Welcome to Upper Saucon Township

Board of Supervisors Agenda

MINUTES
Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors
Regular Meeting
and
Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors/Lower Saucon Township Council
Joint Meeting
Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - 6:00 p.m.
Township Municipal Building

Members Present:
Miro A. Gutzmirtl, Vice Chairman
James H. White, Sr.
Joyce V. White
Joseph M. Horvath

Staff Attending:
Thomas F. Beil, Township Manager
Robert E. Kassel, Jr., Asst. Township Manager
Sharyn Yeakel, Director of Community Development
Jeffrey Dimmich, Township Solicitor
Dennis Harman, Township Engineer

CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Wagner was unable to attend, and therefore, Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl assumed the duties of Chairman.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl 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 Gutzmirtl asked all in attendance to stand and recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

ANNOUNCEMENT
Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl welcomed the members of the Lower Saucon Township Council and briefly introduced each member of the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors. He then asked Lower Saucon Township Council President Glen Kern to introduce his fellow members of Council. Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl then welcomed the members of the public visiting from Lower Saucon Township.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl announced that the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors would conduct its regular business at the conclusion of the Joint Meeting with Lower Saucon Township Council.

JOINT MEETING OF THE UPPER SAUCON TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP COUNCIL

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
Upper Saucon Township
Present from the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors: Miro A. Gutzmirtl, Vice Chairman, James H. White, Sr., Joyce V. White, and Joseph M. Horvath. Upper Saucon Township Staff in attendance: Thomas F. Beil, Township Manager, Robert E. Kassel, Jr., Asst. Township Manager, Sharyn Yeakel, Director of Community Development, Dennis Harman, Township Engineer, and Jeffrey Dimmich, Township Solicitor.

Lower Saucon Township
Present from the Lower Saucon Township Council: Glenn Kern, President, Priscilla deLeon, Vice President, Ron Horiszny, Tom Maxfield, and Sandra Yerger. Lower Saucon Township staff in attendance: Jack Cahalan, Township Manager.

PUBLIC HEARING

Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan for Upper and Lower Saucon Townships
A public hearing was held to accept public comment and input on the Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan for Upper and Lower Saucon Townships.

Attorney Dimmich began by explaining a stenographer would not be present for this public hearing, since it is only held for the purpose of collecting public input, as required by law. Attorney Dimmich submitted for the record five (5) Township exhibits. T-1 was a copy of the public notice that ran in The Morning Call newspaper on Tuesday, October 10, 1006 and Tuesday, October 17, 2006; T-2 was a copy of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission review letter dated September 14, 2006; T-3 was a copy of the Upper Saucon Township Planning Commission review letter dated October 17, 2006; T-4 was a copy of the Stabler Land Company review letter dated October 23, 2006; and T-5 was a copy of the official Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan for Upper and Lower Saucon Townships, dated October 24, 2006. Attorney Dimmich then turned the proceedings over to Harry Roth of RothPlan, LLC, the Planning Consultant that drafted the Plan, for a presentation.

Mr. Roth introduced himself and Steve Landes and Sue Landes, two (2) members of his team present that night. He started by providing the Board and the Council with an understanding of the purpose of the Plan, then moved on to explaining the procedures his team used for collecting data from residents regarding recreation and open space, and the information contained in the Plan. He also reviewed his recommendations for preserving open space within the Townships, such as maintaining a detailed and up-to-date inventory of open space resources, strengthening development review procedures through subdivision and land development ordinances, applying various techniques for protecting open space, and adjusting the zoning ordinance to promote greener development designs. Roth said a prioritized list of properties within the Townships identified for possible open space preservation should be devised. He continued by providing additional recommendations for preserving open space, protecting and promoting agricultural and farmland uses, methods and opportunities for obtaining funding, and how that funding should be allocated. The presentation was then turned over to Mr. Landes.

Mr. Landes spoke on the lack of a definition for open space, and how that leaves a wide range of opportunities open for land preservation through this Plan. In addition, he said, there are no required minimums for open space as there are for things, such as community or neighborhood parks and passive recreation areas.

Attorney Dimmich interjected saying that issue has been one of great debate, because the Second Class Township Code contains an overlapping, unclear delineation between open space and property set aside for passive recreation.

