bkibler@altoonamirror.com
City Council approved a separation agreement with former Manager Ken Decker on Monday, then appointed acting Manager Omar Strohm as Decker’s permanent replacement.
Decker will receive six months’ severance pay on his $132,000-a-year salary, health coverage and retirement contributions for that period and compensation for vacation and personal days he has accumulated, according to solicitor Tom Finn.
Strohm will receive a $25,000 raise, bringing his salary to $125,000.
Decker was placed on paid administrative leave in early April for unspecified reasons, although they were not because of any illegal actions, Finn has said.
As they have before, council members declined to say why they let Decker go.
cgiger@altoonamirror.com Former Altoona Curve Booster Club president John Prosperi (left) catches up with Bill and Kassy Olewiler, all of Altoona at the Curveâs home opener on Tuesday evening. Kassy is a booster club board member. / Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Twins Bisyr (center) and Zahyr O’Neil, 10, admire a baseball tossed to them by Altoona Curve catcher Deon Stafford at the home opener at PNG Field as they sit with their stepfather Julian Beasley, all of Altoona, on Tuesday evening. / Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Former Altoona Curve Booster Club president John Prosperi (left) catches up with Bill and Kassy Olewiler, all of Altoona at the Curveâs home opener on Tuesday evening. Kassy is a booster club board member. / Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
bkibler@altoonamirror.com
City Council may consider an ordinance that would allow it to prohibit the use of jake brakes, although council is likely to put the prohibition into practice for now only along 31st Street below Mill Run, where a prior study would justify it.
Jake, or engine retarder brakes, slow diesel trucks on downhills by releasing cylinder compression earlier than normal so the compressions which continue to occur even with the throttle off don’t propel the truck forward, according to a video from Jacobs Vehicle Systems, a manufacturer.
The engine brakes are noisy, which has resulted in complaints from residents of the 31st Street neighborhood, due to trucks whose drivers are seeking to reduce speed they’ve built up on the way down Mill Run Road.
City creates talent bank to garner spending advice | News, Sports, Jobs altoonamirror.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from altoonamirror.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Apr 20, 2021
Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico was right in calling the recently passed American Rescue Plan a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” It is imperative that the city make the best use possible of the estimated $41 million that Altoona will be receiving, to be spent by 2024.
Half of the money will be received this year and half, next year.
Based on the City Council’s April 12 discussion, officials did not express many ideas regarding how the money might be used.
More important, though, is that discussion about formation of a committee to consider project possibilities is now on the table, thanks to a suggestion by the mayor.