Bethel Park council holds hearings on budget, Cool Springs
Bethel Park Council held two public hearings Oct. 27 to discuss two different issues.
During the first hearing, Joe Villella, finance director, presented the 2015 preliminary budget.
The proposed budget of $38,694,322 holds the real estate tax millage at 2.32 mills and also holds the sewage utilization fees at the current rate.
There will be no changes to municipal services under the proposed budget, Villella said.
However, it does include a large increase to the snow and ice removal budget. That increase is necessitated by the considerable increase in the cost of supplies brought on by the difficult winter of 2014, he said.
Another change in the proposed budget is the creation of the fire department fund. The newly-established fund within the municipal budget is for the deposit and allocation of the .34 mills of real estate tax revenue designated for the operation of the fire company and the debt service payments on the new fire station.
The propose preliminary budget is available for review at the Bethel Park Public Library and on the municipal website.
During its second public hearing of the evening, Bethel Park Council heard the proposal for the conditional use for the redevelopment of Cool Springs Golf Center.
Phase 2 of the project at the center, located on Baptist Road, will include a 172,000-square-foot indoor sports facility with an artificial turf surface large enough for professional soccer, lacrosse or football. The turf will be removable so that the surface underneath can be used for basketball or volleyball. In addition, plans call for construction of an indoor track and a fitness area.
Outside, the owners plan to replace the existing batting cages and construct several multi-use fields and a Dek hockey rink. Cool Springs owners have already purchased 15 acres of municipal owned property adjacent to the sports complex and plan to develop a walking trail and a handicapped accessible baseball field.
There was no opposition to the Cool Springs plans, so council members convened a special meeting to vote on the conditional use. The plan was approved by a vote of 8-0. Councilman John Pape was absent.