|
|
| |
|
Minutes from |
|
February 3, 2009 |
|
Board of Supervisors
Meeting |
The Regular Meeting of the Doylestown Township
Board of Supervisors was held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February
3, 2009 at the Doylestown Township Municipal Building, 425 Wells
Road, Doylestown, PA. Members of the Board of Supervisors is
attendance included Barbara N. Lyons, Chairman; E. Thomas
Scarborough, Jr., Vice Chairman; Jeffrey Bennett; and Cynthia
Philo. Absent: Barbara Eisenhardt. Others in attendance included
Jeffrey Garton, Township Solicitor; Stephen White, Chief of
Police; Mario Canales, Township Engineer and Stephanie Mason,
Township Manager.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Ms. Lyons noted that this evening the Board of Supervisors
interviewed several residents for various Boards and
Commissions’ positions and our interviews will continue to 5:00
p.m. on February 17, 2009. Tonight, we have reports from the
various Boards & Commissions, and she introduced Dr. Feldstein,
Chairman of the Open Space Committee.
Dr. Joshua Feldstein reported on behalf of the Open Space &
Farmland Preservation Committee that consists of Thomas Kelso;
Jeffrey Fehr; Jennifer Wollenberg; Edward Howard; and Barbara
Lyons, Liaison to the Board of Supervisors.
Doylestown Township covers an area of approximately 15.54 square
miles and the total amount of acreage is 9,945.6 acres. We abut
Buckingham, New Britain, Warrington, Warwick and Plumstead
Townships and also the Boroughs of Doylestown and New Britain.
Total acres preserved in Doylestown Township are 1,278.5378 and
that includes 739.8978 acres of open space. 233 acres are
farmland preserved by Delaware Valley College and Bucks County
has preserved approximately 305.6 acres as part of the Pine Run
Reservoir. Bucks County allocated $500,125 in Doylestown
Township for conservation easement and this was expanded to four
properties totaling 45.82 acres. We negotiated with them to give
us the extra 25% and we were the only Township who did that.
Other property owners have contributed in value of $166,708.33.
Bucks County has been allocated as Phase II; $620,408 in the
second phase in open space for preservation and purchase of
conservation easements. We expect to be able to negotiate
properties under consideration to contribute to the Township
25%, which amounts to $206,802.66. We already have several of
those properties under consideration and are being appraised.
He commended Township Manager, Stephanie Mason who helps us way
beyond the call of duty.
Delaware Valley College; Doylestown Hospital; Pine Run; Kutz
Elementary School; and parts of the Rt. 202, 611 and 313 are
included in our Township as acreage. We have preserved a total
of 12.8% of the total acreage. Central Park in New York City has
a total acreage of 843. In Doylestown Township, we have 108
acres, which is about 1/8, and we have about 18,000 residents.
The past and present Board of Supervisors should be commended
for their vision, determination, dedication, courage and action
to acquire, develop, evolve and maintain Central Park in
Doylestown Township as it is a jewel of the Township.
Mr. Scarborough thanked Dr. Feldstein for his hard work that he
has done over the many years acquiring open space.
VISITOR/PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Ms. Lyons announced the next meeting of the Board of Supervisors
is scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, 2009 and interviews for
Boards & Commissions will continue on that date at 5:00 p.m. The
Administration offices will be closed on Monday, February 16,
2009 due to President’s Day.
MINUTES APPROVAL – January 5, 2009 and January 20, 2009:
Ms. Philo made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Scarborough to approve
the minutes of the January 5, 2009 Board of Supervisors
Reorganization Meeting.
MOTION was ADOPTED 4-0.
Mr. Scarborough made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Bennett to
approve the minutes of the January 20, 2009 Board of Supervisors
Regular Meeting.
MOTION was ADOPTED 4-0.
CORRESPONDENCE: None.
REPORTS:
Solicitor: Solicitor Garton announced that last week, his office
participated in a hearing before District Justice Daly with
respect to the removal of trees on the Hancock property in
Furlong and the decision was the Judge found in favor of the
Township. The Township was awarded reimbursement of expenses
including attorneys fees, which totals $2,100, and the Judge
also awarded damages of $500 a day that will keep accumulating.
