FRANKLIN
TOWNSHIP
BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS
August 19, 2004
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Balsavage called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. The meeting was held at the Franklin
Township Municipal
Building located at 150 Century Lane,
Dillsburg, PA.
ROLL CALL
Present were Supervisors Ed Balsavage,
Naomi Decker, Larry Lambert, Don Lerew, John Shambaugh, Solicitor Ed Schorpp, Engineer
Tim Knoebel, Secretary Linda Hansen. Visitors included: Art Bert, Charles Bower,
Peg Williams, Marlene Stiffler, Marc Anderson, Bob Eichelberger, Lynn Potts,
Rodney Decker, Carl Zeigler, Jane Alexander, Patrick Hephner, Rod Henn....,
Traci Cook, Dean Zimmerman, Rex Bict.., Don Gunden, Bob Eichelberger.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND PRAYER
Chairman Balsavage led the Pledge of Allegiance and gave the
opening prayer.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
July 15, 2004
Hearing – Changes: Paragraph 3, line 3, add a “d” to an. Page 2, paragraph 4, add “out” after
way. Larry Lambert made a motion
seconded by John Shambaugh to approve the minutes with the above changes. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
July 15, 2004
Meeting – Changes: Paragraph 3 delete “to” before drag. Page 3 under SEO, line 2. add “know they have the right”
before to be given. Change perc to
“probe”. Page 4 Under Appeal Board
Ordinance, add “with the county” after the end of sentence 2. Page 5, line 11 under Ponderosa
Park, change lien to “line”. Larry Lambert made a motion seconded by John
Shambaugh to approve the minutes with the above changes. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
August 9, 2004
Workshop – Line 3 under Order of Business, add “of” between Scope and
Development. John Shambaugh made a
motion seconded by Larry Lambert to approve the minutes with the above change. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
AGENDA AMENDMENTS
Apple Blossom will be added as number 6 under Subdivision
and Land Development.
ORGANIZATION REPORTS
Police –Larry Lambert gave the police report. For the month of July there were 117 calls in
Franklin Township. The report will be on file in the township
office. Naomi Decker asked Supervisor
Lambert to talk to the police about patrolling Ponderosa
Park.
Citizen’s Hose – Dean Zimmerman was present. There
were 3 calls in Franklin Township
for the month of July. Twenty six calls
year to date.
Franklintown Fire Company – No report.
Dillsburg EMS – Traci
Cook was present. There were a total of 97 calls for July with 23 in Franklin
Township. A packet of information was given to the
township which includes the 2005 budget. One of the statements in the letter is
not directed to Franklin Township. There are one or two townships that do not
contribute any money to Dillsburg EMS but they use their services. They appreciate Franklin
Township’s support.
DAA – Charles
Bowers was present. There were 4 sewer EDUs for the month for a total of 61
year to date. Water hookups for the year
are 41. The up grade of the sewer plant doubled
the capacity. There are plenty of
reserves at this time. When the plant
comes to capacity it will be a decision for the municipalities. Supervisor Decker wanted to know why the
Authority did not contact the municipalities regarding the new building. Mr. Bowers stated the funds were obtained
through loans and the sewer up grade.
Larry Lambert asked what percentage of the usage of the Authority is
from Franklin Township. Mr. Bowers said he will check on this.
Emergency Management - A written report was submitted
by Laurin Fleming asking for the supervisor’s guidance in placement of the
communication tower and purchasing of radios.
This will be discussed later in the meeting. No dollar amount was given in his report.
Planning & Zoning Committee – No report. Zoning will be discussed under the engineer’s
report.
SUBDIVISION AND LAND DEVELOPMENT
Pletcher and Kimmel – John Shambaugh made a motion
seconded by Larry Lambert to send the post cards to DEP for both the Pletcher
and Kimmel modules. Motion carried by
unanimous vote.
Range End
Road Commerce
Center – A letter was
received requesting an extension until November 17th. The supervisors’meeting is November 18th.
Ed Balsavage made a motion to grant the
extension to November 17, 2004,
the Board will take action at the October meeting unless a letter is received
granting the extension to November
25, 2004. The motion was
seconded by Larry Lambert. Motion
carried by unanimous vote.
The meeting was turned over to Larry Lambert for discussion
of Chestnut Hills.
