The administrative meeting of the Board of Supervisors, held in the Township Building, was called to order at 8:10 a.m. by Chairman Kenneth Miller; also in attendance were Supervisor Zoë Perkins, Township Manager Allen Heist, Township Engineer Craig Kologie, and Township Code Enforcement Officer Robert Wideman.
Executive Session - Real Estate (St. Stephens Greene Water System):
St. Stephens Greene Board of Directors Tom Burghardt, Steve Steging, Scott Serafin, and Brenda Osberg, St. Stephens Greene resident Simon Raban, and Philadelphia Suburban Water Company representative Neil Phillips were present to discuss the Board’s position regarding the Homeowner Association’s request to explore options to reduce water rates for the St. Stephens Greene Water System.
PSW will provide the Township with an estimated cost and proposal for operation of St. Stephens Greene Water System and a second estimate for operation of the St. Stephens Greene and Wetherill Water Systems; the Planning Commission will address the proposal to amend the Zoning Ordinance.
Three estimates have been received for sand replacement at the St. Stephens Greene Wastewater Treatment Plant ranging from $18,000 to $25,000. There was some question from St. Stephens Greene residents regarding financial responsibility for the maintenance work, since the wrong type of sand was used during construction of the sand filters. Mr. Kologie advised that while the type of sand used was DEP approved, the sand was represented as per specification by the contractor, and not an act of negligence on the part of the Township. The Board’s position is that the homeowners serviced by the system are responsible for the cost of replacement. Mr. Wideman is investigating an alternate, more cost effective means to complete the project using the Township road crew; the Homeowners Association will be notified prior to start of work.
Brenda and Paul Fairchild, 43 S. Iroquois Lane (Wetherill Estates), were present to discuss the drainage situation and sidewalk issue relating to their property. Southdown Properties has installed an inlet and the sidewalk has been repaved, however, the sidewalk is approximately 6" lower than the roadway. Since there has not been a significant rainfall, Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild are not sure if the drainage problem has been satisfactorily addressed. The Township will contact Southdown Properties and request that they add sod to the strip between the sidewalk and roadway and feather the lawn from the sidewalk to the existing lawn. The Township Engineer will inspect the property regarding the drainage issue and report on their findings.
In an effort to reduce the number of signs in the parking area of the Township Park, Castle Valley Consultants has revised the parking lot plan by removing the exit and widening the entrance from 12’ to 20’, resulting in the elimination of all but one sign (stop sign) and an additional twenty parking spaces for future use. The Board indicated approval of the revised plan and authorized the Township Engineer to contact PennDOT to either amend the driveway permit or reapply for a new permit.
Craig Kologie also submitted the following:
A draft letter to the Woods of Callow Hill residents regarding relocation of the bus stop at St. Matthews and Malehorn Roads was approved for sending.
An estimate containing two options for reconstruction of the Flowing Springs Road Bridge was received from Traffic Planning and Design in the amount of $80,000 plus $37,000 engineering costs; a third estimate is expected to be received by Monday, November 27th.
Manager Heist, Robert Wideman, and Solicitor Greenwood are reviewing draft Decisions for the Massara Conditional Use and Gallagher Conditional Use; upon completion of the review process, the Decision will be forwarded to the Board and the applicants.
As a follow-up to Sandy Szilagyi’s concerns regarding safety at the St. Matthews Road/Conestoga Road intersection, Manager Heist reported St. Matthews UCC indicated that the demolition of the shed on the north side of Conestoga Road is on the January annual meeting agenda, with approval expected. The Church expressed an interest in conveying their property on the north side of Conestoga Road to PennDOT to facilitate realignment or improvement of the St. Matthews Road/Conestoga Road intersection. Manager Heist will contact PennDOT.
The Board reviewed the 2001 Budget with the following recommendations: add purchase of a service truck during the latter half of the year on a five-year lease with monthly payments; add $4500 for grader rental; employee payroll increase of 5%; SSG Sewer Fund capital reserve allotted for sand replacement; and amend the FEMA application to include Flowing Springs Road Bridge reconstruction. The Preliminary 2001 Budget will be completed by Monday, November 27th.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:05 a.m.