He thanked the residents who attended on behalf of the Township.
Township Engineer: No report.
Police Chief: No report.
Township Manager: No report.
Supervisors:
Ms. Lyons congratulated our Chief of Police who has been named
Sertoman of the Year from the Central Bucks Sertoma Club, and he
will receive his award in March. She received a call from Lynn
Bush, County Planner regarding a new grant application process
for Efficient Growth for Growing Suburbs that is available
through the DVRPC (Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission)
for traffic engineer study. We will make that application and
hope that Buckingham Township will join in that application.
Whether they join or not that application will be filed on
behalf of Doylestown Township on or before March 13, 2009, and
that grant will be used for Rt. 263 and Rt. 263 intersection.
Ms. Philo asked for a moment of silence for Officer Christopher
Jones, the Middletown Police Officer who lost his life in the
line of duty.
A MOMENT OF SILENCE WAS HELD IN HONOR OF THE PASSING OF
MIDDLETOWN POLICE OFFICER, OFFICER CHRISTOPHER JONES.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Rt. 263 and Rt. 313 Traffic Evaluation:
Phil Wursta, Township Traffic Engineer, noted that as part of
the growing interest of the Rt. 263/Rt/ 313 area, we were asked
by the Board of Supervisors to provide a proposal of a
comprehensive look at traffic in that area. We broke it down
into two components for a future built-out of that area. We
would take the amount of traffic generated by each of those
developments and add it to the roadway system and see what the
impact is and then provide options to mitigate the traffic.
The other option was to take a comprehensive traffic study that
includes traffic counts within that study area. The grant
previously mentioned by Ms. Lyons would pay for what he proposes
as well as provide land use planning associated with that
corridor. The grant provides design in a way to mitigate the
negative impact of new development; it takes into account
ordinance provisions; smart traffic solutions; ordinances
associated with each land use and how it contributes to the
transportation improvements associated with that area.
Doylestown Township is eligible for this grant, which is a
competitive grant, and teaming up with another municipality
would add points to the application. The grant application needs
to be in by March and award will not be announced until April
23, 2009 so the study would not begin until May. He will ask
representatives of DVRPC about reimbursement if the project
begins before grant approval, but that is a risk. It is a
$320,000 grant available to 84 municipalities.
Ms. Philo asked about other options the Township can look into
if we do not receive approval for this grant?
Mr. Wursta replied this is an annual grant, which is competitive
and joining with another municipality, greatly helps grant
approval.
Ms. Lyons asked for the status of discussions with the engineer
for Temple Judea.
Mr. Wursta replied we met with the Temple regarding traffic
associated with the Temple and the impact on Rodgers Road. We
came up with finite numbers with regards to the amount of
traffic that would be generated by the Temple and the direction
of where traffic would be coming from and turning to. We are
trying to minimize the impact to residents and provide a real
solution that does not compromise public safety. Further
discussion on this matter will take place at the Planning
Commission meeting on February 23rd.
Ms. Mason noted that it is possible the Planning Commission
meeting of 2/23/09 will be held at Lenape Middle School.
NEW BUSINESS:
DEP Installation of Public Water Lines in Furlong Area:
Mr. Bennett made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Scarborough to adopt
resolution requesting the DEP (Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection) to install public water lines in the
Furlong area of Doylestown Township.
MOTION was ADOPTED 4-0.
Exonerate Tax Collector:
Solicitor Garton explained that this is to exonerate the Tax
Collector for the uncollected 2008 taxes in the amount of
$25,889.04 because of the obligation to effectuate to collector
has been transferred to the County of Bucks to be included in
the County’s Tax Claims Bureau’s lienable taxes.
Mr. Bennett made a MOTION, seconded by Ms. Philo to exonerate
Tax Collector for the uncollected 2008 taxes in the amount of
$25,889.04 because of the obligation to effectuate to collector
has been transferred to the County of Bucks to be included in
the County’s Tax Claims Bureau’s lienable taxes.
