Dormont Borough Council SuperCommittee/Agenda Review Meeting - July 28, 2025

The Dormont Borough Council held its SuperCommittee/Agenda Review on Monday, July 28, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. The committee-of-the-whole reviewed public safety, finance/legal, planning and business district matters, interviewed applicants for two boards, and previewed the next voting meeting. No members of the public registered or spoke during public comment periods. No formal votes were taken; most action items were slated for the Monday, August 4, 2025 voting meeting. The meeting adjourned to executive session for personnel and collective bargaining.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No registered public comments were on the agenda, and no one spoke during the general public comment period.

Business District Relations and Development Committee

• Amie Downs was absent. At her request, Public Works provided an update on planned street work on Potomac Avenue. Work is expected to begin with a smaller project in early September and Potomac Avenue work is targeted for mid-September.
• Public Works will work one block at a time rather than closing the whole avenue, keeping other blocks open with signage and detours. Businesses asked that the work be completed in one continuous period rather than spread over several weeks. Public Works estimated about one day per block.

Public Safety, Building & Code Enforcement Committee

• Brandon Ledford presented a community letter of appreciation for Officers Hinchey and Schmidt and Sergeant Sagwitz for their response to a hit-and-run crash involving a drunk driver; the letter will be included in agenda packets.
• Chief Stackich, participating by phone, said the proposed dumpster ordinance is cleanup work that formalizes the existing dumpster permit program, adds violations and penalties, and creates an enforceable legal structure. The permit fee will remain in the fee schedule rather than in the ordinance. Council agreed to advance the advertising motion to the August 4 voting meeting.
• Borough Manager John Stinner explained the police/fire desk separation. After the building inspector's departure, the firefighter at the police desk would move upstairs to support Chief Stackich and perform fire-related and certified building official work. A new permit clerk job description is expected in council packets for an August 4 vote. A resolution will formalize the separation and honor the firefighters' bargaining-unit agreement that fire personnel be assigned to essential firefighting and code-enforcement roles. Related personnel matters were referred to executive session.

Finance and Legal Committee

• Two board applicants appeared: Brendan Pavlik (listed as Pavlick on the agenda), a two-year Dormont resident with theater and youth-program experience, applied to the Recreation Board and said he wants to bring a younger, tech-savvy approach. Lisa Colavecchia, a nine-year resident with criminal justice and human services experience, applied to the Human Relations Commission and emphasized advocacy, equity, and equal opportunity; she had also been recommended by the Human Relations Commission. Appointments are expected to be voted on August 4.
• The council reviewed a draft boards-and-commissions application process: a general application plus board-specific questions, required letter of interest, optional resume and board recommendation, staff review of completeness and residency, subcommittee interview, council vote, attendance expectations, and reappointment notification. Council requested revisions, including reassigning some boards to different subcommittees, clarifying attendance rules for boards such as the Recreation Board that hold events, checking with board chairs before reappointment, and adding application deadlines. Melinda and council members will revise the draft.
• Public Works described the 2008 Ford F-150's transmission failure, including no reverse, and recommended a used 2014 F-150 with fewer than 14,000 miles for $26,000. The $500 trade-in offer was rejected in favor of auctioning the old truck, with an estimated $3,000 in auction proceeds offsetting the purchase. The purchase would be funded by the unspent $30,000 public works summer-help line item. The property surplus declaration and truck purchase resolution are on the next voting agenda.

Planning, Sustainability, and Inclusion Committee

• Toole Design/West Liberty Road Diet: Staff and council met PennDOT for a first look at a road-diet concept for West Liberty Avenue featuring two through lanes plus turning lanes through Dormont. The concept is intended to ease congestion and keep traffic moving. Drawings have not been released, and a follow-up PennDOT meeting will cover the next stretch toward the Galleria. Council discussed hiring Toole Design as a transportation consultant, but pricing and Mount Lebanon's interest still need to be checked. Council asked that digital files or a public presentation be made available. A council member credited Dormont with helping get traction on a corridor issue the region has discussed for years.
• Dormont by Design/Comprehensive Plan and GEDTF: The manager listed comprehensive-plan work already underway, including new parking meters, the coming sidewalk improvement program, expanded GIS resources, and possible facade-grant improvements. For the Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund (GEDTF) grant, council discussed playground pavilions at about $50,000 each, ADA restroom renovations, modular ADA restroom units estimated at roughly $150,000 to $200,000 each, dog-park planning, and basketball court reconstruction estimated at $1 to $2 million with a possible C2P2 grant that staff said would likely not exceed $400,000. A previous comparable ADA restroom renovation at Jefferson Hills was about $190,000, and GEDTF awards are capped at $500,000 per application. Council also discussed a five-year capital improvement plan workshop and a doodle poll for scheduling.
• Porchmont Update: Porchmont yard signs are being distributed, host logistics are finalized, and a Porchmont Day resolution is expected to be considered in August and passed in September, with activities beginning around September 12 and tied to Welcoming Week.

Voting Agenda and Council Business

• Council discussed a prior $500 authorization for toy-drive pool passes; only $40 was spent. They plan to clarify the record by covering a $200 face-painter expense for the same event and returning unused passes. Mayor Walsh agreed to use his goodwill funds to pay pavilion rentals and the security deposit for Art in the Park.
• A Scout proclamation/recognition was added near the beginning of the August 4 voting meeting.

Discussion Item: Municipal Flower Beds

• Council members viewed photos of weedy borough flower beds and agreed to ask the existing maintenance contractor to clean and maintain them through the growing season, seek advice from the Shade Tree Commission, and consider native plants or inexpensive wildflower seed, citing roughly $30 for the wildflower seed used at a park.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken at this SuperCommittee/Agenda Review meeting.
• Advanced to the August 4 voting meeting: the two board appointments, dumpster ordinance advertising motion, desk-separation resolution, property surplus declaration, and public works truck purchase.
• The boards-and-commissions process will be revised and brought back to council.
• Toole Design assistance on the West Liberty Road Diet remains under discussion pending pricing, scope, and Mount Lebanon participation.
• Public Works street work on Potomac Avenue is targeted for mid-September, with block-by-block closures and coordination with businesses.
• A session on capital improvement priorities will be scheduled.
• The meeting adjourned to executive session for personnel and collective bargaining, with no further decisions made.