MINUTES of MEETING
Durham Township Board of Supervisors
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Township Building Meeting Room
Present: Supervisors: Bartley E. Millett, Chairman
Richard M. Johnson, Vice Chairman
Secretary: Joseph M. Kulick
Solicitor: Peter N. Harrison
Road Master: James Laubach
Zoning Officer: Peter W. Bent
Bldg Inspector: Tim Wittemann
Absent: Supervisor: Manfred Marschewski, Member
Meeting called to order by Chairman Bartley E. Millett at 7:34 PM. All in attendance stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.
Approval of Minutes from April 10, 2007 Meeting
Vice Chairman Richard M. Johnson made a motion to approve the Minutes as presented. Chairman Bartley Millett seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Approval of Financial Report Dated April 30, 2007
Resident Wallace Frank questioned the location of payments made to M&M Inspections, Inc. to which Bookkeeper Elaine Gawronski responded. Vice Chairman Richard Johnson then made a motion to approve the Financial Report as presented and the Chairman seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Updates:
Zoning Amendments (2):
The Chairman advised the meeting attendees that two zoning amendments are before the board for review; to define single-family dwelling; and to amend the SALDO regulations on further subdivision. Solicitor Peter Harrison added that the township engineer is reviewing the amendments and they will be advertised for a public hearing during next months board meeting.
Farm Preservation Tax Freeze Ordinance:
Solicitor Peter Harrison will also advertise this new ordinance for a public hearing to be held at next months meeting.
New Business:
Purchase of New Backhoe via State Contract:
The Chairman noted that the township is considering the purchase of a new (demo) 2006 John Deere 310G 4WD extended backhoe, via the Capital Cities State Contract. The purchase price of $56,914.00 realizes a savings of $13,253.00 via the state contract. Two other bids were solicited; CASE at $88,000 & CATEPILLAR at $68,000 from the state contract. Payments would be five (5) annual payments of $12,724.65 per year. The annual payment would be taken from our yearly Liquid Fuels Tax Allocation and not the general fund.
Vice Chairman Richard Johnson commented that the purchase is a good deal since we investigated the purchase of used equipment without success and we are presently contracting out our backhoe requirements. He noted that our present tractor needs repairs and is not suited for the township demands. The present tractor will be repaired and returned to only roadside mowing duties and this should prolong its life.
The Vice Chairman resolved and agreed to Resolution 2007-6 approving the purchase of the backhoe under the PACC Equipment Contract. The Chairman agreed and Resolution 2007-6 was approved. There were no further comments and/or questions.
Glazier Subdivision Information: (Not on Agenda)
Solicitor Peter Harrison advised the board that he has spoken with Stephen Harris, Attorney for the potential buyer of the Glazier property located on Lehnenberg Road, and the buyer wishes to build one (1) single family dwelling on the property for himself and his family. The four (4) lot approved Glazier subdivision has not been recorded as of yet. The buyer may record the plan, but has requested not to pay the financial security nor install the required improvements, since he does not plan any further development at this time. The township would still record the road easements along Lehnenberg Road. The Solicitor suggested he contact Township Engineer Scott Mease, with the boards’ approval, and obtain his input on the predicament. The board agreed and the matter will be scheduled for the June board meeting for updating. There were no further comments or questions.
Old Business:
Rohs Developers Agreement:
Solicitor Peter Harrison advised the board to postpone discussion until next months meeting since a few additional details must be worked out. Two easement agreements must be drawn-up and a letter of credit obtained from Mr. Rohs.
Zoning Officer Report – Peter Bent
Township Zoning Officer Peter Bent noted that two (2) zoning permits were issued this month. One was for a driveway permit for Zelov at 2985 Gallows Hill Road to relocate their driveway entrance and to Lambert at 235 Valley View Road for construction of a detached two-car garage. He reiterated that the gas station on Easton Road is changing to Valero gas from Mobil and has completed the changing of signage, etc. Building & Zoning permits had been issued.