MOTION was ADOPTED 3 – 0 with Mr. Scarborough abstaining.
PRESENTATIONS:
Ms. Lyons noted that the following presentations from the Boards
and Commissions are to present what their plans are for 2009.
Doylestown Performing Arts Council:
Ms. Lyons noted there is a publication for the Sounds of Summer
with performances beginning on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at
Chapman Park and they alternate between Chapman Park and Central
Park. This organization is made up of Doylestown Township and
Doylestown Borough residents and these events are free to
residents. Representatives from both municipalities participate
in setting up and taking down for these events regardless of
where they are held. If it rains on any of the scheduled events;
the event is held at Central Bucks West High School Auditorium.
Also, Doylestown Borough has two openings for the Doylestown
Performing Arts Council, but if there is no response, we will
fill it with Doylestown Township residents.
Environmental Advisory Council:
Keith Peters thanked the Board of Supervisors and Township staff
for their support and attention to environmental issues and how
it affects Township residents. In 2008, we reviewed seven
development plans and made comment to the Board of Supervisors.
We applied for grants and received the PECO Region Green Grant
for $5,200 for a wetland educational trail in the educational
and environmental grove in Central Park. Part of the EAC is the
Shade Tree Commission. We organize an activity for Arbor Day for
the EAC and residents to participate in tree maintenance. We
assisted with planting trees at the Memorial and Triangle Parks.
We kept track of storm water management along with the outflow
issues. We provided articles in the newsletter regarding storm
water management; and provide educational brochures in the lobby
of the Township Administration Building. We have an educational
program on Comcast’s Channel 22 and Verizon’s Channel 31. We
placed a large ad in the Intelligencer concerning stormwater
management issues. We also have a stencil placed on top of storm
water drains in new developments that says, “Rain only.” We also
stenciled in the older developments as well.
Part of our role is public education: we do park profiles;
anti-littering; household hazardous waste information; education
on transporting firewood in/out of the Township; and we are
working on a paper-shredding event in conjunction with the
Borough in 2009.
We transitioned the committee to paperless as all of our agendas
and paperwork is distributed by email and wrote a memo to other
committee members encouraging them to do that as well. The leaf
collection program in which the EAC instituted a drop-off site
is located at Delaware Valley College for Township residents,
and we are now in full compliance with DEP’s Act 101
regulations. We have worked with TAB regarding recycling TV’s,
and we worked with CB South students as part of the town
collaboration to produce videos for the Government Access
Channel including issues such as plastic bag recycling. We
obtained a video called, “Kilowatt Hours,” which is an
educational video that explains how to reduce use of energy. We
spoke to the Board of Supervisors regarding outdoor furnaces and
we are working on an ordinance. The issue of cardboard recycling
has been brought up recently and most drop-off sites accept more
materials for household recycling as they did in the past. A
dumpster located at the Township Administration Building for
cardboard has not been finalized yet, but we are close, and will
inform the Board of Supervisors as to when it will be there.
Historical Architectural Review Board: No report.
Municipal Authority:
Richard John reported that our customer base is about 2,500
customers; however, we serve various communities for an
additional 1,600 customers. The water volume has remained at
920,000-950,000 gallons per day of use. The Authority has been
working on contamination projects such as the Furlong area. We
recently had a hearing with DEP, Buckingham Township and the
Municipal Authority as we are trying to get funding from DEP
under their Hazardous Underground Storage Tank Fund in an amount
of $890,000 to install water mains along portions of
Edison-Furlong; York Road; and Rodgers Road areas.
Additionally, we met with DEP on another contamination project
in Cross Keys, which involves Buckingham and Plumstead Townships
as well as Doylestown Township. It is a slightly larger project
than the $2,000,000 that DEP has available, but we are willing
to work with them on it. We have another hearing about that area
of the Township regarding public water, which needs to be done
in 2009 as funding will run out.
The Authority appreciates the support from the Board of
Supervisors and for adopting the resolution this evening
supporting public water for the Furlong area.
The capital project was completed for the office shop-garage
complex for the Authority’s staff and vehicles.
