An Apology to Delmont Salem Rotary

Delmont-Salem Rotary Club

 Delmont Salem Rotary does many great things for our Borough.  When I attended the Rotary meeting following their annual Steak-Fry, I was appalled to hear the condition of the kitchen at New House Park.  Evidently there was ice left that melted and produced mold and the kitchen sink was backed up.

I realized it was not the money as much as the stress of a small group of volunteers trying to pull off a successful event.  Delmont has two public works employees who do an amazing amount of work all around the Borough.  One of the employees was off the day before the event.  I know that just prior to the event they were very busy with some sewage repairs.  

I am not trying to make excuses for the conditions of the Park.  Perhaps this is a wake up call that the Borough ought to hire another Public Works worker at least in the summer to adequately care for Shield's Farm, New House Park, The Wigfield parklet, Borough Building property, Sewage Issues and other duties.

I am deeply sorry for all the inconveniences you suffered, because we did not have the Kitchen ready for your event.  I hope you will continue to hold Delmont Community events within our Borough.  I realize that there are other venues that could accommodate this event, and appreciate you choosing to keep it here.    

Why Blogs have not being made

It has been a very long time since I posted an entry.  There are many reasons: 1)  I was working diligently on the promise I made after being elected to office.  The above picture is the completion of that promise were I invested approximately $3,000 of my own money to earn the Certified Borough Official designation.  The photograph is of PSAB President Chuck Mummert presenting me the award of completion on June 9th at the PSAB annual conference.  Unfortunately, I had to leave the conference early because of pregnancy complications: which leads 2) Caring for Children and Pregnant wife occupied a lot of time. 3) There were no overly pressing issues that demanded Blog space based on other priorities.

Well, all that has changed and I am going to restart blogging efforts to keep you all informed.

Memorial Day

Two days of training for Borough Secretaries- Administrators ended on Thursday afternoon. I attended the last Westmoreland County Association of Boroughs meeting until September Thursday night.  I spent a several hours this holiday weekend reading back issues of the magazine Borough News.

The most important thing that is happening in Delmont is tomorrow 10:00 AM at Twin Valley Memorial Park. It is the service where we thank all who serve and especially honor the men and women who paid the ultimate price serving in the armed services to protect our Freedoms.  It really use to bother me when I see people disrespect, destroy, or burn our Flag because I always thought about those who gave their life for this Country, and those who put themselves in harm's way defending our way of life. Now, I just feel sorry that those people who engage in such activities are so ignorant that they don't realize they are destroying the symbol of all the people who fought and died to give them the ability to express these views publicly.

From the bottom of my heart a most sincere thanks to all who died that I may live in Freedom today: to the families that had to endure the loss of loved ones: and, those who have suffered great personal, mental, and physical losses in service to our Nation. Thanks to all who serve. God Bless you one and all.

Update May 24, 2016

I am waiting for the start of two day administration class.

I met with my advisor-Mentor for three hours last Wednesday. He gave me great advice.  I have started to act on some of it, but there is still so much to do.

I am going to the County Association of Boroughs tomorrow night. I am very interested in the speaker who is the Director of Emergency response. There have not been many comments or responses to the post I made about gas pipeline explosion.  I heard that there may now be ground water contamination. I can't wait to discuss some issues with the other County leaders.

I have been meeting with Scouting leaders about reestablishing Cub Pack. There is a new part to Cub Scout Program called Lions.  It is pilot program for Kindergarten age 5 boys. Not only looking into this piolet program but looking into having a special needs Den.

Responded to some residents on storm water issues, but haven't got the response hoping.

Any concerns, feel free to contact me. It is a pleasure serving you.

