The regular meeting of the West Vincent Township Board of Supervisors was held on the above date at the Township Building. Chairman Kenneth Miller called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.; others in attendance were Supervisors Karl Brachwitz and Zoë Perkins, Township Manager Allen Heist, and Township Solicitor Allan Greenwood.
Bid Award:
Mrs. Perkins read the base bids (prior to additions and deletions) received on August 21, 2000 for general/site construction of the West Vincent Township Municipal Complex, 729 St. Matthew Road as follows:
| Goldrock Custom Builders | $775,000 |
| The Fayette Group, Inc. | $813,000 |
| Edward A. Reider, Inc. | $913,500 |
A motion was made by Mr. Brachwitz to formally reject all bids received and substantially redesign the project; the motion was seconded by Mrs. Perkins and carried unanimously. A letter will be sent to all bidders thanking them for their time and effort.
Correspondence:
Correspondence was received from Green Valleys Association thanking the Township for their budgeted contribution of $1,000. Manager Heist advised the Board of a media event pertaining to the demolition of the Arena Slaughterhouse at the corner of Hollow Road and Pughtown Road scheduled for September 13th at 10:00 a.m.
A copy of proposed amendments to Landscapes and Chester County 2020 Map was received from the Chester County Commissioners; there are no amendments proposed for West Vincent Township.
A letter was received from Stephen V. Siana regarding the condition of the gravel portion of Bartlett Lane. Mr. Miller stated that R.W. Fetters, Inc. is scheduled to grade gravel roads, including Bartlett Lane, during the next two weeks.
Approximately fifty Matthews Meadows residents have submitted letters addressing concerns regarding the dedication of the Matthews Meadows Community and requesting assistance from the Township in either requiring Berman Builders to complete the work according to an agreed upon schedule or using the bond posted by the builder to correct the remaining problems. A copy of the form letter has been forwarded to Berman Builders; Manager Heist will request a more detailed punchlist from the Homeowners Association.
Subdivision/Land Development/Zoning:
Andrew Johnson, President of Conservation Advisors, Inc., was present to submit a draft copy of a Conservation Easement and Declaration of Restrictions and Covenants document for the Robert Burch property on Kimberton Road. The 8.88 acre wooded property has an existing house and under the Conservation Easement would be perpetually preserved from certain uses. The document will be reviewed, the issue of endowment discussed, and the West Vincent Township Land Trust will consider accepting the Conservation Easement at their September 5th meeting. In the interim, Mr. Johnson will place the Burch easement in the North American Land Trust with the provision to transfer.
The Board unanimously acknowledged receipt of a subdivision extension agreement to September 30, 2000 for the Owen J. Roberts School District Subdivision (Griffith property) upon a motion from Mr. Brachwitz and second from Mrs. Perkins.
Mrs. Perkins moved that the Board acknowledge receipt of a subdivision extension agreement for the Kling Family Subdivision extending review time to November 4, 2000 conditioned upon Vincent Kling agreeing in writing to the November 4th extension date, which was verbally authorized; if Mr. Kling fails to do so, the Board will hold a meeting on Thursday, August 31st at 8:00 a.m. to approve or deny the subdivision plan; the motion was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and carried unanimously.
A motion was made by Mrs. Perkins, seconded by Mr. Brachwitz, to notify Southdown Properties, Inc. by certified mail that the Township affirms and accepts the findings of the Township Engineer’s report on Wetherill Estates in conjunction with the offer of dedication by the developer; the motion was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and carried unanimously.
The Zoning Hearing Board will meet Tuesday, September 12, 2000 at 7:00 p.m. to consider the application of William S. Hare Jr., 1721 Sheeder Mill Road, for special exception to Section 405 G.6.a. to construct an addition onto the existing farm house. Zoning relief is required because this is an expansion of a non-conforming building.
The Board acknowledged receipt of a conditional use application from Joseph and Bernice Gallagher; the hearing will be held Monday, October 23, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. The applicants desire to use their property located on the south side of Conestoga Road, 800 feet southeast of the intersection of Conestoga Road and St. Matthews Road, for construction of a driveway, on-site sewage system, stormwater management facilities, and cuts/fills within precautionary slopes and construction of driveway and cuts/fills within prohibitive slopes.
Old Business:
A draft ordinance enacting a twenty-five miles per hour speed limit on Saw Mill Road was reviewed; the ordinance will be advertised for adoption.
Mrs. Perkins moved to adopt Resolution 10-2000, accepting the Deed of Dedication of Barrington Lane to be part of the West Vincent Township public road system; the motion was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and carried unanimously.
Mrs. Perkins asked the status of the embankment improvements on the section of Sheeder Mill Road that had the earth slope erode away during Hurricane Floyd last year. Manager Heist advised he is waiting for a response from property owner Mrs. Helen Parke authorizing the Township to proceed with final grading, filling with topsoil, and seeding the embankment; a second letter will be sent.
The Township Solicitor and Board are awaiting a response from Fronefield Crawford regarding the trailer parked on the Hall property, Birchrun Road, and verification that the property conforms to zoning regulations.
New Business:
PennDOT submitted a Winter Traffic Services 5-Year Agreement for review. The Township would be responsible for snow and ice removal on Hollow Road, between Flowing Springs Road to the covered bridge, and Flowing Springs Road, between Hollow Road and St. Matthews Road, at a rate of $565 per lane mile. Solicitor Greenwood brought up the question of liability; Mr. Miller will look into the availability of additional equipment. The discussion was postponed until the September 11th meeting.
The 2000-2001 Snow and Ice Removal bid will be prepared for advertising.
Business from the Floor:
Jane Vasile asked for an update on the Township Park playing fields; the fields will tentatively be available Spring 2001. The playground equipment will be installed this year, the walking path is scheduled to be paved in September, and the butterfly gardens planted following the paving project.
Bills List:
Mrs. Perkins made a motion to pay the bills on the Bills List dated August 28, 2000; it was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and carried unanimously.
There being no further business, Mrs. Perkins moved that the meeting be adjourned; the motion was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and the meeting adjourned at 8:33 p.m. An executive session was held regarding real estate matters.
Respectfully Submitted,