[0:10] Who rise by the
[0:18] United States of America and to the Republic, which it stands, one Nation under
[0:24] God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[0:31] Good evening. Can we have a roll call, please, babe?
[0:36] Mr. Mizel?
[0:37] Here.
[0:38] Ms. Petry-Betsey?
[0:39] Here.
[0:40] Ms. Whitman?
[0:42] Here.
[0:43] Mr. Burnside? Present. Mr. Green's not here. Mr. Magerman?
[0:48] Here.
[0:48] Mr. Kessey? Here. Mayor DeLuca?
[0:51] Here.
[0:53] Okay. Once again, good evening.
[0:57] First up, I see we don't have a mayor's report tonight. Is that correct?
[1:01] No, we don't have anything at this point.
[1:03] Yes?
[1:03] No.
[1:04] Okay. Thank you. All right. Okay, first up on our agenda is the appointment
[1:10] of David R. Nyman as secretary and Right-to-Know officer.
[1:17] I'll make that motion.
[1:18] I'll second.
[1:21] You make a motion?
[1:23] Oh, okay. So I'm making a motion for
[1:27] Dave Nyman to be the secretary and Right-to-Know officer, and that is what was
[1:33] first-
[1:34] Yeah
[1:34] ... then second. Any comments from council? The public? All in favor?
[1:40] Aye.
[1:40] Aye.
[1:44] Aye.
[1:51] Okay. Okay, first, a few announcements.
[1:54] Council met in executive session on August 17th for personal matters,
[2:01] August 18th for potential litigation, and we'll meet again
[2:06] on August 22nd for personnel matters.
[2:12] Okay.
[2:15] That was a little bit out of order. Next up is a certificate of appropriateness,
[2:21] 9 East Bridge, entrance door, color change to gold foil. Can I have a motion?
[2:26] I'll make that motion.
[2:28] I'll second.
[2:30] Any comments from council?
[2:33] No. Do we have a picture of that up there?
[2:39] I like the color of the door.
[2:41] Very creative and really-
[2:42] Yeah.
[2:42] Mm-hmm.
[2:43] Gold foil.
[2:45] Makes it stand out. Yeah.
[2:47] Yeah.
[2:47] Just for everyone's benefit, we can see what's going on.
[2:50] Yeah.
[2:51] Thank you, Erin.
[2:52] Great.
[2:53] Any comments from the public? All in favor?
[2:57] Aye.
[2:57] Aye.
[3:00] Aye.
[3:00] Okay.
[3:04] Certificate of appropriateness 4 East Mechanic, a sign installation.
[3:08] Can I have a motion?
[3:10] I'll make the motion.
[3:11] I'll second.
[3:14] Any comments from council?
[3:16] Do we have a picture of that or-
[3:19] B something?
[3:23] Okay, so-
[3:29] It was up. Yeah.
[3:33] Yeah. I don't know if it was that one.
[3:34] Zoom in. I think there was an actual picture.
[3:39] No.
[3:41] Do you want to bring it up?
[3:43] Maybe.
[3:49] Yeah, I-
[3:49] Aaron, so if you bring it up so it's that B spot right there.
[3:51] Yeah, you see where it says B5? It's not color...
[3:57] We do it in the colors.
[4:00] Oh, that's it. So-
[4:02] Yeah
[4:02] ...
[4:04] any comments from council?
[4:07] No. From the public? All in favor?
[4:10] Aye.
[4:11] Aye.
[4:11] Aye.
[4:11] Okay. Next is a certificate of appropriateness, 17 through 19
[4:17] West Mechanic sign installation. Can I have a motion?
[4:20] I'll make that motion.
[4:22] I'll second.
[4:24] Okay, and I know that the applicant is here tonight.
[4:29] Welcome to West Mechanic.
[4:33] Any comments from council?
[4:37] No, great sign.
[4:38] Cool. Yeah.
[4:39] And any comments from the public?
[4:44] Okay, all in favor?
[4:46] Aye.
[4:46] Aye.
[4:47] Aye.
[4:47] Good luck in your new location.
[4:54] Okay.
[4:56] Next up is a resolution to adopt Bucks County
[5:01] 2026 Hazardous Mitigation Plan. Can I have a motion?
[5:07] I'll make the motion.
[5:08] I'll second.
[5:09] Okay. I'm going to defer to our zoning officer for a brief description of what
[5:15] we're talking about here.
[5:17] Yeah, so basically, every municipality is required to update their hazard
[5:21] mitigation plan every five years.
[5:24] This was spearheaded by the Bucks County Planning Commission.
[5:28] The basis for the requirement is to be eligible for funding in
[5:34] the event of disaster, for pre and post-disaster funding, and it's required through
[5:39] FEMA.
[5:40] Okay.
[5:41] All right.
[5:42] The county really tries to keep each municipality from having to do this on their
[5:46] own, and they do it cooperatively, and they involve members from each of the
[5:50] municipalities in the county to help with that.
[5:54] They do it about, I think, every five years. Is that Lisa?
[5:57] Correct, every five years.
[5:58] Yeah.
[5:58] Excellent.
[5:59] Very good.
[6:00] Thank you.
[6:01] Okay, comments from council?
[6:04] Nope.
[6:04] From the public? All in favor?
[6:08] Aye.
[6:08] Aye.
[6:08] Aye.
[6:11] Next up is adoption of a tax claim ordinance.
[6:15] This was advertised on August 2nd-
[6:19] Yeah
[6:19] ... and approved by council. Can I have a motion?
[6:22] I'll make that motion.
[6:23] I'll second.
[6:25] Okay. This basically was a means by which
[6:30] any unpaid taxes, real estate taxes,
[6:36] this organization that would
[6:41] collect those money would
[6:45] give us 95%, and they'd keep 5%. Well, this new arrangement is that we get 100% of
[6:50] their monies. So it was a win-win for us.
[6:55] So, we don't have that many unpaid real estate taxes that it amounts
[7:01] to much money, but it's still a benefit for the borough, and that's what
[7:06] we're voting on tonight. Any additional comments from council?
[7:12] No. Good job.
[7:13] From the public? All in favor?
[7:16] Aye.
[7:17] Aye.
[7:18] Aye.
[7:18] Okay, next up is the consideration of approval to submit Bird Town PA
[7:23] application and fee. Can I have a motion?
