Borough Council Meeting, August 19, 2026
By Robb Helfrick
The Borough Council of Waynesboro met for its monthly meeting on August 19, and six of the seven panel members deliberated and decided on a variety of agenda items. The mayor, borough manager, solicitor, and borough department leaders were also present.
The meeting began with a remembrance of Charles “Chuck” Bittorie, a retired career firefighter who served in Waynesboro and died on July 1. Borough Manager Jason Stains read a tribute to Bittorie. “His experience, patience, and willingness to teach made a lasting difference in our department. But Chuck’s service went far beyond the fire department. He was active in his church and spent many years coaching youth football, touching the lives of countless young people throughout his community. Chuck was a man who believed in serving others, and he demonstrated that commitment throughout his life. The void Chuck’s passing has created in our community will not easily be filled.” Stains asked all in attendance to rise and observe a moment of silence in Bittorie’s honor.
Staff comments and reports were delivered next, with Ashley Sonntag-Bottomley, the Director of Renfrew Park and Museum, reporting that work was progressing to finish the new mill on the property.
Borough Manager Stains said the Verizon cell phone tower installation would begin around October 1 at the town’s maintenance center, and MVE Group expected to close on funding for the solar arrays on the former municipal golf course property by November 1.
Moving to committee reports, the Personnel Committee sought approval for a Parental Leave Policy, and the council voted its consent. The Street Committee recommended that the panel approve two upcoming autumn events: Mainstreet Waynesboro’s Market Day on October 3 and the Antietam Humane Society/Rough Edges Brewing “PAWS 5K” on October 10. Both events will utilize Waynesboro streets, and the council approved the necessary street closure for the former, which will close Main Street from Potomac to Broad Streets from 7 am to 4:30 pm on 10/3.
Later in the meeting, conducting New Business, the council approved a request from the Cumberland Valley Breast Cancer Alliance to place pink ribbons on downtown parking meters during October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Waynesboro Area Middle School was allowed use of Memorial Park on September 25 for its annual Walk-A-Thon. It was noted that all of these upcoming events were staged in prior years without any difficulties.
Another item added to the agenda that evening received a go-ahead from the borough council. A September 11th procession of first-responder vehicles will begin on Main Street and travel east from Waynesboro’s western boundary to Rouzerville’s Red Run Park, where a 9/11 memorial ceremony will be held. No streets will be closed for the procession, which will begin around 8:30 am.
The Borough Council concluded an earlier discussion by approving a Trailer and Non-Self-Propelled Vehicle Ordinance. Part of this new regulation will allow business owners in the industrial zone to park those vehicle types on streets adjacent to their businesses for 72 hours. This change was advertised publicly, and the council noted it received no opposition to the proposal.
The council accepted two new resolutions during the meeting. The first, 2026-12, approved a program revision to the Community Development Block Grant Program, a change that will facilitate the paving of North Potomac Street from Main to King Streets. The second resolution, 2026-13, authorized the sale of retired police firearms to a local dealer, Hilltop Arms.
The agenda item that generated the most discussion during the meeting was a waiver request by a Waynesboro property owner. They asked the council to eliminate a sidewalk requirement for a new home to be constructed at 867 Fairview Avenue and an existing home at 861 Fairview Avenue. This former single property was recently split into two parcels by the owner, who maintains both.
According to the borough, the subdivision agreement required the building of new sidewalks, even though other local homes on this section of Fairview Avenue do not have them. The homeowner argued that because of high installation costs, and the fact that these would be “sidewalks to nowhere” (unconnected to any other sidewalks), they should receive a variance.
Councilmen Brandon Boldyga and Randy Schriver balked at this idea, reminding the homeowners that they had signed the earlier subdivision agreement, thereby realizing that sidewalks were a requirement.
The councilmen also stated that the sidewalk mandate was a community safety issue, and when neighborhood properties are sold in the future, new homeowners could face the same requirement. Boldyga initiated a motion to deny the homeowner’s variance request, and after being seconded by Schriver, the council agreed to enforce the sidewalk code by a 4-1 vote.
After the public portion of the meeting adjourned, the borough council met in executive session to discuss personnel, litigation, and real estate matters.
