Allegheny County Council Regular Meeting
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ALLEGHENY COUNTY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING - - - BEFORE: John P. DeFazio - President Nicholas Futules - Vice President, District 7 Heather S. Heidelbaugh - Council-At-Large Thomas Baker - District 1 Jan Rea - District 2 Edward Kress - District 3 Michael J. Finnerty - District 4 Sue Means - District 5 John F. Palmiere - District 6 Dr. Charles J. Martoni - District 8 Robert J. Macey - District 9 William Russell Robinson - District 10 Barbara Daly Danko - District 11 James Ellenbogen - District 12 Amanda Green Hawkins - District 13 Allegheny County Courthouse Fourth Floor, Gold Room 436 Grant Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219 Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - 5:01 p.m. SARGENT'S COURT REPORTING SERVICE, INC. 429 Forbes Avenue, Suite 1300 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (412) 232-3882 FAX (412) 471-8733 IN ATTENDANCE: Joseph Catanese - Director, Constituent Services Jared Barker - Director, Legislative Services Walter W. Szymanski - Budget Director Jack Cambest - County Solicitor Andrew F. Szefi - County Solicitor William McKain - County Manager PRESIDENT DEFAZIO: The meeting will come to order. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silent reflection. (Pledge of Allegiance.) (Moment of silent reflection.) PRESIDENT DEFAZIO: Roll call. MR. CATANESE: Mr. Baker? MR. BAKER: Here. MR. CATANESE: Ms. Danko? MS. DANKO: Present. MR. CATANESE: Mr. Ellenbogen? MR. ELLENBOGEN: Here. MR. CATANESE: Mr. Finnerty? MR. FINNERTY: Here. MR. CATANESE: Mr. Futules? MR. FUTULES: Here. MR. CATANESE: Ms. Green Hawkins? (No response.) MR. CATANESE: Ms. Heidelbaugh? MS. HEIDELBAUGH: Here. MR. CATANESE: Mr. Kress? (No response.) MR. CATANESE: Mr. Macey? MR. MACEY: Here. MR. CATANESE: Mr. Martoni? MR. MARTONI: Here. MR. CATANESE: Ms. Means? MS. MEANS: Here. MR. CATANESE: Mr. Palmiere? MR. PALMIERE: Here. MR. CATANESE: Ms. Rea? MS. REA: Here. MR. CATANESE: Mr. Robinson? MR. ROBINSON: Present. MR. CATANESE: Mr. DeFazio, President? PRESIDENT DEFAZIO: Here. MR. CATANESE: Thirteen (13) members currently present. PRESIDENT DEFAZIO: Proclamations and Certificates. 8235-14. MR. CATANESE: Proclamation commemorating the 100th anniversary of Cooperative Extension of The Pennsylvania State University. Sponsored by Council members Finnerty, Danko, Ellenbogen, Green Hawkins, Martoni, Means, Palmiere, Rea and Heidelbaugh. MR. MACEY: Wait a second. PRSIDENT DEFAZIO: Okay. MR. FINNERTY: Okay. Thank you, Mr. President. Deno, would you please join me up here? Thank you. This is a proclamation honoring the Extension --- Penn State Extension, 100 years. Penn State has been around a lot longer than 100 years, but the extensions haven't. I'd just like to read the proclamation and then turn it over to Deno. WHEREAS, May 8th, 2014 marks the Centennial of the signing of the Smith-Lever Act, which established Cooperative Extension, the nationwide transformation educational system operating through Land-Grant universities in partnership with federal, state and local governments; and WHEREAS, the United States Senator, Hoke Smith, of Georgia, and the United States Representative, A.F. Lever, of South Carolina, authorized the Smith-Lever Act to expand the vocational, agricultural and home demonstration programs in rural America, by bringing the research-based knowledge of the Land-Grant universities to people where they live and work; and WHEREAS, Act 12 of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, approved on March 26th, 1915, established Penn State University as the legal recipient and executer of the provisions of the Federal Smith-Lever Act in Pennsylvania; and WHEREAS, Cooperative Extension is a critical component of the three-part Land-Grant universities' mission and works collaboratively with research and academic programs in 106 colleges and universities; and WHEREAS, Cooperative Extension translates science-based research for practical application to improve economic and social conditions; WHEREAS, Cooperative Extension engages with rural and urban learners through practical community-based and online approaches, resulting in the acquisition of knowledge, skill and motivation, to strengthen the profitability of small businesses, protect natural resources, help people make healthy lifestyle choices, ensure a safe and abundant food supply, encourage community vitality and develop the next generation of leaders. