Deputy Mayor William “Buzz” Hammond presided over Monday’s Corry City Council meeting in the absence of Mayor Mike Baker, addressing several municipal matters including a repository sale request, staffing challenges in city departments and proposed improvements to the gazebo in City Park.
Council discussed a repository sale request for property on Shea Street, a dead-end road off West Washington Street. Property owner Jaylene Baran explained her interest in purchasing the additional city-owned land adjacent to her property.
“We don’t have a whole lot of space on our own property for our yard, and we want a place where we can maybe have a little bit of storage,” Baran told Council. “We can put a shed and store some firewood in the area. We want to clean up the brush and the dead wood and just keep it nice.”
Hammond advised Baran to consult with the city’s zoning officer — once one is selected — before proceeding with any structures to ensure compliance with local regulations. Council will vote on this proposal at their next meeting on Monday, Aug.18.
In other personnel matters, the city has received four letters of interest for the council seat vacated by John Maloney in July. The candidates, listed in order of application, are Lucas Jones, Andrew Sproveri, Linda Pezzino and Charlie Campbell. Council plans to hold an executive session before the next meeting to discuss both the Council vacancy and the open zoning officer position, which became available following Phil Conklin’s resignation earlier this year.
Police Chief Jordon Kitchen reported on staffing changes within his department, noting that Lt. Richard Bayhurst’s recent promotion created a vacancy at the corporal level. Kitchen indicated that testing for the position is currently underway, with results expected before next week’s voting meeting.
Fire Chief Ryan Card presented other staffing concerns, highlighting the department’s vulnerability due to potential departures and limited recruitment options.
“The city of Erie has a huge turnover coming up. They’ll be hiring 20 to 30 guys. I know for a fact that two of my guys are within that range,” Card explained to Council. “So, it’s kind of a vulnerable spot — they could leave, they might not. I just want to be prepared and have a list [of candidates]. We don’t have anybody. If someone gets injured tonight, we don’t have a replacement, and that’s scary.”
Card emphasized the need to advertise positions and establish a hiring process through civil service testing, noting that while some part-time firefighters have expressed interest in full-time positions, some currently lack the necessary qualifications to test for advancement.
The fire department is also managing facility improvements, with the apron at Station 10 currently being reconstructed and floor work at Station 2 scheduled to begin once the first project concludes.
Public Works Manager Mark Leofsky provided updates on the city’s ongoing maintenance and improvement projects. He praised the recent completion of fog seal work on tar and chip roads, noting positive community response and smooth traffic management during the project.
“I’m ecstatic about the results that we have, and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on it,” Leofsky reported.
The department continues routine pothole repairs, line painting and street sweeping while preparing for fall hydrant flushing and brush pickup operations.
Councilwoman Kristen Lindstrom recognized the success of National Night Out, specifically praising police clerk Gretchen Douglas for her organizational efforts. Lindstrom also introduced a proposal from the Corry Area Arts Council regarding improvements to the City Park gazebo.
Mike Largarticha of the Corry Area Arts Council presented a request to install new lighting in the park gazebo, explaining how the improvement would benefit the “Thursday in the Park” concert series.
“We had a grant for about $5,000 for infrastructure improvements,” Largarticha explained. “There is a 50,000 lumens light. It doesn’t affect the amplifiers or the sound reinforcements that we have, and it’s completely paid for.”
The proposed lighting system includes automatic sensors and dimmer controls, addressing previous problems with an earlier light installation that attracted insects.
Largarticha also outlined future plans for speaker protection, noting that bugs have damaged expensive equipment during outdoor events. The Arts Council hopes to secure additional grant funding for elevated speaker platforms that would prevent insect intrusion.
Hammond acknowledged receiving a list of questions from Corry resident Charles Brink, promising written responses within the coming days. Councilman Jeff Fike noted that many of Brink’s questions had been previously addressed in work sessions and voting meetings, with records available in official meeting minutes.
The meeting continued with comment from the public. See a future edition of The Journal for details.
Council will hold the next voting meeting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 18, at the Corry Community Center, 15 S. First Ave. The public is welcome to attend.
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