Board of Supervisors Agenda

MINUTES
Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors
Regular Meeting
Monday, September 11, 2006 - 6:00 p.m.
Township Municipal Building

Members Present:
Stephen C. Wagner, Chairman
Miro A. Gutzmirtl, Vice Chairman
James H. White, Sr.
Joseph M. Horvath

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

CALL TO ORDER
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
Chairman Wagner asked all in attendance to stand and recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

MOMENT OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF 9/11 VICTIMS
Chairman Wagner asked all in attendance to observe a moment of silence in memory of those affected by the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

PUBLIC HEARINGS
Southern Lehigh School District Application for Conditional Use Approval
A public hearing was held to accept public comment and input on the Conditional Use Application of the Southern Lehigh School District for placement of a temporary modular classroom structure on the existing Hopewell Elementary School property at 4625 W. Hopewell Road. When fully assembled, the modular classroom will be one (1) story, have a footprint of seventy (70) feet by twenty-five (25) feet, and will house two (2) classrooms capable of accommodating thirty (30) students each. The applicant requests conditional use approval pursuant to Sections 505.b.3, 1402, 1403, and 1702 of the Township Zoning Ordinance. The subject property is zoned R2 Suburban Residential and is located within the Environmentally Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Overlay.

Present to represent the Southern Lehigh School District was James Bartholomew, Esquire. Also present on behalf of the applicant was Daniel Altieri, Acting Director of Support Services for the Southern Lehigh School District, and Russ Benner of Schoor DePalma, Inc.  Messrs. Altieri and Benner provided testimony in support of applicant’s request for Conditional Use Approval.

The Chairman asked if anyone from the public wished to comment on the School District’s application for Conditional Use Approval.  There was no response.

The Chairman closed the hearing.

Action on School District’s Application for Conditional Use Approval
A motion was made by Mr. Gutzmirtl and seconded by Mr. Horvath to approve the Conditional Use Application of the Southern Lehigh School District for the placement of a temporary modular classroom structure at Hopewell Elementary School located at 4625 W. Hopewell Road subject to three (3) conditions. First, the structures must be removed by July 31, 2009; second, there must be compliance with the recommendations contained in a letter from SAIC dated September 8, 2006; and third, the application must be reviewed and approved by the Upper Saucon Township Fire Chief.

Mr. White pointed out for the record that the application was for the property located at 4625 W. Hopewell Road not 4675 as shown on the agenda.

The vote was taken by roll call, and the results were as follows:

Chairman Wagner: Yes
Mr. Gutzmirtl: Yes
Mr. Horvath: Yes
Mr. White: Yes

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Mrs. White absent.

PUBLIC COMMENT
None

SUBDIVISIONS AND LAND DEVELOPMENTS
None

MINUTES
None

COMMITTEE REPORTS
None

ORDINANCES
Proposed Ordinance No. 136 – Speed Hump on Whitetail Drive
A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mr. Gutzmirtl to adopt proposed Ordinance No. 136 approving the installation of a speed hump on Whitetail Drive.

Mr. White then asked when the installation of the speed humps could be expected.

Mr. Beil replied the Township hoped to have the speed humps completed sometime between October and December, 2006.

Mr. Gutzmirtl commented on the effectiveness of speed humps when utilized wisely. He also cautioned against the overuse of speed humps and other traffic calming measures. He warned that the installation of a speed hump on Whitetail Drive, while warranted, would spur a rush of requests for humps throughout the Township. He said he hoped the Township would handle the flood of requests by establishing a procedure for determining which requests would be granted. Furthermore, since most speed humps would be installed within developments, he suggested a requirement be investigated that would have developers pay an escrow at the time of plan approval to be used for the installation of speed humps in their development if needed.

Mr. Harman said he spoke with several developers who said they would include speed humps in their proposals for new development projects in the Township. He was unsure, though, if any of those had come before the Board.

Mr. Gutzmirtl asked if any developer Mr. Harman spoke with was willing to provide the funds for future installation, and Mr. Harman said that was not discussed.

