Hirings planned in White Oak

They include finding a new police chief as well as filling vacancies on public works & the pool management team.

White Oak is in the process of hiring new staff to its police department and public works, as well as a pool management team at the Heritage Hill Park pool.

One police hire includes a new chief after council approved the retirement of Mark Sargent, effective March 28, and a motion to advertise a job posting for the position.

Applicants for the position were not identified because of personnel issues, and the deadline is April 19. The borough plans to swear in a new officer at next Monday’s meeting.

According to Borough Manager John Palyo, they received a proposal from Site Solutions for $4,050 for the camera system and license plate reader at the intersection of Lincoln Way and Route 48. He added that the project is covered in the police budget.

There has been some trouble with the system, which was installed in 2017, Palyo said, even though it’s been a “valuable tool” to the police department. The new system would be a “win-win” for the community, he added.

“What this system would do is eliminate the computer, eliminate the video recorder, eliminate the internet connection and allow us to connect it here with the borough building, and do a wireless connection to that intersection to operate the existing cameras and license plate readers,” Palyo said. “By the funds we save by eliminating the internet connection, we can invest into the future growth of the camera system through a wireless set up. This will still keep us up with live video feeds and plate smart technology.”

While council members agreed the area needs an updated system, they decided to wait until they have a police chief before they continue with the project.

The borough also interviewed a candidate for a pool manager position, which will be on the agenda next Monday.

Palyo said there will be a new design for the management team handling day-to-day operations. There will be a manager, assistant manager, head guard and a certified pool operator.

Proposed new rates for the 2025 season will be on next week’s agenda as well. The resident pass will go from $70 to $75, the nonresident pass from $90 to $100, the senior resident pass will remain at $35 and nonresident senior pass will be $60.

The daily rate will remain at $15. There will be family passes, which are staying the same, and there will be presale dates established at the upcoming meeting.

The concession stand at the pool received a notice from the company that does pool inspections, according to Palyo, and the borough had to change some unsafe issues.

Palyo said the borough would have to rehabilitate the system for $3,320.74, and it needs a range, the area hydrotested, replacements and other issues so the area is fully compliant.

President Chuck Davis said the McKeesport Area School District swim team would like to use the concessions to move products, and Palyo said the Allegheny County Health Department would have to inspect it if they do.

“My thoughts are we could put this for future consideration, but it would definitely not be operational for the 2025 season,” Palyo said. “If it was a nominal fee to get it operational and recharged, then okay. It’s an amenity that is there, but to give them $3,300 I think right now, we didn’t budget it and it’s not worth repairing.”

Public works hirings were also looked at under personnel items due to some expected retirements, and those positions will be advertised in the next few months.

In other business:

• The borough has been discussing a possible new website for the past few months. Further decisions will be made as to whether they will move forward with the process, as well as dealing with some codification.

• An Easter egg hunt will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Heritage Hill Park. There will be around 3,000 eggs scattered throughout the park with different sections for different age groups.