Sharpsburg historical commission to be codified by borough ordinance

Sharpsburg officials want to formally enshrine a commission dedicated to historic preservation into borough law.

Council unanimously voted April 24 to advertise an ordinance establishing a historical commission.

It is expected to be adopted on May 22.

The resolution, first establishing the nine-member volunteer commission, passed unanimously in June 2017.

It was proposed by former Sharpsburg mayor and current District Judge Matthew Rudzki, who was a councilman at the time.

Rudzki said he is not legally allowed to speak on pending legislation due to the rules of judicial conduct.

According to the resolution and ordinance, members must be borough residents and are appointed by council to four-year terms. Meetings occur at least once per quarter.

Its responsibilities include identifying significant architectural, historical and natural sites in the borough and maintaining a detailed inventory and map of these historic resources, including information data.

The commission will also create an awareness of borough history, from the native Americans to the present day, including cultural, agricultural, business, educational and religious endeavors, according to borough documents.

Kayla Portis, mayor and commission member, said the proposed ordinance is mostly for accounting purposes.

“We’re still able to have all of our functions,” Portis said. “The borough took over finances.”

Borough Solicitor Matt Kalina also said moving from resolution to ordinance establishment will not detract from the commission’s purpose. It may benefit it when seeking grants should an organization or foundation require an ordinance in its application.

Borough Manager Christine DeRunk echoed those comments.

“The reason we needed an ordinance was because the historical commission was created by resolution, but resolutions don’t get codified,” DeRunk said via email. “We wanted to codify the historical commission as an official commission, so we do that by ordinance. The language of the ordinance is the same as it was for the resolution, and there are no changes.”

Commission bank signatories are DeRunk, council president Adrianne Laing, the borough treasurer and finance co-chairs.

One of the commission’s preservation efforts is the Sharpsburg Sports Hall of Fame, made to honor outstanding individuals and teams from the old borough school.

The Sharpsburg School District merged with Fox Chapel Area in 1970. Its inaugural class was inducted in October 2023.

Inductees were Ronald “Bumpy” Powell, Jack “Mr. Versatile” Praski, Christa Salerno, Donald C. Shubert Jr. and the 1941 Sharpsburg Wolverines WPIAL champion basketball team.

Nominations for the next class are expected to be open within the coming weeks.

They can be for any player, team or team builder, such as a coach, equipment manager, broadcaster or someone who made a significant impact on a team. It is open to all sports.

Nominees must have lived in the borough at some point in time.

The commission is also involved in the borough’s Juneteenth celebration.

This year’s event is set for June 21 from noon-4 p.m. at Kennedy Park.

There will be live music, family-oriented entertainment, food and drink vendors as well as sellers of African apparel and accessories.

Local church groups and other nonprofits will have informational booths.

More information about the commission is available on the borough website, sharpsburgborough.com.