Gas Pipeline Explosion

Many of you who are citizens of Delmont Borough may be wondering why I would include this post under Delmont Council Activities.  I hope all of you are aware prior to my election to Council the Borough granted easements to Sunoco for the Mariner 2 Pipeline to pass through our Borough.  My original position is there is not much that can be done with pipelines because these are Federally Regulate and the transmission of oil and gas throughout the Country can be claimed a National Security issue.  When I attempted to attend the Town Hall Meeting in Salem Township when I arrived there was no room to even enter the building.  There was an activist there who tried to tell me that new lines could be fought because there is enough infrastructure to support movement now that the oil and gas companies just want their own lines so they don't have to pay to use what is there.  I have not researched enough to comment on that claim, but it was interesting.  I even talked a little bit with one of Keith Rothfus staff members about some of what you will find in this post.

When I went to the meeting I was not overly interested in what the Gas company was saying about the incident.  My personal belief is that the information would be rudimentary at best and most of the "information" would be Public Relations sophistry to convenience everyone of how safe gas and oil pipelines are.  I just wanted to formally request a copy of the official NTSB report that would have all the facts in it.  The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) is the Agency responsible for regulating the oil and gas lines.

Here is a list of my personal beliefs in case you feel that I am becoming too biased.

1. We all use either gas, oil, or both.  If we want these services the lines have to go somewhere. Nobody really wants them in their backyards.
2. In this incident the safety procedures worked well because the gas was shut off fairly quickly and there was no loss of life and limited damage compared to what could have been.
3. This incident should act as a wake up call to all the people who have fracking wells on their property or who are considering allowing wells on their property.  Yes, I know a transmission line is not the same as a fracking well but explosions and fires are possible at wells.  Why do you think they offer what seems like so much money when they are trying to start?
4. When any pipe is laid the company has a good idea of how long that pipe is going to last, but they make no effort to put money aside for replacement because they rather raise rates when the infrastructure needs to be updated.
5. Oil and Gas companies employ large numbers of actuaries to calculate the costs of damage and loss of life from accidents.  Sadly in some cases they may take the risk that leads to loss of life and property because it is so unlikely or would be cheaper to pay for it at some future time.
6. There is very little if anything that can be done to change locations of current pipelines.

I am not a big fan of more rules or regulations; however, when the bureaucracy is already in place and the life and property of citizens in our Commonwealth and Nation are in danger, it becomes necessary to make changes.  Yes, the gas and oil industry are in a bit of a slump right now, and some of the cost will probably filter down to us in higher utility bills because that is how the industry deals with cost increases.

Here is a list of points that I believe should be incorporated into Pennsylvania law at a minimum.  I would encourage all citizens to contact their State Senators and Representatives to push these initiatives.

1. If PA is going to be a major player in the Oil and Gas Industry the companies who are utilizing our resources ought to establish a HellFire response base somewhere in the central part of our state.  Gas and oil fires are special fire circumstances and beyond the capabilities of local fire departments.  We were lucky that the gas was able to be turned off.  Next time we may not be so lucky.  A lot of death and destruction is possible within the four plus hours it would take for the fire fighters to immobilize from Texas.  From a central location in PA it would be 2 hours max to respond to an incident within the State.
2. There should be accident scenarios developed for homes,farms, and business that could be damaged or destroyed by pipeline and well accidents to include worse case possible.  The results should be shared with the citizens that live in or have a business in those areas.
3. Gas and Oil lines are a necessary part of life.and they have risks no matter how small they may be.  In real estate transfers major pipe and well locations should be disclosed immediately along with the accident scenario so buyers can make informed choices if they want to assume the risk.  We make choices about risk everyday in driving and flying on airplanes.  Property owners have the same rights to make choices.
4. Gas and oil companies ought to be required to set monies aside for infrastructure repair to pipelines.  They know how much service life to expect.  Although these costs will eventually be passed on to the consumer, it will prevent the rate increases in the twelfth hour to ensure safe service.
5. The companies ought to be required to set up a found for people killed and property destroyed by pipeline and well accidents.  They may make safer decisions if they have large sums of their own money at stake instead of relying on insurance companies to pay all damages.

These are the points that I wanted to cover at the meeting.  Your comments are appreciated.
    .

