[1:20] Was
[1:31] it from the
[1:37] » Yeah, she said it was just from the
rain.
[3:44] Good.
>> You being short? No, I don't.
[3:53] » Good evening, everybody. The time is now
7:01 p.m. I would like to call this
[3:57] regular voting meeting to order. Today's
date is Monday, August 10th. Um, I'll
[4:02] rise for the pledge of allegiance,
please.
[4:06] To the flag of the United States of
America and to the for it stands one
[4:12] nation under God indivisible with
liberty and justice for all.
[4:20] » Thank you. Roll call, please. Michelle
>> here.
[4:26] » Present.
>> Mr. Lyn,
[4:28] » present.
>> Mrs.
[4:30] » here.
>> Mr.
[4:33] Mrs.
here.
[4:36] » Here
[4:41] » um Vice President Pollock couldn't be
with us this evening. He had a procedure
[4:44] a couple days ago, so we'd like to wish
him the best in a speedy recovery. Um
[4:49] number four, report from burough boards
and commissions.
[4:54] And number five, reports fire chief.
[5:01] My name is Hayden. I'm a captain with
Jefferson Hills fire. I'll be giving
[5:04] Chase his report for him. He's not able
to make it. I believe he's on his way,
[5:08] but I don't think he'll be here in time.
Uh 54 incidents, eight of which were
[5:13] overlapping, nine of those were out of
town. We had an average response time of
[5:16] 5 minutes and 46 seconds. Two notable
incidents, we had a crash on 837 with
[5:22] enttrapment and engine one and two came
across a gunshot victim, which they
[5:25] subsequently treated in the city of
Claron. Other than that, I don't have
[5:29] anything to add to the rest of his
written report unless you have any
[5:32] questions.
>> And Mr. Havertock, I have a report for
[5:35] the incidents we responded to at
Jefferson Hospital.
[5:38] » Oh, he he said that you requested that.
>> Yeah. And actually, one other thing to
[5:42] add, we did start our smoke detector
program with the Red Cross, I believe.
[5:46] Councilman Bus, you asked about that.
>> Yes.
[5:48] » Last time. So, that is ruled. We do have
four people scheduled now and more calls
[5:52] coming in, emails coming in to schedule
more.
[5:54] » Perfect. Yeah, I did see the post.
Caitlyn, if you could piggyback off of
[5:58] their post, uh it was on the JHFR
Facebook page. That would be great and
[6:02] we can share that. Um also, Captain
Craig, I know you guys were
[6:05] [clears throat] busy over the last 24
hours, so um you just praying that you
[6:09] guys are all safe. Thank you for helping
all of the residents. We really
[6:12] appreciate it.
>> Thank you all.
[6:13] » Thank you.
>> Can you give that to Michelle?
[6:16] » Yes.
>> Um EMS is not present this evening.
[6:21] Consulting engineer.
I didn't hear back from today, so I
[6:25] think he's got
>> Okay.
[6:28] Uh, finance officer, Mr. Haverto.
>> I have nothing to add
[6:32] » tonight.
>> Public works uh director is not present.
[6:35] Police chief,
>> I have nothing to add to my report. I
[6:38] just wanted to thank uh everyone, all
first responders, uh our residents,
[6:43] public works, uh we had a significant uh
weather event today and we weathered the
[6:48] storm. Uh, not to say that pun, but it
it was difficult for a couple hours
[6:53] there, but we want to thank everybody
for understanding the road delays we
[6:57] had. Uh, we had flooding, trees down,
and everybody uh helped out. Uh, thank
[7:02] you.
>> Thank you, Madame Mayor. Yeah, I just
[7:05] wanted to piggy back on that. I wanted
to say thank you to our police, public
[7:09] works, fire department. Everybody was
amazing today. I know there were tons of
[7:13] comes calls coming in all at the same
time and everybody did the best they can
[7:17] and just a big thank you to everyone and
I'm glad that everyone [snorts] was
[7:20] safe.
>> Thank you, manager Glister.
[7:24] » Uh nothing additional unless there's any
questions and uh just sort of piggy
[7:29] piggybacking off of what the chief and
mayor were just saying. Uh definitely
[7:33] some significant weather uh Friday uh a
little bit Saturday and even today. And
[7:39] uh we're getting a high volume of phone
calls as well for uh you know asking the
[7:44] bur to look into certain issues and
things like that. So um you know bear
[7:48] with us uh you if you call the office
you'll get a call back. Don't forget we
[7:52] have our online uh forms that can be
submitted as well. Uh but either way if
[7:57] you reach out to us we will uh take a
look into that and be back in touch with
[8:01] you. That's all I have.
>> Thank you madam solicitor.
[8:03] » Uh thank you madam president. I have
nothing to add to my written report.
[8:06] » Okay. Number six, burough resident
taxpayer comments on agenda items. We
[8:11] have a handful here. Just to repeat and
go over the rules of decorum while
[8:16] speaking uh during a public meeting, you
have a 4m minute time period. Please do
[8:21] not go over that. If you are getting
close to your four minutes, please
[8:25] finish with your um your sentence that
you are in at that time or we will ask
[8:30] you to please have a seat. Um any
outbursts will be warned twice after the
[8:34] second warning. you will be removed by
or asked to be removed by our chief of
[8:38] police. Uh in no apparent order, uh
we're going to go with Josh Rogers and
[8:44] just come up to the podium, speak loudly
into the microphone. Uh state your name,
[8:48] address, and nature of business.
>> Sure. Uh name is Joshua Rogers, 128 Ray
[8:55] Large Ray Large Road. Um just to speak
on the EQT Drury. I just met the fine
[9:00] man from EQT here. Take it easy on him.
He got a 17-month-old at home, so Um, as
[9:06] we all know, I'm not going to speak too
much because I already spoke the other
[9:08] day, but uh, we all got a job here to
do. We I understand that there is place
[9:14] for industry and there is also places
where industry shouldn't be. Um, and
[9:20] unfortunately for you, EQT couldn't draw
drill us out of this community. So, you
[9:26] know, so we're going to continue to
speak. We've been doing this for a long
[9:29] time and we're not going anywhere. Um,
and we're going to make sure that uh
[9:34] hopefully the council remembers what
they're here for and um what their job
[9:41] and responsibilities are as well and uh
what the responsibilities is as a
[9:45] parent, community member, and also a
council member. So that's all I have.
[9:50] » Thank you, Mr. Rogers. Uh next, Rosa
Hacka.
[10:05] My name is Rosa Hackla. I'm at 3051
Chestnut Ridge Drive. Good evening.
[10:11] Thank you for posting the Borrow
Jefferson on the Borrow of Jefferson
[10:15] Hills uh the lease and addendum um on
Friday. After reviewing the documents
[10:22] and re listening to the August 5th
meeting, I have several additional
[10:25] questions regarding this complex matter
that I respectfully request council
[10:30] address. My questions fall into two
categories. Technical questions related
[10:35] to the lease and addendum and questions
and concerns related to the process
[10:39] procedure and transparency.
I have four examples of the technical
[10:43] questions I would like the council to
address. How pooling and unitization
[10:48] activities be monitored to ensure
accuracy and compliance? How will
[10:52] royalties be calculated when the
borrow's parcels are included in a pool
[10:56] or unitized unit? Has EQ identify
adjacent owners whose mineral rights
[11:01] would be included in the pool or
unitized unit? If adjacent owners
[11:06] declined to lease, how would that affect
the borrow's lease terms and revenue
[11:11] share in process procedures and
transparency? Kindly confirm that I
[11:17] capture these dates correctly based on
the August 5th meeting. Mr. Habtock
[11:22] stated that EQT first contacted the
borrow in August of 2025.
[11:27] My notes reflect that the solicitor
stated the lease and addendum were
[11:31] negotiated and finalized in January of
2026 and that her team had been
[11:36] negotiating with EQT for over a year.
Can the solicitor confirm whether
[11:41] January 2026 is correct and if her team
negotiated the signing bonus and royalty
[11:47] terms?
Councilwoman Buy stated that her
[11:52] memorandum of non-surface oil and gas
lease shows a revision date of February
[11:57] 9, 2026 and she did not receive the
memorandum until July 31st. Can each
[12:02] council member clarify when they first
became aware of the EQT negotiations and
[12:08] when they received the memorandum for
review prior to the August 5th agenda
[12:11] discussion. I am concerned that the late
distribution of documents to council
[12:15] members and residents on such complex
matter risk a rush decision. I am also
[12:21] concerned about limited resident
participation as several residents were
[12:25] unable to attend last week or this
week's meeting due to previously
[12:29] scheduled travel
due to the end of school uh end of
[12:32] summer. Additionally, after reviewing
the recorded meeting multiple times, I
[12:36] note the solicitor's response to council
woman's beauty regarding February 9th
[12:42] memorandum where the solicitor stated
for over a year we have been negotiating
[12:47] because our job is to get the best deal
of for the borrow. So we were unable we
[12:51] were able to increase the royalty
percentage and the pre per acre payment.
[12:56] This was one of the many drafts over the
past year. I don't know of any time
[13:00] frame. I knew from Mr. coverstock. The
project was going forward regardless.
