Board of Supervisors Agenda

MINUTES
Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 6:00 p.m.
Township Municipal Building

Members Present:
Stephen C. Wagner, Vice Chairman
James H. White, Sr.
Joyce V. White
Joseph M. Horvath

Members Absent:
Miro A. Gutzmirtl

Staff Attending:
Thomas F. Beil, Township Manager
Robert E. Kassel, Jr., Asst. Township Manager
Jeffrey Dimmich, Township Solicitor
Dennis Harman, Township Engineer

CALL TO ORDER
Vice Chairman Wagner called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Public Meeting Room of the Upper Saucon Township Municipal Building, 5500 Camp Meeting Road, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, PA.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Vice Chairman Wagner asked all in attendance to stand and recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

PUBLIC HEARINGS
None

PUBLIC COMMENT
Public Comment is summarized as follows:

John Caruso - 3829 East Hopewell Road – Mr. Caruso told the Board that he had been before the Board in the past regarding a detention basin issue that was satisfactorily corrected by the Township and thanked them for resolving the issue. He was present tonight to speak during the discussion of the agenda item involving Saucon Valley Chase.

Al Siess – 6460 Blue Church Road – Mr. Siess wanted the Board to know he was against the widening of Route 22 because he felt the money should instead be put toward mass transit and public transportation in the Lehigh Valley. He said many of the mass transit and public transportation services currently in place were in danger of shutting down if funding was not made available. He warned Supervisors that the two individuals in favor of the Route 22 widening were the same that were in favor of a past movement to re-route I-78. He believed these two individuals were downplaying the cost and the time it would take to complete the widening of the seven sections of highway. Finally, Mr. Siess urged Township officials to contact local and state representatives to express their support for spending money on mass transit and public transportation, instead of new road projects, such as widening Route 22.

PRESENTATIONS
None

SUBDIVISIONS AND LAND DEVELOPMENTS
None

MINUTES
Regular Meeting of November 13, 2006
A motion was made by Mr. Horvath and seconded by Mrs. White to approve the minutes of the November 13, 2006 regular meeting of the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

Special Meeting of December 2, 2006
A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to approve the minutes of the December 2, 2006 special meeting of the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
The Board reviewed the following Committee Report:

• Administration and Finance Committee Meeting of July 2, 2007

Copies of the Committee Report were made available to the public.

ORDINANCES
None

RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 2007-35 – Reimbursement for Police Officer to Attend Academy
Mr. Beil explained the State’s program for reimbursement of police officer’s wages while they are attending the Academy.

A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. White to adopt Resolution No. 2007-35 confirming that the Township agrees to follow all rules, regulations, and training standards established by the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission as a pre-condition to receiving partial reimbursement from the State for certain expenses incurred by the Township in connection with Christopher Kuebler’s training at the Police Academy.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

Resolution No. 2007-36 – Reimbursement for Police Officer to Attend Academy
A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to adopt Resolution No. 2007-36 confirming that the Township agrees to follow all rules, regulations, and training standards established by the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission as a pre-condition to receiving partial reimbursement from the State for certain expenses incurred by the Township in connection with Todd Nelson’s training at the Police Academy.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

Resolution No. 2007-37 – Saucon Valley Chase (a/k/a Center Valley Manor) Subdivision
A motion was made by Mr. Horvath to adopt Resolution No. 2007-37 accepting the dedication of two detention ponds located within the Saucon Valley Chase (a/k/a Center Valley Manor) Subdivision and acknowledging that the detention ponds would be hereinafter maintained by the Township.

Mrs. White said she would second the motion only if the acceptance was conditioned upon the detention ponds being cleaned properly by the developer.

Hearing that the detention ponds had not been acceptably maintained, Mr. Horvath withdrew his motion.

Mr. White said the two detention basins in question were a continual problem over the past seven  or eight years forcing the Township to put pressure on the developer each time maintenance was needed. Mr. White continued saying he would not accept the basins in their current conditions.

Mr. Horvath asked if the basins were in such poor condition, why were they before the Board for dedication.

