Sugarcreek Borough Council welcomed a familiar face back into the fold Wednesday with the appointment of former council president Bogan Goughler to fill the panel’s vacant seat.
Goughler was sworn in by Sugarcreek mayor Charlie McDaniel during Wednesday’s council meeting, which was held in the borough building’s maintenance garage to aid in social distancing.
“It’s why I ran in the first place,” said Goughler, who was defeated by write-in candidate Tom Hartle in November’s election. Hartle vacated the position in March.
He will now add to his 15-year Sugarcreek Borough Council career, during which he has served in several roles including council president.
After Goughler was sworn in, council then moved to extend the borough’s discount period for payment of property taxes until the end of June. The vote was unanimous.
In maintenance concerns, borough manager Joe Sporer told council about an emergency culvert replacement along Shaffer Run Road.
This is the second culvert along the road in need of an emergency replacement in four months.
“It’s within two feet of the berm and has to be dealt with immediately … it’s sliding into the creek,” said Sporer.
Sporer said “we have no doubt” that a pipe underneath the roadway is the cause behind the culvert issues.
Councilman Jim Speth asked if the two culverts indicate the roadway’s remaining culvert would need repaired or replaced in the near future, to which Sporer said he didn’t believe that was the case.
“I don’t anticipate the other one to go within the next year,” said Sporer.
Replacing the culverts run a price around $3,500, according to Sporer.
Another emergency replacement is one that could have been avoided.
“We cannot stress this enough, no wipes are flushable,” Sporer said.
Because an uptick of sewer customers are using wipes whether it be because of the current perceived toilet paper shortage or otherwise – Sporer said certain equipment within the sewer system is being ruined.
Sporer said this is evidenced in a pump that will now need to be replaced “because of wipes.”
The pump will cost about $8,000, Sporer said.
“I know that some of the packages say (the wipes) are flushable…they’re not,” he said.
Council then voted to award several liquid fuels contracts totaling $302,250 to four different companies.
Speth then questioned if the borough had plans for paving streets this summer, and he asked how coronavirus mitigation efforts might impact those plans.
Sporer said the borough had no “significant” street paving plans in place with the current budget due to a decrease in Community Development Block Grant funds, which were lowered when the borough lost its low-to-moderate income status last fall.
He did say, however, that plans had already been in place to pave Shuffstall Street with the last of 2019 CDBG funds.
Several streets, including Wilson Avenue and Beatty Run and Keely roads, will be patched and seal coated. This will complete a project that was to be finished last summer but was put on hold due to weather.
In other meeting business, police chief Bob Wenner said reported crime has dropped 50% in Venango County.
Wenner said he believes this is due to the public heeding state orders to stay home.
He also said his department has relaxed some of its enforcement on things like speeding.
“I think we need to be seen as guardians and co-residents going through the same thing,” Wenner said.
Despite the countywide drop, Wenner said his department has already surpassed the number of felony arrests the department made in 2019.