[13:05] It's just whether the burrow would allow
the project to go under and receive a
[13:08] decent amount of money. This raises
several procedural questions. Is the c
[13:14] is it council standard procedure to
formally vote via motion and second
[13:19] before directing the solicitor to
negotiate on behalf of the burrow? If
[13:23] such a vote is required, when did it
occur? Given some council members stated
[13:28] they were unaware of the potential EQT
lease until July 31st. Why is a decision
[13:33] being fasttracked without adequate time
for a special discussion? Can borrow
[13:39] engage an expert such at as attorney
John Smith to review the lease and
[13:44] addendum. There is a need for improved
communication on complex matters such as
[13:48] this. Council could significantly
improve communications and transparency
[13:53] by preparing an executive summary for
residents. Such a summary would help the
[13:57] residents feel informed and confident
that council is safeguarding community
[14:02] interest. An expert such as attorney
John Smith should review the documents
[14:07] and
>> you can finish your sentence if you
[14:10] » and residents need to be given the
opportunity to participate in a public
[14:14] hearing. Thank you for your attention.
>> Thank you. I was ready to stop. Melissa,
[14:20] [laughter]
>> I appreciate it.
[14:21] » And I have copies of
>> Is that your the copies of your
[14:25] question, your additional questions for
this evening?
[14:28] » Yeah.
>> Okay. Because the way we're we're
[14:31] setting this up um to hopefully have
good respectful discussion is we're
[14:39] going to listen to the residents and
their comments. Now, uh, we're going to
[14:43] have the gentleman from EQT come up as
soon as we do the agenda item and I,
[14:48] myself and Mr. Glistister are taking
notes, uh, so that we can ask the
[14:52] questions on behalf of the residents so
that we're not interrupting and doing a
[14:57] back and forth with the audience and the
gentlemen there because it just gets too
[15:00] hard for the minutes. So, if I could
have a copy of your questions, Michelle
[15:04] can bring them up, that would be great.
>> Thank you so much.
[15:12] That's okay. Thank you.
>> Uh, next, Miss Judy Kaufman, please.
[15:24] » Thank you.
>> Thank you so much. I feel um that many
[15:29] of the questions that I had have already
been asked, but I'm I'm just going to be
[15:33] a little repetitious here. Um, my name
is Judy Kaufman. I live at 3417 Woodwin
[15:39] Drive. I'm a lifelong resident of
Jefferson Hills. I was raised in Gil
[15:43] Hall. I played pickup baseball in Gilh
Hall Park uh when it was nothing more
[15:48] than a homemade dirty
dusty ball field. Um I understand it's
[15:54] now being one of the sites that they're
talking about with horizontal pipelines.
[15:59] So it holds a little bit near and dear
to my heart of what's going to happen.
[16:04] It seems that every few years, I know
most of you probably don't know me, but
[16:08] every few years I've been standing here
at the podium trying to explain why I so
[16:13] adamantly want to protect our families
and our community from EQT encroachment.
[16:20] I'm a nurse practitioner still
practicing. Um, I hold a doctorate in
[16:25] public health. And in wearing both of
those hats, I've spoken to the and
[16:30] addressed council regarding numerous
health issues that have been the result
[16:34] of toxic, volatile um, organic
compounds, carcinogenic emissions, and
[16:41] especially how they threaten pregnant
women, unborn babies, newborn babies,
[16:46] children, and the elderly in our
community. So, um, these are things that
[16:51] I I really felt very strongly about when
we were looking into the possibility of
[16:56] fracking here in our community. This
evening, however, I'm here with more
[17:01] questions than I am here with um, health
statistics. I came here tonight to learn
[17:07] more about the proposed horizontal
drilling in Jefferson Hills and
[17:11] particularly around Gilhal Park and
around areas where our children may be
[17:15] affected.
My first question uh I am a member of
[17:20] the um environmental advisory committee
and um I'm wondering as a member why it
[17:27] is that we didn't hear anything about
this about any proposals for leases with
[17:33] EQT.
Um it's my understanding and and it's
[17:38] been validated that the solicitor was
aware and the business manager have been
[17:43] aware of this for the past year and as
EQT and as the not EQT but EAC as the
[17:51] name implies we're an advisory
environmental committee and we give up
[17:56] our time to look at uh environmental
issues here in Jefferson Hills and this
[18:01] is a big one and we have gone to 12
meetings since this started and we never
[18:06] heard anything about it. I really feel
that I I'd like to know why we weren't
[18:11] part of the process. Um the other
question I have is after reading so many
[18:17] stories over the past 20 years really
about lawsuits damages caused by the gas
[18:24] and oil industry including EQT and uh
the number of settlements here in
[18:29] Pennsylvania, West Virginia. I'm
wondering why the council would ever
[18:34] want to consider signing a lease that
could be detrimental to our health. I
[18:40] don't know if it is because we don't
have enough information. Um, we only
[18:44] heard about this about three days ago
and so there wasn't enough time, but we
[18:50] I'm really wondering this especially in
light of many of the federal regulations
[18:55] that are regarding emissions of the uh
volatile organic compounds or um the
[19:01] methane and detection
as as well as equipment equipment repair
[19:07] equipment uh maintenance. They've been
relaxed. And so again, this is at a time
[19:13] where we're not quite as protected as we
were. And in addition, these regulatory
[19:18] burdens on the oil and gas industry have
really been um diminished in in 19 in
[19:26] 2026. Also, so this is I'm wondering if
it's a good time for us to do anything
[19:32] like this. The third question, and I
think I'm going to be repeating what you
[19:36] just heard, is why this lease agreement
is being rushed through without public
[19:41] hearings, without us really knowing. Um,
it when we when we talk about this in
[19:48] health care, we talk about informed
consent. And I think it's so important
[19:52] that we look at full disclosure full the
issue being fully examined and presented
[19:59] to the public so that we know what the
risks versus the benefits would be both
[20:05] from a health standpoint, a safety
standpoint, from our homes and uh you
[20:11] know clearly homeowners have a right to
know how this is going to be done. Will
[20:16] it affect uh any anything uh structures
in their home especially knowing that
[20:23] you know mine subsidance issues have
always been a major issue here in
[20:28] Jefferson Hills and Pleasant Hills. Um
and do they know that insurance won't
[20:33] cover any damages that would be caused
their mind subsidance that could be
[20:38] caused by fracking. So, I really would
like to ask the council to think this
[20:44] through and to possibly, you know,
schedule a public hearing so that the
[20:49] questions could be answered. I know I've
run out of time and I really want to
[20:54] thank you. Um, I kind of diverted a
little bit, but I appreciate the
[20:58] opportunity. Thank you.
>> Thank you so much, Mr. Coffin.
[21:04] » Our next um agenda speaker is Jeff
Steltzer.
[21:12] Hello, my name is Jeffrey Steltzer. I'm
a resident here of Jefferson Burough and
[21:17] a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High
School. I reside at 733 Waterman Road.
[21:24] We stand at a pivotal crossroads in our
region's energy history. Right across
[21:29] our borders, the infrastructure in Union
Township is unlocking natural wealth
[21:34] from the Marcelus and Unico shale
formations, bringing profound benefits
[21:38] directly to families right here in
Jefferson Hills. Today, I want to talk
[21:42] about the immense promise this
development holds for our community and
[21:46] address the misconceptions that often
cloud the conversation.
[21:50] Natural gas extraction is a vital anchor
of national prosperity. The Marcellus
[21:55] and Udica formations beneath us
represent some of the cleanest burning
[21:58] energy deposits on the planet. By
tapping these resources responsibly, we
[22:04] secure domestically produced energy that
lowers home heating and electricity
[22:08] costs for working families. Furthermore,
this activity pumps vital revenue
[22:13] directly into Jefferson Hills Burrow.
That is why I strongly support the
[22:18] proposal to lease our burough owned oil
and gas mineral rights to EQT.
[22:23] These funds flow straight to the
municipal coffers to cover local costs
[22:27] and fund whatever community projects our
residents and leaders choose to
[22:31] prioritize. Best of all, because the
drill rig and well pad are situated
[22:36] across the border in Union Township,
local residents will experience zero
[22:41] industrial truck traffic on Jefferson
Hill roads. We get the financial reward
[22:46] and energy security without any added
congestion on our streets.
[22:53] When large-scale industrial projects
emerge near our neighborhoods, anxieties
[22:57] naturally arise. But we must separate
sensationalized rumors from scientific
[23:02] reality. The myth of explosions. As
someone who firmly supports safe,
[23:07] responsible development, I can state
that modern well sites are engineering
[23:11] marvels governed by strict regulations
utilizing advanced blowout preventers,
[23:17] automatic shut off valves, and 247
telemetry monitoring to ensure absolute
[23:23] safety.
Concerns over creek pollution. Modern
[23:28] well construction uses heavyduty
multi-layer steel casings cemented deep
[23:32] into the earth far below freshwater
aquifers. This creates a concrete and
[23:36] steel fortress that completely isolates
drinking water and local streams from
[23:40] production zones.
Anxiety regarding air quality operators
[23:46] employ green completion technologies and
vapor recovery units to capture
[23:50] emissions. Thanks to rigorous standards
and continuous monitoring, local air
[23:55] quality remains well within safe
thresholds. Sorry.
[24:04] Fear of mine subsidance and explosions.
People occasionally wonder if drilling
[24:08] will destabilize old underground coal
mines or trigger an underground
[24:12] explosion. Geologically, this is
impossible. Underground coal mines sit
[24:17] merely a few hundred feet deep. Whereas
Marcellus and UCL shell formations lie
[24:22] thousands of feet, a mile or more lower.
