© 2003 by Joel Buckley

The Conewago Township Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting on May 14, 2003. Some of those present were:

• The Supers:
  John Rochat (vice-chair)
  Jay Brandt
  John Graybill showed up an hour late
• Their trusted Assistants:
  Shirley Bretz (secretary)
  Dolores Kuntz (treasurer)
  Frank Chlebnikow (zoning officer)
  Jon Yost (solicitor)
  Max Schradley (engineer)
• The Reporters:
  Tom (Scoop) Rumpf, The Sun
  Joel (Flash) Buckley, ConewagoOnline
  Gerry Boltz, The Laurel Woods e-Report
• People with Business:
  Kim Bloom, DTMA
  Lt. Tom Barkdoll, Troop H
  Gary Burk
  Michele Emell - Elkton Sparkler
  Galen Shelly
  Jim Moyer - Salvation Army
• Interested Citizens:
  Jane Hafer and some neighbors from Chestnut Road
  Andy Wolf
  Some people I missed

• Minutes of May 14, 2003 - Rochat said the vote on Reappointment of Planning Commission should be changed from 2 and 1 abstain to 3-0.
• Treasurer's Report - May 31, 2003
• Expenditure Report - June 11, 2003
• Subdivision/Engineering Fees Report
• Planning Commission Minutes - June 2, 2003

• Lt. Tom Barkdoll, of State Police Troop H, said he had moved into the area and would be the designated contact with the community. He would come to meetings quarterly or as needed. Andy Wolf asked where 911 calls went. This wasn't clearly answered. [Editor's Note: according to www.conewagoonline.com/services.htm#Emer: In an emergency, dial 9-1-1-you should be routed to Dauphin County 9-1-1 dispatch (even if you have an Elizabethtown (Lancaster Co) or Palmyra (Lebanon Co) phone number). This may not always happen, especially, on a cell phone. In addition to your street address (Hershey, Hummelstown, or Elizabethtown), advise that you reside in Conewago Township, Dauphin County.]

• Michele Emel of Elkton Sparkler was asking for a temporary building permit to sell fireworks in the University Music before the 4^th of July like they did last year. Frank asked that they not put up any signs except at that location. Permit approved.

  There was extended discussion related to the sewer. [Editor's Note: many of these questions are answered at www.conewagoonline.com/sewer.htm]

• Jane Hafer of Chestnut Road and some neighbors were unhappy with having to connect to the sewer. Mrs. Hafer was also unhappy with having to do a septic pumping the year before sewer connection and presumably again the next year when there is sewer connection. She asked for a waiver of the required pumping. John Rochat said the supers had considered this at the beginning of the year (before they had signed the sewer agreement) and had decided against it. John Yost said it wouldn't be a good idea because 1) who knows if the sewer will really be finished by next year, 2) it might get them in trouble with DEP, 3) systems that are in trouble might go undiscovered for another year or more.

• She asked about people not having to hook up whose house was more than 150 feet from the sewer. It was explained that this was dictated by state law, not a local decision.

• Mrs. Hafer asked if Chestnut Road was added to the Laurel Woods system to just spread out the cost or to accommodate the Hills of Waterford development. The response was that sewer was planned for Chestnut Road before the Hills of Waterford development. It was always intended to include Chestnut at least up to Basler. Maybe a portion of Chestnut above Basler was added for the reason suggested.

• Mrs. Hafer asked if the HoW developer would pay the same $6000 per house hookup fee and would they pay it all up front. The answer was no. It was disclosed that the Hills of Waterford would NOT have to pay the $6000 per house connection fee to hook-up to the sewer that existing residents would pay. They would pay a reduced fee reflecting that they will pay for installing the sewer mains in their development. The question of when they would pay was not answered.

• One of Jane's neighbors had a question about how to determine if the the sewer in the street would be deep enough if he wanted to reroute the lateral. Joel Buckley explained that detailed engineering drawings were available at the township office so residents could come in and determine the sewer depth in front of their houses.

