City of Bradford Mayor James McDonald asked for a moment of silence at the beginning of Tuesday’s City Council meeting in honor of sitting councilman Dan Palmer, who passed away. McDonald noted that the city’s flags will remain at half-staff in Palmer’s honor for the rest of the week.
McDonald also asked for a moment of silence in honor of former city clerk Peggy Comilla, who passed away earlier this month.
Also during the meeting, council voted to approve the transfer of a restaurant liquor license from Foster Township into the City of Bradford. The request was made by Todd Hennard and will transfer the license to 27 Main St., the former Downbeat.
A motor vehicle accident has caused damage to one of the aluminum light poles installed as part of the recent Streetscape projects, and a replacement will be purchased at the cost of $3,555, with a light fixture to be purchased at the cost of $1,088. A report of the incident has been turned into insurance for reimbursement for the replacement costs.
McDonald read a message posted to the social media of the City of Bradford Police, noting that it shows the professionalism of our police department. The statement notes that officers have completed 16 hours of update training on several key issues, including legal updates, juvenile justice, recognizing and responding to individuals with special needs, child victims of human trafficking and also a specialized training on child abuse investigations, attended by Officer Seth Shephard in Meadville, conducted by the PA State Police at the Northwest Training Center. McDonald also noted that Chief Mike Ward has reported plans for officers to participate in de-escalation training through Mercyhurst Municipal Police Training Academy with the use of Virtual Reality technology.
Council member Brad Mangel stated council has been receiving complaints about sidewalks, and reminded residents that, 24 hours after a storm involving two inches or more of fallen snow, it is required that a 30-inch path be cleared. Residents are also asked to not throw snow back into the street.
During a brief pension board meeting, the board approved the rollover of former Bradford City Police officer Richard Obermeyer’s pension contributions. Obermeyer left his position Feb. 2 to work with the Pennsylvania State Police.
