Altoona Council unanimously approves $1M housing grant application, hazmat agreement, ballfield lease and adopts 2021 fire code updates
October 14, 2025 | Altoona City, Blair County, Pennsylvania
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The Altoona City Council on Oct. 14 voted unanimously, 7-0, to approve a consent package and to adopt portions of the 2021 edition of the International Fire Code that amend chapter 358 of the Altoona City Code (Fire Prevention).
Consent items approved by roll call included:
- Approval of the minutes of the Altoona City Council meeting held Sept. 8, 2025.
- Authorization to submit an application to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Community Revitalization Fund Program in the amount of $1,000,000 for a project on Redevelopment Authority-owned property described in the meeting as being along the "102 hundred blocks of Sixth Avenue" in the city; the council further authorized the city manager to execute all documents related to the application and the city clerk to attest to them.
- Authorization to renew a hazardous-materials (hazmat) agreement between the city and the county and the Blair County Local Emergency Planning and Management Committee (LEPMC), effective Jan. 2026 through Dec. 31, 2027; the council authorized the city manager to execute related documents and the city clerk to attest.
- Authorization to renew a lease agreement between the city and the George B. Kelley Amateur Baseball Federation for the Tom Stout Field at Giese Park; the city manager was authorized to execute related documents and the city clerk to attest.
Following the consent vote, the council considered an ordinance, introduced by Vice Mayor Ellis, "which adopts certain portions of the 2021 edition of the International Fire Code and thereby amends chapter 358 of the Altoona City Code Fire Prevention." Vice Mayor Ellis moved for adoption; Mayor Pacifico seconded. The motion passed on roll call 7-0.
Vote tally (as recorded on the roll call): Councilman Beatty: Yes; Councilman Butterbaugh: Yes; Councilwoman Klenich: Yes; Vice Mayor Ellis: Yes; Councilman Ickis: Yes; Councilman Kelly: Yes; Mayor Pacifico: Yes. The meeting record shows the consent vote and the ordinance adoption each passed unanimously, 7-0.
Why it matters: The housing grant application could provide up to $1 million for redevelopment activities on Redevelopment Authority property in a Sixth Avenue block identified in the application summary. The hazmat agreement renewal maintains intergovernmental coordination on hazardous-materials incidents through 2027. The baseball-field lease keeps a community recreational asset under the George B. Kelley Amateur Baseball Federation’s management, and the fire-code adoption updates city fire-prevention standards to incorporate parts of the 2021 International Fire Code.
What the record does not specify: The consent-item summary provided at the meeting listed the project location as the "102 hundred blocks of Sixth Avenue" as read aloud by the clerk; the record did not provide a full project description, budget breakdown beyond the $1,000,000 application amount, nor did it include the full text of the hazmat agreement or the lease within the public meeting transcript.
Consent items approved by roll call included:
- Approval of the minutes of the Altoona City Council meeting held Sept. 8, 2025.
- Authorization to submit an application to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Community Revitalization Fund Program in the amount of $1,000,000 for a project on Redevelopment Authority-owned property described in the meeting as being along the "102 hundred blocks of Sixth Avenue" in the city; the council further authorized the city manager to execute all documents related to the application and the city clerk to attest to them.
- Authorization to renew a hazardous-materials (hazmat) agreement between the city and the county and the Blair County Local Emergency Planning and Management Committee (LEPMC), effective Jan. 2026 through Dec. 31, 2027; the council authorized the city manager to execute related documents and the city clerk to attest.
- Authorization to renew a lease agreement between the city and the George B. Kelley Amateur Baseball Federation for the Tom Stout Field at Giese Park; the city manager was authorized to execute related documents and the city clerk to attest.
Following the consent vote, the council considered an ordinance, introduced by Vice Mayor Ellis, "which adopts certain portions of the 2021 edition of the International Fire Code and thereby amends chapter 358 of the Altoona City Code Fire Prevention." Vice Mayor Ellis moved for adoption; Mayor Pacifico seconded. The motion passed on roll call 7-0.
Vote tally (as recorded on the roll call): Councilman Beatty: Yes; Councilman Butterbaugh: Yes; Councilwoman Klenich: Yes; Vice Mayor Ellis: Yes; Councilman Ickis: Yes; Councilman Kelly: Yes; Mayor Pacifico: Yes. The meeting record shows the consent vote and the ordinance adoption each passed unanimously, 7-0.
Why it matters: The housing grant application could provide up to $1 million for redevelopment activities on Redevelopment Authority property in a Sixth Avenue block identified in the application summary. The hazmat agreement renewal maintains intergovernmental coordination on hazardous-materials incidents through 2027. The baseball-field lease keeps a community recreational asset under the George B. Kelley Amateur Baseball Federation’s management, and the fire-code adoption updates city fire-prevention standards to incorporate parts of the 2021 International Fire Code.
What the record does not specify: The consent-item summary provided at the meeting listed the project location as the "102 hundred blocks of Sixth Avenue" as read aloud by the clerk; the record did not provide a full project description, budget breakdown beyond the $1,000,000 application amount, nor did it include the full text of the hazmat agreement or the lease within the public meeting transcript.
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