WEST HANOVER TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
7171 ALLENTOWN
BOULEVARD, HARRISBURG, PA 17112
MONDAY, MAY 20, 2002
REGULAR MEETING
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Jones call the May 20, 2002, regular meeting of the West
Hanover Township Board of Supervisors to order at 7 PM with a moment of silence
in honor of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.
ROLL CALL
Robert
Ziltz, Vice Chairman
Steve
Millard, Secretary/Treasurer
Earl
Hoffman
Gloria
Zimmerman
PUBLIC COMMENT
SUPERVISORS COMMENTS
Mr.
Millard -
Mr. Millard had no comments.
Mrs.
Zimmerman -
Mrs. Zimmerman had questions regarding trash and Waste Management. It appears that large items are not being
picked up in a timely manner. Mr. Rimer
will contact Waste Management to investigate the matter.
Mrs.
Zimmerman was also concerned about the log cabin and the destruction to the
flagpole. She would like a contact made
to the State Police to keep a watch on the area to help prevent vandalism.
Mrs. Zimmerman has
received a phone call about sewerage running down the road at 7221 Sleepy
Hollow Rd. She would like the SEO check
on it.
Mrs. Zimmerman questioned the problem in Ritzie Village of
rainwater running off the road and laying on the septic system. Mr. Rimer will investigate further. She also brought to light the problem of a
driveway on Piketown Rd. washing out.
This was opened for logging purposes several years ago and then should
have been closed. It has not been
closed and heavy rains wash the mud and gravel out onto Piketown Rd. Mr. Rimer will investigate the matter.
Mr.
Jones – Mr.
Jones reported to the Board on the Township Errors and Omissions Insurance
Policy. Our past annual premiums were
approximately $2500. The premium for
renewal this year, May 15 through Dec. 31, 2002, is approximately $25,000. Our insurance agent contacted 8 companies
for quotes, however only 2 offered insurance.
One company offered insurance at approximately $10,000 less but this
policy would not cover all members of both the Board of Supervisors and the
Water and Sewer Authority. The company
that was chosen offered full coverage for both entities and was able to prorate
the insurance to expire Dec. 31, 2002.
It has come to light that the Township is paying for this insurance for
both the Board of Supervisors and the Water and Sewer Authority. The Water and Sewer Authority does reimburse
the Township for other insurances provided (i.e. worker’s compensation,
commercial); however they have not done so for the Errors and Omissions
Insurance. Mr. Rimer and members of the
Board of Supervisors are investigating splitting the premium cost between the
two entities. This split could not be accomplished
for this years’ renewal due to time constraints. A meeting is scheduled with the Township insurance agent, Joe
Decembrino, to discuss ways to divide the proportions of insurance out. Any options that are devised will be
reported back to both the Board of Supervisors and the Water and Sewer
Authority.
Mr.
Millard stated that the insurance was very expensive with a deductible of
$75,000 and coverage to one million. He
proposed looking into self-insurance.
There was discussion on the pros and cons of self-insurance with the
general feeling that our $75,000 deductible was a form of self-insurance. There was also some confusion as to the
status of the Water and Sewer Authority as a separate entity from the Township.
Mr.
Jones brought up the condition of the roads.
It has been several years since the Supervisors conducted a road
inspection. It was decided to conduct a
road inspection on Wednesday, June 12, 2002, leaving from the Township building
at 5:30 PM. All of the supervisors, Mr.
Harmon, and Mr. Rimer will perform this inspection. The road inspection will be advertised as an activity of the
Board of Supervisors.
Mr.
Jones also questioned the bill from Delta Development. They were requested to send a detailed
report with any invoices, which has not been done. Mr. Rimer was asked to have a representative from Delta
Development at the next meeting to give the Board a full report and current
status.
Another
article regarding the Route 22 project appeared in the Lebanon newspaper. A letter has been sent to PennDot requesting
more information on the study.
