Council approves third‑party traffic control for East High Elementary geothermal work; denies use of volunteer fire police

Elizabethtown Borough Council unanimously approved a traffic‑control plan on April 2 to manage bus, parent and other vehicle flow at East High Elementary School while the Elizabethtown Area School District installs geothermal equipment.

Gabriel Olivera, director of operations for the school district, told council that work in the school parking lot will disrupt normal drop‑off and pickup patterns and asked to use fire police to direct traffic. Council members and staff raised concerns that Friendship Fire and Hose (Station 74) does not have the volunteer capacity to cover the time required. Council concluded the work should proceed with professional traffic control.

By motion of Councilmember J. Marc Hershey, seconded by Vice President Jeff McCloud, council authorized contracting with an approved, trained and insured third‑party vendor to coordinate bus, student, parent and other traffic at East High Elementary, with the Borough Manager and the chief of police authorized to validate and memorialize any necessary documentation. The contract term discussed would begin at the end of April and run through the end of the current school term. The motion also explicitly denied the request to use fire police. The vote was unanimous.

Council and staff did not identify a specific vendor at the meeting; the Borough Manager and Police Chief were authorized to confirm a vendor’s qualifications and execute related paperwork. The decision aims to preserve traffic flow and school safety during construction while avoiding reliance on volunteer availability.

Council action: authorized third‑party traffic control contracting; denied use of volunteer fire police for the project.