• Another neighbor wanted to know if the sewer would go the length of Rhoads so he could hook-up easily. Joel thought not and the drawings showed it only went partially up Rhoads (which is a small street and other residents could hook on at Basler or Chestnut).

• Another Chestnut resident wanted to know if Chestnut was being widened to four lanes. Supervisor Rochat said a toll booth would be added as well. (I believe he was joking.) The explanation is this: when there is new development in the township, streets must be widened to meet current township standards. So where Gary Burk is developing a couple of lots Chestnut will be widened, but only there.

• Andy Wolf wondered about the high cost of the sewer and were the $6000 connection fee plus plumbers fee plus $900 annual fee accurate. These numbers are based on DTMA 4.91% financing. It was explained that the numbers could change if the township got PennVest financing. Also, they could lower the connection fee and increase the annual fee or vice versa. [By Conewago Online's calculations, the $900 annual fee would drop to around $800 with 2% financing. It would still be $650/year even if we had 0% financing!]

• Help with financing: people can finance their $6000 connection fee through DTMA at 4.91% for 6 years. [By Conewago Online's calculations (not DTMA's) this would be about $275-$280 per quarter for 25 quarters. This is in addition to the sewer fee ($76.50/qtr) and capital surcharge fee ($150-165/qtr). Total charges then would be about $500-$520/qtr ($2000-$2080/yr) for the first 6 years, $225-$240/qtr ($900-$960) for years 7-25 and $76.50/qtr ($306/yr) after that. (This assumes no increase in sewer fees, no additional sewer costs, no additional users paying into the system.) There may be county grants for low income residents. More info on this will be available next year.

• Someone asked about public water again. (It is coming to the Hills of Waterford development.) It will be provided by Pennsylvania-American Water Company. Direct your questions to them, not DTMA or Conewago Township. [Editor's Note: Mike Salvo, of PAWC, attended the Feb 12 BOS meeting. It had not been decided if water service will be offered to residents outside HoW, but if they did decide (after yet another survey)-they could be here this summer. (Did I hear that right?)]

  This next item was scheduled for new business but was taken up under public comment which was running pretty long.

• Jim Moyer - The Salvation Army - asked permission to set up a 5'x5' metal container at the township building to receive donations of clothing and shoes. It will be emptied daily (or at least 5 times a week). Given 30 day trial approval.

• Property Maintenance Ordinance - on the agenda, but I did not hear it mentioned.

• Status Report, DTMA - Kim Bloom said responses to the lateral letters were due today. She said construction of sewer on Dogwood and Azalea will begin next Monday. Church Road from Round Top to Kanodes will begin June 30. I believe Church will be closed.

  Again-even though sewer pipes may be installed in the next few months, the sewer likely won't become operational until much later (closer to fall of 2004) when the RoundTop Road pumping station is built and connected.

• OLDS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM - Reminders for 2003 septic pumping were sent out. Some delinquents from 2002 that had been given extensions to May may get a few more weeks because of the excessive wet conditions.

• Update - RETTEW - Jay Zeigler & Shelly Property - This is followup to an oil spill in January. Galen Shelly explained that continuing wet conditions have delayed site remediation (clean-up) but it will be done.

• Dan & Rachel Shearer - Waiver of Land Development - Kevin Ricker, Contractor - (for a barn and accessory building) Even though none of these people were there, the board went ahead and approved this.

• Gary Burk - Final Subdivision Plan Waiver - Flash didn't hang around for this.

• [Editors Note: Municipal election was Tuesday, May 20. Joel Buckley won the Democratic nomination for Supervisor. Galen Shelly won the Republican nomination. Anne Guenin and Terry Whitmeyer won school board nomination on both parties. For more info see http://www.conewagoonline.com/elect.htm]

Remember - Next regular Board of Supervisors Meeting is Wednesday July 9 at 7:30 pm.

That's it - Flash