Mr. Landes countered, since there is no clear-cut definition of open space, it is left open to interpretation. With that said, Mr. Landes introduced the parks and recreation portion of the Plan, where he explained the scope of information obtained in the drafting of the Plan, citing several specific statistics for each of the Townships involved. He also spoke to the numerous and diverse recreation programs and facilities in place across the two (2) Townships. Mr. Landes mentioned his recommendations contained in the Plan, pointing out the establishment of a Recreation, Parks, and Open Space Administration and the hiring of a shared Recreation, Parks, and Open Space Director, and the eventual creation of a shared park as the three (3) most significant. He continued by briefly reviewing his other recommendations, some ways to acquire funding, how those funds should be allocated, and the development of a maintenance plan and staffing requirements for the future.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl opened the floor to public comments.

Pete Joyce, Professional Engineer - Gant Fleming Engineers – representing the Stabler Land Company – Mr. Joyce said in a letter dated October 23, 2006, Stabler Land Company expressed concern over the proposed Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan. They felt that some of the current information used to devise the Plan was inaccurate, such as properties owned by Stabler Land Company marked as agricultural or vacant that have already been developed, and other land marked as habitat with a note indicating the owner’s agreement not to develop, which Stabler’s records did not support. Mr. Joyce suggested the Plan be updated before its approval, offering Stabler’s assistance in rectifying the situation.

Mr. Roth responded saying the Plan was developed using geographic information system data supplied by Lehigh County and was quite likely outdated. However, the fact that the planning team utilized the information to obtain a generalized idea of what type of area they were dealing with made the inaccuracies for individual parcels of little importance. As for the note regarding the habitat, Mr. Roth said he had no recollection of it, but he would be happy to help Mr. Joyce resolve the matter.

Attorney Dimmich added the contents of the Plan were merely recommendations that could be accepted, altered, or dismissed at the Townships’ discretion, and were a non-binding outline.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl agreed calling the Plan a general-purpose document that could be revised as needed.

Gretel Ruppert – 5201 Mountainside Lane – Mrs. Ruppert said she would like to see the percentages of areas dedicated to recreational, open space, and natural features included in the study. She also asked that officials, when considering additional recreation facilities, to be mindful of how much open space would be used up by parking lots. As for creating a trail system, Mrs. Ruppert thought it would be a great way to preserve the land along streams and wetlands. Additionally, she said she wasn’t sure a park expansion should be considered given how empty and underused the park seemed to be in her experience. Mrs. Ruppert also inquired about whether or not the Plan contained provisions that would aid in protecting and preserving the seventy-one (71) historic barns identified in Upper Saucon Township.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl thanked Mrs. Ruppert for bringing up some interesting points. He said what he found fascinating was how many of the surveys sent out in connection with this Plan came back with responses that included the desire for more open space and passive recreation areas, such as hiking trails. And those type of issues, and the others Mrs. Ruppert mentioned, he said would be addressed as the process unfolded. The Plan, he noted, was only a stepping stone.

Mrs. Ruppert said she feared that as new residents moved in, the importance of the natural areas and wildlife habitats untouched by people would be lost.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl assured her that the Plan contained a public relations component that would deal with the integration of new residents into the Townships and the importance of the wildlife habitats and the natural areas.

Mr. Roth addressed Mrs. Ruppert’s question regarding the preservation and protection of the historic barns. He suggested, since historical preservation had not been recognized in the Plan, gathering people in the community interested in historic preservation to do the legwork necessary to create a historic sites inventory. The inventory could then be used as a basis for generating historic preservation revenue.

Mary Rockel – Member of the Township’s Park and Recreation Commission – Mrs. Rockel agreed with the comments made by Mrs. Ruppert about passive recreation areas, but disagreed with her statement that the existing park facilities are underutilized. In Mrs. Rockel’s experience on the Commission, the park is very well utilized with requests every month by children and adults of all ages for more facilities and more park areas.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl said it was also his experience that the park gets ample use on weekdays and overuse on the weekends. Moreover, as the population continues to grow on the far side of Route 309, the need for a large-scale park on the west side of the Township would become more apparent.

