At Monday’s Corry City Council meeting, Council adopted two resolutions and three ordinances.
Resolution 25-03, the WalkWorks grant application resolution, was discussed in depth, as reported in the March 19 edition of The Corry Journal.
Resolution 25-04 authorizes the sale of city personal property valued at more than $2,000 by sealed bid or auction, including several vehicles and golf carts.
Council unanimously passed ordinances 1662 and 1663, bringing police and non-uniformed employee pensions into compliance with Pennsylvania third class city code. Ordinance 1664 was adopted on second reading, vacating a portion of Second Avenue from West Main Street, extending 200.12 feet to the property owned by the Housing Authority of Erie County.
During public comments at the beginning of the meeting, resident Sheri Taylor inquired about who would cover costs associated with the property changes in the vacating ordinance. Councilman William “Buzz” Hammond explained that Corry Manufacturing Co. (CMC) had paid more than its fair share for the project, covering costs that included work by city administration employees and city streets crew.
“Corry Manufacturing Co. not only paid its fair share, it actually paid more than its fair share of this project,” Hammond said. “There was a lot of time and effort put in by the employees at the administration building and the city crew working on the street, preparing things. We came up with a figure, and they (CMC) agreed to it and gave us money. So, they did participate in this project.”
In new business, Council approved the Second Avenue easement agreement, providing reciprocal use and access between the city, CMC and the Housing Authority of Erie County for the vacated portion of South Second Avenue.
Marcus Irwin was approved as a full-time police officer starting March 17, following the accepted resignation of Ryan Bell from the department.
Councilman John Maloney reminded residents that April is PA OneCall’s “Safe Digging Month,” encouraging all excavators and homeowners to call 811 at least three days before digging to prevent injuries, property damage and utility outages.
Hammond proposed, and Council approved, transferring funds from restricted accounts:
• $150,000 to the water department.
• $350,000 to the sewer department.
• $50,000 to North Hills Municipal Golf Course.
• $60,000 to the general account.
Hammond also discussed moving funds from maturing certificates of deposit to shorter-term CDs to ensure money would be available for the final payment on a fire truck ordered in 2023 and upcoming street projects. The first CD of $250,000 designated for the fire truck has accumulated an additional $20,671.37 in interest, while a second $500,000 CD has earned $35,264.50 and may be needed for 2025 street projects.
Maloney provided a fire department update, noting tower truck repairs should be completed within weeks, along with progress on the generator, station two wiring and Baby Box installation at the East South Street station.
Public Works Manager Mark Leofsky shared a list of streets scheduled for micro milling and tar and chipping, with bids expected by the April Council meeting. He also mentioned upcoming repairs to the traffic light at East Bond and North Center streets to restore its camera-based operation.
Councilwoman Kristen Lindstrom presented four event requests, all approved by Council:
- • Downtown Corry First Fridays
- • Thursdays in the Park
- • Running to Win 5K on June 14
- • Corry-Lawrence Airport Fly-In on June 21
During final public comments, Taylor noted it was Sunshine Week, dedicated to promoting government transparency, and criticized the previous work session as unproductive. William Slagle requested signs be posted during tar and chipping operations for motorcycle safety. Kim Hawkes commented on grant writing related to the WalkWorks resolution, while Lloyd Whitman raised concerns about a missing guardrail on Route 6 and the location of the CorryFest car show. Hammond suggested Whitman contact the Chamber of Commerce manager to discuss relocating the 2025 car show.
Council then adjourned for executive session. The next work session is Monday, April 14, with the next regular meeting on Monday, April 21. Both begin at 7 p.m. at the Corry Community Center, 15 S. First Ave., and are open to the public.
