Kallenborn and Borough Council attend last regular meeting / By Martha Knight

In what may have been his last borough council meeting, Port Allegany borough manager Dick Kallenborn Monday night thanked council, other borough employees and the citizens  for “permitting me the honor of serving them the last 18 years.”

Kallenborn mentioned the virtual rebuilding of the infrastructure, avoiding “spending millions on a new sewer plant,’ obtaining millions in federal and state grants and providing safe roads, among the borough’s accomplishments during his tenure.

Responding on behalf of the council, president Andrew Johnson praised Kallenborn for his steadfastness, capabilities and dedication. He added that Kallenborn will be hard to replace.

The borough council has selected for interviews some of the applicants for the manager position. In a brief closed session after the public meeting they agreed on the questions they would like to put to the candidates. Kallenborn’s resignation is effective at the end of the year.

In his monthly report to council Kallenborn said the apartment complex for seniors on Church Street, Medbury Manor, had experienced backed up drains and other problems, leading to conjecture that there might be a problem with sewer lines. But that is not the case, according to inspections performed.

Owned by the McKean County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), the complex was built at a location where there used to be a water well. Kallenborn said the  HRA was unable to locate the “as built” drawings or building plans for the complex. It will be up to the owner to determine the cause and correct the drainage or plumbing problem.

Another problem that relates to a sewer line replacement matter came back before the council for the second time recently, with Rebecca Mingo being dissatisfied with the method used to deal with a sluice broken by the contractor.

Mingo had asked to have the whole sluice pipe, which she had purchased, replaced. The method used by the borough had been to remove and replace the damaged portion and clamp the new section to the rest.

Mingo objected to being left with four junctions instead of two, as she saw it, citing opinions from “two community members.” But Kallenborn said the repair had been done correctly. The matter was not resolved at the meeting.

EADS Group engineers and surveyors have determined that Edison Bates Drive lies only partly in the borough. The eastern end and the Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center lie in Liberty Township, Kallenborn reported.

Future repairs and maintenance would be shared responsibilities, according to the information. EADS group suggested seeking funding from a grant program for safe routes to schools, later on, if that program is funded again.

Engineers and officials of the neighboring municipalities will need to negotiate a new agreement covering water and sewer rates, and the ownership and responsibility for maintenance of lines, Kallenborn said. The update will be needed because of the extension of water and sewer lines about two miles south of the borough into the township area along Route 155 south, a project expected to get underway next year.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has notified the borough of a violation in that it did not file a report timely. Kallenborn said this was because a lab used by the borough had sent results late, delaying the report. The borough may “look to change labs,” he said.

Progress on the flood control project was mentioned, referring to recent work by AECOM engineers. Plans should be finalized early next year. The borough must acquire the needed land once the locations are certain. Some utilities will have to be relocated by the borough.

Stating that the dike project’s progress is “finally a little faster than a turtle,” Kallenborn said the latest deadlines referred to seem unrealistic. AECOM has said the project will go to bid in late 2015.

Kallenborn praised the Christmas on the Square as a success, last Thursday night, with well planned activities. Decoration downtown as well as in other neighborhood have added to holiday cheer, he said.

Ronald Bittner, C.P.A. and vice president of Univest, reported on the pension funds that company handles for the borough. Two employee groups, uniformed and non-uniformed, are involved.

Bittner pointed out that the borough will have four employees drawing pensions at once, due to retirements—an unusual number for the small work force to experience.

That many employees drawing retirement benefits at one time will cause a change in cash flow. Because of that Bittner plans to meet with the borough council a few months into 2015. He noted that the values of both pension funds have improved, with better earnings.

Council appointed Michael Mulcahey to the Zoning Hearing Board and Richard Price to the Civil Service Commission. A request for a representative of the borough council to be appointed to the Port Allegany Area Economic Development Corporation found no one willing. Johnson asked the members to give it further thought.