Mr. Gutzmirtl noted the cost for one (1) speed hump is approximately $3,000.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Mrs. White absent.

RESOLUTIONS
None

MOTIONS
Request for Payment – Michael F. Ronca & Sons, Inc. – Certificate for Payment No. 7
A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mr. Gutzmirtl to authorize payment in the amount of $79,690.99 to Michael F. Ronca & Sons, Inc., for work completed on the Applebutter Hill Water Storage Tank in accordance with the Township Engineer’s letter dated August 25, 2006.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Mrs. White absent.

Trick-or-Treat
A motion was made by Mr. Horvath and seconded by Mr. Gutzmirtl to designate Friday, October 27, 2006 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as Upper Saucon Township Trick-or-Treat.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Mrs. White absent.

Traffic Signal Maintenance Contract
Mr. Gutzmirtl asked if approval of the contract was an annual matter.

Mr. Beil responded yes, adding the contract included not only preventative maintenance, but terms of service as well.

Chairman Wagner asked if there were any differences between the previous contract and the one being presented for approval, to which Mr. Kassel replied no.

A motion was made by Mr. Gutzmirtl and seconded by Mr. White to approve the traffic signal maintenance contract with Signal Service, Inc., in the amount of $5,250.00 and to authorize the Township Manager to execute said contract on behalf of the Township.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Mrs. White absent.

Sale of Used Township Vehicles and Equipment
A motion was made by Mr. Horvath and seconded by Mr. Gutzmirtl to authorize the sale of the following Township-owned vehicles and equipment at the Municipal Surplus Consignment Auction to be held on Saturday, October 14, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. at the Northampton Borough Garage:

Mr. White was curious what percentage of the sale price would be kept by the auction company.

Mr. Beil said he would find out and provide Mr. White with the answer at a later date.

Mr. Gutzmirtl asked Mr. Beil if he knew what the potential income from the auctioning of these vehicles and equipment might be and whether they were all operational.

Mr. Beil said in the past, vehicles for sale were advertised in the newspaper, and the bid responses submitted were fairly low. This year, the Township decided to send the vehicles and equipment to auction. Therefore, he had no basis for an estimate of potential income. As for the condition of each, Mr. Beil said all were operational with the exception of the Ingram Roller.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Mrs. White absent.

CORRESPONDENCE AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
None

DIRECTION / DISCUSSION ITEMS
None

BILLS, PAYROLLS, AND COMMISSIONS
Prepaid Invoice List #09112006 dated 09/08/2006……..$171,956.63
Warrant List #09112006 dated 09/08/2006……………..$425,876.10

A motion was made by Mr. Horvath and seconded by Mr. Gutzmirtl to authorize payment of the Prepaid Invoice List and Warrant List #09112006 dated 09/08/2006.

Mr. White had questions about specific invoices that were addressed by Mr. Beil and Mr. Kassel either at that time or at a later date. In addition, Mr. White commented on the reimbursable portion of the Pidcock Company invoice listed for $190,549.93.

Mr. Beil brought to the Board’s attention several $1,000 charges listed and explained how they were connected to a traffic signal easement for the intersection of Lanark and Saucon Valley Roads.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Mrs. White absent.

ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
Mrs. White’s Absence
Mr. White wanted to make it known for the record that Mrs. White was absent because she was out of town.

Monthly Memorandum from the Township’s Engineers Office
Mr. Harman drew the Board’s attention to a memorandum included in the information packet that provided an overview of the projects underway. He told the Board he hoped to make the memorandum a monthly occurrence in order to facilitate better communication between his office and Supervisors.

COURTESY OF THE FLOOR
Bob Tettemer – Glen Road – Mr. Tettemer voiced opposition to Base Engineering working in the Township because of a situation they were involved with in neighboring Lower Milford Township.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
An Executive Session was held to discuss pending litigation involving the Township.

ADJOURNMENT
A motion and a second were made to adjourn the meeting.

The motion carried by a vote of 4 to 0 with Mrs. White absent.

                                                                       
Secretary