Mr.
Jones commended Mr. Harmon on the Public Works report presented to the
Board. Mr. Rimer stated that new
reports are coming up. The Board would
still like the detail of the hours spent on each project to appear on the
report.
PUBLIC HEARING/MEETINGS - None
PRESENTATIONS
Mr.
Cieri reported on the current status of Clover Lane. They need 4 or 5 easements yet and are waiting for one more bid,
expected by the end of this week. Once
these items are received they want to proceed with work on the North side (from
the pump station on the north side of Sagewicke out to Rte. 22). He expects construction to start within 30
days. On the south side (from the pump
station at Sagewicke out to Greenhill Rd.), Mr. Houck prefers to wait for one
or two years before doing the improvements, for economic reasons. The bids for the south section improvements
are approximately $200,000. There was much
discussion on the poor and dangerous condition of the south section of the road
and the need to have this section completed as soon as possible. The improvements to Clover Lane were
included as part of the Phase 1 approval.
The impression left with the Board and the residents was that the road,
from Greenhill Rd out to Rte. 22, would be completed this year. Mr. Brulo, Township Engineer, stated that a
delay of a year or two was unacceptable.
There was also some concern with the costs of the south section. Our loan guarantee for that section is
$71,000, which is considerably less than the stated $200,000 to complete the
work. Mr. Brulo stated that part of the
cost difference might be that the Township has not assessed the annual increase
for inflation, which may be up to 10%.
There
was much discussion about the Board’s displeasure with the delay in completing
the southern section and options available to the Township. Mr. Yost preferred not to go into all the
options in a public forum and wanted to research the legal options before
stating an opinion. He felt that it did
make sense from a construction standpoint to complete the whole road at
once. Mrs. Zimmerman and Mr. Millard
want both sections done right away. Mr.
Hoffman wants a workshop with the developer to discuss the options. After much discussion the consensus was to
have Mr. Cieri take the message to Mr. Houck that the road should be completed
as soon as possible with a finish date prior to September 1, 2002. Mr. Yost proposed that Mr. Houck provide a
commitment, in writing by May 28, 2002, to complete the road this year.
B. Clover Lane Improvement Project – John
Kershner, of Fine Line Homes, Inc.
Mr. Kershner was present at the meeting to observe,
provide an update on their project, and find out what recourses are available
to get the road completed. The Mayberry
project was designed and predicated on the new Clover Lane. They had a clear understanding that the work
on Clover Lane was to be done by this past spring. They are ready for the road to be in place. They have stopped work on curbing and the
intersection because the road is not completed. There are homes under construction that need Clover Lane as their
access point. These homes will be
completed by September.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
B.
Regular
Meeting – May 6, 2002. Mr. Hoffman
moved, seconded by Mr. Millard, to approve the minutes of the regular meeting
of the Board of Supervisors of May 6, 2002.
Motion passed unanimously.
C.
Workshop
Meeting – May 13, 2002, Planning Commission.
Mr. Hoffman moved, seconded by Mr. Millard, to approve the minutes
of the workshop meeting of the Board of Supervisors of May 13, 2002. Motion passed unanimously.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Mr.
Millard read the Treasurers report:
Liquid Fuels Balance as of May 3, 2002 $549,439.01
Mrs. Zimmerman moved,
seconded by Mr. Hoffman, to approve the payroll of May 3, 2002. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Rimer introduced a change in the format of the report. In order to be more efficient, more
accurate, and provide more useful information the treasurer’s reports will be
produced directly from the accounting system, MAS 90, instead of an excel
spreadsheet. These reports will include
an accounts payable report, the daily transaction register (sorted by account
categories), a check history report (invoices paid to avoid late fees), and the
detail of each invoice to be included with all the invoices for background
information.
There
was a question on the status of the billing from HRG for the Ped Path. Exact figures were not available but it was
estimated that approximately $10,000 of the original $40,000 was yet to be
billed.