We have inter-municipal agreements with Warrington Township, New
Britain Township, New Britain Borough, Buckingham and Plumstead
Townships so if there is a problem with a water main, we can tap
into their main to save money and they do the same thing with
us. The Authority has taken a stance, which is a directive from
DEP that water works on watershed basis.
The building on the corner of Rt. 202 and Rt. 313 (former Exxon
Mobile Station) will be developed by First Savings Bank of
Perkasie and they want public water for that site. Buckingham
has agreed and asked the Authority to service it.
The Authority has come up with a “Shovel Ready” project in which
water systems can take advantage of that funding. They have
moved quickly to get on the first list for H20 Pennsylvania
State grants. We are making a grant application for $5 million
dollars to place a water line in the central part of the
Township to provide public water for that area, and that
application needs to be submitted by February 13, 2009.
Oktoberfest:
Mike McCreery, Chairman of the Oktoberfest Committee, reported
there are two major goals for Oktoberfest. The first one is to
throw a three-day community event that is second to none in
Central Bucks County, and the second goal is to generate enough
revenue to cover all of our expenses. We fell short in our goal
in generating enough revenue as we were $4,000 short for the
2008 Oktoberfest. However, the 2008 Oktoberfest was a success
and a great community event and he thanked everyone on his
committee as well as the Board of Supervisors, Township Manager,
Karen Sweeney and Daren Grecco for their work on this event. The
major stumbling block for the 2009 Oktoberfest is that the Rt.
202 Parkway will go through our property that we use for
Oktoberfest. We have explored alternate sites and decided the
best interest of Oktoberfest will be served by postponing it
this year. The committee will work between now and September to
develop plans for the 2010 Oktoberfest and present it to the
Board of Supervisors at their Regular meeting on September 15th.
Park & Recreation Board:
John Bray, Chairman, reported that last year, we adopted the
Comprehensive Plan for the Borough and Township. We made
recommendations to the Board of Supervisors of projects they
could support. One of the most important items in the plan is
that we renew or revise our plan for each of our parks. We are
in the processing of developing a master plan for Central Park
and eventually engage a professional to complete the process.
Planning Commission:
Rick Colello, Chairman, reported our two major goals are to
insure that the plans submitted for development are compliant
with the laws and ordinances and to give all parties a fair
opportunity to express their point of view. Our second goal is
to plan ahead by proposing new ordinances and updating current
ordinances to control our changing society.
In 2008, we updated, combined and defined the content of our
Comprehensive Plan and put all together in one book. We
initiated some ordinances such as Home Based Businesses; Wind
Energy; and Adult Use. Some major projects we worked on were
Doylestown Hospital; Thomson Auto, Temple Judea; Eastburn; and
Touhill developments.
In 2009, we will try to find out about sewer EDU’s on the Rt.
611 corridor so that area can be redeveloped. We are working on
an ordinance for groundwater so that new development homes will
not have water in the basement after returning from settlement.
We will also look at well-water conservation; the use of outdoor
furnaces; and we will work on having a class on SALDO.
Public Water & Sewer Advisory Committee: No report.
Summit on Aging: Written report provided to the Board (See
attached to minutes).
TAB:
Kurt Kraus, Chairman, reported that in 2008, we were able to
broadcast the Board of Supervisors’ meetings and installed
cameras and audio technology. It is a live broadcast and
recording of the meetings. Utilizing our technology enables us
to do an emergency broadcast using the channel capabilities of
Verizon and Comcast to broadcast emergency messages over the
normally scheduled program. We have been working with the Boards
and Commissions in creating unique programming and also in
collaboration with Central Bucks Schools. Central Bucks High
Schools have a senior-level course in their telecommunications
and audio department, and we let students select topics and
create a custom video that is specific to the Township, and
three videos have been produced.
In addition, we have the ongoing responsibility of working with
Verizon and Comcast in assisting residents with the scope of the
franchise agreement. There is a federal mandate to move from
analog to digital transmission.
Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting February 3, 2009
In 2009, we will continue to enhance and optimize the technology
currently installed. The first project underway is to add
additional microphones so that each Supervisor has their own
microphone. Audio has been the most challenging pieces of this
project as it has been difficult to pickup audience comments.
Another key project is the Community Bulletin Board, which is
provided to the Township by a free service called, “Teleview,”
the agreement in the past was that they had sponsorship ads to
cover their costs and now they no longer seek sponsorship and
have informed us there will be a fee in June when our two-year
contract expires. Our technology will enable us to migrate from
the Teleview Service to use the equipment we have to continue
replaying bulletin board slides.
We will continue to work with the CB Schools; we will look
closely at Verizon and Comcast franchise fees and evaluate
options for the use of a second channel. The franchise agreement
also provides for a public access channel, which we are not
currently utilizing on Comcast or Verizon. Regarding Comcast’s
franchise agreement, Doylestown Township still has several years
on it; however, neighboring Townships will begin renegotiating
their agreements next year.
John Everett, Turk Road, asked about archiving Board of
Supervisors’ meetings on the Township website so residents can
access it as opposed to watching them on television.
Mr. Kraus replied we looked into how we could make the digital
broadcast available on the website, but the challenge is that
the files are very big. It would be a $3,000 upgrade to the
equipment located in the backroom and it is a $200 a month fee
and, due to the budget; that is not one of the projects we plan
to do.
Mr. Everett asked about copies of digital videos.
Mr. Kraus replied as part of the open records law; a digital
copy can be made with a thumb drive or a VCR tape.
Ms. Mason clarified that we do not have the capability right now
to put it on a DVD.
Chief White commented that the County has a Community Alert
Network, which is a program that residents can be notified by
phone, cell phone or email of a hazardous situation of any kind.
Mr. Sterling, resident of Furlong, asked why residents of
Furlong cannot get FIOS.
Mr. Scarborough explained that there is a section along Rodgers
Road in Buckingham Township that cannot get FIOS because
Buckingham Township has not settled a contract with Verizon.
There are three members of the Telecommunications Advisory
Board, and they put this TV program together and did it at a
cost of $20,000 for equipment. It would have cost $100,000 if we
went with an outside source. He thanked them for doing a
fantastic job.
Traffic Advisory Board:
Mark Shiner, Chairman, thanked the Board of Supervisors for
their support. We spent most of the past year on a roadway
classification project, which was given to us by the Planning
Commission two years ago, and it has been completed. We have
spent a considerable amount of time on Rogers Road issues and
also on traffic calming. We will look at traffic calming in more
detail and look at where it might apply. Every month, we review
Township residents’ concerns and review new development plans.
Zoning Hearing Board: No report.
Ways & Means Committee:
Mark Glassman, Chairman, reported that we meet monthly to review
budget expenditures, and with the help with Mr. Bennett as
liaison, we will look at trying to balance the budget as we did
in 2008. In 2009, we will be looking at capital projects and the
budget and, due to economy it will be a difficult task.
Ms. Lyons added that the 2008 budget was balanced with no tax
increase.
Bike and Hike Committee:
Andy Hamilton thanked the Board of Supervisors and the Public
Works Department for their support. In 2008, we put a trail
through Delaware Valley College that included a large
undertaking of a bridge for SEPTA for access as a safe route to
school and for emergency vehicles to get to the college campus.
A grant paid significantly for the bridge and for materials and
the installation of the trail was done in-house. We had a trail
put in on Iron Hill towards Peace Valley Park. We have a DCNR
grant for vision studying access to Peace Valley Park through
Doylestown and New Britain Townships as we are trying to create
that link. We are looking for volunteers, and we look forward to
create recreation resort; create commuting routes; create
recreational routes and create safe places for children and
families.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Ms. Lyons announced that the next meeting of the Board of
Supervisors is scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 7:00
p.m. and interviews for the Boards and Commissions will begin at
5:00 p.m. on that date. The Administration offices will be
closed on Monday, February 16, 2009 due to President’s Day.
ADJOURNMENT: 8:23 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Stephanie Mason, Township Manager
sev |
|
|
|
|
Authored by Development Solutions