The regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors, held in the Township building, was called to order at 7:45 p.m. by Chairman Kenneth Miller; others in attendance were Supervisors Zoe Perkins and Karl Brachwitz (who arrived at 8:00), Manager Allen Heist, and Solicitor Allan Greenwood.

Mangan, Schuler & Nardone - The Independent Auditor's Report for the Berkheimer Associates Earned Income Tax audit for 1997 has been received. It indicates that all is in order.

Robinson - Mrs. Perkins made a motion to grant final approval to the Robinson final subdivision plan; it was seconded by Mr. Miller and carried 2-0.

Ludwigs Corner Fire Company/Griffith - Mrs. Perkins made a motion to grant final approval to this subdivision/lot-line change conditioned upon receipt of an approved DEP Form B waiver request; it was seconded by Mr. Miller and carried 2-0.

Official Map - In order to establish and adopt the PA Route 100 By-pass Corridor as part of the official map of West Vincent Township, Manager Heist was authorized to distribute copies to the Township and Chester County Planning Commissions for their review and to advertise a public hearing at the September 14 meeting of the Board

Employee Manual - Copies were distributed to Board members for their review. Suggested revisions from Solicitor Greenwood will be distributed and action will be taken at the next meeting.

Kimberbrae Trail - In response to a question from Wheeler Aman at the last meeting regarding the trail on the approved Kimberbrae subdivision, Manager Heist has researched the file and copied correspondence from 1993. On August 23, 1993 the Board made the decision not to open the trail to the public. Mrs. Perkins stated that since the Township is working on a plan for trails to be owned and maintained by the Township, any decision to open this trail now would be premature. To move on it now might mean the possibility of losing the entire system, which should be in place within 6-8 months. Mr. Aman had no problem with this and no action will be taken at this time.

Evans Farm - In an effort to move on the purchase of this property to relocate the Township building, the Matthews Meadows homeowners will be invited to attend the August 10 meeting of the Board to discuss the amendment needed to allow this to happen. Mrs. Perkins said that Mr. Evans's attorney, Steven Sugarman, does not believe that the farm is part of the homeowners agreement, and therefore no amendment is necessary. However, the approved plan shows 47 lots, the farm is one of those lots, and Solicitor Greenwood feels that it is necessary to receive a release from that provision of the agreement. A 2/3-majority vote is needed.

Municipal Utility Alliance - Through the Chester County Consortium of Township Managers, a plan for a joint bid for provision of electric and natural gas service is available to townships. The term of the agreement is 4 years. Solicitor Greenwood had concern about two items in the agreement (4-yr. Term and 180-day no competition bid clause). After a short discussion, the Board decided to wait at least a year and see how successful the program has been before making any commitment. Manager Heist will follow up on information from the Intermediate Unit of Chester County, which has a similar offer available. John Hoekstra noted that Green Valleys Association would be hosting a program on October 2 to discuss deregulation as it applies to residential needs.

Bid - Police Car - Through the State Piggyback Program, Warnock Fleet and Leasing has a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor available to township police departments for $20,594.00. The only option requested by Chief Ritschard is a prisoner partition between the front and back seats ($475.00). Mr. Brachwitz suggested also including a push bumper on the front ($350.00) and skid plates ($225.00), bringing the total to $21,644.00. Mr. Brachwitz made a motion to approve the purchase; it was seconded by Mrs. Perkins and carried unanimously.

Printer - The printer recently purchased as part of our computer upgrade has been deemed good for graphics and maps but not for letters. Mrs. Perkins made a motion to approve the purchase of an additional printer - a Lexmark 1255 laser printer, which will be more durable and has a larger memory capacity, at a price of $1,286.00; it was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and carried unanimously.

Lenore Richards had learned of the possibility of hiring a full-time policeman and wanted to know how long this had been under consideration, which she learned has been for at least the last year and one half. Mrs. Perkins and Mr. Brachwitz pointed out some of the reasons why this is being considered, included the fact that part-time officers are hard to hold onto after they are trained, because they are hired by other departments on a full-time basis. It is their desire to be ahead of a serious need, not caught behind. Chief Ritschard supports this position. He will continue as Chief of Police.

Mrs. Perkins made a motion to approve the bills list dated July 27, 1998; it was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and carried unanimously.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m., after which an executive session was held to discuss a matter of potential litigation.

Respectfully submitted,