Cummings Township Regular Monthly Minutes Nov.13, 2012 Chair Walter Braddock called the meeting to order at 7:00P.M. Supervisors Thomas Thompson and John Gasperine were also present at the meeting. Lucy Cox, Secretary/Treasurer, Road Master Rick Bierly and Zoning Officer Will Wolfe were also present at the meeting. Public Attendance: Ron Bierly, Mike Myers, Craig Bierly, Tyler Bierly and Keith Orgitano. Nathaniel Schmidt, Bob Payne, Dick Hitchcock, and Nate Thurston from PGE were also at the meeting. Public Participation: Nathaniel Schmidt introduced himself to the Supervisors as the assistant General Counsel for PGE. Mr. Schmidt introduced Bob Payne, supervisor of technical operations for PGE. He also introduced Dick Hitchcock, operation supervisor. Walt talked with PGE about assisting the Township in helping to keep the road from deteriorating this spring. The Supervisors wanted PGE to be aware of what they need to do this spring as preventative maintenance to keep DRR in good repair. Walt commented that he thought the road should be closed and gated at the top and the bottom during the 3 to 4 weeks of the spring thaw. Mr. Schmidt commented that PGE had contributed to Act 13 but they would like to continue their good neighbor policy that they have in place. Mr. Schmidt would like to see a proposal with specifics on what the Township would need to keep DRR maintained. Mr. Schmidt requested the Township send PGE a bid. PGE would determine a percentage of what they think their responsibility for the road condition is. Dick Hitchcock remarked that PGE would be okay with a temporary closing of the road in the spring. He could not comment on any other operators. Walt commented that the road is not maintained by the Township in the winter months and he does not recommend any traffic during that time. Keith Orgitano, representing the Waterville Fire Company, brought the Supervisors a bid for a new brush truck. This truck would be purchased from Ford. The bed of the truck would be specifically designed by Shore Equipment. This truck would hold a water pump large enough to handle a structure fire in the woods. The brush truck that the fire company has now is 35 years old and is in need of several repairs. John asked if there was any trade in value on the old brush truck. Neither Keith nor Craig Bierly had any idea of the value of the truck. John asked the members of the Fire Company if their request was to be funded from the Marcellus Shale Impact Fund. Ron Bierly replied that the purchase would qualify for those funds. Walt asked if DCNR responded to any fires on private property. Craig replied that Jake, the forest supervisor goes to all fires that border state land. Keith commented that the truck they want to purchase will be very similar to the truck that DCNR uses when they respond to forest fires. John asked the members of the fire company how soon they would need this truck. Keith responded that they would need the truck before fire season in May. Keith also mentioned that now there are rebates offered by Ford on the truck.
The government gives grant money to fire company s for this type of equipment. John Gasperine talked with the fire company about installing a generator fueled by propane for emergencies and evacuations. John brought two bids for generators to the meeting. One bid was for the Water Company, and one bid was for the Fire Company. The estimate for the generators was considered to be high and Ron Bierly recommended someone from Lancaster, Pa. that has installed several in the area. Walt asked Ron if he had any estimates to present to the Township for the painting and other small projects for the firehouse. Ron mentioned that he had Wheary s Painting set to do the project in the spring. Supervisor Thompson asked Ron Bierly what percentage of the cost the fire company would be willing to pay. Ron mentioned that it is the Townships responsibility to provide fire protection to the community. The Ladies Auxiliary and the fire company members hold fundraising events throughout the year to help with the cost. John asked Ron which of the three projects was top priority for the fire company. Ron noted that the painting of the building would not be a problem for the fire company to pay. Ron and Keith both agreed that the brush truck would be the top priority, considering all the fires that the fire company has been called out for. The majority of all calls are medical or woodlands. Walt mentioned that there might be requirements to get at least three bids on all projects to be funded by the impact fee. He asked Keith if he would be able to get at least two more bids. Zoning Reports: The first zoning report was applied for by Jan Heming. The permit was denied because no flood proofing had been supplied. A permit for a pole building was issued to Shohocken Hunt Club. Forecon Inc. was issued a permit for timber harvesting. Richard Heylman of Heverly Rd. was issued a permit to enclose a portion of a roofed porch. One sewage permit was issued to Anadarko for an 18 month holding tank for their meter station on Bull Run Road. There were no zoning violations. Road Master Report: Rick reported that after the storm they cut about 15 trees off of DRR. The road crew also cleaned all the headwalls and removed debris. Rick will be grading and shaping the road with the new blade soon. There are some deep holes on DRR that need to be filled with cold patch. John mentioned that there was a request from County to fill out a form for damages in the Township due to storm Sandy. John has been working with Rick in completing this form to assess the damage and
