The Great Bend Borough Council opened its July meeting on the 5th with a presentation from Greg Scheer on borough codes and code enforcement. Mr. Scheer has been working undercover on the borough's rules and regulations for some months, and has now come up with some recommendations for going forward.
All municipalities adopt ordinances from time to time covering a variety of issues, from traffic and parking, to excessive noise, to decrepit buildings, to nuisances like overgrown lawns, scattered trash and barking dogs. These are referred to as codes, but differ somewhat from building codes that are covered by a different set of regulations. And most municipalities try to have a "codes enforcement officer" (CEO) available to enforce the rules.
Great Bend Borough has struggled to find someone willing and able to enforce whatever codes might be in effect, but no one is really sure what the codes are. Some ordinances date back many, many years. And enforcement can be a delicate, time-consuming, and frustrating job. As Mr. Scheer said, "it's all about the paperwork;" and then, according to Borough Secretary Sheila Guinan, sometimes a violation will go before the District Justice with a designated fine of, say, $1,000, only to have the Justice cut the fine to only $300.
Mr. Scheer, who lives in Bridgewater Township, is the CEO for New Milford, and part-time CEO for other municipalities through the county Council of Governments (COG). He offered a "Powerpoint" presentation that was on paper for the lack of a computer at the meeting. He focused on something called the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), a set of regulations that may be adopted, in whole or in part, by a municipality, as a more rigorous set of "standards" that might be easier to enforce.
The IPMC "is designed to meet [the need for a code to govern the maintenance of existing buildings] through model code regulations that contain clear and specific property maintenance requirements …". The most up-to-date IPMC must be purchased, although older versions are available for free. It does not cover most "nuisance" issues, and anything of interest not covered by codes adopted from the IPMC must be regulated by local ordinances.
Mr. Scheer recommended that Borough Council members review the IPMC materials and adopt those portions they consider most applicable. As a member of COG, Great Bend may be able to acquire Mr. Scheer's services to help enforce whatever codes it adopts. They are hoping that he will at least continue to review the Borough's current ordinances and recommend amendments as necessary.
Mr. Scheer also recommended that the Borough consult with its attorney on these issues, and the Borough's solicitor, Frank O'Connor, advised caution when considering the adoption of such codes.
There was little movement on several other issues outstanding before Council. Jerry MacConnell did not attend the meeting, so his input on paving the intersections of several Borough streets with US Route 11 was not available. He was also expected to have some information about the electrical service work in Greenwood Park and the Borough Building that has not yet been done.
Mr. MacConnell was also expected to have more information about laying a concrete floor in the Borough's auxiliary garage, but that project may be on hold for a while. Council member Mike VanGorden suggested that some available space in the maintenance yard could allow the garage(s) to be extended to provide more bays to get vehicles and equipment under cover. Council will consider that possibility, and its cost.
Council members were pleased with the recent paving of some Borough streets, which the Borough had to borrow to pay for. Mayor James Riecke, however, expressed a concern with the way some drainage might cause problems with icing in the winter. Attorney O'Connor chimed in that the Borough could be found liable for a known issue in the event of a complaint if they didn't take steps to mitigate the hazard.
A dispute seems to have arisen over who is responsible for trimming (aka "weed whacking") along the outfield fence in VFW Memorial Park. The agreement with the local Little League association once seemed clear that the baseballers would do the inside while the Borough would do the outside… but now it doesn't. The Borough receives $1,000 a year from the VFW for the park, but Council doesn't want to spend the money to have its maintenance employee, Cliff Mackenzie doing something he's not responsible for.
Along the way, Council President Rick Franks questioned the deterioration of VFW Memorial Park, once known as Recreation Park. Great Bend takes pride in its 3 parks, but where VFW Park used to have tennis courts, it now barely has a basketball court. So Mr. Franks put the question out: should the Borough spend to rejuvenate the park, and, if so, how?
In his report, Police Chief Jon Record highlighted preparations for National Night Out, scheduled this year for August 7th. He recommended attendance by Council, with a booth or table representing the Borough. According to the website https://natw.org, "National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live."
The VFW will also be sponsoring a suicide prevention program on July 19th.
Mr. Record also noted the installation of a dashboard camera in one of the police cars at a cost of about $1,200, paid for by the American Legion, and by New Milford Borough (which leases services from the Great Bend Police Department). He also said that a new bullet-proof vest was purchased for one of his officers at a cost of $800, half of which would be reimbursed by the US Department of Justice.
And, Ms. Guinan read out a letter from New Milford Borough commending the Great Bend Police Department, in particular for help with crowd control at an event at the end of May.
The next public meeting of the Great Bend Borough Council is scheduled for Thursday, August 2, 2018, beginning at 7:00pm at the Borough Building.
