Shen. approves street paving projects, building demos, hires part-time cop

KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - The unit block of North Ferguson Street the borough expects to repave.

By Kaylee Lindenmuth | [email protected]

SHENANDOAH – Shenandoah council took action on several matters Monday evening, including approving the repaving of roadways, demolition of blighted properties, and the hiring of a recently retired state trooper as a part-time police officer.

Borough council approved the lowest base bids, pending clarification from the borough’s engineering firm, for three projects in the borough – repaves of North Ferguson from Centre to Lloyd and West Oak from Chestnut to West, and “various pavement patching” on Jardin, White, and Furnace Streets.

“There is some discrepancy in here that we’ve noted between the specification book and the electronic bidding system,” said council president Leo Pietkiewicz. “It looks as though some of this was combined in as the total and not broken outright.”

The lowest bids, as read by Pietkiewicz, were:
Ferguson Street: Construction Master Services LLC, Sinking Spring, $44,160
Oak Street: Construction Master Services LLC, $38,794
Various pavement restoration: New Enterprise Stone and Lime Co., New Enterprise,  $22,762

In other business, borough council approved four demolition projects, three in Shenandoah proper and one in the Turkey Run section.

A collapsing apartment building at 527/529 West Arlington was approved for demolition at a cost of $18,444. On the east end, properties at 412/414 East Arlington and 118 North White were approved at costs of $10,884 and $8,444 respectively. In Turkey Run, a property at 323 Furnace Street was approved at a cost of $9,444.

​Under the mayor’s report section of the meeting, Mayor Andrew Szczyglak brought to council’s attention a recommendation from Chief George Carado to hire a part-time police officer who Szczyglak said “is well known to the community,” Leo Luciani.

“He is a retired state trooper, and is very well-respected throughout the county,” said Szczyglak.

Council approved the hiring of Luciani, a Frackville native. He retired in June from the State Police after 37 years of service, retiring as a corporal. 

Borough council also approved

  • Acquiring 527/529 West Arlington, 412/414 East Arlington, 323 Furnace, 118 North White, and 422 West Cherry via the Schuylkill County Tax Claim Bureau,
  • A resolution regarding the 2019 Community Development Block Grant program,
  • A resolution regarding fair housing,
  • Handicap parking applications for 407 West Oak and 901 West Coal,
  • A fundraising request by Shenandoah Valley Boys Basketball for September 6.

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