And other notes from the March 1st CHB Borough Council Meeting.
IDENTITY THEFT AND COMPUTER FRAUD
On Feb 19th a representative from West Lake Plastics walked into the Offices of the State Police and reported theft by fraud correlated to their purchase of a $96K piece of machinery. It was during the communication of this transaction that his email was hacked, the banking information was intercepted, and money was withdrawn from the account. The PSP is investigating the incident and following up on any leads.
Mr. Jensen asked, "Should a person report if they have been hacked?”-
"YES!" was the resounding answer given by Trooper Jessica Tobin giving the report.
Identity theft cases can be a lot closer to the home than you think and there are a lot of solvability factors. Also, the financial institutions may require you to file a report to show the case is legitimate.
I shared this personal experience with computer fraud at the meeting. A year ago a person ordered themselves a laptop by hacking into my son’s Xbox account linked to my Paypal account. Even though I called the moment the card was charged, Microsoft could not stop the laptop from leaving the warehouse. MS customer service said the order was in process. I called the shipper, FedEx. They too could not stop the shipment. Fed Ex had not had the computer in their possession yet, but by 9 am the next morning it had already been delivered to a fraudulent address. I reported the incident to the PSP and luckily my credit card company refunded the money. I closed my pay pal account and reset all my passwords. I received a follow-up call a year later letting me know PSP had followed up on all the information I provided them, and that even though they didn’t find the person, they reached out to let me know what they learned. Turns out that the person whose address was used for receiving the stolen goods was also a victim and not a criminal.
Opportunity to Learn More
Trooper Tobin teaches personal computer safety training to help prevent being a victim of fraud. If you know a group that would like to provide this training, You can contact Trooper Tobin for more information.
February Crime Report
PSP Resources and Tip Lines
Trooper Tobin provided the following resources to be shared by the council with Chester Heights residents:
PSP Right to Know Request Process
PSP REPORTING RESOURCES:
Drug Trafficking Tip Line 1-877-PA-NODRUGS or 1-877-726-6378
Meghan’s Law Tip Line 1 -866-771-3170
Underage Drinking Tip Line 1-888-UNDER21 or 1-888-863-3721
PA Crime Stoppers 1 800-4PA-TIPS or 800-472-8477
COMMITTEE & STAFF REPORTS
Finance
Treasurer’s Report
Revenues - $33,994.41
Expenses - $116,999.51
Insurance
The insurance company once again has submitted a proposal for insurance approval late (or rather right before the expiration date) giving the council 2 days to approve and no chance to review.
Fire Co Finance
Fire Company held a live burn event on March 20th. The invitation was extended to the public and to the council.
Mr. Philip Block (former councilman & 2021 candidate for mayor) attended.
Highways/Transportation & Engineers Report
Sinkholes and culverts on state roads and highways in the past had been handled by PennDOT. However, PennDOT has reverted to guidance from the PUB 23 Maintenance Manual - Section 8.5 - Drainage Maintenance Responsibilities Concerning Municipalities, asserting that municipalities are responsible for maintenance of subsurface drainage piping. The engineer and solicitor were authorized to review the borough's responsibilities in this matter. The chair of the highway committee was tasked with reaching out to PSAB in hopes to find out how other boroughs are addressing this road maintenance issue.
Old Ennis property is under agreement and the Carwash plan preparation is on the way. The engineer for the new owner has been in touch and we should anticipate a presentation in the near future.
EMC/Road Master
A 3-year Traffic Signal Maintenance - $680 per year approved per year with a motion.
Solicitor’s Report
Ratified Resolution Engineers Week
Ratified Final Escrow Release/240 Wawa -see work session notes.
Council authorized the solicitor to collaborate with Chadds Ford Township, Aston, and Marcus Hook to collectively negotiate with Verizon on Franchise Agreement.
Mr. Chestnut mentioned that the low-hanging wires in CHB should be discussed as part of the negotiation.
On March 25th it was observed that the wires were being addressed on LENNI Rd. Coincidence?
FUN FACT: Under the current agreement Verizon pays Chester Heights approximately $35K per year in franchise fees. This represents about 5% of borough income in an average year.
27 tax assessment appeals are still pending in the borough.
103 Valleybrook Road continues to ask questions about the land to put together a plan. It was briefly discussed by members of council that the borough should limit input on developer inquiries until a plan has been officially submitted, but that has not been the practice (i.e. Powell Property)
Fire Marshal
4 incidents were reported
Rosehill development has been assigned Aston addresses.
911 call center could not locate Miller Way last month. This was due to an update on the CAD map program. The matter has been addressed and corrected.
Building Inspector
Only 4 permits issued since the beginning of the year.
Medical Marijuana Dispensaries will be discussed at the Work Session
The Council needs to decide whether they will retain the old building code section for historic purposes or if it will be deleted.
Historical Committee
Tony Ieradi, Anne Searl, Sue Timmins, and the DiSalvo Family met to discuss the plaque to be installed a the DiSalvo park. The committee is working on the design which will include photos and a narrative on a two-sided sign. One Side dedicated to the DiSalvo family and the other to the history of the Chester Heights Fire Company.
Ordinance/Code Review
Susan Clarke provided a report on the Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ordinance. More discussion to take place at the Work Session.- March 29th, 2021.
Mayor’s Event Committee
Looking to connect with VFW for Memorial Day Festivities.
Mr. David Cleary (Concord Resident) connected with Mayor Wood to address the issue.
Borough Property/Parks/Open Space
Park path which is being installed by Mr. Conrad as a “trade” for the road in the Quarry Knoll development being dedicated to the borough will be ready to install in early April.
The engineer will review the feasibility of bringing electricity to the Park
The playground equipment has been ordered and is awaiting a few open items.
Additional planning is being done by the engineer to calculate the elevations for the playground equipment that is being installed this spring.
Committee to review mosquito control throughout the park. They will also connect the vendor with local communities regarding controlling mosquito populations.
Public Comment
Debbie Miller – Thanked council for the library board appointment. Debbie has attended a staggering 6 workshops in 2 months and attended the first library board meeting in her role of representing Chester Heights. The Library is currently doing Pick-Ups.
Dave Cleary held a personal conversation with Trooper Tobin. :) being included for transparency.
Marta Driscoll – shared the above story regarding the computer breach.
Communications / Public Relations
Newsletter on target for mid-April.
Correspondence
Mr. Gary Kurner provided the borough with an update on what is going on with the sewer system at Chester Heights Camp Meeting.
Race for Peace ( no details provided)
CRC – Stream Clean-Up noted borough participation in the event.
Delco Heritage Commission - Looking for nominations for their 43rd Annual Preservation Awards. The nomination period ended on Feb 26th, 2021. :(
A resident reported that a culvert on Wawa Road is damaged and needs to be repaired Adding to the discussion above.
The next meeting will be held on March 29th, the Council should publish their agenda by Wednesday, March 24th.