Greg Scharf – 3132 Broadmoor Drive – Mr. Scharf said the small community parks have a tendency to be underused, but large parks like Upper Saucon’s are heavily used because of the concentration of facilities at one location.

At that time, Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl turned to the Lower Saucon Township Council for their comments on the proposed Plan.

President Glenn Kern asked members of Council for their input.

Mrs. deLeon had some small corrections, which she quickly identified. She also made a statement referencing a section of the Plan that said “therefore, local officials can act confidently to offer park and recreation open space programs with the assurances that residents can afford a responsible level of cost associated with such services.” Mrs. deLeon felt that statement was unfair given the small number of responses received from the survey did not come close to representing the majority.

Mr. Horvath asked Mr. Roth what the distribution method was for the surveys.

Mr. Roth said five hundred (500) surveys were distributed in each of the Townships.

Statistically speaking, Mr. Horvath said, five hundred (500) surveys was a fair number, and if half responded, it would be a sufficient number to base their assumption.

Mrs. deLeon said she understood the statistics, but still disagreed with the assumption.

Mr. Roth addressed Mrs. deLeon’s objection by expanding on the process by which the assumption was made.

Mrs. deLeon had several other questions regarding commercial development and historic preservation that were promptly answered by Mr. Roth.

Attorney Dimmich asked if Mrs. deLeon if she would be making a motion to amend the Plan.

Mrs. deLeon said she was reviewing each correction, so that they could be altered before the Plan was approved. With that said, she listed the proposed changes to the Plan as follows:

Page 9 – Change “Historical Society” to “Historical Committee”
Page 9 – Delete “Conduct all public meetings and hearings” from the list of duties for the Lower Saucon Township Manager
Page 46 – Make revision to correctly note that Lower Saucon Township owns three (3) historic properties
Page 46 – Make revision to correctly note that the Hellertown Public Library and Lost River Caverns are not located in Lower Saucon Township
Page 48 – Remove the Woodfield Drive property from the list of parkland / open space properties identified in Table 2.
Page 55 – Add a sentence that states that the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Community Day is sponsored by the Hellertown Chamber of Commerce.
Page 56 – Change “Lower Saucon Area Historical Society” to Lower Saucon Township Historical Society”

When finished, Mrs. deLeon said overall she thought the Plan was a great way for neighboring municipalities to commingle and live peacefully.

Mrs. Yerger followed Mr. deLeon’s comments by asking a question of the Solicitor. She wondered if there was a way to approve the Plan with the stipulation that allows for amendments, such as a number of those identified by Mrs. deLeon, as necessary.

Attorney Dimmich said technically any amendment to the document, once approved, should be treated as any other amendment to an ordinance. It would have to be advertised and a public hearing would have to be held before the amendment could be approved. He said that is why he advised that as many corrections as possible be made and agreed upon by unanimous consent before the Plan’s approval.

In response to Attorney Dimmich’s answer, Mrs. Yerger, for the record, made the recommendation that the Plan should be revisited and updated on a regular basis.

By unanimous consent, the governing bodies of both Townships agreed to amend the Comprehensive Recreation and Open Space Plan for Upper and Lower Saucon Townships to include the changes noted by Mrs. deLeon.

CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE RECREATION & OPEN SPACE PLAN

Resolution No. 59-2006 – Adoption of the Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan by the Lower Saucon Township Council
A motion was made and seconded to approve Resolution No. 59-2006 adopting the Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan for Upper and Lower Saucon Townships with the changes noted by Mrs. deLeon being incorporated into said Plan.

Stephanie Brown – 1830 Meadows Road – Mrs. Brown was concerned about how the Townships were going to address the ever-changing needs of the population in terms of recreational facilities.

Mrs. Yerger addressed the issue by explaining that the Plan was a living document that merely made recommendations based on current circumstances. She felt as different aspects of the municipalities change, so too will the Plan.

In addition, Mrs. deLeon pointed out the Plan would allow each municipality to act independently. So if changes to one (1) municipality’s park and recreation plan were necessary and were not for the other, the changes could be made.

