T-L Photo/JOSIE BURKHART Shadyside Mayor Robert Newhart on Monday discusses an ordinance to declare an emergency related to a water tank slip repair project on West 40th Street. More about the bids can be found on A7.

SHADYSIDE — A project to repair a slip on 40th Street will begin soon in Shadyside.

Jared Koski, staff engineer at May Engineering, said the hillside at West 40th Street and Monroe Avenue is slipping, causing the foundation of a water tower there to tilt. The tower has not been maintained in the last 30 days.

He said the tank needs to be drained and an interior rehabilitation of the tank performed. A new foundation should be built around the bottom of the tower and two piling walls need to be installed to stabilize the hillside. Once that is finished, maintenance of the outside of the tank will include washing it and putting on the nuts and bolts.

The village is seeking bids for the project. Bids will be opened at noon Dec. 6.

Ordinance 1873 was approved to authorize and direct the village administrator to advertise for bids for the work and declare an emergency. Councilwoman Lisa Duvall, Councilman Brandon Parr, Councilwoman Melanie Haswell, and Councilmen Sam Carpino, Robert Gorrell and Mark Meintel all voted in favor.

Ordinance 1874 to authorize the mayor and fiscal officer to enter a contract with Mid Atlantic Storage Systems Inc. to do interior reconditioning, repair and inspection of the 40th street water tower tank and declare an emergency also was unanimously approved.

Ordinance 1875 authorizing the mayor and the fiscal officer to contract with Portable Water Systems LLC to provide a portable tank for temporary water storage in Shadyside and declaring an emergency was unanimously approved as well.

Pastor Joel Traylor from New Life Fellowship attended the meeting to discuss the Christmas on the Loop event that will make its way to the village soon, starting with the Christmas tree lighting Nov. 26. Traylor asked for the “loop” portion of Central Avenue to be shut down from the Marathon gas station to Dairy Queen from 6-8 p.m. that day to accommodate two wagons doing hayrides and Christmas crafts.

Hot dogs will be available, provided by First Christian Church, along with cookies from the United Methodist Church, popcorn from LifeWise Academy and hot chocolate from Shadyside Chamber of Commerce. Santa Claus will arrive at 7:15 p.m. and Christmas songs and carols will be sung at the event.

“And, of course, it’ll be best if you all show up,” Traylor said. “So, we’d love for you to join us.”

Traylor also discussed the Christmas parade with lineup starting at 6 p.m. Dec. 6. Categories to be judged will include best fire truck, best dance team, best overall float and the most Christmas spirit. There will also be a house decorating contest. Winners will be announced Dec. 14. The category winners will be chosen by the chamber of commerce. The theme this year will be the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”

“At first I thought, well, I don’t know how much I like the Grinch whole idea, but I like the redemptive nature of the story,” Traylor said. “I like the fact of how it turns out in the end. So for that, we’re going with the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”

Shop Shadyside will happen from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 14 with vendors on the Loop.

Meanwhile, Village Administrator Erica Tamburin asked council to make a motion to create legislation to make three updates to the village pay scale.

Part-time patrolmen are currently paid $15 an hour. Duvall met with Fiscal Officer Jerry Elliot and Police Chief Don Collette, who recommended the hourly wage be changed to $20 an hour. The second proposed change is for the village’s part-time laborer year round. Tamburin asked for an increase from $11.77 an hour to $14 an hour.

The third change sought by Tamburin is to add the village janitor and maintenance position to the pay scale. Tamburin said the janitor is leaving, and the village will be able to replace the position and add in some maintenance responsibilities. She asked that pay for that post start at $14 an hour.

Council unanimously approved creation of the legislation.

The next council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 16 at the municipal building.