Non-residents will be allowed to fill up to two seats on historical commission
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
DOWNINGTOWN – Borough council opened up to two voting seats on the historical commission to commissioners from outside of the borough on Wednesday night.
Though council still has to approve new members, Council member Phil Dague said that Jay Byerly and Jessica Hutter showed interest in holding voting seats though they are not residents. He said that both of them have been involved in the historical commission in the past and put their “heart and soul” into it.
Council members Nick Winkler and Anne Feldman opposed the item saying that they just revised the policies last year, and changing them already would be premature. Feldman said the borough should stick with the resident requirement, and the policy should only change if the commission could not fill its positions.
The historical commission had two of its five seats filled coming into the meeting.
Also regarding borough commissions, Mildred Dixon made her case for being part of the parks and recreation commission. Three members voted to approve her, and three voted against, meaning the decision will have to be made by Mayor Josh Maxwell.
During public comment, Dixon said that she applied for a seat last fall and had not heard any follow-up about a vote.
“I want to be voted on; that’s all I requested,” she said.
Council eventually came to the split decision when Feldman made a motion to vote later in the meeting. Parks and recreation had four of its five seats filled coming into Wednesday.
During the meeting, Downingtown West students Kate Pelson and Kristina Griste presented their “Aqua Tweeter” to help the borough cope with potential flooding.
The pair was part of West’s STEM team that faced off against area schools last month. Their invention has a sensor that monitors water levels. The sensor is connected to a Twitter account that can update borough personnel and citizens in real time.
The students said that they originally conceived the idea so that other students know what routes to avoid when driving to school, but multiple sensors could be placed around the borough to keep public works informed during inclement weather. They also said that with a bit more development, people could place sensors in their basements so that residents know about potential damage in their homes.
Council President Anthony Gazzerro said that he would like to see an Aqua Tweeter placed to monitor the Brandywine River levels. Councilors also discussed devices in various basins in the future.
