2017 Ambridge borough Year-End Review

​As we start 2018, we’d like to review the progress that was made in our community by the Ambridge Borough Council, Mayor and staff this past year.  It is through their coordinated efforts, great strides have been made to help bring about significant improvements to our infrastructure, public safety, parks and sense of community.  A strategic effort and priority of the past year was improving our roads and upgrading the staffing and equipment of our Fire Department.  This past year has brought about the following highlights and accomplishments:
 
Public Works

• 2017 Road Program – repaved 14 streets.
• Planted 20 new street trees in the Historic District and in PJ Caul Park, and issued annual tree maintenance contract that cleaned up many problem areas.  Two Public Works Employees and a member of the Shade Tree Commission received training and become certified Tree Tenders.
• Partnered with Columbia Gas for new gas lines installed throughout the Historic District.   Work enabled Henrici Street, Church Street, 16th and 15th Streets to be repaved.
• The Public Works crew completed many in-house repairs to storm-sewer catch basins and waterway channels saving thousands of dollars versus contracting out this work.
• Purchased and placed into service new Public Works Equipment including a dump truck and tractor.
• Resealed the parking lots at the Ambridge Borough Building.
• Partnered with the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and hired people to assist on the Public Works crew in the summer months and in the Borough Office.  Wages were 100% funded; Borough received special recognition from the State for its work with people with disabilities as result.
• Retrofitted streetlights on Duss Avenue and 8th Street to LED lighting technology.
• Developed a Pollution Control Plan to improve water quality in the French Point Creek watershed.
• Rewrote and improved the Borough’s Street Opening Ordinance.

 
Administration

• Awarded $1,711,301.97 in outside grants for multiple projects in the community.  Since 2015, the Borough Staff has written and has been awarded $2,485,613.06 in grants.
• Borough Facebook Page won 1st Place Recognition in state-wide contest sponsored by PA State Association of Boroughs.
• Adopted the 2018 Budget, balanced spending plan; 13th year without a tax increase.
• Strict Financial Management resulted in ending 2017 with a surplus that will be allocated for the Borough’s budgetary reserve.
• 2017 visits to www.AmbridgeBoro.org totaled 48,385 for the year, and the “Borough of Ambridge” Facebook Page reached 1,343 total page “likes”
• Partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to develop the new monthly newsletter, “Coffee Talk” that is available at businesses throughout town.
• Renewed the Park and Ride Facility Lease Agreement with BCTA and Port Authority of Allegheny County.  BCTA then upgraded the bus shelters at this location as result.

 
Public Safety (Police & Fire)

• New Fire Apparatus – new ladder truck, two new pumpers and a squad vehicle were all purchased, equipped, staff trained on and placed into service.

• Funded by a grant, equipped the Borough Building with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and also trained all staff in the building on first aid and CPR.
• New Police Car purchased and placed into service.
• Reestablished Animal Control Service within the Borough, contracting with Beaver County Humane Society. 
• Constructed a Kennel Run at the Police Station to hold stray dogs.
• Promoted Firefighter David Gorecki to Fire Captain
• Coordinated the filming of the Netflix television series, “Mindhunter” at multiple locations in Ambridge throughout 2017.  TV series aired in October.
• The Ambridge Police Department responded to 15,514 requests for service in 2017 and the Fire Department answered 366 emergency calls this past year.
• Completed traffic studies to remove the traffic signals and replace them with all-way stop signs at 6th and Merchant and 3rd and Merchant Street.  Work to be done in 2018, along with improvements to three other traffic signals; funded by a PENNDOT grant.

 
Parks and Recreation

• Community Events:  co-hosted the successful annual Ambridge Fall Festival of Churches at PJ Caul Park, the Halloween Parade, Rotary Club Car Cruise, Crime Watch Movies in the Park, Rotary Club Concerts in the Park and July 4th Fireworks in Panek Park
• In partnership and funding from the Ambridge Rotary Club, added lighting to the basketball courts at the H&H Sports Complex on 11th Street.
• Mayor D’Ambrosio donated his salary back to the Borough that made possible the purchase of holiday banners for the mid-town district of Merchant Street, the over-the-road “Seasons Greetings” display on 11th Street and for new US Flags for all of Merchant Street.
• With the assistance of the Committee to Clean and Beautify Ambridge, the Honor Roll in PJ Caul Park was rehabilitated, work included masonry repairs, repainted and lighting improvements.
• Borough was recognized by the Military Order of the Purple Heart as a Purple Heart Community; Council renamed the area in front of the Honor Roll as Ambridge’s Purple Heart Plaza.
• Received by donation a one-acre lot of vacant land at the corner of Merchant and Henning Streets from the New Economy Business Park that will eventually be redeveloped into a neighborhood playground.  Recreation Committee is currently working on the planning and fundraising necessary to create this new park.

 
Community Redevelopment / Planning

• Hancock Architecture completed design of the Merchant Street Streetscape Project.  This project will improve the atmosphere on Merchant Street between 4th and 8th Streets by completing sidewalk and curb replacements, removal of the current utility poles and existing overhead electrical wiring, new ornamental street lanterns that will have electrical outlets to energize holiday displays and community events, new street trees, tree pits and landscaping, improved ADA sidewalk ramps, new street amenities such as benches, trash cans, bicycle racks, planters, and decorative crosswalks.  Project construction is planned for this year.  Borough received a grant for this project in the amount of $1,500,000.00 in 2017.
• In partnership with the PA Historic Museum Commission and Old Economy Village, Borough Staff gave a tour and presented as part of the 2017 National Main Street Conference in Pittsburgh.
• Made possible by grant funding from the Local Government Academy and the Historic District Economic Development Corporation, hired an Intern that worked this past summer that databased vacant and available commercial properties, created a program that spotlighted local businesses and worked on strategies to attract new business to Ambridge. 

 
Code Enforcement

• New Code Enforcement Program using Fire Department Staff was fully implemented.  Hired and trained three new part-time firefighters / code enforcement officers.
• Code Officers investigated and issued 805 Ordinance Violation Notices.
• Continued uniform reimplementation of the Rental Operating License and Inspection Program.   Firefighters inspected 444 rental units and 52 properties were cited for not complying with the 2017-18 program. 
• Partnered with Beaver County Community Development to demolish seven (7) blighted and condemned buildings throughout town.
• Coordinated a Community Tire Collection Event on October 7th, resulting in 276 tires being collected and properly recycled versus being illegally dumped or becoming an eyesore. 

 
As a community, working united, sharing a vision for a bright future we stand poised to use the progress made in 2017 as a catalyst for even a better 2018.  In 2018, a strategic effort has been made to prioritize economic development and park improvements.  Some of the projects that are slated include construction of the Merchant Street Streetscape Project, road paving work and significant improvements to both Panek and 8th Street Parks.    We thank everyone for their involvement this past year, as we all have played a role, working as a community, in moving Ambridge forward.