The Moore Township Board of Supervisors met Tuesday, June 7 to discuss various projects throughout the township and complaints from residents.
The board granted the Jason Kocher minor subdivision approval unanimously based on the conditions set in the revised plan dated May 19, 2022.
The Moore Township Police Department reported a total of 266 incidents for the month of May, which included: Forty traffic citations, seven written/verbal warnings, five arrests made for receiving stolen property, simple assault, terroristic threats, possession of a small amount of marijuana and DUI, four non-traffic citations for public drunkenness, trespassing, burning ordinance violation and possession of an unlawful substance, and one reportable traffic crash. Additionally, the police department cannot proceed with the hiring of a part-time officer until they receive their applicant’s prior employment separation paperwork, which they hope to have by July’s meeting.
For the month of April, the Klecknersville Rangers Volunteer Fire Company reported a total of 31 fire calls, which included: Six fires, three motor vehicle accidents, four automatic fire alarms, five ambulance assists, seven mutual aid calls for various neighboring townships, four wires down, one odor investigation and one spill.
In other news, the township discussed having their engineer update the SALDO road specs for the Public Works Department for new roads that are paved in the future. Currently, the township’s SALDO doesn’t support a 30-year road plan because it only requires two inches of stone under the road, which only lasts roughly 10 years. The updated road specs would allow the township to preserve roads and make them last longer. The board voted unanimously to approve Township Engineer Horvath to prepare specifications to amend the SALDO and Horvath said he would have recommendations to present to the board by the next meeting.
Next, the supervisors discussed the First Regional Compost Authority’s township yard waste hours after receiving complaints from residents about only being open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and not being open on Sundays. Residents claim that it is hard to dump their yard waste during these times due to many individuals’ work schedules. However, Chairman of the FRCA, Richard Gable, voiced that these are the most liberal hours out of other local compost authorities and their Saturday hours are there for the individuals that cannot make it during the week, so the hours will stand.
Since putting up cameras, the FRCA was able to catch someone dumping during closed hours and made the resident come back and pick up everything they dumped or face a fine for dumping illegally. The township is planning to look into updating the old ordinance to new specifications that will set fines for violators. Residents should be aware that illegal dumping will now be caught on camera and individuals will be found and fined.
In other business, the board discussed complaints from residents regarding the cleanliness of the snack stands, who is responsible for cleaning them and how often they are being cleaned. Gable suggested the township look into a professional cleaning at least once a month or even every other week as opposed to once a year, so they can be easily maintained by snack stand volunteers. Supervisor Michael Tirrell Jr. stated he would look into pricing from a parent volunteer that previously gave him a quote to clean the snack stand and what that quote covered. The township will also be looking into what other townships are doing to maintain their snack stands.
Township Engineer Horvath provided a road plan update regarding the long-term road program presentation that Keystone made to the Board of Supervisors in terms of financing the township’s extensive road system, which would bring road conditions up to a higher standard and how the township can best use its resources.
The township received a road grade of D+, but the board clarified that this is not a bad grade overall for the issues it has. Horvath stated that D+ roads are still highly functional roads that do not require full reconstruction since the roads have not degraded enough. The board identified that their goal for the roads is a C and that they plan to work up incrementally to achieve this goal.
Next on the agenda, the board discussed the culverts on Church Road and East Walker Road that are in dire need of replacement. The culvert on Church Road has been closed for several months and the other has not been closed yet, but also needs attention.
Engineer Horvath presented recommendations for both culverts and stated that East Walker Road would have a less complicated installation than Church Road due to it being a smaller road. Horvath recommended using a 73 by 55-inch aluminum corrugated arch pipe with a capacity of 142 CFS, which will cost approximately $130,000 and includes an added guide rail. The alternative option would be an upgrade with significantly higher capacity at 190 CFS using a 72 by 72-inch concrete box culvert with a guide rail, which would serve as the road surface and would cost approximately $185,000. The upgraded option would add an additional 25+ years of longevity, with the cheaper option offering a 75-year lifespan. The board would be looking at longevity versus cost when deciding which recommendation they want to go with.
For the culvert on Church Road, Horvath recommended using concrete box culvert due to the high flow rates of the stream and higher capacity requirement. In addition, there is low cover over this pipe, which limits the options to a low and wider culvert. Church Road would require an 87 by 54-inch box culvert will cost approximately $170,000 for a structurally designed, corrugated rectangular box culvert that bolts together on site, which offers the low and wider opening with an upgraded capacity of 165 CFS and enables the option for a proper guide rail.
The Board of Supervisors decided to move forward with the 87 by 55-inch concrete box culvert on Church Road at a cost of $170,000, but then amended their decision to put both culverts out to bid as one single project with the 73 by 55-inch aluminum corrugated arch pipe at a cost of $130,000, which they approved unanimously for a total cost of $300,000.
In other business, the board unanimously approved the appointment of Ian Stout as the township’s alternate sewage enforcement officer. They also approved the CD renewal for 12 months with an .85% APR.
Last, the board approved a motion to put Schiavone Farm out for sale pending the project’s completion and Township Manager Nicholas Steiner said he will be advertising it within the next week or two.
An announcement was made regarding the Moore Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 15, but is now rescheduled for Wednesday, July 6 at 6 p.m. in the Moore Elementary School multi-purpose room, located at 2835 Mountain View Dr. The meeting will discuss the Water’s Edge at Wind Gap Industrial Development for Warehouse Use property proposal appeal of the determination of the Zoning Officer and challenges the substantive validity of various sections of the Township Zoning Ordinance.
The next Moore Township Board of Supervisors regular monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 5 at 6 p.m. in the municipal building, located at 2491 Community Dr.
