Hanover Borough Council approves grant reduction, easements, contracts and appointments

Hanover Borough Council on a regular meeting night approved a string of administrative and project measures, including a reduction to a federal block grant award, property easements tied to local transportation and stormwater work, multiple construction change orders and the appointment of an acting police chief.

The council amended its consent agenda to remove items 503 and 505 for separate consideration before approving an amended consent list. Council then approved an amendatory Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) contract that reduced the borough's originally estimated award to a revised total of $189,144.97 after project costs came in lower than initial engineer estimates. Eric, a borough staff member, explained that the CDBG is not a matching grant and that the reduction reflects returning unspent funds to the county so the borough's project accounts reconcile.

Council also approved easement agreements needed for a green light grant-funded traffic-signal relocation project at Eisenhower Drive and the Home Depot entrance and approved revised utility easements tied to ongoing work on Wilson Avenue. Borough staff described the Wilson Avenue effort as cleanup needed to support a stormwater/stream project and a contemplated sanitary sewer relocation, saying easements are required to operate and maintain the affected facilities.

On construction matters, the council approved several change orders for the 44 Frederick Street renovation. Borough staff said hidden asbestos found during demolition required additional abatement work, a $32,392 credit resulted from deleting planned high-density storage that eliminated a floor-reinforcement need, and additional steel was required when an existing column location differed from as-built records. Staff characterized the net effect as modest additions offset by forthcoming credits.

The council set its annual retreat for March 28, 2026, approved a transfer station hauling contract and voted to refer a matter involving 118 Frederick Street to the planning commission. Council also adopted committee assignments after brief debate over how members were placed on panels; leadership said staff input drove the final list.

Finally, council voted to appoint Lieutenant Joseph Bunty as acting police chief effective Feb. 4. A department meeting for staff was announced for the morning of Feb. 4.

Many motions were approved by voice vote without recorded roll-call tallies. The meeting included public comments criticizing how some financial and appointment matters were handled and requests for clearer packet materials for consent items.