Special Joint Meeting of the Sugar Grove Township and the Sugar Grove Borough - May 12^th 2009

Council Members Present:

Mayor “Dutch” Strand, President, Kevin McIntyre, Kevin Nicklas, Kathy Buerkle, Dave Slater, Jerry Bloomgren, Ryan Hoffman

Council Members Absent: Neal Hoisington

Township Members Present: George Sanders, Carl Black

Township Members Absent: Randy Brown

Citizens Present: Jenny Nicklas, Dustin Hanes, Stephanie Hamn, Douglas Hanes, Gene Falconer, Amanda Braley, Denise Braley, Tom Braley, Larry Oaks

Call to Order: President McIntyre at 8:05 p.m.

General Discussion Pertaining to Sugar Grove Volunteer Fire Department and Current Issues:

Below are the various issues discussed:

The meeting was opened by Kevin McIntyre who stated that the meeting was being held to help the SGVFD (Sugar Grove Volunteer Fire Department).

· The SGVFD requested that the workman’s comp policy be checked to see if it can cover non-member volunteers.

· It was noted that a person from the Ellery VFD would be willing to work with the SGVFD to get grants. Their main role at the Ellery VFD is just grant writing. The goal would be to make sure that the SGVFD is compliant for grants going forward.

· Getting information for grants is the problem. VFD’s can not run without grant money. A fire tax would not be enough to run the VFD.

· The SGVFD needs to get the information organized, record keeping, call information, etc.

· SGVFD needs to update the fire department record in a timelier manner. Should be done on a monthly basis versus semi-annually.

· Do you just need to be compliant as of the date of the grant application?

· It was noted that the narrative from calls are missing.

· It was noted that the information is put on paper for each incident and then entered later.

· Are some of the issues due to a lack of education or information sharing?

· FEMA needs 3 years of log book information. Each truck should have a log book where pre-trip and post-trip information is recorded. Are there log books? Yes, they are updated monthly. It was suggested that Greg English of Starbrick was a good resource as to what the log books need to track. It was suggested that FEMA should be consulted on what rules need to be followed for the log books.

· Is there an agency that sets standards & regulations for VFD’s.

· It was noted that currently there is an average of 3 jobs per volunteer.

· It was noted that a CDL license is needed to legally drive a VFD truck or someone with a CDL license needs to be in the truck. The fire chief can give a card to a driver who does not have a CDL.

· It was noted that the SGVFD needs to know what information is required for the grant process and that that information start to be tracked correctly. It was also noted that a grant audit is unannounced.

· Did the rules on vehicle inspection change? If the vehicles do not hold a current inspection they will cause the maintenance part of the grant to fail. It was noted that all SGVFD trucks should be inspected within the next couple of weeks.

· The SGVFD needs volunteers for fundraising. They had to outsource the Chicken BBQ to be held at the Cruise-In due to a lack of help.

· Sugar Grove Borough council member, Dave Slater, has offered to pay for new member background checks and is organizing a membership fund drive to be promoted at the Cruise-In.

· It was stated that the Department of Agriculture received a complaint there being asbestos in the building. It was thought that all the asbestos was removed in 1975. The building was inspected internally and no asbestos was found. The SGVFD is waiting for the DEP to inspect the building and they can still hold functions.

· It was stated that there was a complaint about homemade foods brought into the SGVFD building and now they can no longer have bake sales.

· Is the budget information needed for the grants (ex. How many gallons of gas used?) kept on QuickBooks? It was noted that both the Sugar Grove Borough and the Sugar Grove Township would like to get involved and help with the budget process.

· What role does the council(s) want to play in helping the SGVFD.

· The SGVFD trustees are responsible for the SGVFD money. In the past, the SGVFD members did not how much money there is, only the trustees know. There are CD’s and some of them have been cashed to fix vehicles and the bathrooms. It was asked if anyone has ever asked the trustees to share with the membership how much money the SGVFD has.

· It was suggested that 2 trustees be added to the current SGVFD board, one from the Sugar Grove Borough and one from the Sugar Grove Township. This will allow them to be better informed to help with grants. It was suggested that maybe the trustees could invite township supervisors / boro council members to attend their meetings for a period of 3 months. This would give the SGVFD ample time to change their by-laws to allow for 2 additional trustees.

· It was noted that the Ambulance and Relief funds are kept separate. One person takes care of it all and reports on the budget.

· It was noted that BINGO is up to about $800 but that it had dropped way down due to the smoking band. They now offer more breaks for the smokers which has helped. NY can now smoke in their BINGO halls. It was stated that Kathy Rapp says that PA law makers won’t even consider the same law for PA.

· It was noted that it is very hard to keep up with all the law changes.

· SGVFD members asked council members what can they do to help the VFD. Some suggestions were: Trustees should meet more often, set on the budget committee, and also help with manpower issues. It was also suggested that a flyer/brochure be made to promote the SGVFD and let potential volunteers know about the different options for volunteering and the benefits for volunteer members.

· It was noted that to be a social member of the SGVFD all you need to do is participate in 4 fundraisers per year. The role of an auxiliary member is a good one to promote. It is easy to join as an auxiliary member, no waiting period, just need to pay a low joining fee.

· Council asked for a copy of the SGVFD By-Laws.

· The SGVFD should report to the boro and township councils so that they will have the knowledge to help the SGVFD. This would help communications between all the parties involved.

· It was noted that neither the Sugar Grove Borough or the Sugar Grove Township want to take over the SGVFD. They just want to help. Is there something that the Borough or Township secretaries can do to help the SGVFD with how it does the budget. It was also suggested that a work group could be formed to help the SGVFD where they need help.

· It was suggested that the different roles at the SGVFD be documented to help when new people take them over. It would be helpful if current SGVFD members could write down what they do for each position they hold.

· It was suggested that an open meeting between the SGVFD trustees and the Township Supervisors and Borough council members be set up as soon as possible.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:23 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Karla F. LoPresti, Secretary