There
was also a question on the identification of each of the PP&L bills. The current identification may not be
accurate and a current project is underway to identify what each account and
billing is for.
Mr. Ziltz moved, seconded by
Mr. Hoffman, to pay the vouchers of $69,999.90. Motion passed unanimously.
PLANNING COMMISSION REPORTS AND PLANS
B.
#02.003 F/SB Ray
E. & Grace E. Kuntz, 590 Hershey Road
Mr. Steven Todd, a
representative from Light & Heigel, presented the plans to consolidate 4
separate lots into one lot at 590 Hershey Rd.
The current zoning of all 4 lots is Hanoverdale Hamlet. With the consolidation Mr. Kuntz will be
able to construct an assessory building without the land development
process. There was a clarification of
the waiver of Dedication of Public Land Requirements, which by code is not
required for lot add-ons or yard extensions with no new residential
development. Mr. Hoffman moved, seconded
by Mrs. Zimmerman, that the Board of Supervisors waive the West Hover township
Subdivision and Land Dev le9opment Ordinance for submission of preliminary plan
requirements, stormwater management plan, wetland study, dedication of public
land requirements and direct the planning commission memorandum be incorporated
into and made part of this motion.
Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Hoffman moved, seconded by Mr. Millard, to
approve the Ray E. & Grace E. Kuntz final subdivision development plan
#02.003, 590 Hershey Rd., tax parcel #68-039-035 contingent upon: Section
173-11.B(2)(p) Surveyors/Engineers certification shall be executed; Section
173-11.B(2)(q) & (r) Certification
of ownership and dedicatory statement shall be signed and notarized; Section
173-11.B(2)(cc) Sight triangle shall be shown on the Plan; and other items as
determined necessary by the Township. Motion
passed unanimously
C.
#02.004 F/SB
Bradford Estates Phase II, Richard Yingst, Jonestown Road & Sarhelm Road.
Mr. Brian Fincher, a representative from Navaro
& Wright, presented the plans for Bradford Estates. We have received a letter from Township
Engineer Al Brulo regarding the improvement guarantee. We also received a call from Rich Snyder,
Dauphin County Conservation District, apologizing for the delay and assuring us
that the plan is moving forward through their process. There was a clarification of the phasing
schedule that has been renumbered since the preliminary plans were approved. Mrs.
Zimmerman moved, seconded by Mr. Hoffman, that the Board of Supervisors waive
the West Hanover Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance for
submission of school district review, temporary turnarounds, stormwater report
and direct the Planning Commission memorandum be incorporated in to and made
part of this motion. Motion passed unanimously
Mrs. Zimmerman moved, seconded
by Mr. Hoffman, to approve the Bradford Estates Phase II final subdivision
development plan #02.004, Richard Yingst, owner, tax parcel #68-028-042 &
115 contingent upon: approval of the new phasing schedule; review and approval
of the homeowner’s association bylaws by the Township Solicitor; posting of the
proper improvement guarantee; executing of a development agreement; approval of
the erosion & sedimentation control plan by Dauphin county Conservation
District; paying of the required fee in lieu of land dedication; standard
wetland certification shall be added to the plan; landscape plan shall be
sealed by a landscape Architect; other items as determined necessary by the
Township. There was a question about including the May 15 memo
from Al Brulo, township Engineer. Mrs. Zimmerman amended her motion to
incorporate the recommendations of the May 15 memo from Al Brulo, Township
Engineer. Motion as amended was passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS
C. Underground Storage Tank Ordinance and Enforcement Agreement
with PA DEP: The Board has never
taken any formal action on this matter; therefore it was brought up for
discussion and action. Mr. Millard is
working on an agreement with DEP with the ordinance to follow later. It was felt that there also needs to be an
expense projection when discussing this matter. Once Mr. Millard and Mr. Yost have finished the agreement, the
matter will once again come before the board.