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Allegheny County Council does hereby recognize the significance of the Smith-Lever Act and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Cooperative Extension of the Pennsylvania State University. This is sponsored by myself, Michael Finnerty, and all of Council. (Applause.) MR. DE CIANTIS: Thank you very much for this proclamation. There aren't very many partnerships in the last 100 years. And I have to say that it's been a tremendous partnership with Allegheny County, between the Executive and Council, and before that with the county commissioners. Cooperative Extension is part of the Land-Grant system which is brought into being in 1862, signed into law by President Lincoln. And what that did was establish a strong connection between communities across the country and their respective Land-Grant institutions. Here in Pennsylvania it's Penn State. We are a different nation now than we were back when that law became part of our land. We were quite agrarian. Eighty (80) percent or more of our people lived in rural areas. Now that has flipped the other way, so now we have 80 percent of our population or more who live in urban and metropolitan areas. And our extension program is reflecting that change, bringing the programming that is relevant to our metropolitan area, in the Greater Pittsburgh area and Allegheny County and beyond. I would just like to ask my staff --- and I've brought them here this evening --- to stand, introduce themselves and just tell you what program area they're in. So if you don't mind, we'll take just a couple of minutes. They're the ones who make things happen. I just talk. Okay. MR. FINNERTY: They're going to have to use the microphone. MR. DE CIANTIS: Okay. Well, you'll have to come up here one at a time, they say. I do want to acknowledge you, so if you don't mind, get up and come on up. And I do want to acknowledge that we have a birthday cake that commemorates that, so after ---. I know that this meeting is going to be long. So I will say that afterwards there will be cake. MR. EICHENLAUB: I'm Dan Eichenlaub, and I'm actually part of the advisory group to the extension group. And my small business are the beneficiaries of your --- of the county's partnership with the state and the federal government on this. MS. HASENJAGER: Cindy Hasenjager, alternative and renewable energy programs. MS. JAVOR: Cindy Javor. I am a nutrition educator. MS. BROWN: Regina Brown, diet tech, along with Cindy Javor. MS. STEVANS: Cindy Stevans, EFNEP, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. MS. HOGAN: Maureen Hogan, Assistant Director. MS. KUNST VAVRO: Lisa Kunst-Vavro, landscape architect, sustainable environments. MR. BAUERLE: Philip Bauerle, interim master gardener coordinator. MS. WARDEN: Sue Warden. I'm the office manager. MS. FARRELL: Mary Ann Farrell, business operations coordinator. MR. HIMES: I'm David Himes. I'm an assistant in landscape designing. MR. HENDERSON: Shad Henderson, 4-H youth development. MS. KNAUSS: Nancy Knauss, state master gardener coordinator. MS. FEATHER: Sandy Feather, commercial horticulture. MS. MIKULAS: Heather Mikulas, community economic development. MR. WOLYNIAK: Brian Wolyniak, urban forester. (Applause.) (Pictures taken.) PRESIDENT DEFAZIO: 8236-14. And all the rest will be read into the record. MR. CATANESE: Let the record show Councilwoman Amanda Hawkins is present. Certificate of Achievement awarded to the Quaker Valley High School boys' ice hockey team for winning the 2014 Class A Penguins Cup Championship. Sponsored by Council members Baker and Rea. 8237-14. Proclamation declaring Tuesday, May 13, 2014, as Falun Dafa Day in Allegheny County. Sponsored by Councilman DeFazio. 8238-14. Certificate of Achievement awarded to Bishop Canevin High School boys' ice hockey team for winning the 2014 Class AA Penguins Cup Championship. Sponsored by Councilman Ellenbogen. 8239-14. Proclamation thanking Mr. Josh Noel for writing the Chicago Tribune article entitled New Meets Old in Pittsburgh: This city is cool. What's more, it is not self-conscious enough to care whether you know it. Sponsored by Councilwoman Heidelbaugh. 8240-14. Certificate of Recognition awarded to Ms. Edith Mazzuco Reid upon the occasion of her 103rd birthday. Sponsored by Council member Macey. 8241-14. Certificate of Achievement honoring the Bethel Park High School boys' ice hockey team for winning the 2014 Toyota-USA Hockey High School National Championship. Sponsored by Council member Means. 8242-14. Proclamation thanking the Honorable Ralph LeDonne for his 13 years of service as a Legislative Constituent Outreach Specialist for the Honorable Mike Turzai, Pennsylvania House of Representatives Majority Leader. Sponsored by Councilwoman Rea. 8243-14. Proclamation congratulating Mr. John Lydon, Chief Executive Officer of Auberle, for winning the Pittsburgh Business Times 2014 Diamond Award. Sponsored by Council members Robinson, Macey and Heidelbaugh. 8244-14. Proclamation honoring in memoriam, Rubin Hurricane Carter, the middleweight boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became an international symbol of racial injustice. Sponsored by Councilman Robinson. 8245-14. Proclamation remembering in memoriam, the Honorable James F. "Jimmy"