CO Report on February 12, 2003 Board of Supervisors Meeting

Conewago Online
Report on the February 12, 2003 Meeting of
the Conewago Township Board of Supervisors

Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT A TOWNSHIP DOCUMENT. Conewago Online is not affiliated in anyway with the municipal government of Conewago Township. The township does not release the official meeting minutes until they are approved at the next regular monthly meeting. To slake the public's thirst for knowledge in the interim, Conewago Online's crack reporter, "Flash" Buckley, presents this summary. Flash takes terrible notes, does not always pay attention, so errors are possible and accuracy is not guaranteed, and is indeed most unlikely. (Don't worry, Shirley, your job is not in danger.) For an official copy of the meeting minutes, you'll have to wait until they are released at next month's meeting. An online version can be found at www.conewagoonline.com/tdocs.htm.

The Conewago Township Board of Supervisors held their regular monthly meeting on February 12, 2003. Those present were:

The Supers:
John Graybill (chair)
John Rochat (table)
Jay Brandt (stool)
Their trusted Assistants:
Shirley Bretz (secretary)
Dolores Kuntz (treasurer)
Max Shradley (engineer)
Frank Chlebnikow (zoning)
Jon Yost (solicitor)
The Reporters:
Tom (Scoop) Rumpf, The Sun
Joel (Flash) Buckley, ConewagoOnline
The Utility Men:
Ralph Watters, Kim Bloom and another Guy from DTMA
Michael Salvo, Pennsylvania-American Water Company
The Petitioners:
Greg Hill of the Waterford Hills et al
The Foulke Family
Gary Burk
Interested Citizens:
Rosalie Sarfert Kent Bachmann
Cathy Scott Todd Kreiser
Some guy whose name I didn't know
Probably someone else I missed since I didn't actually write this down
The mystery man in the corner

Call Meeting to Order

Minutes of January 6, 2003
Treasurer's Report - January 31, 2003
Expenditure Report - February 12, 2003
Subdivision/Engineering Fees Report
Planning Commission Minutes - January 27, 2003

Public Comment Period

A State Police Trooper dropped by to see if there were any resident concerns needing police attention-there weren't. She announced Colin McDonough is the new head at Troop H.

Joel asked why the town was drafting a Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance when the current zoning ordinance already bans it. Frank (Zoning Man) says the current ordinance would not survive a court challenge.

OLD BUSINESS:

Property Maintenance Ordinance Act 537
Status Report, DTMA - This was the most anticipated event of the evening for people wanting more definite info on the sewer. They were mostly disappointed. The Supers and DTMA met last month and came up with a draft agreement. However, the agreement will not be presented until a special public meeting next week. So stay tuned. If the announcement isn't in tomorrow's Sun, it will probably be put in the Lebanon Daily News where exactly 2 people will see it.
Some info was presented. Bids on the sewer were opened. Low bidder was so much lower than the rest that he will be allowed to withdraw his bid. Conewago's portion of the contract for the next low bidder was $3,375,000.43 (O.K., I made up the 43 cents)
Notwithstanding some announcements at earlier meetings about "tipping" fee, and despite the intense interest and repeated questions of some attending, none of the billing stuff has been worked out yet or is likely to be soon.
OLDS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM - (This is the Septic inspection/pumping program.) The summons for the people who didn't pump their septics in 2001 (no typo) didn't go out again for about the 6^th month in a row. Maybe next month. Nasty letters for the people who didn't pump their septics in 2002 are being prepared. Reminders for the people due 2003 sometime this year.

NEW BUSINESS:

Gaston Property (Zoning Officer) - Some concern here about some unzoned for activity-Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Hey, it's not like I get paid for doing this.
Act 100 - (The Public Records Policy passed last month under state mandate) They had to renumber the resolution from 2002-1 to 2003-1 since it got passed late. Yours truly believes he was actually the first to make a request. That's how we got all last year's Board of Supervisors Minutes on line. What are the odds that somebody will actually read them?
Red Cross Donation - John wanted to ask that they spend the money locally rather than sending it off somewhere else.
Hempt Brothers - Usage of Mill Road - Jay said some company wanted to be allowed to do something to a road. John wanted to know what we can get from them for letting them do it. Max and John Y thought we needed a memo, maybe a bond.
Stephen & Cindy Foulke - Land Development Waiver - finally approved, the girls got to go home and go to bed.
Hills of Waterford - Final Land Development Plan - Mr. Hill wishes he could get final approval and go home to bed, too. No such luck. He brought along the water guy to convince the Supers that he really had water coming to his development. (The gas line fell through.) The preferred path for the water is along Sand Hill and Steinruck, not through Laurel Woods. Houses it passes could hook-up but wouldn't have to.
Fire hydrants-who's going to pay for them? (Next they'll want to get a fire truck to hook to the hydrants.) There were a number of questions about bringing water to Laurel Woods. This is not really related to the Hills of Waterford, but hey, the water guy was there. As I understood it, no decision has been made to come into Laurel Woods, but if they did decide (after yet another survey)-they could be here this summer. (Did I hear that right?)

This development continues to be, almost, but not quite, approved. These approvals are contingent on water and sewer actually getting there (since they enable smaller lot sizes than lots with wells and septics). Most think sewer is really coming (the contractor drilled a test hole in the street in front of my house this week) but the deal between DTMA and Conewago has not been signed yet, so it ain't official.

The question of getting a waver for a holding tank for a model home continues to be deferred. Some one noted that Joey Parmer was denied such a request back in September. Undoubtedly, this question will recur as people want to build before the sewer actually gets here and not put in a $15,000 sand mound that they will have to disconnect a year later.
Gary Burk wanted to talk to the Supers about his plans, but didn't get a chance because of the next item.
Secret Meeting - The regular meeting was adjourned and an executive session with the mystery man was convened. The public was ushered out and the candy jar was brought in, indicating it would be a meeting of some length. Dolores and Shirley couldn't be bribed into revealing what it was about, claiming they didn't know either.

Remember - special sewer meeting next Wednesday Feb 19 at 7:30.

That's it - Flash