The regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors, held in the Township Building, was called to order at 7:43 by Vice-Chairperson Zoe Perkins (Chairman Miller arrived at 8:05); others in attendance were Supervisor Karl Brachwitz, Manager Allen Heist, and Solicitor Allan Greenwood.

Unanimous approval was granted for the minutes of August 10, 14, and 24 regular meetings, as well as the minutes of combined meetings for Ordinance update held on August 4 and 25. This was done with a motion from Mr. Brachwitz and a second from Mrs. Perkins.

Treasurer - Mr. Burnley reported: General account balance, $396,893.48; state account balance, $80,751.47; total, $477,644.95. Kimberton Sewer account balance, $23,493.01; Road Repair loan account balance, $32,788.41; St. Stephen's Green - Water account balance, $3,780.65, Sewer account balance, $18,024.96.

Tax collection - Received from Berkheimer Associates: Delinquent taxes and penalties, $3,279.06; Road Repair loan, $10,280.08; Earned income tax, $22,090.42; Total, $35,649.56.

Building Inspector - Mr. Law's report shows: 11 building permits issued in August, 38 inspections, 13 reviews, and 16 occupancy permits issued, with total fees of $2,890.40.

Zoning Officer - August report shows: 9 building permits reviewed and 9 zoning projects under review.

Police - August report: Regular report of mischief, citations, accidents, disturbances, and other complaints, plus speed lines restriped, new officer is patrolling independently, one vehicle hit a deer, and 20 alarms responses.

Fire Companies - Ludwigs Corner: 11 calls - 3 alarms, 4 accidents, 1 field/woods, 1 child trapped in a vehicle. Ridge - No calls in West Vincent.

Planning Commission - August 30 meeting: After correspondence, a presentation regarding the Northern Federation's Sustainable Watershed Management Program, zoning and subdivision issues were discussed. In answer to a question raised by a resident to Mrs. Perkins, it was explained that the reason a hearing for conditional use / zoning challenge application from The Hankin Group was being conducted at the same time as a by-right plan is under consideration is simply that this is allowed if they choose to do it this way.

EAC - September 9 meeting: A discussion regarding zoning for horses and a proposed commercial stable, correspondence, reports, zoning and subdivision issues.

Wayne Ross, M.D. - In a letter dated September 3, Dr. Ross states that he has become the victim of Lyme Disease and "was interested to see if spraying could rid the area of these pests." Manager Heist reported that the County Health Department is not aware of any program for this. Manager Heist will respond to the letter.

Brown - In a review letter dated today, the Township Engineer indicated that the information needed for recommendation regarding a driveway waiver is incomplete. Also, the Health Department's review of the planning module for this subdivision has not been received; therefore final approval will not be possible until the next meeting if all has been received. Unanimous approval was granted for a 30-day extension of review time for the Ellie Brown subdivision with a motion from Mr. Brachwitz and a second from Mr. Miller.

At 8:10 p.m., the meeting was interrupted to begin a PUBLIC HEARING to consider Ordinance No. 86-1998 for adoption. This ordinance is titled AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF WEST VINCENT, CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - ESTABLISHING AND ADOPTING THE "OFFICIAL MAP" OF PA ROUTE 100 BY-PASS CORRIDOR and was advertised in the Daily Local News on August 31. All potentially affected property owners were notified. Public comment was received from the audience, who voiced concerns about creating more problems, being only a short-term solution, "not a good idea", financing, increased traffic and traffic lights, more intense commercial development. At 8:17 Solicitor Greenwood interrupted the hearing to say that he did not believe the advertising had been carried out as required, thus making this an invalid hearing. Chairman Miller adjourned the meeting at that point, but continued to receive public comment as the regular meeting resumed. Additional concerns: "bottlenecking" of traffic, density bonuses for contributing to dedication of right-of-way for the by-pass, preference for widening Rt. 100 instead of by-pass. A lengthy discussion of pros and cons of widening Rt. 100 ensued, with these points being made:

1. Two structures along Rt. 100 would have to be demolished, which would add $$$ to the cost.
2. Let PennDOT bear the financial burden. PennDOT won't do it.
3. Growth is on the way, whether we plan for it or not. By being prepared, we can hope to eliminate serious problems in the future. Building the by-pass will not bring accelerated growth.
4. Buying right-of-way land for widening to four lanes would cost $$$. By planning the by-pass through undeveloped land, incentives would be given for developers to help build it. PennDOT has expressed that if it were 75-80% built by developers, they would then be willing to take over to finish it.
5. Developers may not cooperate in setting aside land for by-pass. Density bonuses come into play here.
6. Divided highways have been proven not to be conducive to increasing commercial activity because access is to one lane of traffic only.

Chairman Miller summed up the Board's general opinion by saying that planning for the future does not make one popular. The Board, however, is committed to going ahead, even though it may be 10-20 years until completion of this project. The hearing will be readvertised for September 28^th or October 12^th.