A revised plan is still pending for the construction of a single-family dwelling by the Gartner Building Group on their property located on Route 212; the revision corrects most of the zoning violations contained in the original plan but includes a violation by building of the dwelling in the front yard set-back. They are reworking the application without the requirement for any variances. A zoning permit is pending for the Mignatti property on 854 Spring Hill Road for the remodeling of their five (5) stall barn to include a two bedroom apartment. Plans have not been received as of yet.
The Zoning Officer advised the board of new well regulations now in effect from the Bucks County Health Department effective March 01, 2007. The new regulations include: inspection of well casings; abandoned wells will require permit & covers; arsenic now included as primary contaminate; along with new application forms.
Also, just received tonight is an application for a conditional use from Sprint to install an additional antenna on the Crouse farm silo, along with the related equipment at the base of the silo, within the existing compound. A Conditional Use Hearing must be scheduled within the next 60 days after review by the Planning Commission. There were no further comments or questions.
Road Master Report – Jim Laubach
Township Road Master Jim Laubach reported the final snowstorm of the season has occurred and since we have cleaned-up and stored all of the winter equipment for the season. Snow fence removed from along Shearers Hill Road. The grass mowing equipment has been readied for the mowing season. We started cleaning the storm gutters along the roadways. Ten (10) tires picked-up from the creek on Coon Hollow Road. PennDOT has commenced work on the Lehnenberg Road bridges. They donated the used guard rails to the township. A plumber was called to the post office to reopen clogged fresh water line to the mill. Townships large item clean-up day was a success. Jim advised the board that long-time employee Joe Chavar was retiring at the end of the month. The Chairman suggested a “letter of praise” be issued to acknowledge his hard work over the years. The supervisors’ road inspection was conducted on April 19th as scheduled. There were no further comments or questions.
Building Inspector Report -Tim Wittemann
Township Building Inspector Tim Wittemann of M&M Inspection Services, Inc. reported that nine (9) building permits have been issued so far this year. He noted the creation of a new “Building Permit Application” form now in service.
He requested the board consider amending the present requirement under Ordinance 2005-1, requiring building permits for any accessory building 1,000 square feet or more, to any structure over 500 square feet. Zoning Officer Peter bent agreed with the recommendation citing the need to inspect loads on the joists, etc. to maintain structural integrity. The Vice Chairman questioned the need as there has not been any recent building collapses to his knowledge. The Chairman asked how many building permits might be affected by the change. (He did not receive a response) The Vice Chairman noted that he has not heard a valid reason so far creating the need for an amendment. The Chairman requested additional data to be supplied in order to consider a change.
Resident Don Ratushny questioned Zoning Officer Peter Bent on how long has the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) been in place. His response was it was established by Act 45 in 1999, but the UCC was not officially adopted until 2005. There were no further comments or questions.
Public Service Announcements:
The Chairman reminded residents to get out and vote on Tuesday, May 15, 2007; the township office will be closed.
The Community Fire Company #1 will be having Sunday Breakfast on Sunday, May 20, 2007 from 8:00AM to 12:30PM.
The Chairman noted that Community Recycling Day will be on Saturday, June02, 2007 from 9 AM to 12 noon.
Questions/Comments:
Resident Jeff Lauble of 2680 Gallows Hill Road requested clarification on a letter from Zoning Officer Peter Bent regarding his parking of a commercial vehicle on the property. He did not feel the vehicle was a “commercial vehicle” since it did not have markings of any type and he used it as his personal vehicle. The vehicle is a 1 ton stake body type truck. The Zoning Officer noted that commercial vehicles by ordinance need to be parked inside a garage in a residential zone. The Vice Chairman responded to Mr. Lauble noting he agreed with him (Lauble) and that relief should be granted in some form. The Zoning Officer noted relief could only be provided via a zoning hearing board action. The board requested the zoning officer to review the situation and report back at a later date.
Pay Bills / Close Meeting:
The Chairman made a motion to pay the bills as presented and to close the Meeting, seconded by the Vice Chairman. Motion passed.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.
Minutes Submitted by: Township Secretary/Manager Joseph M. Kulick