sanitary sewer system, Craft said.
Most of the additional cost, about $400,000, is the result repairs that were needed to the borough's old sewage system, which will be a storm sewer.
The rest came from additional costs incurred from workers hitting other underground utility lines that were not marked or were miss-marked, Craft said.
The borough is in talks with Armstrong County District Attorney Scott Andreassi about pursuing litigation against the utility companies that failed to mark or miss-marked their lines.
The state's Underground Utility Protection Act enables the district attorney to file a lawsuit on the borough's behalf, Craft said.