Chestnut Hills – A letter was received granting an
extension beginning on September 24th. Mr. Gunden was present. He agreed to grant the extension until December 23, 2004. John Shambaugh wanted to know why the plan
has not been completed. Tim
Knoebel said another nitrate study had been done. Larry
Lambert made a motion seconded by Don Lerew to accept the extension until December 23, 2004. Vote: Decker, Lambert, Lerew, Shambaugh –
Aye; Balsavage abstained due to professional involvement. Motion carried.
Sherwood Forest Sketch Plan
– RGS requested a review of the sketch plan. They will pay for the
engineer’s and solicitor’s time.
Engineer Knoebel would like the Board’s approval to review the
plan. The solicitor advised having money
placed in escrow before any review of the plan will be done. Ed Balsavage
made a motion seconded by Larry Lambert to have the secretary write a letter to
RGS informing them that upon receipt of $500 escrow the engineer and solicitor
will review the plan. Naomi Decker does
not understand why this party is getting special service. Ed Balsavage
said he does not want to take several hours of the supervisor’s meeting to
review a plan. Vote: Balsavage, Lambert, Lerew, Shambaugh – Aye;
Decker – Opposed.
Apple Blossom – A completeness review is not needed
for plans that have a pending status.
Naomi Decker wants to know if they can withdraw the perpetual time
extension. The solicitor advised they
can but it should be reasonable. Naomi
Decker made a motion seconded by Don Lerew to repeal the perpetual time
extension and put them on the 90 day time schedule like everyone else. The clock begins the day of the first
planning commission meeting. The deadline date was set to December 23, 2004. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
REPORTS
Engineer
Zoning –
Naomi Decker said the vote taken for the zoning ordinance was done at a work
shop. She was not prepared to vote for
anyone that evening since she did not have the information from the
county. Naomi Decker made a motion to
bring this up for another vote. There
was no second so the motion failed. Attorney Schorpp said if the advertisement
for the workshop did not include any other business, another vote would be
appropriate. John Shambaugh made a
motion seconded by Larry Lambert to hire KPI to prepare a zoning ordinance for
the township. Don Lerew wants to know if
money will be with held if they do not get other proposals for the
ordinance. Larry Lambert talked to
Charles Noll at York County
and he was assured if the township gets a letter in they will be at the top of
the list for grant money in early 2005. The letter to Charles Noll will be
changed and “budget” will be deleted. Vote:
Balsavage, Lambert, Lerew, Shambaugh – Aye; Decker – opposed.
SEO – Gil Picarelli was present.
Act 537 Reimbursement - Some of the
reimbursement for 2003 SEO expenses will not be allowed since they were done
for a subdivision. The effort to find
all the modules approval dates would cost more money than it is worth. Four approval letters were found and copies
will be sent to DEP.
350 Coffeetown Road - Two letters
were received regarding a septic system failure at 350
Coffeetown Road.
The SEO drove by the property and thinks the clean out lateral was hit
by a mower. The secretary can get the verbiage
from Gil and send a letter to the residents at this property.
Backhoe work
- Gil Picarelli stated it is not the policy to recommend anyone to do backhoe
work for probes. Naomi Decker said she was told by someone that they were not
given a choice when they had probe holes dug and the holes were not filled in
creating a dangerous situation. Mr.
Picarelli stated they were waiting for the backhoe to arrive and he did not call
the person who came to do the backhoe work.
Copies of Sewage
Permits – KPI will provide copies of sewage permits to Franklin
Township.
Solicitor
Subdivision &
Land Development Ordinance - the
ordinance has been properly advertised and was submitted to both the York
County Planning Commission and the Franklin Township Planning Commission. The public hearing was held before this
evening’s meeting. John Shambaugh made a
motion seconded by Larry Lambert to adopt Ordinance 4 -2004. Naomi Decker wanted it noted for the record
that she feels it is not in the best interest of the township to adopt this
ordinance. Solicitor Schorpp and York
County Planning both advised against 4 acre lots. This leaves the township open to lawsuits
which could deplete the township finances.
The 4 acres is exclusionary to young people and it will not preserve
farm land since farms are much larger than 4 acres. Public Water and Sewer projects were not
addressed. Very large developments are
in the works in areas of the township that have public water and sewer. These developments will put tremendous
pressure on the roads and schools. Naomi Decker also stated the public hearing
was not voted on at the last meeting.
