Tarentum water customers will receive automated phone alerts in case of a water emergency through the same service that the Highlands School District uses to alert parents about school delays.
The borough will hire One Call Now as the new emergency notification provider to comply with a state Department of Environmental Protection mandate scheduled to take effect May 10 for water treatment plants. Borough Manager William Rossey said the system will cost $2,500 per year with unlimited calls.
That means the borough can not only use the system to notify its 2,400 water customers of an water emergency, but notify residents of road blockages, snow plowing alerts and any other important information the borough may need to relay to residents quickly.
The system can notify any number of residents within 30 minutes.
In other news:
• Mayor Carl Magnetta, council and the police chief commended the borough's road crew for the "tremendous" job they did on snow removal following the recent snowstorms.
The mayor also thanked the office workers and his wife for fielding so many phone calls.
• Council voted to spend $1,500 to replace the broken control box for the traffic light at Western Street and West Seventh Avenue.
The replacement box is a reconditioned one that will keep the traffic light from skipping the downhill signal like the old box was doing.
A new traffic light could cost as much as $100,000, so fixing the existing light was considered a better option.
The repair will allow the borough to remove temporary stop signs that are at that intersection. Police Chief William Vakulick felt the four-way stop signs weren't as effective as a traffic light.
• Council will consider replacing the tot wading pool at Riverview Park with a motion-activated water spray area.
Council said the pool requires higher maintenance, since it needs chlorine and water tests several times a day as well as a lifeguard.
In March, officials will compare the cost to keep the wading pool with an estimate for the water spray area.
The borough will try to obtain a state grant through Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in which each would pick up half of the cost.
• Tarentum has budgeted for another part-time code enforcement officer to be brought on this year. A second officer will make it easier to keep up with residents who violate basic property maintenance.
• Tarentum resident Jim Bowser spoke at Monday's meeting regarding the property at 316 West Eighth Ave. that sits between the two properties he owns.
Bowser said 316 West Eighth has been condemned, but the borough isn't doing anything about getting it torn down.
Although the property owner has been cited, the borough can't force him to tear down the building, officials said.
Bowser said at one point there were as many as 50 cats in the building, and in the warm weather, the smell becomes unbearable. The structure is also leaning.
Council members agreed to help Bowser get involved in the vacant property recovery program.
The program will help get the property up for sheriff's sale so Bowser can buy it for taxes owed and tear down the structure himself if he chooses.