D. Village Zoning – Inter-use buffer yard requirement revision to
Zoning Ordinance: Frank Chlebnikow
will prepare a recommendation to the Board regarding the large buffer
requirements between uses in the Village zoning district.
E. Authorize Advertisement of Sexually Oriented Businesses zoning
ordinance amendment: This project
has been put on hold until the new Township Planner/Zoning is on board. This matter is tabled.
F. Authorize Advertisement of Township Zoning Ordinance – MPC Act
67 and 68 and Act 2 of 2002: This
item is tabled until the June 3, 2002, meeting.
G. Sign Installation Proposal (“No Right Turn on Red” Signs) at
Jonestown and Allentown Blvd: Two
quotes have been received for the “No Right Turn on Red” signs that were
proposed for Jonestown Rd at the intersection with Allentown Blvd. There was much discussion on the traffic
flow at this light. The biggest problem
appears to be vehicles on Route 22 making U-turns at the light at the same time
as vehicles on Jonestown Rd. making right turns on red onto Allentown
Blvd. However, PennDot designed this
traffic light as a safe haven for U-turns.
Mr. Brulo, Township Engineer, addressed the issue of U-turns at the
light, encouraging the U-turns at the light where it is protected. He cited the vehicle code stating the
vehicle performing a U-turn must yield to all other traffic. At the light, both the U-turn and the right
turn on red vehicles are moving at a relatively slow rate of speed. There was much discussion on the length of
the light, specifics of the motor vehicle code, current enforcement by police
officers. Mr. Millard moved,
seconded by Mrs. Zimmerman, to install “No Right Turn on Red” signs at the
intersection of Jonestown Rd. and Allentown Blvd. Motion failed with 2 for and 3 against the motion.
H. LED Light-bulb replacement project: A quote was received to upgrade the traffic lights to the LED light system. The lights at Rte 39 and Jonestown Rd. are already LED and are owned by Pilot. The cost for upgrading the lights at Rt. 22 and Rt. 39, and Rt. 22 and Jonestown Rd. totals $12,071. No money has been budgeted for this upgrade. Mr. Rimer would like to prepare a payback analysis and review the budget prior to action on this matter. Mr. Hoffman moved, seconded by Mr. Ziltz, to table this matter. Motion passed unanimously.
I. Opticom signal preemption project: A quote has been received from C.M. High for
a preemptive system at the Township traffic lights. This would entail installing the system at the three light
systems and also provide emitters on the emergency vehicles. The bid is for almost $25,000 at the lights
with an additional $1200 for the unit in each emergency vehicle. The Board felt that the system was just too
expensive to address at this time. Mr.
Ziltz moved, seconded by Mr. Hoffman, to set this matter aside as a potential
project to be revisited at budget time.
Motion passed unanimously.
J. Ordinance 2002-4 – Adoption of Chapter 79 – Building Code
Board of Appeals: There was quite a
bit of discussion regarding the number of members of the Board of Appeals. There was a question of the number of
qualified people available to serve on the Board. The general consensus was a board with 3 member and 4 alternates. More study of Appendix E needs to be done
before the Board can act on the matter.
Mr. Ziltz moved, Mr. Hoffman seconded, to table the matter. Motion passed unanimously.
J. Gas Heating System Improvement Project – Public Works Building: Three quotes have been received for upgrading the heating system at the Public Works building. Mr. Harmon recommends using UGI as contractor. Mrs. Zimmerman moved, seconded by Mr. Millard, to accept the bid by UGI to upgrade the gas heating system at the Public Works building at a cost of $6,459. Motion passed unanimously.