The solicitor said this is true but he deemed this a legal matter and
sent a letter to the supervisors to set up the hearing. Vote:
Balsavage, Lambert, Shambaugh – Aye;
Decker, Lerew – Opposed. Motion
carried.
Resolution to Amend Building Permit and Related Fees – The York
County Planning Commission has not set fees at this time. They will be sending a packet of information
regarding the appeal hearings within the next 2 weeks and advised holding off
on this resolution until the next meeting.
At the last supervisors meeting Bob Shelly presented a fee schedule
based on estimated cost of construction. Mr. Shelly needs to be contacted to
find out if the schedule includes administrative costs. It was decided to wait until next months
meeting to adopt a new resolution for fees.
Building Permit Officer
Brian Fahey was not present.
There has been little building permit activity the past
month. Brian will submit a report next
month.
Bob Shelly submitted a memo regarding a contractor training
session. Ed Balsavage
made a motion to have Bob Shelly and Brian Fahey hold a training session at no
cost to those who attend. The date and
time of the session will be determined by Mr. Fahey and Mr. Shelly and coordinated with the secretary. The session will be advertised at least 3
weeks in advance. The motion was
seconded by John Shambaugh. Motion
passed by unanimous vote.
Roadmaster
Gary Ocker prepared a written road report
Ken-Lin Drive – A letter was received from Ken
Garner asking permission to apply ID2 wearing course to Ken-Lin
Drive. Ed
Balsavage made a motion seconded by Don Lerew to have the
township engineer inspect the road and have any repairs done prior to
paving. Vote: Balsavage, Lambert, Lerew, Shambaugh – Aye;
Decker abstained due to professional involvement.
County Line Road – A resident
requested that his drive way be placed at the school bus turn around at end of
the road instead of the proposed location.
John Shambaugh and Gary Ocker agreed to this since the owner of the
property will do some excavating and increase the size of the turn around.
62 Bethel Church Road – The owners
at this property cleaned out their drainage ditches on Bethel
Church Road.
John Shambaugh had pictures. The
Roadmaster was instructed to clean this up and a bill will be sent to the home
owner. John Shambaugh made a motion
seconded by Ed Balsavage to send the homeowner
a bill for the clean up. Ed
Balsavage asked the secretary to have John Shambaugh review
the letter before it is sent to the property owner. Naomi Decker said in the future residents should be informed that
if they do not clean up the road immediately, they will be billed. This had
been done in the past. Motion carried by
unanimous vote.
Park & Recreation
Ponderosa Park
– The conceptual plan for the park was completed and can be used to obtain
grant money. Naomi Decker reported that
every use in the park must be ADA
accessible. Cindy Dunlap, Regional
Coordinator from DCNR, will be coming to the township on September 1st
at 10:30 a.m. The park and rec board
cut some trees into firewood at Ponderosa
Park. Three signs were put up. One is the hours, one is a caution sign and
the other is at the well house. A local
excavator agreed to help with the softball field. The solicitor stated quotes are not needed if
the cost is under $4,000.00. Our road
crew will help with the work. Naomi
Decker will get an agreement with Mike Sunday and report back to the
supervisors with a memo. John Shambaugh
said he would like a documented quote. They
are hoping the field will be completed this fall.
The state has a piggy back program allowing the township to
be able to buy playground equipment at a much lower price. A rep and catalog will be coming to the
township.
Larry Lambert would like a 25’x25’ sandbox with a roof at
the park. Naomi Decker said she would
check into this.
The grants for DCNR must be in by October 13, 2004. Naomi Decker said DEP is involved with grant
applications. Ed
Balsavage made a motion seconded by Larry Lambert to make a
park and rec grant application for playground equipment. Vote passed by unanimous vote.
The park and rec board submitted a memo to the supervisors stating
why Ponderosa Park
should not be open at this time. It was
decided that the Ponderosa Park
will be open during day light hours. Ron
Gingrich locks the park at night. The well will be given a shock
treatment.
OLD BUSINESS
Rocky Ridge Road
Traffic Study – A letter was received from Donald Bubb, Transportation
& Traffic Engineer with the York County Planning Commission, who
recommended posting the speed limit at 30 mph.
