MINUTES of MEETING
Durham Township Board of Supervisors
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Township Building Meeting Room
Present: Supervisors: Bartley E. Millett, Chairman
Richard M. Johnson, Vice Chairman
Manfred Marschewski, Member
Secretary: Joseph M. Kulick
Solicitor: Peter N. Harrison
Zoning Officer: Peter W. Bent
Road Master: Jim Laubach
Absent: None
Meeting called to order by Chairman Bartley Millett at 7:35 PM. All in attendance stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.
Approval of Minutes from November 11, 2008 Meeting
Vice Chairman Richard M. Johnson made a motion to approve the Minutes as presented. Member Manfred Marschewski seconded the motion and Chairman Bartley Millett agreed and the Motion passed, Minutes approved as submitted.
Approval of Financial Report Dated November 30, 2008
Vice Chairman Richard M. Johnson made a motion to approve the Financial Report as presented and Member Manfred Marschewski seconded the motion. All agreed. Motion passed.
Final Review & Approval of the 2009 Draft Budget
The board presented the 2009 Draft Budget for discussion and final approval. The Chairman noted that the budget had been properly advertised in the Intelligencer on Friday, November 14, 2008 and was made available for public inspection from that date till now in the township office.
The Chairman opened the floor for any comments or questions; there were none. Chairman Bartley Millett then made a motion to approve the 2009 Durham Township Budget as presented. Member Manfred Marschewski seconded the motion and Vice Chairman Richard Johnson agreed. Motion passed. There were no further comments or questions.
Updates:
Township Solicitor Peter Harrison briefly updated the board on the pending draft SALDO amendment ordinance (increasing the width of all new development entrance roads). The Bucks County Planning Commission has reviewed the draft and provided some suggestions. A final draft was presented by the solicitor to the board for review. We are presently awaiting a final review by the township engineer.
New Business:
Durham Bat Hibernaculum Sign:
Sandy Yerger of the Heritage Conservancy was present at the meeting and unveiled a new sign commemorating the Durham bat cave area. The sign was presented to the township from Heritage Conservancy for erection in the historic grist mill area. There were no further comments or questions.
Establish Year End Meeting Date:
Township Manager Joe Kulick suggested the board hold their year end bill pay meeting on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 7:30 PM in the township meeting room. The board unanimously approved and directed the manager to advertise the meeting as legally required. There were no further comments or questions.
Old Business:
Purchase of Kerl Conservation Easement:
Township Solicitor Peter Harrison recapped the details of the Kerl property acquisition on Kintner Road in both Durham & Nockamixon townships. . Nockamixon will contribute $30,391; Durham $500 cash & a DCNR Grant of $295,000 to Durham Township; Bucks County Grant of $306,109 to Heritage Conservancy for a total purchase price of $632,000 for @93 acres (75 in Nockamixon/18 in Durham). Durham is contributing $295,000 via a DCNR state grant along with $500 in cash. Since DCNR requires a 10% hold-back, the township will advance $29,500 cash to be refunded by DCNR about 8 to 12 weeks after settlement. The solicitor requested that the board issue a resolution approving the purchase and authorizing the solicitor to represent the board and execute the necessary settlement documents. Also, the remaining balance of the DCNR grant of $118,000 will not be received until Friday, December 19, 2008. Since settlement is scheduled for Tuesday, December 23, 2008, this will not allow sufficient time for the check to be deposited and cleared. The title company has approved a “third party” check for that amount from the state. Upon receipt, Joe Kulick will assign the check to PA Abstract Company and respectfully request the board to sign the reverse of the check. This check, along with a township check for $177,500 payable to PA Abstract Company, as approved at tonight’s meeting, will be presented by the solicitor at settlement.
The Vice Chairman then made a motion to approve Resolution 2008-3 approving the purchase of the Kerl Conservation Easement and all other actions relating to the purchase as discussed earlier. Member Manfred Marschewski seconded the motion and Chairman Bartley Millett agreed. Resolution 2008-3 motion approved unanimously. There were no further comments or questions.
Zoning Officer Report – Peter Bent
Zoning Officer Peter Bent was present at the meeting and advised the board; no new zoning permits were issued since last meeting: total of twenty one (21) permits issued to date in 2008. Mr. Quier Jr. was present at the meeting and once again promised to continue his clean-up of the property. The Vice Chairman thanked him for his continued effort. Gartner Building Group should soon begin demolition of the abandoned trailer on Route 212 and begin construction of a new single family dwelling as approved. Mr. Bent is in receipt of a forestry application from AP Creations (Pat Cook former paper mill site Routes 212 & 611). They wish to selectively remove some hardwood trees. No clear cutting will take place. Removal will be by certified forestry technicians without polluting Cooks Creek. There were no further comments or questions.
Road Master Report – Jim Laubach
Township Road Master Jim Laubach was present and advised the board on the following: prepared all township vehicles for winter operations; mounting plows, salt spreaders, etc. New plow edge blade installed on DT-3 plow. Roads have been slated three times already. Graded Sunday Road. Jim also noted increased activity at the monthly recycling Saturday. Riegelsville residents have increased the volume since it has been advertised by the borough to bring their recyclables to Durham. There were no further comments or questions.
(Note: The Fire Department Report scheduled on the Agenda was not presented due to the absence of the Fire Chief at the meeting)
Citizen of the Year Award: (Not Listed on Agenda)
The Board of Supervisors, via a unanimous secret ballot/vote, awarded Fran & Joe Chavar the acclaimed Durham Township Citizens of the Year Award for 2008. Both individuals are long time Durham residents and have both served on the Community Fire Company over 50 years each. Fran was also an elected township auditor and Joe is currently a township on-call employee. Fran attends most monthly board meetings.
Public Service Announcements: The Chairman announced:
The Community Fire Company #1 will be serving breakfast on Sunday, December 21, 2008 from 8:00AM to 12:30PM. Santa will be stopping-by for breakfast.
Community Monthly Recycling Day will be on Saturday, January 10, 2009 (second Saturday) from 9 AM to 12 Noon
Township Offices will be closed on Thursday & Friday December 25th & 26th due to the Christmas Holiday
The Board of Supervisors Annual Holiday Coffee & Cake gathering will take place immediately after this meeting.
The Township Park & Rec Board 2nd Annual “Colonial Wreath Making Class” will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 1:00PM in the Mill. Advance reservations are requested at a cost of $20.00 per wreath (person).
Questions/Comments:
Resident Wallace Frank thanked the Board of Supervisors and all of the township staff for their past year service to the township.
Pay Bills / Close Meeting:
The Chairman made a motion to pay the bills as presented and to close the Meeting; seconded by Member Manfred Marschewski and agreed to by the Vice Chairman. Motion passed. Meeting closed.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:29 PM.
Minutes Submitted by: Township Secretary/Manager Joseph M. Kulick