[7:26] I'll make the motion.
[7:27] I'll second.
[7:28] Okay.
[7:33] Anne, you want to, yeah, give us a little...
[7:36] You want to talk a little bit about it?
[7:38] This is your-
[7:44] Pam Kerr. K-E-R-R. Sorry. No, I don't want to talk about it,
[7:51] obviously.
[7:55] Matt was supposed to be here. He gave the presentation at the workshop, and
[7:59] basically, the Environmental Advisory Council would like to add the Bird Town
[8:04] PA certification to the borough. It is
[8:12] possible to do this and come in at the Silver level, and within a couple of months,
[8:16] be at the top Gold level because a lot of the basis is
[8:22] the Naturalizing New Hope certification and the Shade Tree
[8:28] certifications. And then we'll build on it over time to do more things that are
[8:33] good for the birds. But we basically not only qualify, but we qualify well up the
[8:39] scale at this point. And Pam, as far as getting to the Gold level, is it building
[8:43] up the native habitats to attract more birds? Is that how we get to that?
[8:49] It is. It probably comes down to a few points of proclamations and things, and then
[8:55] the big work is the long-term work, where lights out during...
[8:59] We're not going to do that all in two seconds. That's going to be long-term.
[9:02] So this is just the sort of basis to say we have been committing to the Shade Tree
[9:08] USA and to the National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Habitat.
[9:15] So this is building so that over time we have a fundamental basis for doing better.
[9:21] But I forget what exactly we need to be gold.
[9:23] I think it's more paperwork points than it is because we've got so much stuff
[9:27] already going on.
[9:27] Already. Okay.
[9:30] Any other comments for Pam or-
[9:33] No. Great way to build on the work you've already been doing with naturalizing New
[9:36] Hope and the Shade Tree Commission's good work and everything, so great to expand
[9:41] that work.
[9:42] I've heard. Yeah. Thank you.
[9:43] Keep us going.
[9:50] Lori, L-O-R-I. Stagnitto, S-T-A-G-N-I-T-T-O.
[9:58] Kudos to Pam and to the groups for
[10:03] wanting New Hope to be a bird down, but unfortunately, I just wanted to say, we are
[10:08] taking away their natural habitats at an alarming rate.
[10:13] Trees are being cut down left and right.
[10:16] Developers are taking out as much greenery and habitat as they
[10:21] can, and it's just something we really have to be aware of and careful of.
[10:27] I think about the Mansion Inn, had two massive trees and gardens and greens and
[10:33] shrubs behind it, and now if you go back there, it's just concrete and stone, and
[10:39] there's nothing green back there at all.
[10:41] It's like an entire block of New Hope has no greens anymore.
[10:47] Every time they put up one of these massive houses on the river, they're taking
[10:52] down the massive trees along the river where our eagles and hawks
[10:58] and songbirds stop. So there's that.
[11:04] And of course, it's interesting, the Bucks County Audubon Society just put out
[11:10] lights out for the next month or so because of bird migration, but yet we
[11:16] have things like the bridge and the bright lights
[11:21] that are so bad for birds and wildlife.
[11:24] So I think we really have to be on top of this and especially our trees. Thanks.
[11:29] Thank you. Any other comments from the public?
[11:35] Okay, I neglected to add that we have $160
[11:40] application fee with this for... We get two signs, I think, for free, and we're
[11:46] paying for one because the recommendation was to get three, so it's $160
[11:52] application fee with this. So just want to add that to the motion, and
[11:58] if there's no other comments from the public or council, all in favor?
[12:02] Aye.
[12:02] Aye.
[12:05] Next up is the consideration of temporary tent exception request for Parry Mansion
[12:10] Museum. Can I have a motion?
[12:12] I'll make that motion.
[12:13] I'll second.
[12:15] That's okay. Okay.
[12:19] I think I have a couple photographs describing it.
[12:23] They're going to have tents up for about a month.
[12:28] I think it's about a month. Three weeks, three and a half weeks, I think was the-
[12:32] Yeah. Yes, two weeks. Yeah, it's going to be naturally screened-
[12:36] From the landscape
[12:37] ... by the landscaping. Yeah.
[12:38] Okay. So
[12:40] they have the necessary insurance policies and it looks like it's a substantial
[12:46] looking structure.
[12:48] It's next page. There you go.
[12:50] There you go.
[12:53] Any comments from council?
[12:55] No, just that it's an artist spotlight that they're highlighting within, right?
[12:59] It's a series of local artists that they'll be sponsoring as part of it, so it's to
[13:04] highlight the arts in town, which I think is a worthwhile endeavor. Yeah.
[13:09] Yeah. The application says September 11th through September 25th.
[13:13] 11th through the 25th.
[13:13] So look forward to seeing the programming that's going on there, and yeah,
[13:18] highlighting our town.
[13:21] Any other comments from council?
[13:24] Anything from the public? All in favor?
[13:28] Aye.
[13:28] Aye.
[13:31] Okay, next up is consideration approval to hire Eva
[13:37] Guasconi with a visitor center, a much-needed position
[13:43] filled. Can I have a motion?
[13:45] I'll make that motion.
[13:46] I'll second that.
[13:47] Is Eva here?
[13:48] Is Eva here? No.
[13:50] No. Okay.
[13:50] Okay.
[13:51] She is
[13:53] being hired for $12 an hour, and she's going to act as a
[13:59] fill-in and a much needed respite for the active
[14:06] employees of the visitor center, so we're glad that we've brought in some
[14:10] reinforcements. Any comments from council?
[14:16] I think this will allow us to potentially offer the visitor center more hours on
[14:20] holidays and so forth as well. So we had had two part-time staff, but this way we
[14:26] can hopefully have yet another resource to be able to be open more for people,
[14:30] because it definitely matters.
[14:32] Yeah, and we're really trying, along the same lines, we're trying to figure out
[14:37] with Victoria's help and everything, is identifying pulses of activity in the
[14:43] borough that would make and warrant the
[14:48] opening of the visitor center during the times where it's not open now.
[14:53] It's both for restrooms and for the help that the visitor center provides.
[14:57] So, I'm sure Victoria might have something more to add to that.
[15:03] We're hoping seasonally for Fridays.
[15:06] Right.