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

President Kern: Yes
Mrs. deLeon: Yes
Mr. Maxfield: Yes
Mrs. Yerger: Yes
Mr. Horiszny: Yes

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

Resolution No. 2006-52 – Adoption of the Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan by the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors
Vice Chairman Miro Gutzmirtl asked for Board discussion or questions regarding the proposed Plan.

Mr. White made mention that Page 44 of the Plan mistakenly states that the Upper Saucon Township Park and Recreation Commission has five (5) members when in reality the Commission has seven (7) members.

Mr. Horvath commented that the joint support from the adjoining Township and the residents' input was very helpful over the past year to the development of an Open Space Commission.

Mrs. White said that everyone must remember that the Plan would be constantly evolving as the characteristics of the Townships change. She said she fully supported the approval of the Plan, and believe it to be a good thing for all parties involved.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl agreed saying he was pleased with the flexibility provided by the Plan allowing the Townships to meet the needs of residents. He added that the Plan was a wonderful direction for both communities.

By unanimous consent, the governing bodies of both Townships agreed to amend the Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan for Upper and Lower Saucon Township’s to incorporate the change noted by Mr. White.

A motion was made by Mr. Horvath and seconded by Mrs. White to approve Resolution No. 2006-52 adopting the Comprehensive Recreation & Open Space Plan for Upper and Lower Saucon Townships dated October 24, 2006 with the changes noted by Mrs. deLeon and Mr. White being incorporated into said Plan.

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

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

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

ADJOURNMENT OF THE JOINT MEETING
By unanimous consent, the governing bodies of both Townships agreed to adjourn the joint meeting.

BRIEF RECESS
A brief recess was taken before the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors reconvened for their regularly scheduled meeting.

REGULAR MEETING OF THE UPPER SAUCON TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Chairman Gutzmirtl reconvened the regular meeting of the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors.

PUBLIC HEARINGS
Fred Derby (Crimson King Estates Subdivision) Application for Conditional Use Approval
A public hearing was held to accept public comment and input on the Conditional Use Application of Fred Derby (Crimson Kings Subdivision) for a four (4) lot residential subdivision on 12.12 acres located at 4014 Kozy Korner Road. The applicant requests conditional use approval pursuant to Sections 1402, 1403, and 1702 of the Zoning Ordinance. The subject property is zoned R1 Rural Residential and is located within the Environmentally Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Overlay.

Attorney Dimmich handled the proceedings on behalf of the Township admitting Exhibits T-1 through T-9 into the record.

Present on behalf of the applicant was the applicant’s attorney, Timothy Charlesworth, as well as Jay Musselman of Musselman Associates, and Chris Kotch of Barry Isett & Associates, Inc., who provided testimony as needed.

Messrs. Charlesworth, Musselman and Kotch provided testimony in support of the applicant’s request for Conditional Use Approval.
The Vice Chairman asked if anyone from the public wished to comment on the application for Conditional Use Approval. There was no response.

A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to approve the Conditional Use Application of Fred Derby (Crimson King Subdivision) for a four (4) lot residential subdivision on 12.12 acres located at 4014 Kozy Korner Road.

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

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

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

Estate of Frank J. Madle Application for Conditional Use Approval
A public hearing was held to accept public comment and input on the Conditional Use Application of the Estate of Frank J. Madle for the establishment of a two (2) lot residential subdivision on 10.68 acres located at 4550 Vera Cruz Road. Lot 1 will consist of 9.68 acres and will contain the existing dwelling, while Lot 2 will consist of 1.0 acre where construction of a single family dwelling has been proposed. The applicant requests conditional use approval pursuant to Sections 804 and 1702 of the Zoning Ordinance. The subject property is zoned AG Agricultural Preservation and is located within the Environmentally Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Overlay.

Attorney Dimmich handled the proceedings on behalf of the Township reviewing the application for all in attendance. He also read into the record Exhibits T-1 through T-6.

Present on behalf of the applicant was Kristofer M. Metzger, Esquire, as well as Loretta Madle, and Allison Bradbury of Martin, Bradbury, & Griffith, Inc.

Attorney Metzger submitted for the record Applicant Exhibit 1.

Mrs. Madle and Messrs. Metzger and Bradbury provided testimony in support of the applicant’s request for Conditional Use Approval.

The Vice Chairman asked if anyone from the public wished to comment on the application for Conditional Use Approval.

