Police Chief, Borough Manager Get 2-Year Contracts

Photos by Evan Brandt

Newly hired Police Chief Mick Markovich, left, and Borough Manager Justin Keller, right, pause for a photo with Pottstown Borough Council President Dan Weand.

It may have taken longer than it should have, but borough council finally got its act together enough to agree on contracts for two of the most important posts in borough government last night.

After starting its meeting by going into closed-door executive session to discuss "personnel," council returned and announced it would be adding two items to the end of the agenda.

Not that anyone was surprised.

It was common knowledge that Interim Borough Manager Justin Keller and Interim Police Chief Mick Markovich were both destined to have the "interim" removed from their nameplates at the first meeting in August.

It just took council some time work out the details of two contracts which are, according to Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. almost identical.

Both contracts expire on Dec. 31, 2019.

The salaries for both contracts are retroactive to the first of the year. Keller will be paid $107,000 per year and Markovich will be paid $110,000 per year.

Because Markovich has more years with the borough, he will receive five weeks vacation while Keller only gets three.

Both get 12 sick days, as well as a borough vehicle to drive and the same health benefits and pension that every other borough manager gets, according to Garner.

Hired two years ago this month as assistant borough manager, Keller became interim manager on Jan. 1, with the retirement of the man who hired him, former borough manager Mark Flanders.

Before hiring him permanently, council altered the borough manager ordinance, removing the provision that required Keller to live in the borough. Although he had lived in the borough, Keller now lives in Audubon.

While pleased to have the position made permanent, Keller said he has been doing the job for several months and is now focused on increasing revenues and trying to lower costs for next year's budget.

That will be a tall order given that the mid-year adjustments Keller reported to council last night mostly included cost increases.

Markovich replaces former chief Rick Drumheller, who retired last month, 18 months earlier than he had previously planned.

Markovich's appointment comes only a month after was named interim police chief and by-passed Police Captain Robert Thomas, who, at least according to previous borough practice, many thought would get the job.

Markovich said becoming a chief of police had always been one of his career goals, "I just didn't think it would happen so soon."

"I'm excited to lead this department and to be of service to the borough," Markovich said. He said he hopes to "re-allocate some of the staff to the busier times, and to the downtown business district."

Other plans, he said, he will share when they are ready to be announced.

Congratulations to both and good luck.

Now, if they can just find a fire chief .....

Here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Two New Chiefs

Pottstown Names Markovich Interim Police Chief

Photos by Evan Brandt

Retiring Pottstown Police Chief Rick Drumheller, left, and Mayor Stephanie Henrick congratulate Michael Markovich after being appointed to the post of interim police chief Thursday night.

Pottstown lost a police chief Thursday night, and gained a new interim chief.

Working on the second to last day of his 30 years of service to the borough, Police Chief F. Richard Drumheller received, with good grace, the praise of borough, state and even religious leaders.

Chief since 2013, Drumheller was told by Mayor Stephanie Henrick that "it's well deserved and I will miss you terribly."

Perhaps what I will miss most is your expert guidance, and the ability to help those around you," said Interim Borough Manager Justin Keller, who informed Drumheller that a brick with his name on it would be placed on the walkway in Riverfront Park.

Drumheller was also honored by a triumvirate of state representatives -- Tom Quigley, Tim Hennessey and David Maloney -- all of whom praised his effectiveness and work ethic and who presented him with a resolution passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recognizing his service.

Quigley said he first met Drumheller in 2002 when he was mayor of Royersford and Drumheller was

From left State Rep. Tim Hennessey, Chief Rick Drumheller,

State Rep. Davids Maloney and State Rep. Tom Quigley.

in charge of a regional DUI enforcement detail that Royersford had just joined for the first time.

"The thing that struck me about the chief then, he was coordinating the whole thing, was his calm demeanor, his sense of purpose, and that really impressed me," said Quigley.

Hennessey said Drumheller had delivered the assurance for the people of Pottstown that, as is necessary in these times, that police authority was being administered properly

Maloney said he went to high school with Drumheller, and his record "speaks volumes to what public service is and what it means to our communities."

Bishop Everett Debnam speaks at last night's council meeting.

Later in the evening Bishop Everett Debnam of Invictus Ministries, who is also the police department's chaplain, thanked Drumheller for his service, and for becoming his friend.

Debnam also reminded council that "you get what you pay for" in terms of the next chief of police.

After he spoke, council adjourned into a 25-minute executive session closed to the public to discuss "personnel."

When they emerged, they voted unanimously (council members Rita Paez and Carol Kulp were absent) to appoint Markovich Interim Police Chief at a salary of $110,000 per year. There was no time frame set for how long this appointment will last.

From left, Councilman Joe Kirkland, Mayor Stephanie Henrick

and newly sworn-in Coucilwoman Trenita Lindsay.

My prediction: Look to see them string him along until October, then decide to put his salary in the budget.

Also last night, new Fourth Ward Councilwoman, who was chosen last month to replace Dennis Arms, was sworn in by Mayor Henrick and took her seat on council.