Natural gas trapped in deep shell
[24:26] requires precise oxygen-free conditions
and cannot migrate into or ignite
[24:31] abandoned coal mines. This massive rock
layer acting as a natural buffer ensures
[24:37] zero structural or explosive impact on
shallow mine voids.
[24:42] The infrastructure in Union Township and
the resources flowing beneath Jefferson
[24:46] Hillsboro represents an extraordinary
opportunity. They mean energy
[24:52] independence, lower heating costs,
dedicated municipal revenue for our
[24:56] projects, and complete freedom from
local truck traffic. By relying on facts
[25:01] and rigorous science, we can embrace
this potential with absolute confidence.
[25:07] Thank you.
>> Thank you, Mr. Steltzer.
[25:14] Um, I'm going to read. We have a couple
of online submissions.
[25:19] U Laurens Saka 1089 Antler Drive. I was
planning on attending this meeting in
[25:24] person. Um,
wait, let me double check and make sure
[25:29] this is on EQT R. Okay. Um, however, at
2 o'clock this afternoon, a 4-inch water
[25:34] line opened up at our at my neighbor's
yard, showering her home with 30 ft of
[25:38] water. This water then ran off her
property and onto mine where it entered
[25:42] my home through a basement window. The
water ran for the next hour because no
[25:46] one but Pennsylvania American Water can
shut it off, which is something I plan
[25:50] to discuss at a future council meeting.
In terms of the possible drill sites, I
[25:54] have some very serious reservations. I
spent 10 years as a natural resource
[25:58] manager for Virginia State Parks and
have dealt heavily with industrial
[26:02] projects and geology issues. I am
currently an earth and space science
[26:05] teacher. I understand how these things
work and what the geological processes
[26:09] are. I understand that fracking is the
is in this manner is safely conducted in
[26:14] many places with limited negative
outcomes.
[26:18] However, I also live in the Deer Park
neighborhood where I know for a fact
[26:21] that the coal mine under my home is less
than 100 ft down. I know that that
[26:26] entire area of Jefferson Hills where
these drill sites are planned have been
[26:30] heavily undermined. I have looked at the
maps for the sites that are essentially
[26:34] exactly where these drill sites are
planned. I have concerns about a number
[26:38] of things that simply have not been
discussed or even identified. How far is
[26:42] the mine below the surface in these
areas? Are these aqua aquafers that
[26:47] could be polluted by the frack water?
What kind of trucks and at what volume
[26:52] will they be driving on the newly
repaired Peters Creek Road? How do you
[26:55] mitigate slippage between shale and coal
layers above where the fracking will
[26:59] occur? And finally, what gives the
bureau the right to decide what happens
[27:03] with our public property with no public
input? [clears throat] Our burough is
[27:07] taking many steps in the right direction
in terms of increasing recreational
[27:10] opportunities. The new Gil Hall Park,
the updated plans to rehabilitate the
[27:14] buildings there, the fishing days along
Peters Creek, these are all the things
[27:19] that are 100% a help to this community
that could be negatively impacted by
[27:22] this project. The least you can do in
this situation is table this vote and
[27:26] have a public hearing the way it should
have been done in the first place in an
[27:29] open and transparent man manner.
[27:35] Um, next, Lisa Graves Marusi.
[27:43] Thank you. Um, I do want to address some
of the things that have been said. I'm
[27:50] going to give you some real world
examples. explosions.
[27:54] Indiana County and Alageney County or
Indiana Township and Alageney County had
[27:58] a wellpad explode. You can check it on
the Alageney County hazards mitigation
[28:03] plan and it's also in the SEC filings
for the company. There was an explosion
[28:08] of the Revolution pipeline in Beaver
County in which families I know ran for
[28:13] their lives while their animals were
killed and their property was totally
[28:17] destroyed.
Water pollution. I mentioned this at
[28:22] last week's meeting. Please make a note
and look up Knob Fork, West Virginia and
[28:27] New Freeport, Green County, and Tyogga
County. EQT, the very company that
[28:34] you're contemplating signing a lease
with, was responsible for massive water
[28:39] pollution damage in all three of those
cases. Those are just the three that I'm
[28:43] citing tonight. Two of those, Knob Fork,
West Virginia and New Freeport, ended up
[28:48] in litigation. In the Tyogga County
situation,
[28:53] our organization provided the
information to the D, which resulted in
[28:57] a $1.1 million fine because EQ EQT
trashed waters of the Commonwealth.
[29:05] Union Township, Finleyville
had massive mine subsidance damage from
[29:11] EQT or from Sonokco's uh lateral
drilling and it's documented in the
[29:17] postet articles I gave you last week and
I know that council is considering going
[29:22] to get the mine maps from the D to make
sure you're not on that same mine
[29:26] formation which is the Cincinnati coal
mine. So these are real things that not
[29:31] only could happen, they absolutely have
happened. So what you're contemplating
[29:38] carries risk. I also did some checking
for you. The question was, can the
[29:44] company just take the gas? They're going
to take it anyway, so you may as well
[29:47] get paid. Absolutely false. I found out
that that would demonstrate
[29:52] theft and trespass. You cannot do that.
So, I'm going to reiterate my
[29:58] recommendation to council that you
please have a special counsel, John
[30:03] Smith, who has litigated on behalf of
Jefferson Hills against EQT twice and
[30:09] one, including once at the PA Supreme
Court, have him review the lease, have
[30:15] him work with you and your solicitor to
make sure that the interests of
[30:20] Jefferson Hills are being protected.
Please do not just take EQT's word for
[30:25] it because I just rattled off examples
of real world situations where risks
[30:30] have happened. It's not an a matter of
if, it's when.
[30:35] And finally, I would please ask that
council consider holding a public
[30:39] hearing because I think this is a major
decision that should not be just
[30:43] unilaterally made by council. I believe
the public has a right to be involved.
[30:48] Thank you very much.
>> Thank you.
[30:52] I think that was everyone in the
audience. If I'm missing anybody, please
[30:55] let me know. Um I have one more here
from Kathleen Lower. Uh just wanted to
[31:00] say Oh, this is not a Yes, it is. Sorry.
Uh just wanted to say it sounds like a
[31:06] good idea to do the garbage fee yearly
for the savings to the burrow. Also, we
[31:10] like our current garbage company. I feel
they do a good job and hope we are able
[31:14] to renew with them when the time comes.
When it comes time to renew and you are
[31:17] comparing different companies, if you
decide to go with a company that uses
[31:21] those auto arms to lift and empty the
cans, can you negotiate that for those
[31:25] of us who want the smaller cans that can
get them? Uh, I think Mr. Haptock is
[31:29] doing a great job at looking for the
ways to cut expenses in the burrow. And
[31:33] we certainly agree with Mrs. Lower. Um,
thank you everyone.
[31:39] Okay.
[31:46] Okay. Agenda item number seven. Motion
to approve the monthly bills. A
[31:51] » motion.
>> Second.
[31:53] » Motion by Councilman Bence. Second by
Councilman Lynch. All those in favor say
[31:57] I.
>> I. Any opposed?
[32:00] » Motion carries. Number eight. Motion to
approve monthly payroll.
[32:04] » A motion.
>> A motion. Motion by Councilwoman Rido.
[32:07] Second by Councilman Bence. All those in
favor say I. I.
[32:10] » Any opposed?
Motion carries.
[32:14] Number nine. Motion to approve minutes
of agenda meeting July 1st, 2026.
[32:19] » Motion.
>> Motion by Councilman Bence.
[32:22] » I'll second it.
>> Second by Councilwoman Buucy. All those
[32:24] in favor say I. I. Any opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[32:30] Number 10. Motion to approve minutes of
regular meeting July 6th, 2026.
[32:35] » Motion.
>> Motion by Councilman Bence.
[32:37] » I'll second.
>> Second by Councilwoman Mirez. All those
[32:39] in favor say I. I. Any opposed?
Motion carries. Number 11. Motion to
[32:45] approve the permanent appointment of
Officer Daniel Moreny as full-time
[32:49] police officer for the Jefferson Hills
Police Department after successful
[32:52] completion of a 12-month probationary
period per the Burough of Jefferson
[32:56] Hills Civil Service rules and
regulations section 3.20 probationary
[33:00] period.
>> A motion.
[33:01] » I'll second.
>> Motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
[33:04] Councilwoman Mirez. All those in favor
say I. I. Any opposed?
[33:09] » Motion carries. Number 12, motion to
approve the permanent appointment of
[33:12] Officer Drake Cypold as full-time police
officer for the Jefferson Hills Police
[33:16] Department after successful completion
of a 12-month probationary period per
[33:20] the Burough of Jefferson Hills Civil
Service Rules and Regulations, section
[33:24] 3.20 probationary period.
>> A motion.
[33:27] » Motion by Councilwoman Mis, second by
Councilman Bence. All those in favor say
[33:31] I.
>> I. Any opposed?
[33:33] » Motion carries.
Number 13, motion to adopt ordinance
[33:37] number 926 amending the burough code
regarding the economic development
[33:41] commission EDC. Um motion
>> motion by Councilman Lynch.
[33:45] » I'll second.
>> Second by Councilwoman Buccy. All those
[33:48] in favor say I. I. Any opposed?
>> Motion carries. Number 14. Motion to
[33:53] authorize preparation and advertisement
of an ordinance amending chapter 15
[33:57] motor vehicle and traffic of the Burough
Code of Ordinances to regulate
[34:01] recreational motorized vehicles.
>> A motion.
[34:04] » Second. Motion by Councilwoman Marico,
second by Councilman Bence. All those in
[34:08] favor say I.
>> I.
[34:09] » I.
>> Any opposed? Motion carries. Number 15.
[34:13] Motion to authorize preparation and
advertisement of an ordinance amending
[34:16] chapter 16 parks and recreation of the
burough code of ordinances.
[34:21] » Motion.
>> Motion by Councilman Ben.
[34:23] » Second.
>> Second by Councilman Lynch. All those in
[34:25] favor say I. I.
>> Any opposed? Motion carries. Number 16.
[34:31] Motion to approve a memorandum of
understanding between the Jefferson
[34:34] Hills Police Department and the West
Jefferson Hill School District as
[34:37] required by article 13-a of the public
school code of 1949, popularly known as
[34:43] the Safe Schools Act for years 2026
through 2027.
[34:46] » Motion.
>> Motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
[34:49] Councilman Bence. All those in favor say
I. I. Any opposed?
[34:54] » Motion carries. Number 17. Motion to
approve a memorandum of understanding
[34:59] between the Jefferson Hills Police
Department and the Steel City Steel
[35:02] Center School for Career and Technical
Education as required by article 13- of
[35:08] the public school code of 1949,
popularly known as the Safe Schools Act
[35:12] for years 2026 and 2028.
>> A motion.
[35:16] » Motion by Councilman, second by
Councilwoman Buccy. All those in favor
[35:19] say I. I. Any opposed?
>> Motion carries. Number 18. Motion to
[35:25] approve the 2027 minimum municipal
obligation in the amount of $3,812
[35:30] for the service employee pension and
$477,28
[35:35] for the police pension.
>> Motion.
[35:37] » Motion by Councilman Lynch.
>> Second.
[35:39] » Second by Councilwoman Rido. All those
in favor say I. I. Any opposed?
[35:44] » Motion carries. [clears throat] Number
19. Motion to re renegotiate contract
[35:49] with legal service tax services subject
to solicitor and council approval if
[35:53] possible or to terminate if necessary.
>> A motion second.
[35:57] » Motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
Councilman Bence. All those in favor say
[36:00] I. I. Any opposed?
>> Motion carries. Number 20. Motion to
[36:06] enter into possible agreement with
Jordan Tax subject to solicitor and
[36:09] council approval in regard to garbage
user fees.
[36:13] » Motion.
>> Motion by Councilman Ben.
[36:15] » Second. Second by Councilman Lynch. All
those in favor say I.
[36:18] » I.
>> I.
[36:20] » Any opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[36:24] » Number 21. Motion to authorize the
proposed leasing of burrowowned oil and
[36:28] gas mineral rights for parcel number
883-R250
[36:32] and parcel number 100005-R1000
[36:37] to EQT, including review of lease terms
and possible authorization to execute an
[36:42] agreement. At this time, we're gonna
have Andrew from EQT to step to the
[36:45] podium and um and we'll start our
conversation.
[36:55] » Hi, how are you all this evening?
>> Good. How are you? Thank you for being
[36:58] here, especially on short notice. We
appreciate it.
[37:00] » Yeah, absolutely. Happy to be here.
>> Uh so, just a little background on me.
[37:05] My name is Ryan Mather. I'm one of our
land acquisition.
[37:07] » Sorry, did I called you Andrew? Uh I
100% honest I'm not not sure about that.
[37:12] I apolog So Andrew is uh one of my
director reports and works for me on as
[37:16] a a land man on our team. So
>> And you are Ryan?
[37:18] » Yes ma'am. I am Ryan. Thank you.
>> So I am one of our land acquisitions
[37:23] managers here um who works in
southwestern Pennsylvania and
[37:27] specifically on the Sarah development
that is being proposed with the lease
[37:31] hold here at at hand. So um please let
me know what questions how you would
[37:36] like to go through this. uh follow your
lead here.
[37:39] » I think um first and foremost, council
probably has specific questions that
[37:43] they would like to ask and then um I'm
going to try and check through a lot of
[37:48] our resident questions. Um hopefully we
can get answers to as many as possible.
[37:53] » Yes, ma'am.
>> And then um you know, I think we can
[37:56] talk a little bit about uh you know, the
traffic, the truck traffic and things of
[38:01] that nature as well. So, council, we'll
open it up to you.
[38:06] I'll start it off. Um, first off, thank
you for being here on such short notice
[38:10] again. Um, I guess we could just start
out here with the basics if you can
[38:15] answer. Um, so can you explain uh
exactly where the Sarah Well pad is
[38:20] located and where the proposed lateral
will travel in relation to Gil Hall Park
[38:26] and the Peters Creek Road properties and
if you know approximately how many feet
[38:30] below these properties um or how many
feet below those properties the ladder
[38:35] will be.
>> Yeah, absolutely. So our current PAT
[38:38] site it's existing. We built it in 2022
on Finleyville Road in Union Township.
[38:44] Um, we have already drilled on that pad
site and we've actually traversed
[38:48] Jefferson Hillsboro properties. So from
the elevation of the pad site to where
[38:53] we enter the Marcela shale is about
7,500 ft down. So where the wells will
[38:57] traverse the properties should we come
to terms here would be right around that
[39:01] depth. It would be right around 7,500 ft
deep.
[39:06] And can you also um based upon of what
we reviewed so far that this is a
[39:12] non-surface lease correct and I so
um basically um can you are you able to
[39:21] uh answer that that EQT would not be
permitted to construct or operate any
[39:28] surface equipment on bur own property.
>> Yes sir that is correct. We will not be
[39:33] doing any surface activity whatsoever
inside of Jefferson Hillsboro.
[39:45] » Were neighboring um property owners
informed of the task at hand?
[39:52] » Are just to clarify, are you asking,
have neighboring property owners
[39:55] executed leases with EQT? Have they been
notified that this could possibly
[39:59] be a future project for you?
>> Uh I forgive me I'm I'm not 100%
[40:07] following. So we have approached all of
the surrounding neighbors of these
[40:12] properties in general and we have either
begun executing oil and gas leases with
[40:17] them, negotiating leases with them. But
yes, we have been surrounding anybody
[40:20] that was identified within our
production footprint, we have reached
[40:23] out to.
>> I hope that answers your question.
[40:37] » As far as noise levels go, are is that
all just concentrated at the well pad or
[40:44] the movement of your operation? Does
that involve burrow property at all or
[40:50] how is that how's that ex once it's
extracted? How's that moved away from
[40:54] the facility?
>> Yeah. No. Uh again, great question. So,
[40:57] we have specific truck routes uh that
all vehicles will have to be taking.
[41:01] There are pipelines that are already
connected to the pad. As I mentioned
[41:04] before, it's already built. It's in
service. There are already wells drilled
[41:07] and producing from the pad site itself.
Uh some of which traverse
[41:12] burrow residents, not burrow owned
property, but burrow residents. Uh any
[41:16] and all trucks that leave and come to
and from the site have to follow the
[41:20] bonded routes. Other it's all monitored
by the D. And in regards to noise,
[41:25] that's kind of a tricky question uh
because a lot of it is topography based.
[41:29] If you are on top of a hill and a pad is
down below you, you may hear some of the
[41:33] noise that's going to be traveling up.
Uh we also conduct sound studies upon
[41:38] spotting the locations as well as
working with other entities through the
[41:41] D and try to mitigate as much noise as
we possibly can. We've also switched
[41:46] over to electric drilling crews and
frack fleets to try to help mitigate as
[41:49] much noise as possible. And we do take
that into consideration, but there won't
[41:53] be anything different this time than
what there was the first round of
[41:56] drilling. [snorts]
>> Thank you.
[42:00] » I take that back. The only thing that
will be different is we will be there a
[42:03] shorter period of time.
[42:07] » What is the timeline for such a project?
So we have actually already begun
[42:12] drilling the top holes that are on on
the pad side itself. So there we bring
[42:17] in a series of rigs. You set your
conductor casing uh to begin with at
[42:21] first and then you will drill your top
hole uh which is the section that goes
[42:25] out to your kickoff point uh which is
about 1,000 feet above the formation
[42:28] where you're going to land and then you
begin your horizontal and then followed
[42:31] by your hydraulic fracturing process. So
we are currently targeting top the the
[42:37] current drilling for our top hole
outside of our conductor will be later
[42:40] this month uh followed by the horizontal
after the turn of the year. Um and then
[42:45] hydraulic fracturing will follow that uh
with completion by summer uh 27.
[42:50] [snorts]
So you're you're looking May June for
[42:53] when first sales volumes will be be
moving.
[42:58] » What what chemicals do you use during
this process? So it it's a combination.
[43:03] Um this is all can be found on
frackfocus.org. Uh so each company uses
[43:08] their own proprietary blend. They they
have a special unique series that they
[43:11] use. Um really it's you can get into a
laundry list of things. Uh but the nuts
[43:17] and bolts of it um you're going to use
guar gum to help things stick inside of
[43:22] the formation. It's used in ketchup,
jellies, things of that nature.
[43:25] Surfactants to try to help lubricate the
sides of the shell as you were beginning
[43:29] to pump under high pressure. Um there
are acids involved. Uh so these are base
[43:35] formations. The marcellus where we're
currently targeting is a base formation.
[43:38] You mix an acid with a base, it becomes
neutral. Same same thing here. You're
[43:41] just rounding off some of the edges of
what the the sharp jagged shale would be
[43:46] when it comes under pressure and begins
to crack. Um and then a bioside which is
[43:50] used for bacteria treatment. So that is
a very rough base generic highle
[43:56] thousand foot overview coverage of
what's there. There's pH balancers,
[43:59] scale inhibitors, a multitude of other
things that go into it. But if you want
[44:02] the comprehensive list, it's all right
there on frackfocus.org. [snorts]
[44:11] » There's also fromaldahhide and a laundry
list of other pretty dangerous VOCC's.
[44:19] [clears throat]
>> The residents that received letters,
[44:23] they have contacted me. Some of them con
some of them said they got their letter
[44:27] in December. Some of them say they got a
letter in March. All right.
[44:32] » Um what was
it? Since they had various times that
[44:38] they got these letters, is the route
under the earth being processed as to
[44:45] where you want to go? Like why would
they have different times that they got
[44:50] these letters?
>> Yeah. So a lot of that is based upon the
[44:54] development of the project itself.
There's going to be differences and and
[44:59] as you're working through you may find
different challenges that present
[45:02] themselves where you have to look at it
and approach it slightly differently.
[45:06] And as we are navigating those
situations and those scenarios that
[45:10] changes where our ultimate war path
would ultimately end up and what our
[45:14] development profile could look like. So
there's a multitude of reasons that that
[45:17] come with that. But also with even with
drilling technologies and capabilities
[45:21] uh we are a very large company who's
very active and as we learn and we test
[45:26] some of our capabilities as to where we
can go on our overall drilling and
[45:30] development that also has an impact but
these ones are
[45:34] it was broken up in stages uh for the
western side now to the eastern side of
[45:38] what our development looks like. It
could have been they were originally
[45:41] targeted in the western side now we're
focused on the eastern side. So [snorts]
[45:44] if they do not want the drilling
underneath their homes,
[45:50] » then you circumvent that.
>> Yes, ma'am. So, as it was stated
[45:55] earlier, we are not allowed to drill and
develop a property where we do not
[45:58] control the working interest of a lease.
That is what's known as a bad faith
[46:02] trespass if you do that, which is
illegal and against the law. That is not
[46:06] something we we ever intend to do.
>> Okay. Thank you. Mhm.
[46:13] » For this particular scenario on these
two parcels of land, is there um is
[46:18] there um sourcing, storing, treating,
disposing of water?
[46:23] » No, ma'am.
>> No. Okay. That would just be with a well
[46:26] pad. Correct.
>> Yes, ma'am. That is with a well pad.
[46:28] » Sorry. Um, can you talk a little bit
about how
[46:34] when the gas is removed and royalties
are paid out to whomever owns that
[46:41] property, who oversees that? Is it the D
who oversees? How much gas is retracted?
[46:48] How much royalties is going to that
person? And if EQT is being um truthful.
[46:55] » Yeah. So u there are audit provisions
that we will incorporate inside of
[47:00] leases uh that give you full rights to
audit your your interest. So EQT as an
[47:05] operator we report all of the total
production to the DP and that shows
[47:11] roundabouts where where our total
production lies. Now with that we will
[47:15] send out division orders to each
individual owner who has an agreement in
[47:20] place with us. Those division orders
will outline your net revenue, excuse
[47:23] me, re net revenue interest, how that
number is calculated, which forgive me
[47:29] if I'm getting ahead of myself here.
You're going to take your total unit
[47:31] acreage and you divide that by the
acreage each individual shareholder
[47:36] owns. So for simple math here, we'll say
it's a 600 acre unit. They own a 68 acre
[47:41] parcel. That's 10% of the production
would be allocated to that individual.
[47:44] You then take that percentage and
multiply it by their royalty rate. That
[47:49] is how you come up with a net revenue
interest that is all distributed in your
[47:53] monthly revenue statement. Whenever
production is reported and revenues are
[47:57] paid, you will have your NRI breakdown
for your individual versus the entirety
[48:02] of the unit that you are participating
in. So there are multiple ways that it
[48:06] can be audited, but we do report our
total production numbers to the state
[48:09] through monitored through the D.
>> Okay. Um and this particular lease is
[48:14] for a five-year term.
>> Yes, ma'am. [clears throat]
[48:17] » Is that full stop? Yes, ma'am.
>> Five years.
[48:19] » Yes, ma'am. I
>> I have a question or I'm sorry if you're
[48:23] not. Are you okay? Thanks. Um is this
might be a dumb question, but is the
[48:27] burrow tax exempt from such
>> I don't think that's a dumb question at
[48:33] all.
>> I don't think that's a dumb question and
[48:35] I'm not 100% positive. Um I like
railroads for example, I know most of
[48:39] them are taxexempt. I'm not sure about
the burrow. I would have to look into
[48:43] that.
>> Okay.
[48:47] Yeah, sorry that's not my specialty
there. I apologize. [snorts]
[48:53] » Um, all right. I think I got most of
like the lease contracts and a lot of
[48:58] the questions that I had from some
residents were pertaining to the fact of
[49:02] whether or not a well pad um would be on
this property. That is absolutely not
[49:08] true.
>> That is correct. There will be no
[49:10] surface disturbances, damages, anything
upon surface of burrow owned property.
[49:17] One of the questions that was raised uh
last week was uh with this one proposed
[49:22] lateral going underneath the Gil Hall
Park, uh we're currently spending a lot
[49:25] of money investing in the playground.
We're going to be investing in the
[49:27] building there. Um
>> is there any chance the fracking could
[49:31] cause damage at the surface level from
the death below? And if so, how how does
[49:36] EQT handle that?
>> Yeah, so again, great question. So being
[49:40] that we are 7,500 feet down more or less
um there is limited chance of there
[49:45] being any kind of a surface impact from
a subsidance claim. However, if there is
[49:50] that one in the million then EQT has put
provisions inside of the lease
[49:54] agreements under the subsidance
provision that would be our
[49:57] responsibility to fix, maintain, repair
whatever else is there. So as much as
[50:01] you all don't want it, we don't want to
weigh more than what you guys don't.
[50:05] [snorts]
[50:08] Is that in our agreement
>> in the lease? Yes, it is. There is a
[50:13] full liability clause in here.
>> And just [clears throat] to clarify, I
[50:17] believe in the lease that the draft
lease that was negotiated, any damages
[50:22] that are result of your activities are
your responsibility. Yes, ma'am. And
[50:26] you've agreed to indemnify and hold the
burrow harmless. So, there would be no
[50:29] financial repercussions to the burrow at
all.
[50:32] » Yes, ma'am. That is correct.
I I've been I don't mean to, you know,
[50:37] put you on the spot here, but I've I've
lived in Washington County and I've
[50:41] witnessed people that have had damage to
their property and
[50:44] » what that was negotiated within their
their lease and it's still problems were
[50:49] there and weren't taken care of
financially by the company.
[50:55] » So, what what's your question with that
one? I'm sorry. Well, they were promised
[50:58] that if there was damage, subsidance,
anything to their property that EQT
[51:02] would come and take care and rectify the
situation and it didn't happen.
[51:07] » So, if you don't mind to speak with me
after that and give me some specifics,
[51:10] we can absolutely look into that to try
to get you an answer or get a little
[51:14] more guidance, I would happily uh look
into that and and investigate that. If
[51:18] if there is a correlation and connection
that we have been proved. So there have
[51:22] been some other instances here spoken
this evening where we were tied and
[51:27] connected to certain pieces. Um there
was no substantial evidence that
[51:32] actually tied us to that. We were given
approval from D and other governing
[51:37] authorities. It's outside of ours uh
that we we can we will gladly take a
[51:43] look at whatever this would be that you
were referencing and uh try to get you
[51:48] some answers on that.
>> Thank you.
[51:55] Um, can you speak a little bit about the
truck routes?
[51:59] » Yes, ma'am. Absolutely. So, um, bear
with me just
[52:03] » proposed truck routes, I should say.
>> Yeah. No, so I mean the these truck
[52:06] routes are going to be exact same as
what we did the first time. So, all
[52:10] truck traffic will be coming from the
Union Township side. There will not be
[52:14] anything inside of the burrow. So, as we
did on the last one for, and again, bear
[52:20] with me. This goes through different
truck routes for for different size
[52:23] vehicles here. So, anything that's less
than 14 ft and less than 11 ft 6 in
[52:28] wide, uh they will take the turnpike and
then onto Finleyville Road. For anything
[52:33] that is greater than 14 in or greater
than 11' 6 in, it goes from I7 and then
[52:38] travels north through 519 uh onto Thomas
84 Road through Lynen Road into Venicia
[52:44] Rankintown onto Finleyville Oram. So,
everything stays
[52:47] » everything bypasses. Yes, ma'am. There
will not be a single truck unless it's
[52:51] just a someone who lives inside of the
burrow who is traveling to work. That
[52:54] would be the only instance where you're
going to see any kind of traffic.
[52:57] » Sure.
[53:06] » Um
without chaos erupting,
[53:11] I just want to make sure I have answered
or gotten at least a lot of your
[53:16] questions answered. Miss Taka, you had a
number of them. Um, like I said, I went
[53:20] through them and some of them pertained
to whether or not there was going to be
[53:22] a well pad and then those stemmed from
more questions on the well pad, which is
[53:28] non-existent. Um, is there anything that
I missed?
[53:39] » The Sarah.
>> Yeah.
[53:41] » Yes, ma'am. The Sarah Wellad.
>> Yes.
[53:43] » Yes, ma'am.
>> Yeah.
[53:44] » Okay. Um, and you were I think she was
the only person we got a list of
[53:48] questions from like on paper. So, I just
want to make sure that we had some of
[53:53] them answered. Um,
council, mayor, staff, any anyone else?
[53:59] » I have a couple things I'd like to say.
>> Um,
[54:03] in talking with you, I I I feel that
they've had their timeline set in stone.
[54:10] And you know, for us as a burrow, I
don't think it's beneficial to rush this
[54:13] process at all. Um,
I would like to know why in the
[54:19] beginning
that we weren't suggested to have a
[54:23] public hearing when this all sort of
fell in place and we were approached
[54:29] with this. Um, I'm a little concerned
with that and I would like to make a
[54:34] motion to table this.
I'll second it.
[54:39] » Okay.
>> I just want to make sure everybody got
[54:42] their questions and comments in first
before we vote.
[54:45] And I can speak to the fact that this
most things that come from negotiations
[54:52] and contracts stem from our finance
committee meetings, which is a
[54:55] subcommittee just like we have a million
other subcommittees within council. We
[55:00] have a public works committee that have
council members on it that do their due
[55:05] diligence. They communicate with the
staff. We have a finance committee that
[55:10] does the exact same thing. So until
everything is completed, eyes are
[55:14] dotted, tees are crossed, and this is
something that is legit that needs to be
[55:19] and will be put on the agenda. That is
when all of council is that's that's the
[55:25] standard. That's the precedent we've
sent. We've said,
[55:28] » but it's also been on the solicitor's
report for a year. Correct.
[55:32] » And there is no legal requirement for a
public hearing. Just putting that out
[55:35] there. However, with that said,
over a number of issues that have risen
[55:42] here in Jefferson Hills, I am pretty
confident in saying that this council
[55:49] and our former council along with Vice
President Hillary Bud have listened to
[55:53] the residents and we have taken the
precautions and the steps to say we need
[55:58] to slow down. Perhaps we need to table
this. Perhaps we need to look into this.
[56:03] So, there are it hurt. It hurts. But I
know that's what we what we we are here
[56:08] for on council to do this job when
accusations are made that we are not
[56:13] being transparent and something's going
ary and this and that. But this right
[56:18] here is how we communicate with you
guys. This is our agenda. I can I can
[56:24] visualize
um if we were to say something back it
[56:30] last year that there was an email there
was an email from this gentle or Andrew
[56:35] and I thought it was spam and I had no
idea and I forward it to staff because
[56:40] it is their job and our job to see if
things are legit and then from there on
[56:47] we take it to our subcommittees. From
there on it goes to council. From there
[56:52] on it ends up on an agenda if it becomes
an item. That's the process. That's
[56:57] always been the way that we have done
things here. I think this how many years
[57:01] has I have I been here? I don't know
almost
[57:04] six or seven. Um so the accusations that
we weren't being transparent. This is
[57:10] how we communicate with you with the the
small context of road roads being closed
[57:17] and things of that nature where we have
opened up social media so we can
[57:21] communicate more with you all. But
something of this nature in in my
[57:27] opinion,
I I think that it needs to be trusted
[57:31] with council that we understand your
concerns and when that case is required
[57:37] for us to take some time and table it,
that's exactly what we're going to do
[57:41] and that is why we put it on the agenda
so that we can hear your comments. We
[57:45] can't put things that may not come to
fruition
[57:49] on social media six months in advance.
you guys would be here with pitchforks
[57:54] and and and torches every single council
meeting, which I believe you would have
[57:58] the right to be because that's stirring
up
[58:01] unwanted or maybe, you know,
miscommunication.
[58:06] So until something comes to a legit
stop where it is time to present to
[58:13] council, it goes on the agenda and and
it yes, it seems like this was rushed,
[58:19] but it was not rushed on purpose. It was
it was completed. It goes on the agenda
[58:24] now. It's in council's hands to say we
need to either take a look at this or
[58:30] may perhaps some members want to vote
tonight. So, um, that was my two cents.
[58:36] I just want to state clarity on how
things end up on agenda items, our
[58:41] subcommittees that we have. That's what
all of us are here to do with our time
[58:47] that we volunteer.
Yes.
[58:51] » Sure.
[58:56] » Correct.
[59:03] I have question
[59:15] the whole process you described
[59:19] it's good and it's and it's going to
have its cracks right
[59:25] but for a cancelled person not to have
that document until July 31st, Friday.
[59:33] » None of us had the document until that
date.
[59:36] » So did no one had did anybody know about
this before July 31st? I
[59:41] » I just explained the process.
>> I I get it. But but you guys want to
[59:46] talk. Don't you talk about hey
these things are
[59:50] » we we cannot talk. It it is it we cannot
talk amongst ourselves with a council
[59:55] unless it is an executive session over
real estate personnel and um legal
[1:00:01] issues. We are not allowed to talk. That
is um that is violating the sunshine
[1:00:05] act.
>> So the earliest notification we got you
[1:00:11] all got about this was on July 31st.
>> The exact lease
[1:00:16] » you knew although
>> the final lease. Yes. the draft and and
[1:00:21] the negotiations have been in the
solicitor's report for a year which all
[1:00:24] of council gets.
>> So is that part of the reports we get
[1:00:29] that we do
>> that you do?
[1:00:32] » Yeah, that's not part of any of the
agenda. So
[1:00:35] » that's basically so the staff's reports
is basically how everything is
[1:00:41] communicated with council so that we are
not in a violation of the sunshine act.
[1:00:46] So, so you were aware that it was in the
process of negotiation.
[1:00:50] » Correct.
>> So, it's not like we don't know that
[1:00:53] this is going on with EQ because correct
>> Brian is running one way and the
[1:00:57] solicitor is running
>> another way. Correct. It was, hey, this
[1:01:01] is what's going on and we know what's
going on.
[1:01:03] » Correct.
>> So, you guys have been communicated.
[1:01:07] » Okay.
>> Um,
[1:01:12] council mayor, anybody else? Um, I have
something to say real quick. Um, well,
[1:01:17] we we do have members here of the EAC
and um, and
[1:01:22] I, you know, I I believe the responsible
course right now, you know, I I support
[1:01:27] tableabling the matter, lying REAC, an
opportunity to review, uh, the
[1:01:31] agreement. Um, you know, provides
perspective to council. And I just also
[1:01:37] want to be clear that, you know, this is
not a reflection of all the work that
[1:01:40] went into the lease that's already been
done. I you know I com I commend our
[1:01:44] burough solicitor, our burough manager,
our finance director, uh the finance
[1:01:49] committee and everyone involved in
reviewing and negotiating this agreement
[1:01:54] and you know got us to this point where
I mean this can be you know cordally
[1:01:58] discussed and um discussed excuse me not
discussed
[1:02:03] um but with the amount of due diligence
that's already taken place um I I
[1:02:09] appreciate that effort you know
everything you know trying to, you know,
[1:02:13] not only protect like, you know, the
burrow from an environmental standpoint,
[1:02:17] but also, you know, the legal and the
financial in, you know, interests. And
[1:02:22] so my request, you know, for the
additional review with the EAC, it's not
[1:02:26] intended to undermine the work or, you
know, not signaling support or oper, you
[1:02:31] know, opposition to the lease. You know,
it's just another layer I just like to
[1:02:35] see get done, you know, for the, you
know, before we make this decision. So I
[1:02:40] that's all I needed to say about that.
>> Okay. Anybody else have any comments? We
[1:02:44] have um two motions to table on.
>> Yes. I would just like to address uh
[1:02:49] Madam Solicitor. Yes. It was in the
report that you were negotiating a lease
[1:02:55] for six months that I have been on
counsel and I've asked you questions
[1:03:00] regarding that. But specifics,
especially the location of where was
[1:03:06] never revealed until last week.
That specific where underneath the park
[1:03:13] and under on Peters Creek Road. That was
never identified.
[1:03:17] » It was never hidden. If you had asked, I
would have happily provided you the
[1:03:21] information. And we do not ever provide.
There were probably 20 drafts of this
[1:03:26] lease that went back and forth because
again we our job was to try to get as
[1:03:30] much money and tried to protect the
burrow from any liability. So if you had
[1:03:34] seen every draft over the past year, it
would have been ridiculous. So if you
[1:03:38] had asked where it was, it certainly
would not have been hidden from you.
[1:03:41] Well, sometimes you
>> I'd also like to remind council that we
[1:03:45] get notifications because of what
happened
[1:03:49] um maybe I don't know how many years
ago, but when the act 14 started coming
[1:03:53] out and councilwoman was very vocal in
the fact that you know all of council at
[1:03:58] that time I was very new and did not
know much of what was going on as far as
[1:04:03] act 14 and oil and gas. Um she was
adamant in the fact that all of council
[1:04:08] members should receive every act 14 that
comes to the burrow since that and that
[1:04:12] was many years ago every council member
has been sent um every act 14 that comes
[1:04:18] through the burrow. Uh I haven't had
time to look back in my notes to see if
[1:04:23] there there were quite a few that came
from the Sarah well pad. So you know
[1:04:27] that's another avenue that council
should be keeping an eye on as well. We
[1:04:32] have rights you know as a burrowing
district uh burrow to where this is
[1:04:37] happening to put in some safeguards for
ourselves as far as traffic and things
[1:04:42] are concerned.
[1:04:46] » Um okay so two motions to table
Councilwoman Rido and Councilwoman Buy.
[1:04:52] All
>> yes.
[1:04:53] » All those in favor say I.
>> I.
[1:04:56] » Any opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[1:05:00] I was wondering if I could motion also
to have a public hearing.
[1:05:06] » I'll second that. Also
[1:05:14] » on the table.
>> Yes.
[1:05:16] » Okay.
[1:05:21] » Um
I personally have no issue with the
[1:05:25] public hearing. I don't.
[1:05:32] We'll leave it up for a vote. Motion by
Councilwoman Buucy for public hearing.
[1:05:38] Second by Councilwoman Rita. All those
in favor say I.
[1:05:42] » I.
>> I. Any opposed?
[1:05:47] » Okay. Motion carries.
[1:05:53] » You have to amend this motion.
[1:05:57] Um, I think what we
>> Go ahead. What does that motion exactly
[1:06:03] say?
>> Why don't you just Well,
[1:06:08] I think we t technically should do a
motion to amend the agenda just to keep
[1:06:12] the record clear. So, why don't you do
someone do a motion to amend the agenda,
[1:06:17] go through the vote for that, and then
do the motion for the public hearing.
[1:06:20] » I'll make a motion to
>> amend the agenda. Yes. The agenda.
[1:06:25] » Motion by Counciloman Rece, second by
Councilwoman Buccy to amend the agenda.
[1:06:28] All those in favor say I. I. Any
opposed?
[1:06:32] » Motion carries.
>> Then
[1:06:35] » make I would like to make a motion to
hold a public hearing.
[1:06:39] » And I'll second that.
>> Okay. Motion by Counciloman Rido to hold
[1:06:44] a public hearing. Second by Councilwoman
Buucy. All those in favor say I. I. Any
[1:06:49] opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[1:06:55] I apologize. I was just trying to get my
bearings. Thank you for your time.
[1:06:58] Everything down. Yes, ma'am. Absolutely.
>> Do we have to put in what what the
[1:07:01] public hearing is for?
[1:07:06] » I mean,
>> just having a public hearing.
[1:07:07] » You are. I mean, it's not a required
under the MPC. So, you just having a
[1:07:11] public hearing.
>> Thank you.
[1:07:12] » Uh, do you want to pick a date just for
the advertisement so Mr. Glistister is
[1:07:17] prepared?
[1:07:25] Um, I guess you could probably get us
some dates, send them to us.
[1:07:29] » Would that work?
>> I think the question is how timely. I
[1:07:34] know. Uh, I'm I'm sorry, I don't know
your last name, Ryan. Uh, but the issue
[1:07:41] came up about the timeline.
So, I don't know if you want to
[1:07:44] coordinate that in reference to a
timeline.
[1:07:49] I'm so sorry.
>> Okay. They asked about the dates of a
[1:07:53] public hearing. All right. So, I I said
that I don't you know, you have a
[1:07:59] timeline already
formatted from what you said. So, do do
[1:08:06] they know what the does anybody know? Do
we have information on when that
[1:08:10] timeline is?
>> Yes, ma'am.
[1:08:12] » We as council people Yes, ma'am.
[1:08:17] » Okay.
I don't I don't have it.
[1:08:21] » We had a a phone call with uh
>> Ryan and Andrew today at 1:00.
[1:08:29] » Okay.
>> To prep for tonight
[1:08:32] » in order for us to ask questions for
this evening as well and to get more
[1:08:38] specifics
on this so that we are able to
[1:08:42] disseminate it to the public.
>> Um so did you give the dates? Yeah, he
[1:08:47] said like you had three dates. I don't
remember exactly what they were.
[1:08:51] » 24th, I think, was one of
>> you had so many dates. That's why I'm
[1:08:55] I'm just trying to figure out. And you
had horizontal and then you had fracking
[1:09:00] the you had those dates. Would you like
to repeat those so that they How about I
[1:09:05] follow up in writing them'll
get everything out?
[1:09:14] » Yes. In writing would be much better.
Yes. And that can go directly to Mr.
[1:09:18] Haverstock and Mr. Gallister. That way
they can pass it out to council as they
[1:09:23] typically do. When they pass out things
of that nature, they do put in
[1:09:27] highlight, please do not respond to all
because we are not allowed to respond.
[1:09:32] So that's how we communicate.
>> Okay. Thank you. I think we should also
[1:09:36] provide some time for the EAC to meet
and discuss this since the a lot of the
[1:09:42] people on that's completely up to the
EAC and there have been a few meetings
[1:09:46] canled.
>> Well, they they're not cancelled. We're
[1:09:48] actually we were actually adjourned for
the summer. Our next meeting is uh
[1:09:52] Thursday, September 17th, but depending
on what the uh time frame is. Um Rick,
[1:09:59] I'm sure you could probably answer this
better than I could. Um, we can I mean
[1:10:02] we we can always convene like an
emergency session and review everything
[1:10:06] then.
[1:10:09] » Okay. And
>> I I'd like to ask Ryan a question. When
[1:10:13] we get those dates, are we permitted to
have those dates like put on the
[1:10:18] website? Is that or is that considered
confidential or
[1:10:23] » No. So I mean the hard part with that is
they are fluid.
[1:10:30] business practices may not necessarily
give specifics as to our exact start
[1:10:36] date because there's always going to be
flows whether you have operational
[1:10:40] efficiencies you run into delays trying
to move your rig if you have maintenance
[1:10:44] there's a lot of variance that goes into
right we can get ballparks
[1:10:49] » right
>> but yes I mean
[1:10:50] » okay so because you said like I I just
remember fracking you said was going to
[1:10:55] be in 2027 like okay you know I the one
all right you can have a general
[1:11:01] ballpark. Um, that way that's also
information because I'm assuming not
[1:11:07] just the fact of the burrow property. I
don't know if individual residents that
[1:11:12] received letters were also given that
information.
[1:11:16] » So I I'm thinking they should know too,
>> you know.
[1:11:22] » Yeah. That's fine. So the folks who have
executed leases with us, they they will
[1:11:28] have general is those who had received
letters that had not chose and elected
[1:11:33] not to move forward. They were also
given a date as to what our cut off
[1:11:37] point was going to be. So, we've already
passed that cut off date. Um, so we're
[1:11:42] we we are sensitive to to time on things
just from an operational perspective.
[1:11:47] However, this is a unique scenario. So,
we we can work with you all on on dates
[1:11:53] here.
>> Thank you.
[1:11:55] » One last thing, too. I did contact the D
in California and the gentleman tomorrow
[1:12:00] will be getting back to me with specific
websites where you can pinpoint where
[1:12:06] coal seams are undermining has happened.
So we'll have I'll share that with
[1:12:11] everybody as soon as we get that.
>> Are they only there on Tuesdays? I
[1:12:14] remember Lisa saying you have to go on
Tuesday.
[1:12:18] » Yeah, but there
>> they have updated things now. I guess
[1:12:22] you can do things electronically now.
You can put in specific coordinates,
[1:12:26] addresses, and it will tell you
everything. The mind the the mind maps
[1:12:30] are a little bit harder to read online,
but you can still get a general idea of
[1:12:35] where those lie.
>> Okay. Thank you for doing that.
[1:12:39] » Okay.
>> One more thing we forgot to talk about.
[1:12:43] Also, one of the requests from the
residents was uh that the burrow contact
[1:12:46] John Smith, the attorney, and we did
reach out to him end of last week and uh
[1:12:50] he did get back to us today. So, we're
going to continue some discussions
[1:12:53] there. Yes.
[1:12:57] Okay. Thank you all very much. Um, all
right. We're going to move to number 22.
[1:13:04] Motion to approve quote number 043020226
[1:13:08] from Graham River Productions in um in
the amount of $11,300
[1:13:14] for the purchase and installation of a
projector system in council chambers.
[1:13:18] » A motion.
>> Motion by Councilwoman Merz. Um second
[1:13:22] by councilwoman Buucy. All those in
favor say I. I.
[1:13:25] » I. Any opposed?
>> I'd just like to make the comment that
[1:13:28] this uh Graham River Productions, they
have serviced us very well throughout
[1:13:33] the years and uh the fact that he
researched what would be the best fit
[1:13:39] and economically and financially a good
fit for us. I I certainly appreciate
[1:13:44] those efforts.
[1:13:49] » Okay. Number 23. Motion to authorize the
termination of a lease agreement between
[1:13:53] the Bureau of Jefferson Hills and
McNeely Realy Associates regarding field
[1:13:57] use at 1900 State Route 51 pursuant to
terms of the lease.
[1:14:03] » Oh, motion
>> motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
[1:14:07] Councilman Bence. All those in favor say
I.
[1:14:10] » I. I.
>> Any opposed?
[1:14:19] Number 24. Motion authorized the
termination of the agreement between the
[1:14:23] Burrow of Jefferson Hills and Cintas
pursuant to the terms of the agreement.
[1:14:27] » Motion.
>> Can I just clarify before you vote? This
[1:14:30] is just for public works uniforms, not
for the um medicine boxes.
[1:14:34] » Okay.
>> Motion by Councilman Lynch.
[1:14:38] » Second.
