Union City Council approves emergency stormwater repairs, passes broadband resolution; police hire motion dies for lack of second

Union City Borough Council on July 9 authorized emergency repairs after public works staff reported a collapsed run of galvanized storm pipe and a sinkhole behind 98 East High Street and in Municipal Lot No. 1.

The council voted unanimously to accept a Mansfield Construction quote of $14,500 to replace roughly 90–100 feet of degraded galvanized pipe with plastic pipe and to authorize up to $6,000 to cut and inspect the hole in Municipal Lot No. 1 after seeking McLallen Construction pricing and availability. Streets Supervisor Bob Phillips told the council a camera inspection found the first 50 feet of pipe in good condition, then a run of galvanized pipe whose bottom had failed and into which the camera fell. "The pipe needed to be replaced," Phillips said.

The meeting opened with a resident public comment about local flooding. Anthony Hickey of 104 East High Street said stormwater running from East High onto Bridge Street has flowed into his building during heavy rains; he told the council he contacted PennDOT, the borough and Representative Jake Banta’s office without a remedy and offered to dig a ditch if the borough would provide a catch basin and pipe. Solicitor Tim Wachter said the problem "has done this for years" and that the state likely should address it but "most likely won’t," while the borough agreed to look into the situation.

Personnel actions drew mixed outcomes. Police Chief David Pernice recommended hiring Kenneth Fye as a full‑time officer, saying Fye "passed his civil service testing and background check" and that he "has nothing but good comments about him." The Civil Service Commission provided a certified list that yielded a single eligible candidate, and the commission recommended Fye. Councilor Steadman moved to hire Fye, but the motion "failed for a second" and therefore died; Chief Pernice later asked council members why the motion failed, saying he was unsure what to tell the applicant. By contrast, the council approved a retroactive appointment of Mark Zigler as the borough's code enforcement officer; Zigler is available to begin training July 12 and to start work July 29. The motion to appoint Zigler carried with Councilor Uber recorded in opposition because of a residency concern.

Council also agreed to proceed with the Erie Area Council of Governments' Broadband Ready Communities designation, authorizing a public meeting and allowing EACOG to act as the municipal broadband champion. Borough Manager Cindy Wells said the designation creates opportunities for additional internet service providers to consider the borough and that the borough's permitting requirements align with the program's recommendations.

Other items: the borough's TA set‑aside sidewalk project is scheduled to begin July 15; WRA, LLP was selected as the engineer for an approved school crossing feasibility study; councilors discussed proposed zoning changes to allow above‑ground pools on adjoining vacant lots and removable sheds up to 144 square feet on skids or pillars (no setback from adjacent lot lines), and the solicitor will draft ordinance language for review. Council reviewed the RT 97 project budget and noted a grant included $10,000 for engineering and inspection but cautioned that extended monitoring due to delays or unexpected conditions could increase borough costs.

The meeting adjourned at 7:04 p.m.; the council then met in executive session from 7:06 p.m. to 7:38 p.m. to discuss personnel and took no action in that session. The council will revisit the hiring of a full‑time police officer at a future meeting.