(Resumption of SUBDIVISIONS/LAND DEVELOPMENT/ZONING)

Keith Taylor - An application for a Conditional Use hearing to operate a commercial equestrian facility on a 12-acre property at 1303 Hilltop Road will be considered by the Board at the October 12^th meeting.

Hankin - Unanimous approval was granted for an extension of review time to October 26^th for The Hankin Group's by-right plan with a motion from Mrs. Perkins and a second from Mr. Brachwitz.

Springlea - Escrow release #2 in the amount of $104,719.50 was unanimously approved on a motion from Mr. Brachwitz and a second from Mrs. Perkins.

Nextel Communications has a continued zoning hearing scheduled for September 21^st. Nextel has requested permission to place a 180' communications tower on the west side of Rt. 100 where Eagle Machinery is located. There is a possibility that this hearing will be cancelled and an amended application will be received asking to place the tower on another nearby property that is wooded. The new proposal may ask for a 150' tower instead of 180' due to the new location, which is on higher ground.

Bid award for Township Park - Manager Heist reported that this bid should not be awarded tonight. Since some of the financing for this work is to come from a County grant, the County had asked for a letter from the Township Engineer indicating their recommendation of the recipient of this award. The Engineer's letter was not specific enough, and the County has asked for a letter from the Township before they will approve the recipient. The bid will be awarded at the Supervisors Workshop session on Monday, September 21^st at 11:00 a.m.

PennDOT's Highway Turnback Program - PennDOT is offering $527 per lane mile for handling winter maintenance only. For St. Matthews Road alone this would amount to approximately $5,000, which the Board agreed is not enough if the winter maintenance is heavy.

Employee Manual - Two proposed revisions were presented by Manager Heist. 1) Health and life insurance coverage: The Township plan includes health and life insurance for each employee working 20+ hours per week, if desired. The proposed revision would add the dependents of employees and would pay 100% of the coverage (75% now). 2) Comments have been received from Patrick O'Donnell concerning drug and alcohol testing. Manager Heist will make the necessary revisions and present them for approval at the next meeting.

Line striping @ Rt. 100 & 401 - This item was put on hold until improvements to this intersection being done by Ludwigs Village were completed. Restriping is still needed for crosswalks and stop bars. Two estimates have been received: State Line Striping, Inc., Phoenixville, PA - $320.00 and Martelli Pavement Marking, Mertztown, PA - $435.00. Mr. Brachwitz made a motion to award this job to State Line Striping, Inc.; it was seconded by Mrs. Perkins and carried unanimously.

Rt. 401 @ St. Matthews Road - Mrs. Perkins asked about correspondence from PennDOT some time ago that they were going to fix the bridge on Rt. 401 where it intersects with St. Matthews Road. Manager Heist reported that after PennDOT took a close look at what was needed, they decided it was not doable at a reasonable cost.

C.C.A.T.O. - Notice has been received that the Fall County Convention will be held on Thursday, November 12 at 6 p.m. this year. The cost is $34.00 per person. Manager Heist indicated that he thought he could attend. Reservations must be made by November 3.

Police - West Vincent Township will have its first full-time policeman as of October 1. Acting upon recommendation from Chief Barry Ritschard, the Board approved the hiring of Officer Karl Jones at a starting salary of $35,000/yr. plus benefits (approx. $46,000 total) with a motion from Mr. Brachwitz and a second from Mrs. Perkins, which carried unanimously.

Rt. 100 - 1) As requested by the Police Department, Manager Heist will do a speed study on Rt. 100 from Nantmeal Road to Horseshoe Trail, where there is no posted speed limit. 2) There have been two recent incidents at Ludwigs Corner which have involved the traffic light pole on the southeast corner at the intersection of Rts. 100 & 401. Manager Heist is attempting to schedule a meeting with PennDOT and our traffic consultant to discuss possible options.

Mrs. Perkins asked the other Board members how they felt about removing any of the pictures on the walls of the meeting room which were prepared by Pete Martin many years ago and donated to the Township. She has had a request from a family member who would like to have his/her parents' picture. Since they were a tax write-off when they were given to the Township, there was some question as to whether they could be sold. While that is being investigated by Solicitor Greenwood, Mrs. Perkins was granted permission to take one picture to have it appraised and also to see if it could be copied effectively.

Edith Minnick questioned why she had received a letter from the Zoning Officer that she needed to place a swale at the end of her driveway or have it crowned in order to prevent run-off from reaching Hollow Road. The driveway will be blacktopped on Tuesday. Mrs. Minnick was allowed to make her own decision as to how she wanted it done since she does not believe she has contributed to run-off on Hollow Road.

Mrs. Perkins made a motion to approve the bills listed on the bills list dated September 14, 1998; the motion was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and carried unanimously.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,