Mr. Beil responded it was in the best interest of the residents of the development to move forward with the dedication and allow the Township to maintain them in the future.

Mr. White said he would only approve the resolution if a condition were attached requiring the developer to cut back the weeds before the Township would accept the deeds of dedication.

John Caruso - 3829 East Hopewell Road – Mr. Caruso voiced his displeasure with the length of the grass in the basins, as well as his concerns over the gates to the basins being left open on a regular basis.

Attorney Dimmich reviewed the additional requirements imposed on the developer by the resolution including a maintenance bond and perpetual maintenance fees. However, he said an additional condition could be added requiring that the basins be maintained to the Township’s satisfaction before the deeds of dedication would be accepted. In Attorney Dimmich’s opinion, it was in the Township’s best interest to accept the deed of dedication and perform the necessary maintenance from this point forward.

Attorney Timothy Siegfried– Tallman, Hudders & Sorrentino – Attorney Siegfried of Tallman,Hudders & Sorrentino was present on behalf of the developer of the Saucon Valley Chase Subdivision.  He informed the Board he had been involved with the development from the beginning and asked if he were to convince the developer to perform the necessary maintenance requested by the Township, would the Township agree to a timely inspection so it would allow for the dedication to take place.

A short discussion ensued regarding the lack of timely inspections in the past by the Township’s former engineering firm and the reduction or waiver of the required security for maintenance and repair.

A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to adopt Resolution No. 2007-37 accepting the dedication of two detention ponds located within Saucon Valley Chase Subdivision conditioned upon the developer mowing the detention basins. 

The motion carried by a vote of 3 to 1 with Chairman Wagner, Mr. Horvath, and Mrs. White voting “yes”, Mr. White voting “no,” and Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

It was the consensus of the Board that the developer would not be required to post security for the maintenance and repair of the two detention basins within the Saucon Valley Chase Subdivision.

MOTIONS
Summit at Saucon Valley (a/k/a Faith Ridge) - Dedication of Waterlines
Mr. Beil said the roads in the development had already been accepted.

A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mrs. White to accept the waterlines in the Summit at Saucon Valley Subdivision (a/k/a Faith Ridge) subject to receipt of the required 18 month maintenance security in a form acceptable to the Township Solicitor.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

Release of Funds – Tuscany Hill Subdivision – Certification No. 3
A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to authorize the release of construction security in the amount of $146,119.82 for the Tuscany Hill Subdivision in accordance with the Township Engineer’s recommendation made by a letter dated July 10, 2007.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

Release of Funds – Aldi Distribution Center – Certification No. 1
A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mrs. White to authorize the release of construction security in the amount of $85,900.00 for the Aldi Distribution Center Expansion Project in accordance with the Township Engineer’s recommendation made by a letter dated July 9, 2007.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

CORRESPONDENCE AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
None

DIRECTION / DISCUSSION ITEMS
None

BILLS, PAYROLLS, AND COMMISSIONS
Prepaid Invoice List #07242007 dated 07/20/2007……..$97,758.24
Warrant List #07242007 dated 07/20/2007……………..$384,324.95

A motion was made by Mr. Horvath and seconded by Mrs. White to authorize payment of the Prepaid Invoice List and Warrant List #07242007 dated 07/20/2007.

Mr. White commented on the reimbursable cost versus regular cost ratio for the fees paid to the Township’s engineering firm, The Pidcock Company.

Mr. Wagner asked if those costs were within an appropriate range for those types of fees.

Mr. Kassel replied the Township was still within budget for those types of fees, but if the costs continued as they were through the rest of the year, the budget would be exceeded.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

COURTESY OF THE FLOOR
Bob Tettemer – Glen Road – Mr. Tettemer expressed his dissatisfaction with Chairman Gutzmirtl’s multiple absences and praised members who attended the meetings regularly. He also commented he was happy to see the Chairman’s Remarks section removed from the agenda.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
None

ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mrs. White to adjourn the meeting.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Chairman Gutzmirtl absent.

                                                                       
Secretary