Storm Water Post

Attention:  Residents of Delmont.  The weather has been wet and rainy.  Are you having trouble with storm water runoff?  The problems of interest include:  flooding basement (or large amounts of water in basement), water accumulation on driveways and sidewalks, and large amounts of water accumulating in yards.  The Westmoreland County Conservation District is interested in accumulating data and offering assistance in correcting these problems.  Delmont and some surrounding areas have been given a priority status because of development and location.  I have joined the Integrated Water Resource Plan (IWRP) Committee.  One task is to collect the address locations of problem areas in our Borough.  Depending on the severity of the problem, or multiple complaints in one area a representative of the Westmoreland County Conservation District will visit and give ideas of how to correct your problems.  There is no cost to you for the visit and advice.  You will also be provided a copy of the 25 page booklet  Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Homeowner’s Guide to Storm water: How to develop and implement a stormwater management plan for your property.  Please provide name, address or tax plot number, and a description of the problem.  Also, indicate if you want to try to set up an appointment with the representative of Westmoreland County Conservation District.

Please send information or direct questions to Councilman David Piper. E-mail david4delmont@gmail.com.  Send to the Delmont Borough Office: 77 Greensburg St. Delmont, PA 15626.  You can call (724) 552-9531.

Thoughts from Council Meeting May 10,2016

Sorry it took so long to write this but we had a visitor this week.  I am so glad that the Delmont Library lease was signed and project will go on without delay.  I was afraid that after the note was read we would be hit with a delay pending yet another meeting.  I wanted so bad to make the motion to approve the lease and move on, but I knew if the first motion came from me that would not happen.  That is why I jumped on and seconded it as fast as I could.  Other than this there was not a whole lot of issues that were very important that were handled.  I did want to ask the insurance committee if they even asked for a quote from Keystone Insurers Group.  One thing that I have learned from my trainings is this group is endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs and they provide free quotes.  Often they are less expensive because they specialize in Borough insurances.  If their quote would have been lower at least Delmont could have shown it to the group we choose and tried to negotiate a comparable rate.  But what do I know, I am the junior member.

There are many issues weighing heavily on my mind.  When the cheaper route is chosen the cost savings is immediate, but the potential future liabilities are much more costly.  The other thing that is bothering me is I am not sure whether our solicitor was just testing me or if he thinks that I am just ignorant about the law.  Sure he doesn't know that I took the LSATS or that I was considering being a lawyer at one point, or that I tutored Law students at the University of Maryland when I lived down in that part of the country.  I suppose I could spend the $200,000 to get the JD after my name, but I am going to spend $90,000 instead pursuing a Masters in Environmental Mgt/Public Policy that will be more beneficial to Delmont, Westmoreland County, and perhaps the State in the long run.  Especially in the issues of MS4, Stormwater, and sewage.

Fortunately, I am meeting with one of my advisers next Wednesday and hope to get insights on how to proceed.  Not only will these deficiencies increase cost on our budget, but it will alienate fellow council members and the Mayor.  I want so desperately to build a working relationship with everyone, but continuous operation outside the law carries a lot of potential liability for our community.  Furthermore, some of the areas were we have not been operating proceduraly  correct, don't carry legal and fiduciary consequences, but it has harmed our little community greatly.  It will continue to be detrimental if not corrected.  I am currently seeking funds, privately, that will address some of the deficiencies but there will be long term costs associated with it as well.

I would support a community wide meeting were all of the residents of Delmont could meet with the full council and vote on the services that we as a community feel our in our best interest.  Yes, there are some expenses that are mandated by laws (Sewage, Storm water MS4, Civil Service Commission with more than 3 full time officers), but there are other areas where, I feel, your voices should be heard.  However, everyone must understand the costs of providing services continues to increase and our tax base has remained fairly stagnate.  It is impossible to provide services without some sort of tax increases.  That is why I think it is vitally important for you to tell us how, and how much you are willing to pay for the services that are important to you and your families.  As you know from a previous post I am not a fan of paying higher taxes or fees either, but someone has to pay.  Cutting corners, keeping fees artificially low makes everyone happy today by the money that is being saved, but at some point somebody will need to pay.

I am going to make a post about storm water project that I am involved in and one about the piipeline explosion.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve.