Borough of Somerset Municipal Authority Meeting
September 22nd, 2025 – 6:30 p.m. (In-Person) Borough Council Room

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1. Meeting Called to Order – Ben Flower at 6:30 p.m.

2. Roll Call – Moment of Silence in honor of Ms. Ruby Miller
    a. Authority Board Members present: Ben Flower, Lee Hoffman and Jeff Shaffer.

    b. Also present: Municipal Authority Manager, Jessica Sizemore; Solicitor, Bill Barbin; Director of Finance, Brett Peters; and Consulting Engineers, Jake Bolby and Tom Reilly.

    c. Public Attendance:
        Alec Bittner and Steve Peck.

3. Approval of Agenda
    A. Approval of Agenda – Review and approval of the Agenda for September 22nd, 2025 Meeting.
a. Motion to approve agenda as presented.
Mr. Shaffer moved, Mr. Hoffman seconded.
Motion Unanimously Carried

B. Executive Session: Potential Litigation.
        a. Motion to go into Executive Session.
Mr. Flower moved, Mr. Shaffer seconded.
Motion Unanimously Carried
6:31 p.m.
      Back in Session
      6:33 p.m.

4. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting(s)
A. Approval of Meeting Minutes – Meeting Minutes from the August 25th, 2025 Municipal Authority of the Borough of Somerset Board Meeting.
a. Motion to approve the Meeting Minutes from August 25th, 2025 Municipal Authority of the Borough of Somerset Board Meeting.
Mr. Flower moved, Mr. Shaffer seconded.
Motion Unanimously Carried

5. Opening of Bids
A. None
6. General Public Comments
A. None

7. Payment of Bills/Requisitions
A. None

8. Policy Agenda
A.Old Business
         a. None
            
B. New Business
        a. Contract 2021-W-02 Pay Application No. 13
            i.Acknowledgement of Pay Application No. 13, in the amount of $46,872.81 to Ligonier Construction.

        b. Contract 2021-W-02 Pay Application No. 14
             i. Acknowledgement of Pay Application No. 14, in the amount of $275,622.55 to Ligonier Construction.

        c. Contract 2021-W-03 Pay Application No. 10
i.Acknowledgement of Pay Application No. 10, in the amount of $41,912.37 to Darr Construction, Inc.

        d. Resolution 2025-15
i. Motion to approve Resolution 2025–15.  This Resolution authorizes the opening of a checking account with Somerset Trust to serve as the designated account for PENNVEST funds related to the Sewer Improvements Project.

Mr. Flower moved, Mr. Shaffer seconded. 

Motion Unanimously Carried

 

9. Reports
a. Manager’s Report – Update on Operations.
i. PMAA Conference –
Mrs. Sizemore attended this PMAA Conference.  Great information, valuable contacts and great ideas to help improve efficiency was gained by her attending.

       ii. DEP Cybersecurity training –
Mrs. Sizemore and the Borough’s Water & Wastewater Supervisors received this very informative training together at the Conference.  DEP will be requiring
cybersecurity for the permit as part of their permit inspection.  This will be included in  the budget for next year.

      iii. Budget discussions – This will be November 3rd with Borough Council.

      iv. PENNVEST Closing -  scheduled for Tuesday September 23rd, and Wednesday September 24th is the pre-construction meeting with Snyder Environmental.

    b. Engineer’s Report – Update on the Status of Projects for Water, Sewer and Stormwater.
Mr. Bolby presented the Updates to the Engineer’s Report

WATER:
1) Water System Capital Improvement Projects:
Certain issues with the Water Project need to be taken care of before this project is closed-out with PENNVEST and all the other permits. 
A few items still haven’t received substantial completion with the Ligonier Construction and Darr Construction Contracts.

SEWER:
1) Assessment, Repair, and Abatement Plan (Hydraulic Overload):
The settlement for Brierwood and West is tomorrow. A pre-construction meeting with the contractor will be held the day after.  The meeting will disclose the
outlook of the construction, making sure all the contract documents are in place along with an expectation for the construction season.  An update regarding this information will be provided for October’s meeting.

The PENNVEST Funding Application for Phase 1B, the Central Business District area, will be filed on October 15th.  Construction for this Phase should start mid-   
summer to late-summer of 2026 if all goes well.  Phase 1C & Phase 1D will follow with permitting and design for both Phases.  Phase 2 will include the Wastewater
Treatment Plant.       

        GENERAL:
1) Center Ave. Revitalization Project:
Clean-up will take place in 2026 on Center Avenue and its sidewalks.  Borough Management decided to postpone the work there to allow one year without
construction.  The Contractors agreed to this in writing.

c. Facility Reports for August 2025 – Provided on the portal for informational purposes.

    d. August 2025 Financial Report & Monthly Transactions – Provided on the portal for informational purposes.

10. Adjournment

A. Adjournment             
a. Motion to adjourn.
            Mr. Shaffer moved to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Hoffman.                     

                                                                           Motion Unanimously Carried
6: 41 p.m.

B. Next Meeting:
a. October 27th, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.  

 

  _________________________________________
Jessica Sizemore, Municipal Authority Manager