Tyrone Borough Council approved a number of resolutions and motions at last night’s council meeting including putting into place a written handicap parking policy.
“I think it is important to have something in writing,” said Borough Manager Nathan George.
“Things tend to change over time and things can become unclear if it’s not in writing. I’ll recommend this in the future (to have a written policy) on other matters.”
George indicated although the people who run the borough can change over a period of time, new officials would have a point of reference when dealing with issues if a written policy is in place.
Council unanimously approved a resolution which stated it would adopt a written policy regarding handicapped parking in the borough for a number of reasons.
The resolution noted the state’s Motor Vehicle Code allows a municipality, at the request of a person with a disability, to erect signs reserving a parking space on a borough street for a person with a disability.
George had made the recommendation to draft a written policy and a resolution to adopt it at a previous meeting and solicitor Larry Clapper was directed to draft the written documents.
Borough officials felt the new policy was needed because Tyrone has been experiencing a lack of parking spaces and according to the resolution must make use of them judiciously.
The new written policy sets forth certain criteria to be used for granting handicapped parking space.
The new policy covers such issues as proper procedure for making an application, field inspections prior to the application being approved, how the request should be granted and the need for proof to keep the permit in place once an application is approved.
The policy also sets a standard for granting the private handicapped parking space.
In order to be eligible for a space, the residence and/or building to be served by such parking space, must have no other available “off street” parking.
Such other “available off street parking” will be determined by the appropriate borough official conducting the field inspection.
In other action, Tyrone Borough Council made the following decisions:
•passed a resolution supporting efforts to prevent the reduction of beds and other services at the James Van Zandt Veterans Administration Medical Center in Altoona;
•ratified a waterline upgrade agreement which the borough entered into with CCK, Inc. in February. The borough also received an extension from the state to execute the Infrastructure Development Program designed to obtain grant money for the upgrade project. The mayor was instructed to sign the documents which will now go to the Department of Community and Economic Development in an effort to obtain the grant money. Once in place, construction on the upgrade would be able to proceed;
•approved the minutes from the recent CDBG public hearing as well as a resolution authorizing the submission of an application for 2004 CDBG funding and an administrative agreement between the borough and Improved Dwellings for Altoona, Inc. (IDA).
•approved using an outside source to conduct emissions testing on borough motor vehicles;
•passed a motion for Borough Manager Nathan George and solicitor Larry Clapper to explore the best options regarding a request by Byron Walk to timber an area of borough property near Route 453 on the opposite side of the watershed;
•came to a consensus on how to proceed on a pager request by Tyrone Borough Forest Fire Warden, David Lynch. He will be asked to join one of the borough’s fire department in order for the borough to release one of its currently unused pagers to him. Otherwise, council felt Lynch should obtain such a pager through other means.
•approved a request from Albermarle Corporation to host a Fish Rodeo at Reservoir Pond on Saturday, April 17, 2004.
Council also approved what is know as a landlord’s estoppel certificate by authorizing the borough manager to complete, sign and return the document to the requester, Intermedia Communications, Inc. In January, a letter was received from Invisible Allies Ministries, informing the borough it had recently offered to purchase the assets of Intermedia Communications, Inc. The certificate was needed in order to allow the sale of the assets to continue although to date no other correspondence or requests, including the lease itself, have been received.
