CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Jones called the April 8, 2002 joint workshop meeting to order at 6 p.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT

Board of Supervisors

Robert Jones, Chairman

Robert Ziltz, Vice Chairman

Stephen Millard, Secretary/Treasurer

Gloria Zimmerman, Supervisor

Planning Commission

Jim Zeiters, Chairman

Doug Moore

Bill Gaffey

Dave Wingeard

Rick Bolt

OTHERS PRESENT

Betz England

Michael Rimer

Jon Yost

WORKSHOP BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION

Chairman Jones opened the meeting by explaining the purpose of the workshop. A major complaint in the past has been the lack of communication between the boards. Workshops are being held with all the boards in the township to improve communication, discuss any problems or ideas, and generally make things better.

Jim Zeiters did propose that someone present plans to the Supervisors in order to answer questions at that time. When Chris, the new Zoning employee, starts work in July, he will present these plans to the Supervisors. In the interim, Jim, as Chairman of the Planning Commission, should present plans.

There was general discussion of the planning process for the new school. It is expected that Chris will be on board to shepherd the school plans through the entire process. Several meetings have been held regarding the offsite conditions, mainly Piketown Rd. As an update, Chairman Jones reviewed the status of the school. Originally the plan was to purchase both the Jay Watson farm and the Andy Watson farm. This was scaled back to include just the one farm. Now they are looking at purchasing the second farm for a new elementary school due to rising enrollment. Doug Moore questioned the communication between the Planning Commission and the school. Many letters from the Planning Commission have gone unanswered. There is no current information on what will happen with the old school, however it is hoped that it will be made available to the township.

Mr. Rimer presented the latest RFP for the Comprehensive Plan revisions. The current plan is in good shape however it does need updating to include the sewer/water connections, to address the village zone, etc. There was discussion of the corridor from 81 south to Jonestown Rd., in the Winery-tavern-swimming pool area. There is a need for long range planning in that area. The question of the condition and width of the roads in the area was also raised and need to be considered in the long range planning.

The current issues, page 2 of the RFP, were discussed and definitely need upgrading to reflect the current status of several projects including the school, Blue Mountain Logistics park completion, and the Rte. 39 study underway. There was also a discussion on agriculture land preservation. It was decided that the issue should be to identify and set aside agriculture land for preservation.

Residential areas are also being used as buffers against encroaching commercial areas. The discussion regarding the increase in development demand also evolved to the issue of sewer development and what areas of the township would be served. Once sewer is available in an area, the pressure for development increases. However it is not economically feasible to extend sewer to existing small developments. The members also reviewed and discussed several different maps of the Township detailing both current and proposed sewer areas. Meetings have been held with the Swatara Sewer Authority regarding the capacity available to the township which leads to the basic question of how much public sewer do we want to have in the township. If public sewer is made available in a specific area, then development will follow. The two current problem areas were identified as Houck Manor, Terrann Dr. and Wells Dr, and Ritzie Village. These are the only areas left from the identification in the 10-year plan. There was much discussion regarding sewer capacities available and where to direct sewer lines which then directs development areas.

There was a discussion of zoning for housing developments and utilization of open space. This open space should be space that is usable for residents, not just wetlands or undevelopable land, which must be specified in the ordinance. The cluster-zoning concept allows for greater density in order to create greater open space and availability of recreation areas. It also allows for a more efficient means of providing sewer services and it is more economically feasible to provide township services such as road maintenance and plowing.

Mr. Yost confirmed that both the Board and the Planning Commission will have to address the philosophy of development in the coming years as the demand increases. A major part of the Comprehensive Plan revision will be the exchange of ideas between the consultant, the Supervisors, the Planning Commissioners and the public at meetings and through use of surveys.

The Ped Path study also has a tremendous impact on development and needs to be incorporated in the Comprehensive Plan. The addition of Recreation land must also be included in order to meet the needs of the new developments in the area. The possibilities accompanying the new school construction also impact the future availability of recreation areas. Soccer fields are desperately needed in the Township. The plan proposed by the Park and Rec. Board needs to be revisited.

The overwhelming feeling of the participants was to get the Comprehensive Plan Revision off the ground as soon as possible to address all these issues. The first step is to solicit interest from qualified planning firms and submit price quotes for performing the plan. The next step is to select a firm, enter into a contract, and iron out any financial issues in performing the revision. In the meantime the Planning Commission can be reviewing the policy maps, including the current comp plan, current zoning and general land classification, prepared by Howard Potter at HRG. Once the consultant is on board, the Planning Commission will probably be holding joint workshops with the consultant and the Board of Supervisors to address issues only of the Comprehensive Plan. In this way the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors work together to come to a consensus, which alleviates problems down the road. The comprehensive plan is in good shape as determined by the Planning Commission over the past year or so. The key elements for revision are the rationale for land use and transportation.

One other issue brought up was sidewalks. In many cases the sidewalks are not included on the plans, which makes it difficult to rule on a hardship case or a variance to not installing sidewalks. In other instances property owners are installing ped paths in lieu of sidewalks. It was agreed that common sense must come in to play when it comes to the question of installing sidewalks when there are no other sidewalks in the area. Any plan coming before the Planning Commission should be complete, including everything required by ordinance in the Township. Even if relief is given for the installation of sidewalks, they should be included on the plans.

There was considerable discussion regarding enforcing zoning issues after a project is completed. It was agreed that a project must match the plans approved by the Planning Commission prior to release of any final funds. There was no consensus of action for enforcement of apparent violations after a project is complete and the property is in use as designed.

One other adjustment to the RFP was to page 6, Task 6, to direct the consultant to coordinate with other studies already in progress. This would include the Rte. 39 corridor study.

Other discussion centered on the need for a local police force. The State Police force response time is very slow. The addition of the new high school also will increase the need for police. A regional force joined with Lower Paxton may be one answer.

The procedure for the RFP will be to advertise in the Patriot News plus issue invitations to bid. Interviews of the bidders will take place separate from the regular Planning Commission meetings. Bidders should also be required to supply approximately 10 copies of their bid for the commission members. Once a consultant is picked and work begins the Board of Supervisors will join in the joint workshop meetings. Copying the map may be more cost effective than having copies provided by HRG.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

Respectively submitted,

Steve Millard

Secretary/Treasurer

Transcribed by EK England