Hollidaysburg Borough Council names junior member
HASHS student Patel added to encourage youth involvement
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The Hollidaysburg Borough Council appointed Swayam Patel, a junior at Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School, as junior council member at Thursday evening's meeting in an effort to involve and educate the youth in the borough on local government.
In July 2024, council passed a motion for the borough to participate in the Junior Council Program sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs. While Patel is not the first junior council member, Borough Manager Ethan Imhoff said it's been a while since the borough has had a junior member.
As a member, Patel will assist on projects, attend and participate in monthly meetings, but is not permitted to receive compensation, vote on proceedings and attend executive sessions. This role will allow Patel to develop leadership skills and be mentored by borough officials.
"Swayam is a well-rounded student who will bring a fresh perspective to borough matters. I'm excited to have Swayam on board because it's always encouraging to work with the next generation leadership on opportunities for growth and advancement," Imhoff said.
Patel is a Hollidaysburg Borough resident and is a member of the cross country team, orchestra, marching band and is involved in several groups at school, including the student voice committee. He is also a volunteer track and field coach at the Blair Regional YMCA.
Wanting to be involved and make an impact on his community, Patel said after the meeting that he applied to be a junior council member because he felt encouraged to follow in his father's footsteps.
"I want to step up to try to be a big part of the community. I really love being a part of things and being a key figure, knowing I helped to make things happen," Patel said. "Me helping my community is enough of a reward for me."
His parents are immigrants and moved to the United States in 2008, and the moment they moved, Patel said his father jumped into local government, attending meetings wherever they were living.
However, when Patel's family moved to Hollidaysburg a few years ago, he said his father hasn't been as involved in local government, so he took initiative and is doing what he can to be an influence on the community.
During the meeting, Patel contributed his ideas to a conversation about lighting up Chimney Rocks with LED lights. At October's meeting, the council discussed the idea as an anonymous donor offered funding, but put it on pause until they had more information.
The topic was brought up again Thursday during public comment by Paul Kobac, who advocated for the project and offered $3,000 to get it started. After talking with councilman William Kitt, Kopac said he is excited about the project and believes that others in the community would be willing to donate.
"I think it's something good for the community," Kopac said. "Chimney Rocks would look very nice with lights up there at nighttime. I can see Chimney Rocks from where I live and sitting on my porch and seeing the lights out there would be very meaningful to me."
To provide the council with more details on the project, Richard Stringer, assistant director of Public Works, brought numbers to the table. He said to install the lights would cost about $34,000 with a yearly maintenance cost of roughly $10,000. In addition, there would be a monthly electric bill of $75, but a donor has offered to pay that every month.
Stringer said that he has received nothing but positive feedback about lighting Chimney Rocks and that it is something that the community would welcome.
The council made a motion to put a committee together to try to raise the money. Kitt, Kopac and councilman Sean Burke agreed to put forth their best efforts to come up with the money.
Patel proposed taking the project idea with him to school and all the groups he's a part of to see if anyone would want to donate or help with the fundraiser. He also believes that people would support the idea because Chimney Rocks is a popular and special spot for many.
Kitt was excited to see Patel helping and using his voice, noting that "it would be nice to get the young people involved."
In other business, the council also approved a proposal for a stormwater utility feasibility study with LSSE Civil Engineers. After the council reviewed their proposal, a contracted price of no more than $31,050 was allocated in the proposed 2027 borough budget for the project, half of which will be covered by the Hollidaysburg Sewer Authorities.
The study will examine the cost, benefits and organizational requirements for the borough to develop a stormwater utility as the study will provide an in-depth examination of the current and future costs of handling stormwater throughout the borough, Imhoff said.
With the results, the borough will be able to understand if having the stormwater utility will provide long-term benefits for residents.
Mirror Staff Writer Jayla Nartatez is at 814-946-7535.