[15:06] So hopefully throughout December, and then we can reevaluate in the new year and
[15:12] look towards other dates or perhaps coordinating with the playhouse for matinee
[15:18] performances.
[15:19] Perfect. That's great.
[15:20] That's great. Yeah.
[15:21] Or like Black Friday perhaps or something, things like that.
[15:24] Yeah. Ken and I met with the playhouse, and that's something that they're very
[15:27] interested in seeing us support to be able to be open around the times of the
[15:30] matinee, so that would be awesome.
[15:32] And we're getting into budget season now, so we'll make sure that we take all that
[15:37] into consideration for next year and trying to get the hours and not have you had
[15:43] struggle as much as you had during the-
[15:47] No.
[15:48] Keeping the place open just with the two of you.
[15:51] So any other comments from council?
[15:54] Anything from the public on Eva's...
[15:58] Her name is G-U-A-S-C-O-N-I, and
[16:03] we're happy to have her wherever she is.
[16:07] Any other comments from the public? All in favor?
[16:11] Aye.
[16:13] Aye.
[16:13] Okay, next up is the consideration parks and rec request to
[16:20] compensate a mural artist to paint the grate at the Ferry Landing Park.
[16:24] Can I have a motion?
[16:26] I'll make that motion.
[16:27] I'll second.
[16:28] Okay, this is Ferry Landing Park. There's a
[16:35] sewer grate, and so it's going to be memorialized in the best way that
[16:41] they could possibly...
[16:44] Is the artist here tonight? No. Okay. All right.
[16:49] Do we have a rendering of it, of what she has in mind?
[16:56] This is something that you've talked about in the past.
[16:58] I think the difference is when it was originally discussed, it was going to be
[17:03] someone from the high school doing it, and there wasn't any expense involved.
[17:07] And so the only reason it's on your agenda is there's money in the budget for park
[17:12] and rec, but this was not specifically-
[17:14] Yeah
[17:15] ... budgeted, so that's why we put it on the agenda.
[17:18] Okay.
[17:18] But it was a project that council, I believe, was very much in favor of.
[17:22] Yes, definitely.
[17:22] And we got permission from Bucks County Water and Sewer because of sewer grate.
[17:27] Right. I understand.
[17:29] I just wanted to, for those who, since we don't have anything, I think the sketch
[17:34] is going on and we're pretty sure what it is, but you don't have the visual, but
[17:39] it's by Hope Gabor Bek, who did John and Peter's, who is just did the Ferry
[17:45] Landing interior, and is about to rehab the Beatrix Potter mural at
[17:51] the library that nobody's seen before, but it's really there. So, it's exciting.
[17:57] It's going to be bright.
[18:00] Bucks County Water and Sewer had okayed it. I think Public Works help clean it.
[18:05] Everybody's involved.
[18:06] They
[18:07] okayed that it be done, but they didn't okay the design.
[18:13] They don't need-
[18:14] We okayed that. We trust Hope.
[18:17] Okay. No, because I'm just wondering if that should be a provision for us in terms
[18:21] of seeing it. Typically, we would want to see something that is being put--
[18:27] I don't know if I want to make a big deal about it, but-
[18:30] No
[18:30] ... I mean, it is in one of our parks and-
[18:32] It's a price, but we're lucky Hope's fitting us in.
[18:35] I would think we should just move forward.
[18:37] No, that's it.
[18:37] And we do know what Hope more or less looks like.
[18:40] It will be bright, because it's Hope.
[18:41] Well, and that concerns me personally.
[18:44] Well, it's also flat.
[18:46] Yeah, I understand. Look-
[18:48] Jellyfish
[18:48] ... we're going to-
[18:49] Okay.
[18:51] I hear you. I'm just trying to slide past it.
[18:58] Okay.
[18:59] Any comments from council to add to-- I love living in the ambiguity.
[19:06] It's a surprise.
[19:07] Did you say jellyfish?
[19:09] It's going to be right in the area of more jellyfish.
[19:11] Which is a sculpture-
[19:13] Oh, okay
[19:13] ... there.
[19:14] So there's no jellyfish then.
[19:15] No. Well, the sturgeon went away, and the jellyfish came in.
[19:19] The sculpture is a jellyfish.
[19:20] I was thinking shad would be more appropriate for the-
[19:23] We don't have any shad sculptures. I'm sorry.
[19:25] No, for the mural. I thought you were saying the mural on the grate was going to be
[19:28] jellyfish.
[19:29] No, the mural is going to be fishy of some sort.
[19:32] But I think it's going to be, we don't know what kind.
[19:36] Fish of some sort.
[19:36] It's going to be Hope's fish.
[19:37] Leave it at the ambiguity.
[19:39] Thank you.
[19:40] The
[19:47] fee for this mural is $1,650, which includes
[19:52] materials, so that's part of the discussion tonight.
[19:57] Any other comments from council? Yes, Ed.
[20:06] Are they going-- Ed Duffy, 231 Way, New Hope.
[20:11] Are they going to present whatever this thing is before you and get approval?
[20:16] Or are you just going to go blind faith?
[20:20] I think for something like this, and based on what I'm hearing, I think we can
[20:27] take a shot here. I mean, that-
[20:29] A mural. Isn't a mural what you're supposed to see, not here?
[20:33] It's a sewer grate, basically. It's a-
[20:37] It's a sewer cover
[20:37] ... it's a sewer cover in the-
[20:39] What are they going to put on it, though?
[20:41] It's going to be painted.
[20:43] Just painted?
[20:44] Just painted. Yeah. No-
[20:45] Really cool.
[20:47] Really cool on that.
[20:48] No statement. No type of statement.
[20:50] No statements.
[20:51] We've already got a statement, okay. You know what I mean.
[20:54] Okay.
[20:55] Thank you very much.
[20:56] Thank you.
[20:57] All right.
[21:00] Did we approve that? No, we didn't.
[21:03] It's still under public comment.
[21:04] We're still in public comment. Anybody else have a comment?
[21:08] Got thrown off the scent, you see.
[21:12] Okay. Nothing more from the public. Yeah, just to Jay.
[21:16] Chief, just to add a little levity to this whole situation, is it going to be
[21:21] painted in place, or are they going to take the sewer grate back to the--
[21:26] Okay, just thinking.
