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Resident raises pedestrian-safety concerns and questions borough management at Beaver council meeting
Summary
A Ward 2 resident asked Beaver Borough Council to amend minutes and pressed the borough for immediate action after a pedestrian death, citing PennDOT crosswalk rules and alleging a conflict of interest because the chief of police also serves as borough manager; staff said they are researching lighting grants for Shaw Park.
Ellen Kretchmar of Ward 2 told Beaver Borough Council on July 9 that she objected to how prior public comments were captured in the minutes and asked that they be amended to reflect residents’ lack of confidence in Council and a request for immediate action after a recent pedestrian death. Kretchmar said crosswalk maintenance falls under PennDOT responsibility and also stated that it is a conflict of interest for the Chief of Police to also serve as Borough Manager.
Vivian Mahli, of 1199 7th Street, praised the Pool House Civic Center construction but reported increased skateboarding and late-night activity at the facility and the new parking lot. Mahli recommended additional lighting in the darker parts of Shaw Park, said pickleball has been played on the tennis courts, and raised concerns about speeding along Buffalo Street.
Manager and Chief of Police Dan Madgar appeared in the meeting record as the official responsible for operations; the minutes show staff are researching grants to improve outdoor lighting at Shaw Park. Madgar also reported that the Police Department will apply for a 50/50 grant for new body cameras; if awarded, the borough’s share would be about $50,000, otherwise the expense would need to be budgeted locally.
The minutes record Kretchmar’s request for more public Council committee meetings and for meeting minutes to better reflect public concerns; no formal action or vote on changes to the minutes or governance structure is recorded in the meeting notes. Council did not record a response in the minutes that opposed or refuted Kretchmar’s conflict-of-interest assertion. The manager’s follow-up actions in the minutes are limited to pursuing grant opportunities for lighting and equipment.
The council meeting record does not show a formal investigation or formal response by the solicitor or other officials to the conflict-of-interest concern; the minutes indicate the solicitor is drafting a separate 'three-strike' rental ordinance to address disruptive residential properties and did not tie that work to the governance concerns raised by Kretchmar.
Next steps in the meeting record: staff will continue researching grants for lighting improvements at Shaw Park and no amendment to the minutes or formal governance changes are documented in the July 9 minutes.
