The state’s fireworks law has been revised, and Franklin City Council members were asked at their monthly meeting last week for input on an ordinance solicitor Brian Spaid intends to draft in response to concerns citizens have raised about fireworks in the city.
While the new Pennsylvania law allows the city to require a permit for small-scale fireworks displays, Spaid thinks that will put too much strain on city staff to enforce another permit requirement, and council agreed.
The state law requires that persons shooting off consumer fireworks must be at least 150 feet away from any building or vehicle, and Spaid noted the city could prohibit fireworks entirely in parts of the city where this requirement would be impossible to meet.
The state law also prohibits setting off fireworks within 150 feet of an animal or livestock shelter, which doesn’t include dog kennels, Spaid said.
Fines for ordinance violations would be “substantial,” Spaid said.
Council expressed its support for an ordinance, and Spaid said he would go ahead and draft one, but he would not include a total prohibition of fireworks.
In other business at last week’s council meeting, city manager Tracy Jamieson updated the panel on the Miller Park storm sewer study, which was approved in August.
She said the first of three phases of the project could potentially be combined with the Franklin General Authority’s new water line along Sibley Avenue and Mercer Road.
“They’re going to start either very late fall or into early winter next year,” Jamieson said, noting that council could request a change order be made to the General Authority’s contract with Mortimer Excavating to ask if the city could put in the new storm water lines there at the same time.
Jamieson said this would save the city about $127,000 on costs of engineering and paving.
“It still comes to approximately $350,000,” she said, adding that the matter still needs to be discussed with the General Authority.
Swimming pool update
Ally-Karen Miller, aquatics director at the Franklin YMCA, gave this year’s operations report from the Miller-Sibley pool.
The pool had twice the attendance it had last year, she said, remarking she believed gas prices played a role as people “were staying close to home.”
“The new thing this year was having lanes in the pool for people to swim laps, which the swimmers really enjoyed,” she added.
The pool also partnered with the Franklin Library for its summer program, she said.
Mayor Doug Baker said he had received another notice from Honeywell regarding its previously-announced closure.
“They plan to be completely out of there by Feb. 24, 2023,” said Baker, who noted the closure means about 100 jobs will be lost in the region.
Honeywell, which specializes in the manufacturing of safety equipment, officially confirmed the closure of its Franklin facility in March and said the jobs would be transferred to Mexico.
Baker said in March he was informed that the facility was expected to go on the market early in 2023.
Council member Christian Marshall asked if National Fuel had given a date for work on the pipeline it plans to install along 10th Street as some residents had not been notified last month of some National Fuel work at 11th and Elk streets and one resident was unable to go to work.
Jamieson said there is no specific date as yet but that National Fuel said it wants to have the work done by the end of the year. She said the city could ask if someone from National Fuel could give residents timely notice.
Council also conditionally approved an easement request to install a sanitary sewer running from 215 West Park St. across the street to the city sewer, provided the owner engage a surveyor to determine the correct location of the connection.
Council approved holding its third trick or treat event in the downtown shopping area on Friday, Oct. 28, and park and parade assembly requests were approved for Light Up Night on Nov. 19 and the Christmas Tree Extravaganza from Nov. 20 to Jan. 3.
And Jamieson congratulated Ronnie Beith, the city’s events and marketing coordinator, for receiving an Oil Region Alliance Tourism Award as the Oil Region’s best industry advocate for tourism.
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