[21:29] Take it away for a day. Have somebody watch over the hole.
[21:34] For those who don't like it, it's on the ground. You can look over it.
[21:38] Will we be able to watch it being painted?
[21:41] No paparas.
[21:42] I think
[21:45] it was primed maybe yesterday.
[21:48] Any public-
[21:50] I think a sketch is going on maybe
[21:53] Okay
[21:53] I wasn't down there. If somebody gets eyes on it, call around.
[21:58] Yeah.
[21:58] Just, I'm waiting for-- It was supposed to be this week. It's okay.
[22:02] I don't disagree. Yeah.
[22:05] Okay. Let me know. We're going to self-acknowledge breach of absolute protocol.
[22:10] We are going to take a vote. All in favor?
[22:14] Aye.
[22:16] Aye.
[22:18] Next up is the certificate of appropriateness 357 West Bridge,
[22:24] demolition of existing and addition and front porch. Can I have a motion?
[22:29] I'll make that motion.
[22:30] Okay, we're going to punt over to our solicitor
[22:36] for-
[22:39] I'm going to address this from the podium. May I ask Maslo, Mr.
[22:42] Fay to come forward?
[22:45] Council met in executive session, consistent with the Yanacono case, to be informed
[22:51] of the legal issue of HARB issuing a tie vote, which
[22:57] was not a recommendation in regard to this request or application for certificate
[23:01] of appropriateness for this property.
[23:04] So we discussed the ramifications of that tie vote.
[23:08] There were two issues that were unresolved before HARB.
[23:13] Having read the HARB chair, Jay Frio's memo to council, and also having read the
[23:18] minutes of the August 4 HARB meeting carefully.
[23:22] The two issues that remained were the roofing material, the existing is
[23:27] asphalt. What was discussed by and among the owner, Mr.
[23:32] Maslo, and HARB members were three historical materials, one being the existing
[23:37] asphalt, second being a standing seam metal roof, third being a simulated
[23:43] slate roof.
[23:46] Original slate or actual slate was also discussed, but it was not vetted because
[23:50] there was no examination or consideration of the weight of original slate on this
[23:55] particular structure.
[23:58] So in regard to the second issue, which was massing,
[24:04] M-A-S-S-I-N-G, that was also not voted upon by the HARB members.
[24:10] It was brought up after the motion was presented by the HARB chair.
[24:15] And so it was not actually part of any recommendation or
[24:21] discussion per se.
[24:25] So I made a recommendation to council, which Mr. Maslo and Mr.
[24:30] Fay are agreeable to, and I'll summarize it as follows, and I'll ask Mr.
[24:36] Maslo to confirm. Maslo.
[24:40] All right.
[24:42] First is that during the August 4 HARB session, HARB members, led by Mr.
[24:47] Frio and Mr. Maslo,
[24:51] did I get it right? Did reach a consensus on certain aspects of the proposed
[24:57] structure, including windows,
[25:00] railings,
[25:02] light fixtures, and siding. I asked Mr.
[25:05] Maslo this evening if, consistent with the confirmed transcript and discussions on
[25:11] those subjects, does he continue to affirm his willingness to abide by what was
[25:16] discussed at the August 4 HARB meeting, and his answer was okay.
[25:22] The second issue was, I conveyed to Mr.
[25:26] Maslo that council prefers standing seam metal roof to replace the
[25:31] existing asphalt roof and to be also involved in any additional roofing for
[25:37] additions or anything else that's going to be part of this new structure. And Mr.
[25:41] Maslo agreed. Okay.
[25:46] The third is that with regard to the massing and with regard to what
[25:52] is presented to be partial demolition of the existing structure, retaining the
[25:57] historic materials and removing non-historic materials, I recommended,
[26:04] rather than council considering remanding the massing issue back to HARB,
[26:10] that Mr. Maslo consider meeting with staff members, myself, our engineer, and
[26:16] our manager in short order, as early as next week,
[26:21] to discuss their proposed demolition and their proposed
[26:26] redesign of the structure,
[26:30] recognizing that council has a reservation about massing based on the record to
[26:35] date. Mr. Maslo agreed to that. And then that
[26:41] process will include a second meeting, which will
[26:46] include two or three council members, so you have the opportunity to hear the
[26:51] discussion firsthand. And then that will be reported at the September council
[26:57] meeting,
[26:59] including a potential resolution proposal that would result in your being presented
[27:05] a certificate of appropriateness for your review and consideration to approve.
[27:11] And Mr. Maslo agreed to that process, and Mr. Fay also agreed.
[27:15] Let me add for this understanding that Mr.
[27:18] Maslo is represented by Andrew Griffin, attorney. I spoke to Andrew this morning.
[27:23] I tried to reach him this evening, but I know he's solicitor for another borough in
[27:27] the county and unavailable. So I told Mr. Fay and Mr.
[27:31] Maslo I will call Andrew directly tomorrow morning, fill him in on this, and
[27:34] they're comfortable with that discussion between the three of us.
[27:39] The third issue, or the fourth issue I should say is, we really want to know and
[27:45] have explained to us the size and the configuration of the new design.
[27:50] So that's part of the agenda to be discussed in addition to the demolition process.
[27:55] And as you know, if a certificate of appropriateness was approved as requested for
[28:00] a partial demolition, no work could begin until council approved the plan of
[28:05] demolition and approved the plan of redesign and reconstruction.
[28:09] So those are topics that will be addressed informally, but also presented in public
[28:14] session in September. The last issue was the basement, which shows in the new
[28:20] plan. So the basement is not prohibited under borough ordinances, but the use is
[28:26] something to be discussed and vetted with Mr. Mazzo and Mr. Fay.
[28:31] So they're the issues that I think are pertinent to this resolution.
[28:35] And based upon Mr. Mazzo's agreement to this administrative process,
[28:42] the agenda item will be deferred and tabled until September.
[28:46] Is that all acceptable? Okay. And I think you would need a motion to table this
[28:51] based on that recitation of the proposed administrative process.
[28:56] I'd like to make a motion that in light of that description of events that will
[29:02] occur, that we
[29:05] table this motion.
[29:08] Table the motion of-
[29:11] Consideration of the HARB project memo and trying to address the tie
[29:17] vote by HARB.
[29:18] Right. Okay.
