NEW CASTLE Council seeks police input on complaints about drugs, violence
Council approved a five-year contract with city firefighters.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The city police chief will have to give a report to council later this month about complaints of drugs and violence on the city's South Side.
Several residents attended Thursday's council meeting, and one spoke about problems in the neighborhood.
"We have a big problem down there. We want to live on the South Side. The South Side used to be a very nice place to live," said Ray Macri of Lyndall Street.
A few weeks ago, a Pennsylvania Avenue woman was grazed by a bullet as she watched television in her living room. No one was arrested.
Macri said residents would like a stronger police presence in the neighborhood.
He said he has spoken to police Chief Victor Cubellis and Mayor Timothy Fulkerson but has not seen any long-term results. Cubellis and Fulkerson were not present at Thursday's meeting.
"The police will patrol for a day or two, and then they are gone," he said.
Councilwoman Patricia May asked that Cubellis attend the next council caucus on Oct. 22 to discuss the matter.
Council also asked John DiMuccio, business administrator, to gather more information.
Hospital authority
In other business, council members agreed to extend the life of the New Castle Area Hospital Authority. The extension was needed to cover the life of a 30-year bond issue the hospital authority is taking out to help pay for the Jameson Health System's purchase of St. Francis Hospital. The $15 million loan will help pay for the building and improvements.
The hospital authority would have ceased to exist in 2030 under the current ordinance created by city council in 1980. The authority will now remain viable until 2052.
City council also agreed to buy the Loyal Order of Moose Club on South Mercer Street as part of the downtown revitalization plan.
The city plans to raze the building and replace it with a parking lot, according to the resolution.
The Moose Club, Lodge 51, will be paid $207,980 for the building and surrounding land.
Firefighters' contract
Council members also approved a new five-year contract with the city firefighters union.
Under the new contract, all part-time firefighters will be made full-time.
In exchange for the increased full-time staff, firefighters agreed it would take six years for new hires to reach the top of the pay scale, which is $42,146, instead of five years.
They also agreed to allow the city to have the Teamsters Trust and Welfare Fund administer their health benefits instead of a municipal employees group. DiMuccio said the change will save the city about $200,000 next year.
As a result of the new contract, two part-time firefighters have agreed to drop a lawsuit against the city.
Craig Wethli and Robert Eakin, both military veterans, filed a civil lawsuit alleging that they were passed over for full-time firefighter positions for nonveterans.
Both said their status as veterans gave them higher scores on the civil service list than those hired. The lawsuit asked that they be made full time and given back pay and benefits.
Ted Saad, assistant city solicitor, said both will be made full-time under this new contract. Neither will receive back pay, he said.
Former part-time police officer Michael McBride has also agreed to drop his lawsuit against the city, Saad said.
Saad said no money will be paid to McBride, who decided to not continue with the suit.