Bob Tettemer of Glen Road was the only member of the public that commented on the application. He was in favor of approving the application.

A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to approve the Conditional Use Application of the Estate of Frank J. Madle for a two (2) lot subdivision on 10.68 acres located at 4550 Vera Cruz Road.

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

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

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

PUBLIC COMMENT
Public Comment is summarized as follows:

Bob Tettemer – Glen Road – Mr. Tettemer congratulated the Board and the Township staff for working together with residents to resolve a long-standing drainage problem along Glen Road.

SUBDIVISIONS AND LAND DEVELOPMENTS
Minor Subdivision Plan of Estate of Frank J. Madle – Resolution No. 2006-40

Attorney Metzger handled the proceedings on behalf of the applicant entering into the record Applicant Exhibits D-1 through D-3.

Mr. Bradbury provided testimony with regards to the plan, its effect on the surrounding properties, and the existing road that would provide access to the subdivision.

Attorney Dimmich asked why the land could not be subdivided so to be given direct access to an existing public street.

Mr. Bradbury replied it could not because neither of the proposed properties abuts a public street.

Attorney Dimmich also questioned whether the condition of the existing private road could adequately provide access to all lots for emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and fire trucks, if not required to meet design and improvement standards for public streets.

Mr. Bradbury said he believed the road to be adequate in its current condition.

Mr. Harman concurred that the condition of the road was fair, and while the width would not allow two cars to pass going opposite directions, the available space would be sufficient for emergency vehicles to maneuver.

Mr. Gutzmirtl asked if the width would meet the requirements for a private drive under SALDO, to which Mr. Harman responded yes.

Attorney Metzger submitted Applicant Exhibits D-4, D-5, and D-6. D-4 was a letter from the Township’s Director of Community Development. D-5 showed evidence of a twenty (20)-foot easement allowing the tracts along the property containing the existing road to access the road for ingress and egress. And D-6 was the projected cost associated with improving the existing road to meet the Township’s standards for public streets, since one of the applicant’s requests asked for a waiver of that requirement due to hardship.

Mr. Harman said that a width of twenty (20) feet was adequate, but that the existing road was shown on the plan as being only ten (10) feet wide.

Mrs. Madle then testified to her experiences over the fourteen years she has lived at the address of traffic flow on and the accessibility of the existing road.

The Board took a moment to review a recent police report included in the exhibits that verified emergency personnel were able to access homes located on the existing road without incident.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl asked if Mrs. Madle would be living at the home proposed for the one (1) acre lot.

Mrs. Madle responded she most likely would and had begun looking at various types of homes that could be built on the lot.

Mr. White asked about the recreation fee of $2,300.

Attorney Dimmich said it is normally an understood fact, but it could be incorporated into the motion for approval if the Board so desired.

A short discussion was held regarding how many people would be using the private road and what portion each utilized from their driveway to the public street.

Mr. White voiced concern over granting the waiver allowing a dead end street without an all-weather turn-around.

A second short discussion ensued about the definition of an all-weather turn-around, and whether requiring more than is already there was necessary.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl noted there was no indication of the effects on wetlands or wetland buffers as a result of the proposed development.

The Vice Chairman’s comments were addressed promptly by Attorney Metzger, who explained what would be done concerning wetlands once a conditional approval was granted by the Township.

Attorney Dimmich explained that normally the wetlands issue was addressed prior to the conditional approval, but it might be a consideration that the applicant has agreed to comply.

A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to adopt Resolution No. 2006-40 conditionally approving the Preliminary and Final Subdivision Plans of the Estate of Frank J. Madle for the subdivision of a 10.68 acre parcel at 4550 Vera Cruz Road in two (2) lots. Lot 1 will consist of 9.68 acres and will contain the existing dwelling, while Lot 2 will consist of 1.0 acre where construction of a single family dwelling has been proposed.

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

Chairman Gutzmirtl: Yes
Mr. Horvath: Yes
Mr. White: No
Mrs. White: Yes

The motion carried by a vote of 3 to 1 with Chairman Wagner absent.