the amount of stone purchased to fix the damage. Rick mentioned that he would need about five loads of stone to fix the damage on the road. Rick informed the Supervisors that he received notification from Penn Dot that Route 287 from Brookside to Salladasburg will be closed in 2014 for 4 to 7 days. Penn Dot would be interested in any input the Supervisors have about detours or any other suggestions. There is one small job that needs done past Houser s drive. At the curve there is a drop off of about 8 inches. Rick noted that it can be fixed with cold patch and should only take about four hours. Rick brought several price lists to the meeting for different pieces of heavy equipment. CH Waltz brought some equipment and a trailer for Rick and the Supervisors to look at. The Supervisors were interested in the mini excavator. The Supervisors talked with Rick in detail about the trailer needed to haul a piece of heavy equipment. Craig Bierly mentioned that the trailer Waltz s brought to the township building, the weight capacity might not be high enough to haul the mini excavator. Rick also brought information on a small grader, and a roller. Rick mentioned that he was informed that if the Township waits until 2013, they are changing the emissions on everything and the prices will be higher. Walt and the other Supervisors were in agreement that the price on the mini excavator was very good. Supervisor Thompson asked Rick which piece of equipment would be his first priority. Rick thought the value on the mini excavator was good and there would probably be a wait for these other pieces of equipment. John talked with the Supervisors about the Water Co. There were some things that needed to be upgraded and things that needed to be repaired. The estimated cost would be approximately five thousand dollars. The project would help make the Water Co. more efficient. John Gasperine made a motion to pass Resolution 2012 8, the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan. Tom Thompson seconded the motion.mcu. John Gasperine made a motion to purchase the mini excavator. Walt seconded the motion.mcu. Tyler Bierly asked the Supervisors about the hourly rate for the last pay period in October. The $15.50 rate that Tyler was referring to only applied to work done by the Township on behalf of the gas companies. The Supervisors did not feel that the cleanup work done after the hurricane qualified for the higher rate. The timecards for the last pay period in October were emailed to the Supervisors on November 1, 2012. Lucy received approval from John Gasperine and Walt Braddock to distribute the paychecks for the road crew. The Supervisors then reviewed and commented on the Correspondence folder.
Supervisor Braddock brought up the subject of finding someone to replace Ted McCarthy as the Emergency Management Coordinator. Tyler Bierly expressed an interest but he would like to find out more details from the County. Supervisor Braddock also reminded the other Supervisors that the Township is in need of another Auditor for fiscal year 2013. There was some information in the correspondence folder about flagger training. Most of the road crew has taken the course. Tyler Bierly said he would like to be registered for the course as an equipment operator. Lucy will call Don Free and register Tyler to take the course in Loyalsock Township. Supervisor Braddock informed the public that the proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 was now available for anyone interested to look at it. Copies of the proposed budget revenues and expenses were available for anyone to review. Supervisor Braddock then made a motion to approve the payment of all outstanding bills. Thomas Thompson seconded the motion.mcu. Treasurer s Report: Lucy reported that the Township received a large check from Register Recorder, Annabelle Miller. Lucy called Will Wolfe to ask him if this might be an error. Will commented that he talked with Annabelle and it was from the gas companies and she was not clear on why the check was that amount. Lucy informed the Supervisors that she deposited the check into the General Fund. Lucy then asked the Supervisors if they would rather have the money transferred to the Capital Reserve. The Supervisors were in agreement to keep the money in the General Fund until the end of the year. Supervisor Thompson would like to look at some investments as the funds become too large. Lucy reported that the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee check had arrived. The check was given to Supervisor Gasperine and he and Walt opened a checking account at the Jersey Shore State Bank. John and Walt also ordered checks and deposit slips for the new account. Lucy informed the Supervisors that the fee for the checks would be withdrawn from the monies deposited in the Marcellus Shale Account. The Supervisors discussed the automatic withdrawal and determined that it could be reimbursed if it were not an allowable expense. Lucy also noted that in the disbursements in the General Fund there were two identical automatic withdraws from Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Lucy reported she would call e tides and try to determine if this was an error. Will noted that the Secretary will be required to file a financial Marcellus Shale Impact Account Report to the state and the deadline to file will be April 15 each year. Lucy will check with other townships to inquire about this report. Lucy informed the Supervisors and Rick the balance of the Liquid Fuels Fund.
Lucy also reported that the bank statements had been reconciled. Supervisor Thompson made a motion to accept the Treasurer s Report. John Gasperine seconded the motion. MCU. John Gasperine made a motion to approve payment of all outstanding bills. Tom Thompson seconded the motion. MCU. John Gasperine made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Supervisor Thompson seconded the motion. MCU. The meeting ended at 9:30 PM. Respectfully yours, Lucy Cox, Secretary Treasurer