[29:20] Is there a second?
[29:22] I second the motion, yeah. Then we discuss it all.
[29:25] Well, do we have discussion here?
[29:27] Just want to clarify for myself and everybody, I understand, but, so the point
[29:33] is, just in brief, we'll talk, if council doesn't, and council and the developers
[29:38] don't come to a meeting of the minds, then this process continues through HARB or
[29:43] something.
[29:44] Correct.
[29:44] Is that right? Yeah.
[29:45] When we get to September, you have all your options available to you, which may
[29:49] include remanding it back to HARB.
[29:51] Okay.
[29:51] Which may include just taking the initiative of granting or denying a certificate
[29:56] of appropriateness, but understand under the HARB ordinance, if council were to
[30:00] deny the certificate application, you'd have to explain to the applicant what
[30:06] conditions he could adopt that you would approve.
[30:08] Yeah, right.
[30:09] So that really is the logic behind informally sitting down and talking, and
[30:14] meeting, and understanding whether there's a compromise or resolution that could be
[30:19] developed.
[30:20] Okay. And John, just to confirm, as part of that discussion, the
[30:26] removal of the non-historic portions will be discussed, the methods for how-
[30:30] Correct
[30:30] ... potentially that's done. Okay.
[30:32] As you know, when we talked about 810 Waterloo-
[30:34] Yeah
[30:34] ... I described that process as peeling the onion.
[30:37] So we want to know not only what non-historic remnants are going to be removed,
[30:43] but how are they going to preserve the historic remnants in place, and just
[30:49] exactly what is the sequence of operations as we've discussed with-
[30:53] Okay
[30:53] ... 810 Waterloo.
[30:54] And that will be part of discussion, this whole preface. Okay.
[30:57] Okay.
[30:57] Thank you.
[30:57] Again, hearing all that, is that acceptable?
[31:00] Thank you. Well done.
[31:01] Thank you.
[31:02] Yeah.
[31:02] Thank you.
[31:03] Thank you. Okay, any additional comments from council?
[31:07] Yeah. I think we are all looking forward to those buildings being brought back
[31:11] into their historic--
[31:15] Being a wonderful addition to West Bridge Street compared to the state they've been
[31:20] in for the past few years. So we are looking for a way forward there, but
[31:25] maintaining the historical integrity of town, as I'm sure the applicants are aware,
[31:30] you've been around here long enough. So I appreciate the ideas.
[31:33] Hope to work together to find a solution that the council can live with, since HARB
[31:38] was deadlocked, and be able to find a way forward to bring these back to
[31:43] make them shine again. So thank you.
[31:45] And though I may get boos-
[31:48] Since you're not making a decision tonight, you're not obligated to hear public
[31:52] comment, but you certainly can opt to hear public comment.
[31:55] Okay.
[31:56] Okay.
[31:57] For sure.
[31:58] I have nothing to fear here.
[32:01] Thank you.
[32:02] If there's no other comments from council, I don't know if there is. Okay.
[32:08] John, nice job there in terms of framing that for our benefit.
[32:13] Any public comment? Yeah.
[32:22] I appreciate everybody being willing to work together.
[32:25] I appreciate how hard HARB
[32:28] sought to find a solution and just, this is a difficult piece. It's a former home.
[32:35] HARB has some options to say what kind of roof, but it's a former home.
[32:39] It's probably the most expensive way to do it, the former home.
[32:43] So there's all sorts of issues, but one of the things I wanted to say is
[32:48] we've made so many mistakes over the last decade or two in terms of not following
[32:52] our own guidelines,
[32:55] and this is a moment where we can consider massing, where because of
[33:00] previous massive massing,
[33:04] we've left ourselves a narrow route.
[33:06] So I'd love a lot of attention to go into this, and I appreciate your willing to do
[33:10] it, and I appreciate Mr. Mass is willing to do it.
[33:13] But this is serious stuff that we have just-
[33:17] Mm-hmm
[33:17] ... blown up our town. And as Laurie mentioned before, we went and had a block that
[33:22] has no long, big lawn, no gardens in the back, no anything.
[33:27] And we have a chance to preserve a tiny bit, and that's what that foundation of the
[33:32] wildlife habitat, the bird town, and the tree city is about.
[33:37] Thank you. Any other comments? Okay.
[33:42] All in favor?
[33:43] Aye.
[33:45] Okay.
[33:48] Next up is the approval of meeting minutes,
[33:54] July 21st, 2026. Borough council meeting.
[33:58] Can I have a motion to approve the minutes?
[34:01] I'll make that motion.
[34:02] I'll second. All in favor?
[34:04] Aye.
[34:06] Approval of accounts payable. Accounts payable for August in the amount of
[34:10] $237,689.86.
[34:16] Also, payrolls for July 24th 2026 and August 7th
[34:22] 2026 in the amount of
[34:24] $103,633.87 and
[34:30] $124,540.18. Can I have a motion to
[34:36] approve those accounts payable?
[34:38] I'll make that motion.
[34:40] I'll second.
[34:41] All in favor?
[34:43] Aye.
[34:44] Okay. Finance committee, we met, was it
[34:50] today?
[34:50] Today.
[34:53] We met today.
[34:54] Been a long day.
[34:55] We went over the numbers and there
[35:00] were
[35:03] no meaningful anomalies and consistent with last year on all major revenue
[35:09] and expense items. We're just beginning to prepare for budget
[35:16] season, which will be in full swing in the next four or five weeks, but
[35:22] it's getting started right now. And we're fortunate we have Dave, our interim
[35:28] borough manager here helping guide us through a very pivotal moment in
[35:33] time. It's the summer, and
[35:39] you should only know how valuable it was that we were able to get Dave in here and
[35:45] make a difference in a lot of areas. So it's really been great.
[35:52] And more specifically, all of the numbers are on the website,
[35:58] so you're free to take a look at it, question anything that you
[36:04] have any interest in, and we'll be certain to communicate with you about it.
[36:10] Next is a HARB report.
[36:13] HARB met on August 4th and had four formal
[36:19] reviews. 9 East Bridge Street,
[36:23] 357 West Bridge Street,
[36:27] and 4 East Mechanic Street, the Beast Bar, and
[36:32] 719 West Mechanic Street, the Dancing Elephant.
[36:38] Okay, thank you.