Crimson King Estates – Final Subdivision Plan – Resolution No. 2006-50
A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mrs. White to adopt Resolution No. 2006-50 conditionally approving the Final Subdivision Plans of Fred Derby for a four (4) lot residential subdivision on 12.12 acres located at 4014 Kozy Korner Road.

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

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

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

MINUTES
Special Meeting of January 23, 2006
A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. White to approve the minutes of the January 23, 2006 special meeting of the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors.

The motion carried by a vote of 3 to 0 to 1 with Chairman Wagner absent. Mr. Horvath abstained from the vote because he did not attend the meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
None

ORDINANCES
Proposed Ordinance No. 67-GG – Establishing a Three-Way (3) Stop Intersection and Speed Limits on Various Township Roads
A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. White to adopt Ordinance No. 67-GG establishing a three-way (3) stop intersection at Stonesthrow and Church Roads; establishing a thirty-five (35) mph speed limit on Spring Drive; and establishing a twenty-five (25) mph speed limit on the portion of Walnut Lane south of Flint Hill Road.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl inquired if any measures, such as an electronic speed indicator sign or flashing red lights, would be used to alert drivers of the change in speed limit.

Mr. Beil said no. While those types of measures were taken when a stop sign was installed, nothing was typically done to indicate a speed limit change.

Chairman Gutzmirtl suggested the changes be printed in the next Township Newsletter. Otherwise, he said, the speed limit would merely change and no one would take notice or comply.

Bob Tettemer – Glen Road – Mr. Tettemer commended the Board for reducing the speed limit and installing the new stop signs on what he called dangerous areas of the Township. He also suggested attaching barrier lights to the new signs as a way to alert drivers.

Mr. Beil said the stop sign was installed by PennDOT several months prior to this ordinance and was equipped with blinking lights for at least thirty days already. The approval of an ordinance was necessary to allow the Township to enforce the stop signs. As for lights on the new speed limit signs, Mr. Beil said he would look into it.

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

RESOLUTIONS
None

MOTIONS
Request for Payment – Michael F. Ronca & Sons, Inc.
A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to authorize payment in the amount of $51,499.50 to Michael F. Ronca & Sons, Inc., for work completed on the Applebutter Hill Water Storage Tank Project.

Mr. Harman provided the Board with an update on the status of the Applebutter Hill Water Storage Tank Project.

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

Release of Funds – Timber Crossing Subdivision
A motion was made by Mr. White and seconded by Mrs. White to authorize the release of construction security in the amount of $23,445.67 for the Timber Crossing Subdivision in accordance with the Township Engineer’s recommendation made by letter dated October 11, 2006.

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

CORRESPONDENCE AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
None

DIRECTION / DISCUSSION ITEMS
None

BILLS, PAYROLLS, AND COMMISSIONS
Prepaid Invoice List #10242006 dated 10/20/2006………$105,598.85
Warrant List #10242006 dated 10/20/2006………………$735,524.31

A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to authorize payment of the Prepaid Invoice List and Warrant List #10242006 dated 10/20/2006.

Mr. White had questions about several invoices that would be addressed by Mr. Beil and Mr. Kassel at a later date

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl inquired about one (1) invoice that was immediately answered by Mr. Beil.

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

ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
None

COURTESY OF THE FLOOR
Bob Tettemer – Glen Road – Mr. Tettemer suggested the Township hire additional police officers to increase safety for the residents.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl addressed Mr. Tettemer’s comments saying the Township was two steps ahead and had already begun considering additional police officers.

Judi Horvath – Blue Church Road – Mrs. Horvath asked if something could be done as a Township about what she perceived as poor service offered by Service Electric Cable TV.

Vice Chairman Gutzmirtl said to discontinue service with them and opt for a satellite provider instead.

A brief discussion ensued covering franchise agreements, the rights of consumers and cable companies, and what recourse is available to those receiving less than quality service.

Mrs. Horvath then inquired about getting stop signs installed at Blue Church and Mill Roads as was done at the intersection of Stonesthrow and Church Roads.

Attorney Dimmich outlined the general request process, while Mr. Beil explained the history of requests made regarding that very intersection. Mr. Beil said previous requests for a three-way stop at this intersection have been turned down by PennDOT.

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 Wagner absent.

Secretary

Disclaimers and Legal Information