K. Ordinance 2002-5 – Adopt amendments to Chapter 144 – “Plumbing” of
the Township Code of Ordinances. The
changes to the Plumbing code are very minor and have been advertised. Mr. Hoffman moved, Mr. Ziltz seconded,
to approve amendments to Chapter 144 “Plumbing” of the Township Code of
Ordinances. Motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS
A. BOS Conference Authorization Twp. Code Section 607. (4): No report.
B. Authorize Application of Public Fire Hydrant – Woodruff Way: This new hydrant will trigger a hydrant tax on all residents within 780 feet of the new hydrant. Mr. Ziltz moved, seconded by Mr. Millard, to authorize installation of a public fire hydrant on Woodruff Way. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Resolution 2002-32 – Appointments to openings on the Park and Recreation Board: There are three open seats on the Park and Recreation Board with 4 applications received to date. The Park and Recreation Board reviewed all the applications, felt all the candidates were qualified, and made no recommendations to the Supervisors. There was a recommendation made to attempt to diversify the membership in terms of gender, interests, etc. There is a possibility of an opening on the Planning Commission. One candidate has a greater interest in serving on the Planning Commission. One candidate is very active in baseball; the majority of the current Board is overwhelmingly involved in baseball. In the interest of diversity on the Board, the consensus was to look for more candidates to fill the vacancy. Mr. Hoffman moved, Mr. Ziltz seconded, to appoint Sharon Cassel to fill the remaining term of seat #4, expiring 2003, of the Park and Recreation Board. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Millard moved, Mr. Hoffman seconded, to appoint Wendy Bratina to fill the remaining term of seat #6, expiring 2004, of the Park and Recreation Board. Motion passed unanimously.
D. Resolution 2002-33 – Adoption of recommended park project priorities for the West Hanover Township Comprehensive Park, Recreation and Open Space Plan. After the recent workshop meeting with the Board, the Park and Rec Board reviewed and revised their priorities for projects. One item that was specifically pointed out was the municipal park site study for property in the back of the township building. The board recommended that the item be a low priority even though money has been budgeted from the park development fund. The Park and Rec board’s main focus was regarding the caboose. They felt the caboose should be incorporated into a study of the use of the entire property. At this time the Park and Rec Board has decided it is a low priority. The matter now reverts to the Board of Supervisors for action on the studies, currently in hand, for the project. There was reluctance to address the matter of this property with the situation of the school being up in the air. The consensus was the matter should remain a low priority. Mr. Hoffman moved, Mr. Ziltz seconded, to adopt the park project priorities for the West Hanover Township Comprehensive Park, Recreation and Open Space plan. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Resolution 2002-34 – Authorization to PPL Electric Utilities Corporation permission and consent to construct and maintain electric line facilities at Skyline Commons Park. This is related to the upgrade of the facilities at the new pavilion at Skyline Park. Mr. Hoffman moved, Mr. Ziltz seconded, to adopt the resolution to authorize PP&L to construct electric line facilities at the Skyline Commons Park. Motion passed unanimously
CORRESPONDENCE:
The only discussion was regarding the letter from Al Brulo, Township
Engineer, about a change in DEP regulations for stormwater, from monitoring the
quantity to monitoring the quality.
OTHER BUSINESS THAT MAY COME
BEFORE THE BOARD
There was a brief discussion regarding the
information on State Rd projects within West Hanover Township and the funding
commitments for major road improvements.
There was also a discussion of information on a
lawsuit brought to the Dauphin County Board of Assessment Appeals. A copy of the appeal was furnished to the
Township; as a taxing authority the Township may intervene in the matter.
REPORTS
Solicitor: Mr. Yost has not received a response from
Lower Paxton on the Steinmier matter and will continue to follow up.
PUBLIC COMMENT: No comments.
SUPERVISORS COMMENTS
Mrs. Zimmerman inquired
about the status of the security system downstairs and the ability to allow
groups to use the room downstairs after normal business hours. Mr. Jones moved, Mr. Ziltz seconded,
to solicit quotes to adjust the security system downstairs to enable the room
to be used by the public. Motion passed
unanimously
ADJOURNMENT: Time: 10:20 PM