[36:41] Zoning.
[36:43] So there was no meeting, but we do have one scheduled for September 10th.
[36:50] Planning. Well, maybe we'll have-
[36:55] Eric, I think-
[36:56] Oh, Eric, you're going to do it. You're taking over. Okay, good. Thank you.
[37:00] So that was last night.
[37:03] Other than the minutes and some other daily reporting, there was a review of a
[37:08] preliminary subdivision application for 105 North Main Street, and that was vetted
[37:14] quite well by the committee.
[37:18] I guess where it stands right now is Lisa sent plans to the DCNR and for
[37:24] review, and we're really waiting for a response from them.
[37:29] We do not have a timeline for that, though.
[37:32] Okay.
[37:33] And
[37:34] there was a discussion on short-term rental ordinance as well.
[37:40] Okay. Yeah. Next is the Planning Commission Comp Plan.
[37:45] Sure. So the Comp Plan Committee met with Bucks County Planning Commission last
[37:50] week, where we have now a full draft of the comprehensive plan to
[37:55] review. So we did feedback on,
[38:00] one, updating the pictures. There were some photos in there of Mother's Restaurant
[38:04] and The Dubliner, and it's just poking old wounds.
[38:07] So little things like that, but also I think it was a very good
[38:13] overview of where we are. It summarized the past year and a half of
[38:18] feedback and input from the community and from our local businesses, which I think
[38:22] was very important. And then also, the newest addition that we saw was the action
[38:26] plan, which is how do we implement this at each stage.
[38:29] So,
[38:31] some discussion about that, digesting how this is going to work.
[38:35] Members of the Planning Commission, as well as Council, have been invited to submit
[38:40] their edits and comments to incorporate into a next draft.
[38:45] That will be presented to Council once that's complete, and then there will be a
[38:50] public meeting, again, open to the general public, to engage with the comprehensive
[38:55] plan and provide their feedback on where it is before it goes through the process
[39:01] of getting formally adopted and approved.
[39:03] So we continue to move along, and hopefully there will be a version of this for the
[39:08] public to review as well in the next probably couple of months, as well as a public
[39:13] workshop where they present how this works.
[39:15] I think the implementable aspect of the plan really helps make this more than just
[39:20] a document that sits on a shelf, but it gives actual instruction for concrete not
[39:25] only types of things we can do, be it update ordinances, build relationships, seek
[39:29] grants, but also it gives ownership of who would take the lead on those aspects.
[39:34] Which I think really helps provide a roadmap or a to-do list for us to take the
[39:40] ideas and feedback and actually implement them over the next...
[39:44] It's the bridge to 2035, so it's not going to be done overnight, but it gives us a
[39:48] to-do list of things that we can be working on.
[39:52] Okay.
[39:55] Next up is Green Initiative.
[39:57] Green Initiative. So Ken and I hosted the potential bidders for the Green
[40:03] Initiative. We did a walkthrough of the sites on August 5th, I believe it was.
[40:07] It was extremely well-attended. We had 25, 30-ish people representing probably
[40:13] about 18 or so firms who potentially would provide bids for the open RFP.
[40:19] The RFP closes this Friday, the 21st.
[40:23] I thought it was the 24th, but-
[40:24] 21st.
[40:25] Oh, okay.
[40:25] 21st. And we've had some already to complete, and then there's a bunch more that
[40:30] are actually in process. So we'll see how many proposals we get at the end of the
[40:35] week, and then those proposals will be given to the Green Space Committee for
[40:41] review, and then we'll schedule from there.
[40:43] So you'll be hearing a lot more about it. We're pretty excited.
[40:45] A lot of great feedback from the folks who walked around town with us that it's an
[40:51] exciting initiative, and we're excited to see this hopefully come to fruition.
[40:55] And as it gets developed and everything-
[40:57] Yeah
[40:57] ... we'll have a couple workshops.
[40:59] We'll start framing out some options and things that we want
[41:04] complete input from the public. We have a very diverse
[41:10] committee. But we want to expand it, and we want to get everybody in the community
[41:15] really excited about this.
[41:18] And it really ties in with so many of the efforts that really seem to really
[41:22] resonate with people as it relates to the comprehensive plan, and it just all comes
[41:27] together and dovetails really nicely-
[41:29] Yeah
[41:29] ... with what we want to
[41:33] be-
[41:33] Yeah
[41:33] ... and what we want to do. So it's great.
[41:37] And Joe, EAC.
[41:39] So the EAC met on August 5th, and primarily we discussed things like the Bird Town,
[41:45] which I think is a great small step that we're taking to preserve what we
[41:50] do have in town. So I do think that that's just one small bit in that, so I think
[41:54] that was good. We also discussed the glass recycling just
[42:00] to see where the procedures are, and the questionnaires should've been sent to us.
[42:05] Did anyone-
[42:06] Yeah.
[42:08] Dave will be able to comment briefly on that.
[42:11] Okay.
[42:12] It might not be exactly what you guys are looking for, but it will
[42:17] keep the thing moving.
[42:18] I think it's just the guidance that they need. Yeah.
[42:20] Yeah. So I think he'll be commenting on that.
[42:22] Okay. The other thing that did come up was that there is the battery bucket that is
[42:25] at the New Hope Library, and just wondering about the process in terms of
[42:34] is it budgeted in the administrative process for getting that new bucket each time
[42:37] it's filled up. That was just something that came up, and I think that John had
[42:41] emailed about that. I'm not sure. Did he email you, Dave?
[42:48] Say that again.
[42:48] Did John email you about the battery bucket?
[42:52] Battery bucket was replaced, yes.
[42:54] Okay.
[42:54] No, thank you.
[42:55] All right, thanks.
[42:56] I think that was in the last council update that I gave you.
[42:58] Yeah.
[42:59] Yeah.
[43:00] On Friday it was at the library. Yeah.
[43:02] Yeah. Okay. All right. Thank you. Okay, we have
[43:08] manager's report. Just a couple of things tonight.
[43:11] First,
[43:13] as you move forward with your manager search, I think council needs to acknowledge
[43:18] the engagement of Minor Center to do that particular activity.
[43:23] So we need a motion to that effect.
[43:26] I'd like to make that motion.
[43:28] I'll second.
[43:30] All in favor?
[43:31] Aye.
