Former Kutztown fire chief Troy Arndt, of Kutztown, received recognition for his years of service to the Kutztown Fire Company during the Kutztown Borough Council meeting Oct. 18.
Arndt served as fire chief from 2005-15. He previously served 25 years with the Kutztown Fire Company. Prior to that, he served in the Lyons Fire Company, starting at age 16. At age 26, he moved to Kutztown and immediately joined the borough fire company.
Arndt’s grandfather served as assistant chief for the Lyons Fire Company and Arndt was largely influenced by that connection, as well as his house’s proximity, next to the Lyons fire station.
In reflecting back, he commented that his most memorable moments all involve interacting with the citizens.
“When they call 9-1-1, a lot of the times it is the worst day of their life or a really bad day. And being able to go and help with the simplest problem, or the most complex, that’s what you really remember,” he said.
Another important part of Arndt’s time with Kutztown Fire Company was attending community events, meeting people and creating lasting bonds. He said it was always his priority to interact with children of all ages. He often invited them to stop by the station, and let them see and climb in the fire trucks.
“That’s that stuff that really made it all worthwhile,” he said. “You get to see the smile on their face and hopefully get a little fire prevention education and let them know that we’re [firefighters] your friends. That’s what stands out for the good things about it.”
According to Arndt, there are high demands in being the fire chief in Kutztown; it requires significant time and energy in order to be held properly.
In reflecting back on his time as Kutztown fire chief, he said, “It was a great 10 years as fire chief, as with anything else it has its trials and tribulations. There are always times where you wonder ‘why am I doing this?'”
He went on to discuss that he responded to various types of non-emergency calls, such as broken water heaters and the impact of knowing he’s helping people.
“But you start thinking about all of the people that you help. Just knowing that you made a difference in the community, that’s the most gratifying thing there is.”
In other news, Janet Yost, the director of the Kutztown Community Library, located on Bieber Alley, presented the library’s annual report. She started her presentation off with a question posed by a library workshop, “Is the community a better place because the library exists?”
Those in attendance were presented with a powerpoint presentation featuring a very brief overview of finances, various projects, services and examples of the more than 40 programs at the library.
On behalf of the library, Yost expressed their gratitude to the borough and the many volunteers who commit their time to the community library.
“Because of you, our library transforms. The library continues to expand its offerings and outreach into the greater community and none of this is possible without your support,” said Yost.
A one-dollar per capita results in a match by Berks County Public Libraries.
Council President Kevin Snyder responded to the question posed by Yost and the library workshop, saying, “Kutztown is a better place because of the library.”
Following Yost’s presentation, the council noted that Downtown Trick-or-Treat is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 26 and will run from 6-8 p.m., the rain date is Oct. 28. The borough’s trick-or-treat night is Thursday, Oct. 27 from 6-9 p.m.
Under Community Development and Public Safety, the council took action to approve a proposed ordinance vacating and removing a portion of Cherry Alley from the topographical survey of the Borough of Kutztown.
Under fines, District Justice Greth Clerk, collected fines equaling $5,222.30 for August, the Clerk of Common Pleas collected fines totaling $111.16 for August and the Secretary’s Office collected $7,225 for September.
There were several actions approved under public works.
Angela Olshevski will use the Band Shell for a wedding on May 19 and 20, and will only be charged for one day. Also, Barb Smith will use the Band Shell for a wedding on Aug. 19 and 20, and will only be charged for one day. Rachael Lambdin has been approved to use the Scooter Building in the Kuztown Park on Oct. 15; Keith Wuchte will use the Scooter Building on June 17, for a family reunion.
The council approved a few payments; the Petro Mat Change Order in the amount of $46,200, from EJB Paving, for the East Main Street Improvements project, was approved. In addition, payment number two, to EJB Paving for the East Main Street Improvements project, in the amount of $381,043.57 was approved. Payments numbers three and four, to Hannahoe Painting in the amounts of $7,605 and $3,209, respectively, for the Train Station project were approved.
Under personnel changes, chairperson Peggy Delvin took a handful of actions.
With regrets, council member Derek Mace seconded the request to accept the resignation of Andrew Arnold from the Borough Planning Commission. Matthew James Yerger will be employed as a probationary Patrol Officer, on the condition that he passes the polygraph, psychological exam, physical and drug screening, and the MPOETC certification test.
Additionally, council took action to execute the three-year agreement between the Borough of Kutztown and the Kutztown Police Association and to hire Jarrad Babel, as a part-time Public Works seasonal laborer, if he passes all required background checks.
Delvin noted that Nathan Keller has completed his AMP Advanced Line Worker training and is now a First Class Lineman.
Chairperson of the Telecommunications and Information Technologies committee, Richard Diehm, moved to renew the lease agreement with Windstream, an Internet service provider, to lease space in the NOC for phone service, which council approved.
The committee for Water and Wastewater moved to take action to allow the Berks County Water and Sewer Association to use the Executive Summary from the Borough of Kutztown’s approved Source Water Protection Plan, which council approved.
It was later noted that during the month of November, the Borough of Kutztown’s Wastewater Department will clean and televise approximately 16,000 linear feet of sewer pipe line in the southeast quadrant of the borough. The project will assure that all systems are working, as they should be.
The area involved is between East Main Street, the Saucony Creek area, Kohler Road and Elm Street, affected streets were not discussed but will be available on the borough website.
In other news, there are four member vacancies and six alternate vacancies.
There were no movements under the Borough Planning Commission, the Environmental Advisory Commission or Finance and Electric. There were no public comments.
