MILL HALL — Mill Hall borough council moved forward on several major projects, including continuing pool renovations, a noise agreement tied to a local business and borough sidewalk updates, amongst other items during their April 28 meeting.

Pool and bathhouse

renovation plans

Members of the Mill Hall Dolphins were in attendance at the meeting to work with council on ongoing discussions about renovating the Mill Hall pool and bathhouse.

Council members reviewed updated testing data from CMT Labs, which confirmed structural strength despite variations in sample core sizes.

“The strengths are still correct,” explained councilmember Rick Hetzel. “They use a mathematical equation and it still comes up to the same as it would if it had been a six-inch core.”

Additional information from an inspection with Steve Merrick, a representative from the Department of Labor and Industry, indicated that bringing the bathhouse into ADA compliance may be less expensive than originally estimated.

“He said it’s not going to take much to get the bathhouse accessible,” Tom Bossert said. “So it’s a lot less work.”

Early projections suggest accessibility upgrades could cost significantly less than originally anticipated.

“If you pay more than $50,000 or $75,000, that’ll be a lot,” Mill Hall Dolphin Lenny Long said.

Council plans to meet with the project architect to revise plans and potentially rebid the work. Members expressed optimism that value engineering efforts could reduce overall costs.

Noise agreement approved

Council also approved an agreement tied to the development of a proposed noise ordinance involving The Valley Hotel.

The agreement is between the borough and business owner Tom Smith and involves drafting an ordinance and obtaining an exemption from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) regarding noise complaints.

“This would just be the approval of that agreement,” explained council President Derek Berry. “Then we can start moving forward.”

Enforcement under the proposed ordinance would rely primarily on resident complaints rather than decibel readings.

“There is no way to measure decibels properly,” Mill Hall Police Chief Brandon Coleman said. “If a person calls and complains, that person is going to have to be willing to testify.”

Smith said he’d share the agreement with his attorney before returning it to the borough office.

He additionally expressed his appreciation to borough council for their support in the process and emphasized that the business already follows strict closing times.

Officials noted the process could take several months due to required legal steps and PLCB approval but they will keep Smith up to date with the process.

Berming and sidewalks

discussed

Council reviewed a proposal to conduct ditch berming, or shoulder cutting, to improve road drainage and prevent standing water from Pine Creek.

However, council ultimately voted to table the proposal until additional measurements and planning could be completed.

“I think that maybe when we have the next road committee meeting, we will give measurements of what needs done,” vice president Derek Caris said.

Council also spent significant time reviewing ownership and maintenance responsibilities for borough sidewalks and alleys.

Confusion over historical property boundaries and outdated mapping records prompted discussion about the need for further verification through deeds and surveys.

“These maps are close, but they’re not right,” Coleman said. “That’s what causes us problems.”

Council voted to issue notices for repairs to the properties along the alleys discussed at the meeting after evaluating sidewalk responsibilities.

In other business, the council approved:

— Ordinance 2026-04 relating to outdoor furnaces.

— KCSD summer park program to use two pavilions from June 22 through July 31 from 9 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

— Borough community yard sales for May 29 and 30.