[43:32] Aye.
[43:34] Second thing I have is,
[43:38] your council's aware that we replaced one of our police vehicles, and we'd like to
[43:43] put the used vehicle on Municipal to dispose of it, so I'd like council's
[43:49] permission to do that.
[43:51] I'd like to make a motion to advertise the Ford Taurus on Municipal.
[43:56] Second that motion.
[43:59] All in favor?
[44:00] Aye.
[44:00] Aye.
[44:03] And going back to EAC project, I've been spending some time looking
[44:09] over their consideration of the glass recycling effort that they seem to want to
[44:14] do. I have some concerns regarding the implementation and the
[44:19] use of public works, how that would exactly work.
[44:23] Because we do not have
[44:27] trash collection borough-wide, I think there's some complications that I'm just
[44:31] concerned about. So I'm asking council to just be patient and work with
[44:37] EAC a little bit further. I don't think it's quite ready for your action yet.
[44:42] And Dave-
[44:42] That's my recommendation
[44:43] ... will you be providing feedback to the EAC on your concerns?
[44:48] Yes.
[44:48] Yes. Okay.
[44:49] Yes.
[44:49] I think, yeah. I think another workshop for this once
[44:55] it's been described where it's not ready for prime time, and maybe they
[45:01] can speak to that, and we were better versed on what...
[45:06] Because I think what was prepared for us when the... I forget.
[45:10] Who was here who made the presentation?
[45:11] Matt was here.
[45:12] Yeah, Matt was here. Yeah, I'm just ultimately concerned about the ultimate
[45:15] feasibility.
[45:16] Yeah. I think they were making-
[45:18] And be worthwhile.
[45:21] So just for the public's benefit, and as a former EAC liaison, I know this was a
[45:26] discussion. We don't have municipal-wide trash collection,
[45:32] and the recycling, while it is offered by many of our independent providers, I
[45:38] think there's concern with single-stream recycling.
[45:41] The evidence points to a lot of that single-stream recycle, what you put in the
[45:44] giant everything goes recycle bin, doesn't always end up getting recycled.
[45:49] Glass in particular is well known for if it is segregated and
[45:55] glass-only collection actually has a very high rate of cont- ...
[45:59] successful recycling. So, by offering that service or exploring offering it, and
[46:05] they're not making a specific proposal, but we want to figure out how we might be
[46:09] able to capture this.
[46:11] For especially a lot of the businesses on Main Street, beer bottles, wine bottles,
[46:16] other bottles. Seems like a very meaningful way to reduce the trash
[46:22] load and effectively increase the amount of recycling that's taking place in New
[46:26] Hope, while also offering a benefit to the restaurants, because that means they can
[46:32] pay less for their regular trash collection, and perhaps figure out a way to divert
[46:36] more recyclable materials away from our landfills and to productive use.
[46:42] I also put as a note that I would love to see a way for residents to be able to
[46:45] drop off our glass as well, to just reduce trash as much as we can.
[46:51] So, that's why glass recycling in New Hope is a place that we're start-- Well, we
[46:55] started with the battery bucket, which has been extremely successful.
[46:58] Mm-hmm.
[46:58] And so now, what else can we recycle and divert from landfills?
[47:02] So, I think we can try and figure out a way.
[47:04] So thanks, Dave, for doing the work to figure out how to get this idea into action.
[47:08] We know it's easier said than done, so-
[47:10] Thank you
[47:10] ... we'll figure it out.
[47:14] And the last thing that I have under my report is actually just an update.
[47:18] MS4 is stormwater management, and basically we have to update our
[47:24] report on a biannual basis, and I want council to know that we have submitted
[47:30] the updated report to DEP, and they've acknowledged receiving that report.
[47:34] So, we're current and up to date.
[47:36] Okay, good. Thank you.
[47:37] Thank you.
[47:37] That's great. Solicitor's report?
[47:39] That concludes my report.
[47:40] Thank you.
[47:41] Yep.
[47:50] Members of council, before you is a proposal
[47:55] to approve the settlement agreement and release that has been
[48:01] agreed to in principle by the borough and the
[48:07] Landing Property LLC and Black Dog Construction, which is a fictitious name for an
[48:12] entity known as Salt & Pepper Group LP.
[48:16] This has to do with three notices of violation that were issued
[48:22] in January and March of 2026, that involved properties
[48:28] at 22 North Main and 36 North Main that involved
[48:33] violations of the borough zoning ordinance, property maintenance code, and the
[48:39] historic architectural review board ordinance pertaining to the
[48:44] unauthorized use of the patio at the Landing during their grand opening without
[48:50] a property, the placement of fencing without approvals from
[48:56] either zoning or HARB, and also the
[49:01] gathering of construction materials that had been, for lack of a better term,
[49:06] littered some of the areas of the property.
[49:09] Ultimately, the parties entered into negotiations and have agreed to
[49:14] tentatively agree to the owners of the property
[49:19] paying $10,000 as a compromise of the overall resolution
[49:25] of the litigation. All of the matters that had been set forth in the notices of
[49:31] violation have been resolved. The fencing has been removed, the property has been
[49:37] cleared, and the appropriate approvals for the use of the patio have been
[49:42] achieved. So, the members of Landing Property and also
[49:49] Salt and Pepper have signed the settlement agreement and release, and I have it
[49:54] available for execution on behalf of the borough if the borough so approves.
[49:59] Thank you.
[50:03] So I'm going to say, can we have a motion to approve the
[50:08] settlement of New Hope Borough and the Landing Property LLC?
[50:14] I'll make that motion.
[50:16] I'll second it.
[50:18] Any comments from council?
[50:21] Public? All in favor?
[50:24] Aye.
[50:27] Can we have a motion to approve?
[50:34] Okay.
[50:36] Do we need to remake the motion?
[50:37] Do we have to remake the motion or-
[50:40] I make the motion as necessary for the document.
[50:44] Okay, so say that again.
[50:45] So, motion to approve the draft settlement agreement and release that has been
[50:50] pre-signed by the property owner, authorization for your president and
[50:56] your manager to sign that document on behalf of the borough.
[50:59] Well, and I mean-
[51:01] I'll make that motion. Well, I'll second that motion.
[51:04] Okay, all in favor?
[51:06] Aye.