>> Second by Council Councilman Bence. All
[1:14:41] those in favor say I.
>> I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Number
[1:14:46] 25. Motion to adopt resolution 25-2026
approving the sale of the 2017 Ford
[1:14:52] Interceptor VIN number 1 FM5K8
AR5HGC90343
[1:15:00] for $2,800 to the best responsible
bidder through the Peropoulos Auto Sales
[1:15:05] Auction.
>> A motion
[1:15:06] » motion by Councilwoman Rita.
>> Second.
[1:15:08] » Second by Councilman Lynch. All those in
favor say I.
[1:15:10] » I.
>> Any opposed?
[1:15:13] » Motion carries. Number 26. Motion to
adopt resolution 26-2026
[1:15:19] authorizing application to to gaming
economic development tourism fund GEDtf
[1:15:24] grant application in the amount of
$171,000
[1:15:28] on behalf of Southeast Regional EMS for
triband radios.
[1:15:32] » Motion
>> motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
[1:15:34] Councilwoman Marce. All those in favor
say I. I. Any opposed?
[1:15:38] » Motion carries.
>> Number 27. Motion to adopt resolution
[1:15:43] 27-2026
authorizing application to gaming
[1:15:47] economic development tourism fund GEDtf
grant application in the amount of
[1:15:51] $317,047.50
[1:15:55] for the Andrew Riley Memorial Park
restroom and concession stand project.
[1:15:58] » Motion
>> motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
[1:16:01] Councilman or I'm sorry, Councilwoman
Maris. All those in favor say I. I.
[1:16:06] » Any opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[1:16:10] » Number 28. Motion to accept $50,000 in
CD52 funding for the Beetle Park ADA
[1:16:15] accessibility improvements phase 1
project.
[1:16:18] » Motion.
>> Motion by Councilman Ben.
[1:16:20] » Second.
>> Second by Councilman Lynch. All those in
[1:16:22] favor say I.
>> I. I.
[1:16:24] » Any opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[1:16:28] » Number 29. Motion to authorize
advertising for bids for the Gil Hall
[1:16:32] Community Center or Center GBU addition
renovation project.
[1:16:36] » Motion.
>> Motion by Councilman Benz.
[1:16:38] » Second.
>> Second. Second by Councilwoman Buucy.
[1:16:40] All those in favor say I. I.
>> I.
[1:16:42] » Any opposed?
>> Motion carries. Number 30. Motion to
[1:16:47] approve application for payment number
one and final by Alageney Fence
[1:16:50] Construction in the amount of $54,65.60
for the Deck Hockey Rink Fence project
[1:16:56] subject to receipt and approval of the
maintenance bond.
[1:16:59] » Motion.
>> Motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
[1:17:01] Councilwoman. All those in favor say I.
>> Any opposed?
[1:17:06] » Motion carries. Number 31. Motion to
approve work authorization dated July
[1:17:10] 23rd, 2026 from Gateway Engineers
Incorporated for civil engineering
[1:17:15] services for the Gilhal Community Center
GBU addition renovation project in the
[1:17:20] amount not to exceed $16,000.
>> A motion.
[1:17:22] » Motion by Council Councilman Lynch,
second by Councilman Bence. All those in
[1:17:26] favor say I. I. Any opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[1:17:33] Number 32. Motion to approve work
authorization data July 23rd,
[1:17:37] 2026 from Gateway Engineers Incorporated
for the phase 1 geo plan transition in
[1:17:43] the amount not to exceed $65,000.
>> A motion.
[1:17:47] » Motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
Councilman Bence. All those in favor say
[1:17:51] I.
>> I. I.
[1:17:52] » Any opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[1:17:56] Number 33. Motion to approve work
authorization dated August 6th, 2026
[1:18:00] from Gateway Engineers Incorporated for
act 152, House Demolitions in the amount
[1:18:05] not to exceed $5,000.
>> All motion.
[1:18:08] » Motion by Counciloman Bucci, second by
Councilman Bence. All those in favor say
[1:18:12] I. I. Any opposed?
>> Motion carries.
[1:18:16] » And this was not on the agenda last
week. This was an ad. Uh we were waiting
[1:18:20] on some stuff through the county that
finally came through. Uh this was for
[1:18:24] our 2024 act 152 uh grant uh dem grant
application. It was we were awarded
[1:18:32] $62,000 for demolition of um three
properties. Uh this is for a property on
[1:18:38] Collins Avenue, a co a property on State
Street, and a property on Cochran Mill
[1:18:45] Road. the one on Cochran Mill Road we
may ultimately not be able to do just
[1:18:48] because uh for legal clearance purposes
we weren't able to uh get the clearances
[1:18:53] we we need. So we're talking with the
county about the potential to modify the
[1:18:58] scope, but they're pretty tough on that
one. So we may have to uh may not be
[1:19:02] able to get that one done. But anyways,
we got the uh the information or we got
[1:19:06] the uh the go-ahhead to start moving
with this. So we want to get these
[1:19:09] houses taken down as well.
>> Is that the one right next to Precision
[1:19:13] Auto Body?
It comes up like right out at Steely
[1:19:16] Tunnel.
>> 613. It's 613 Cocker Mill Road.
[1:19:20] » Is that where
>> I believe it is?
[1:19:22] » It probably is
>> for Rod Campus.
[1:19:26] » Oh, no. Then it is not. It's on the
other. It's you would come out of the
[1:19:31] tunnel and you turn left. It's on the
left going down.
[1:19:35] » Okay. Thank you.
[1:19:40] » Um number 34. A motion to refer zoning
ordinance amendment regulating data
[1:19:45] centers and data center accessory uses
to the planning commission and the
[1:19:49] Alageney County Planning Department and
to advertise for public hearing and for
[1:19:53] potential adoption.
>> Second jeez motion by Councilman Lynch,
[1:19:58] second by Councilwoman Rido. I know
we're all excited about getting this one
[1:20:02] completed. All those in favor say I.
>> Any opposed?
[1:20:06] » I don't want that here. [laughter]
>> Motion carries.
[1:20:10] Um, thank you to everybody who worked
diligently to get that on the agenda and
[1:20:15] we are glad that we can move that up and
get that rolling too.
[1:20:19] » Should we tell people no data centers
have approached any of us?
[1:20:23] » Yes,
>> just so everyone knows.
[1:20:24] » Correct.
>> No one's we're not having a data center.
[1:20:27] [laughter]
>> We can have other things, just not the
[1:20:29] data center.
>> Um, number 35, Burough resident taxpayer
[1:20:33] comments on non-aggenda items. We do not
have any. Uh, so this evening, general
[1:20:37] business, we'll start with um,
Councilman Lynch.
[1:20:42] » I actually have nothing further. Thank
you very much.
[1:20:44] » Okay, Councilman Rido,
>> I just wanted to thank Ryan for taking
[1:20:48] time out of his evening away from his
baby. I know that [clears throat] that's
[1:20:52] difficult. And also, thanks to all the
first responders today. And, you know,
[1:20:58] anybody that had damages today, I wish
you the best. And I hope I'm hopeful
[1:21:03] that you can recover quickly. That's all
I have.
[1:21:07] » Thank you, Councilwoman Marz.
>> I have nothing more to add. Thank you,
[1:21:11] » Counciloman Benz.
>> Bad news. School starts Tuesday the
[1:21:15] 25th. So, get these kids off our street
soon and back to learning. That's all I
[1:21:20] got.
>> Thank you, Councilwoman Bec.
[1:21:23] » Yes. I only have uh one thing. I want to
thank uh the motion 29 about the Gilh
[1:21:30] Hall Community Center. You know, uh
years ago uh when I was first on
[1:21:35] council, I remember the very first month
we put in $45,000 to fix the GBU paint
[1:21:41] and redo things. You know, with this
improvement,
[1:21:46] uh it can also, you know, as they have
stated, serve as another community
[1:21:51] center. All right, that and if you ever
went to the library and tried to book
[1:21:56] the community center room over there,
it's frequently used. All right, so I I
[1:22:03] really am looking forward to having that
Gil Hall be a focal point. I used to say
[1:22:08] at meetings, 3,000 cars drive up and
down here and and this they're going to
[1:22:14] see what their tax dollars are being
used for. Whereas Beetle Park, Andrew
[1:22:19] Riley Park, T Park, you still have to
drive in. That is in plain view of
[1:22:25] everybody. And I'm sure the feedback
from them fixing up the playground. And
[1:22:31] uh they we did get $120,000 for
playground equipment years back that
[1:22:36] they also allocated for that. It it will
be a very good improvement for our
[1:22:42] community. And I'd like to thank
everybody who made that possible and
[1:22:45] move forward in that direction.
>> That's all.
[1:22:48] » Thank you.
>> And be safe out there for the next four
[1:22:51] days. It's supposed to still rain.
>> Yeah, I appreciate those comments as
[1:22:56] well. I think that it definitely was a
group effort and I'm I'm very thankful
[1:23:00] that uh like I said last meeting that
this council sees the need for our
[1:23:04] recreation and our updates and
improvements for our our parks and our
[1:23:07] community in a in a general speaking
manner. So, um, anything else? No. With
[1:23:13] that, I will ask for, um, a motion to
adjurnn.
[1:23:16] » Motion. Second.
>> Motion by Councilman Lynch, second by
[1:23:18] Counciloman Bence. Meeting adjourned at
8:21 p.m.