The Moore Township Board of Supervisors met on Thursday, October 7 to vote on two ordinances, discuss a substation project, and LSA grants for the police department.
Ordinance 2021-05 was discussed first; this ordinance would prohibit truck traffic on West Dell Road between Copella Road and Moorestown Drive. Local deliveries, emergency vehicles, and school buses would be exempt from the ordinance. The ordinance was drafted after a traffic study demonstrated that the aforementioned stretch of road is unsuitable for truck traffic.
As advertised, the board held a hearing for the Trapper Road ordinance during this meeting. Board members and residents were allowed to give their opinions on the ordinance.
Solicitor David Backestoe explained at previous meetings that vacating a road simply means the township would give up public interest in the road and remove it from township maps; further, private use of the road, if any, would still be allowed in the event Trapper Road is vacated.
Backenstoe also indicated that Trapper Road has not been maintained by Moore Township, nor do they know its exact location.
Public works director Craig Hoffman, Jr. and residents contiguous to Trapper Road echoed these statements. Hoffman, Jr. went on to explain that the half-mile road is comprised of grass, gravel, and dirt. Additionally, there are concerns about the safety of the road: it is not safe to travel on, and there is not a good line of sight when turning onto Allen Drive.
Finally, solicitor Backenstoe asked what it would cost to turn it into a paved road. It would cost around $250,000 to grade, level, stone, and chip Trapper Road; to pave the road, in addition to the other required steps, would put the township back between $400,000 and $500,000.
Ordinances 2021-05 and 2021-06 were both passed by the Board of Supervisors.
Kevin Horvath, Township Engineer, provided an update on Met-Ed substation discussed at the September 9 board meeting. Met-Ed is an electric utility company that purchased property at the intersection of Point Phillips and Williams roads with the intent of constructing a substation to provide electricity to their customers.
The project is regulated by the Pennsylvania Utilities Committee (PUC), which means the township has no right to impose zoning regulations unless a building is proposed. Horvath reached out to the project’s engineer and discovered that construction of a building has been planned; however, the building will only be a storage shed and not be occupied by people.
Solicitor David Backenstoe believes that even though the building will only house equipment, Met-Ed will still need to get a certificate of public convenience from the PUC.
In other business, Police Chief Gary West discussed Local Share Account (LSA) grants for the years 2020 and 2021. The police department applied for and was awarded a 2020 grant, which they will use to purchase 20 truck scales for $99,862. Ten of the scales will stay with the Moore Township Police Department, and 10 will go to Bushkill Township’s police force.
The township also applied for this year’s LSA grant for around $100,000 to purchase two police vehicles that would replace two of the department’s older vehicles.
The Board of Supervisors will meet next on Thursday, November 4 at 6 p.m. at the Klecknersville Rangers Fire Station, located at 2718 Mountain View Dr., Bath.