[51:07] Thank you.
[51:08] Thank you, John.
[51:09] Okay, public comment.
[51:13] Yes.
[51:19] John Volpe, my wife and I, Mary, live at 263 North Main Street.
[51:24] Could you just move a little bit closer to that? Thank you.
[51:27] Sure. I'm sorry. I don't want to waste the board's time.
[51:30] My wife had called you earlier about our issue.
[51:35] The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is apparently notifying
[51:41] certain homeowners
[51:44] that they want steps removed from the inclines behind their homes.
[51:51] Some of these steps, like ours, have been there for 75 years.
[51:56] Apparently investigating this, and now my wife and I had to hire an
[52:01] attorney. This has been a debatable point, probably for about 100 years, as to who
[52:07] owns these inclines.
[52:11] I just wanted to ask the board, and Chief,
[52:15] in case somebody from this department would show up and attempt
[52:21] to remove the steps,
[52:24] can I call the police and have them removed?
[52:28] Because my deed to my home, my wife's home, says that we own the incline.
[52:34] And our attorney is dealing with them right now, but
[52:40] I do not want them, nor does my wife, to remove these steps.
[52:43] They've been there for 75 years. So, I just wanted to get your
[52:49] opinion. I don't want to create any problems for anybody.
[52:53] But if they do show up, which they have threatened to do,
[52:58] can I call the police?
[53:01] I don't think we can offer a legal opinion on that.
[53:04] I mean-
[53:06] I think the issue is whether the steps are on property owned by DCNR
[53:12] or on land that has been granted easement rights to
[53:17] DCNR. I actually spoke to Mr. Murphy this morning on this issue.
[53:22] Ed Murphy, that's your counsel, correct?
[53:24] Correct.
[53:25] Yeah. So, he's in touch with DCNR. Or I recommended that he do so, and
[53:31] I will call Mr. Murphy tomorrow, and I will recommend that DCNR
[53:38] be advised not to come onto your property. I don't really believe they will.
[53:43] I think that's a trespass. And I'll say this on the record for your benefit,
[53:49] that it's one thing to say the steps are on their property, it's another to cross
[53:54] your land to get to those steps. So, they can't do that.
[53:57] Okay.
[53:58] And I'll confer with Mr. Murphy on that issue.
[54:01] I appreciate it, Chief. Thank you so much.
[54:06] Yes. Yes, sir.
[54:08] Yeah, Ed. Yeah.
[54:19] Ed Duffy, New Hope, 23 Oden Way, Village Two.
[54:26] About the recycling.
[54:28] We up in Village Two started recycling maybe 20 years ago, and we
[54:34] went through different iterations of recycling.
[54:40] And we tried glass. We did that for a while. That didn't work out.
[54:45] We evolved through different iterations to the most valuable thing is
[54:51] cardboard. You could actually make money on that.
[54:55] If you could splice that out of the public, you can make money, get
[55:00] money for different causes, nonprofits and stuff like that.
[55:05] And we're doing that today. We
[55:08] recycle the cardboard, and the rest of we
[55:13] Just throw into a large bin. So that's what's happening, and
[55:19] I think maybe the borough manager could talk to the property manager and
[55:25] learn a lot of stuff, because he's
[55:28] going through a lot of different iterations of recycling.
[55:32] So this is just a public comment. Okay?
[55:36] Okay.
[55:39] That's it. Thank you very much.
[55:40] Thanks.
[55:46] Okay.
[55:52] In response to what Mr. Volpe said, it would be very interesting to know what the
[55:56] facts are. We've been told that DCNR owns our back
[56:03] berm, whatever it is,
[56:06] towpath bank.
[56:09] And they have said they are going to take trees down on our property.
[56:13] And Steve, staff at the borough, have been working hard to try to move this
[56:18] forward, and I think I'm going on a year, and a couple of trees can crash into the
[56:23] house at any moment. So on the one hand, they own the property.
[56:26] On the other hand, they can't get anything done.
[56:29] So it's difficult, and I understand all the reasons why they are backed up and
[56:34] whatever, but they could come on the towpath and drag the steps from the top.
[56:41] So it would be worth finding out whether there were ever official easements, what
[56:46] the heck they're doing. Because they're claiming it, I've assumed they know what
[56:50] they're saying. On the other hand, we were told, "Don't plant anything, don't do
[56:54] anything," even though we wanted to put native plants on it.
[56:57] It's like nothing's happening, and they're not taking dangerous trees down.
[57:01] But they've had people out twice. So it's something that needs to be addressed.
[57:06] And I know people are trying, but that's not enough, especially when you hear
[57:11] things like this happening. And as far as the glass recycling,
[57:17] I just wanted to point out we were simply, as the EAC, trying to get a
[57:23] sense of whether anybody was interested.
[57:26] Not about whether we move forward, whether we go out saying we're just asking some
[57:30] questions, and that was just the first step.
[57:33] As far as feasibility, there's a zillion issues, for sure, agreed.
[57:37] But one of them is the school used to have, not this, but some sort of recycling
[57:42] bins, and we might be able to negotiate with them, and then it's a question of who
[57:46] puts it there and there's so many steps along the way.
[57:49] This was just meant to be the first step to see if anybody even wanted it before we
[57:54] went ahead. So I just wanted to make it clear that we weren't gung-ho thinking we
[57:59] could jump right into this.
[58:01] I'm glad you made that point because we were reluctant to be hard-nosed about the
[58:06] whole thing. It just seemed like it needed to be developed a little bit more and
[58:13] be juiced up a little bit and say, "Look, if we do this," some investigation with
[58:17] some restaurants, and do they have an interest in it?
[58:22] Well, that's all we were really going for the bars and restaurants-
[58:26] Right
[58:27] ... who have the most glass recycling to ask, "Are you interested at all?" And so
[58:32] maybe we should be showing you the letter that would go out that shows how this is
[58:37] a tiny first step.
[58:38] I think that-
[58:39] And that might help. Because we were not expecting to move quickly on this.
[58:43] We were expecting to start exploring if there was enough interest.
[58:47] We didn't want to do masses if nobody is willing to even think about it.
[58:51] That's great.
[58:52] Yeah. Thank you.
[58:52] All right. No, thank you. Any other comments from the public?
[58:59] Okay. Meeting is adjourned.