The current limit is 35 mph but there are no signs posted. If the speed limit is changed it must be done
by ordinance. Larry Lambert made a
motion seconded by Don Lerew to post 35 mph speed limit signs on Rocky
Ridge Road.
Motion passed by unanimous vote.
NEW BUSINESS
Christian
Missionary Alliance
Church – Bob
Kennedy was present who represents 3rd World Books. They have a trailer at the church. They are requesting a waiver for a land
development plan for the trailer. Ed
Balsavage made a motion seconded by Larry Lambert to grant a
waiver for a land development plan for the trailer at the Christian
Missionary Alliance
Church until December 31, 2005. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
Platinum Plus MBNA America
– Larry Lambert called the credit card company regarding finance charges. They are very difficult to deal with and the
account should be closed after another credit card is obtained. Ed Balsavage
made a motion seconded by Don Lerew to close the current platinum plus credit
card. Motion carried by unanimous
vote. Ed Balsavage
made a motion seconded by John Shambaugh authorizing the secretary to open a
new credit card with some sort of cash back incentive. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
Aerial Photos – Two photos were taken by National
Airviews Inc. The supervisors decided not to purchase the pictures.
Auditor’s Course – Franklin Township Auditor Maureen
Wilson expressed an interest in taking the training course for elected
auditors. John Shambaugh made a motion
seconded by Don Lerew to approve the course for Maureen Wilson. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
CORRESPONDENCE
Emergency Management Meeting – There is a meeting
scheduled for September 20, 2004. Laurin Fleming submitted a written report
requesting permission to install the tower.
The Board felt they can not make a decision based on the information
submitted. Mr. Fleming was also
requesting permission to repair and purchase more equipment. If the equipment does not exceed $4,000.00,
at least two quotes should be obtained.
Three quotes are required if the cost is between $4,000.00 and
$10,000.00. There is money in the budget
for EMS. Laurin
should stay within the budget. Ed
Balsavage made a motion seconded by Naomi Decker to have the
secretary prepare a memo authorizing Laurin Fleming to repair and purchase
radio equipment based on the above mentioned guidelines. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Larry Lambert, John Shambaugh, and Naomi
Decker said they may be able to attend the meeting on September 20, 2004. Ed Balsavage
said he will attend the meeting.
Comprehensive Plan – There will be a meeting on August 24, 2004. The main purpose of this meeting is for
Dillsburg Borough and Carroll Township
to discuss the changes Carroll Township
made to the plan. None of the changes
affect Franklin Township. A public
meeting should be held some time in September to discuss the Comprehensive
Plan. The solicitor advised the public
meeting should not be held until Dillsburg and Carroll
Township settle their
differences.
Grant Request Letter – A letter was prepared by Larry
Lambert to Charles Noll in York County
requesting grant money for zoning. The
word “budget” should be changed to “expenditure”. John Shambaugh made a motion to send the
letter signed by Ed Balsavage to Charles
Noll. Vote: Balsavage, Lambert, Lerew, Shambaugh – Aye;
Decker – opposed.
Public Comment
Marc Anderson stated the 4 acre minimum is ridiculous. It will not preserve farmland. This is about keeping people out of the
community and this is illegal. He
guarantees it will be challenged and litigated.
The three people who voted for this have betrayed the people who elected
them. It is arrogant and elitist. John Shambaugh said this is a control measure
to control growth. That is why the
township is starting a zoning ordinance.
Ed Balsavage stated he has received
numerous calls from residents thanking him for having the courage to take the
measures to try to control growth. He
has spent hours and hours in discussion of trying to control growth. Mr. Anderson said he appreciates the hours
the Board spent but this decision affects many people. He has been forced out of this
community. Larry Lambert stated this
will not keep people out.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Larry Lambert made a motion seconded by John Shambaugh to
accept the treasurer’s report.
Motion carried by unanimous vote.
APPROVAL & PAYMENT OF BILLS
John Shambaugh made a motion seconded by Larry Lambert to
approve and pay the bills. Motion
carried by unanimous vote. John
Shambaugh had a question regarding plan completeness reviews. Engineer Knoebel stated the bill included a
fee for the completeness review of the Greenfield Plan which was
withdrawn.
John Shambaugh made a motion seconded by Don Lerew to
adjourn. Meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.
Linda J. Hansen
Secretary