Council also seems inclined to renew the 15-year-old lease with Trilogy Park to run the BMX track in Memorial Park, which will host a Gold Cup national race this weekend, with opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Mayor Henrick said she will poll the community on her Facebook page about whether they would like to see meetings held in each ward to improve communication. As former councilman Arms reminded us on Twitter, "It's been tried. Every council person I talked to- said it's a waste of time because no one shows up."

And Keller told council that, as instructed, he sent a letter to Digital First Media urging them to re-consider the closure of The Mercury building and moving the newspaper's operations to Exton.

If not successful in changing their minds (he won't be. We're already out.) he said he and Peggy Lee-Clark, director of PAID, will mount "an aggressive campaign to attract high-quality re-development to- this architecturally significant building."

And with that, here are the Tweets:

Passing the Baton

An Evergreen Garden

Photo by Evan Brandt

A mock-up of what the house-sized mural at 427 Chestnut St., overlooking the community garden, will look like when its finished. It was unanimously approved by council Wednesday night.

Even when winter’s snows blanket the borough’s first community garden in a few months, visitors will still be able to see flowers growing there thanks to a unanimous borough council vote Wednesday.

The vote approved a conditional use permit for the side of 427 Chestnut St. to be painted with a mural that faces the Mosaic Community Land Trust’s community garden next door.

Photo by Evan Brandt

Greg and Colleen Ciliberto own the home on which the mural

overlooking the garden will be painted.

The home, owned since 2012 by Greg and Colleen Ciliberto and, good neighbors that they are, they have given permission for their wall to be painted.

The project is an outgrowth of the Pottstown CARES group which undertakes a neighborhood clean-up once or twice a year and is a partnership of the borough, the school district, The Hill School and, more recently, Montgomery County Community College.

Assistant Borough Manager Erica Weekley told council that “art and culture are mentioned frequently at CARES meetings and the idea for the mural was inspired by the garden.”

Ellen Nelson, the chairperson of the art department at The Hill School said she agreed to organize the project but is not a muralist and so she was worried about pulling it off.

Luckily, she quickly found a local artist, Carrie Kingsbury of Promiseland Murals who volunteered to head it up.

A CARES team canvassed the neighborhood to find a design that everyone found pleasing, Nelson said.

“We wanted to evoke and inspire the community,” Nelson said.

A banner painted in the mural says “Pottstown Seeds for Success.”

The project will be made possible by a number of contributors, in addition to the Ciliberto’s contributing the wall of their house.

Reinhart Painting will help to put the primer down on which the mural will be painted, and the local Sherwin Williams store is contributing paint that will last as long as 18 years, Nelson said.

Lending a funding hand is the Rodney Day Fund, set up by an alumnus of the The Hill School.

Organizers hope to put up scaffold as soon as May 15 and finish by June 15 so that Pottstown and Hill School students will have a chance to participate in painting the mural.

“We see this as another visible way we can show the strength that is in our community,” said Weekley.

Land of the Fees....

A dollar here, a dollar there, pretty soon you're talking about real money.

Hands down, it's taxes that get the headlines. But there are other ways that Borough Hall gets you to pay.

They are the fees and fines you pay for everything from an inspection to a violation.

Each year, as the tax millage gets set in December, borough council also sets the fee schedule for the coming year and this month was no different.

When I asked Borough Manager Jason Bobst for a copy of the fee schedule, I didn't quite realize what I was getting myself into.

He sent it to me promptly enough, but when I opened the file I saw it was 28 pages. Not quite the little document I thought I would use to dash off a quickie blog post.



But I must admit, it did make for some interesting reading.

For example, did you know if you want to open an "adult" business in Pottstown, it will cost you $2,250 just to apply for a license and get one?

By contrast, a general business license only costs $25 per year.


Apartment inspections only cost $25 and you only need $132 for a permit to store explosive and blasting caps.

Obviously, I am not going to go through all 28 pages here. You can pick up a copy of the fee schedule at borough hall, or shoot me an e-mail at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com, and I'll e-mail you a copy of mine.

But I can tell you what's changed as a result of the resolution council adopted Dec. 12.

• Monthly rental fees for the original hangars at Pottstown Municipal Airport will increase to $231 per month;
• Monthly rental fees for the "new" T-hangars at the airport will increase to $307 per month;
• Monthly fees for "tie-downs" at the airport will be $78 per month come 2012.

The good news on the other changes is -- they're going down.

You may already know about the annual cost for trash collection, which will decrease from $314 per unit to $304 per unit. This decrease comes hand in hand with the arrival of the infamous "red bins" and a 50 percent decrease in the frequency of collections. (Down to once per week).

The other fee isn't just going down, it's disappearing.

All fees associated with the use of the "Bark Park," the fenced in area of Memorial Park where dog owners can let their dogs frolic freely, are eliminated, with the exception of a $10 key deposit, which requires proof of license and shots.

They all become effective Jan. 1.