BELLEFONTE — Historic preservation, building codes and energy costs were among the leading topics during Bellefonte Borough Council’s meeting on Monday, Nov. 3.
Council heard public comments regarding the proposed demolition of the Beaver Farmhouse on Airport Road, owned by the Bellefonte Area School District.
Preservationists, architects, educators and residents urged the borough to delay demolition, citing the farmhouse’s pre-Civil War origins and educational potential. Among them were Penn State architecture student Sadie Belsky, agriculture teacher Miken Poorman and historian Matt Maris, who each emphasized the structure’s cultural and teaching value.
Jon Guizar, President of the Bellefonte Area School District, said the building is unsafe, non-ADA compliant and costly to maintain.
“We’ve determined over a decade now, there’s no viable path forward for that building to be a reasonable educational space that meets both our ED specs and ADA requirements,” Guizar said.
Council ultimately voted 8-1 — with Councilman Kent Bernier voting no — to table the demolition request for further review.
The evening’s most debated issue involved an exemption request from borough resident Zeb Smoyer, who sought relief from a property maintenance code requiring seven-foot ceiling heights for rental permits. Smoyer explained that his 1910 home’s upper floor measures slightly under that limit, and that similar exemptions exist in other municipalities.
After discussion and clarification from borough staff on the reason behind the height ordinance, council unanimously voted to have staff research into how other towns handle similar cases and return with a recommendation at the next meeting.
In other business, council approved a two-year fixed electric-rate contract with AEP Energy at 8.76 cents per kilowatt hour, a significant increase since the effective 2021 contract where the cost was 4.3 cents per kilowatt hour.
Council also adopted a Complete Streets policy and authorized volunteers from Faith United Methodist Church and contractor Daniel Zook to repair pavilions in Governor’s Park.
Final discussions touched on traffic safety at McAllister and High streets, where members voiced concerns about recent accidents, including an accident that occurred on Oct. 4 between a passenger car and school bus.
“Our streets committee, our Police Chief Whitmer and our Public works Superintendent Matt Aman have all worked diligently to make this intersection safer,” Council President Barbara Dann said, highlighting signs place along High Street. “These signs are great. My question is, do we have to wait until there really is a serious accident?”
“I think it’s a borough problem,” said Councilwoman Shawna McKean. “It’s something that has to be addressed by the borough. Whether it’s flashing crossing signs or speed bumps. There has to be something to slow people down.”
Dann stated that a four-way stop sign may help curb any potential accidents in the future and ask the Street Committee to investigate the issue further.
In additional matters, council held budget discussions, focusing on the fire department and special projects funds.
Members also approved a $3,145 contribution to the Spring Creek Watershed Commission’s 2026 monitoring project and moved several minor administrative items forward.
