CHARLESTOWN TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING MAY 3, 1993 MINUTES

The Charlestown Township Board of Supervisors held their first meeting of the month on May 3, 1993, at the Charlestown Elementary School, Charlestown Road, Devault.

Present:

Irene W. Ewald, Chairman; John C. Martin, Jr., Vice Chairman; Vincent G. Kling, Sr., Member; Surender S. Kohli, P.E.; James E. McErlane, Esq.; Ruth W. Buckwalter, Secretary, and those on the attached attendee list

The Chairman called the meeting to order at 8:04 p.m.

Announcements: Mrs. Ewald listed the following meetings: April 28 - the Public hearing of Charlestown Oaks and a meeting in Schuylkill Township on Liberty House; April 30 - Mrs. Ewald and Messrs. Kling and Martin met with Carole Rubley, State Representative, for the purpose of discussing problems with PENNDOT; May 1 - Mrs. Ewald attended the Commencement at the Valley Forge Christian College and, at this time, Mrs. Ewald encouraged the people to welcome to the community the State Police Academy training program which will be hosted by the Valley Forge Christian College for a period of 16 weeks. Mr. Martin noted that at the public hearing on Charlestown Oaks, the developer concluded his presentation - there will be a continuance of that hearing on May 12th. Mr. Martin read a letter received from Ross Unruh, Special Master, dated April 29, 1993, regarding Charlestown Hunt. In the letter, Mr. Unruh stated he recommended to the Court that the latest version of the Final PRD Plan be approved. Mr. Kling reported on the meeting with the Valley Forge Sewer Authority and stated concern about the heavy metal in the Waste to be used on farm land. Mrs. Ewald reported that Representative Rubley will host a town meeting on May 26th at the Visitors’ Center in Valley Forge Park for the purpose of discussing the deer population.

The Chairman entertained a motion to approve the April 5 1993 minutes. Mr. KIing so moved, Mrs. Ewald seconded the motion, it carried unanimously.

The minutes of April 19, 1993. were deferred until the May 17th meeting. Mr. Martin questioned the adoption of the Open Space Plan by means of an Ordinance or a Resolution (top of page 3). The Secretary will give Mr. Martin the tape which recorded these minutes.

The Chairman entertained a motion to approve the April. 1993 Treasurer’s Report. Mr. Martin moved for approval, Mr. Kling seconded the motion, it carried unanimously.

Supervisors being compensated for two Township meetings instead of three during the month of April. This will be corrected in the May Accounts Payable. Mr. Martin questioned the bill from Lamb, Windle and McErlane. He stated that he knew nothing about some of the phone calls listed nor was he informed of the outcome of these calls. Mrs. Ewald stated that all the Supervisors are copied on everything that comes through the office and that she follows up phone calls to Counsel with either draft copies directly from Counsel’s office or she personally calls each Supervisor to discuss the issues. After further discussion, Mrs. Ewald moved to approve the May 3.1993 Accounts Payable, Mr. Martin seconded the motion, it carried unanimously.

Zoning Officer’s Report: Mr. Kohli submitted his report on Permits issued during April for the Township files. He reported that construction was begun on the Robbins’ property, located on Pikeland Road, prior to applying for a permit. They have since filed a permit to dredge a pond, will also need a permit to construct a 20 stall horse barn and 2 outside arenas. Another item was the request of Gary Horwith to construct a communication tower at Valley Hill Road and Green Lane. Mr. Horwith was notified that this is not permitted in the Farm Residential District. The Signal Service letter listing several violations of the PENNDOT permit was discussed. Mr. Kohli feels that, with the exception of item #2 (signal cables to be re-stretched), the Township crew could do most of the work. At this time, Mrs. Ewald reported she had been in touch with Conrail regarding the Buckwalter Road crossing. The plan presently calls for cantilevers, 2 gates, more than 9 lights and full bells! She asked for the procedure on getting a modification on the design requirements and was informed a waiver on the bells could be requested. Mrs. Ewald recommended the Board write a letter regarding the matter and Mr. Kohli suggested requesting a set of the proposed plan. The Project Manager of Conrail will attend a June meeting of the Board to review all 4 railroads in the Township.

Planning Commission Report: Prior to the meeting, Mr. Churchill reported to the Chairman that there was no action taken at the last Planning Commission meeting.

Roadmaster’s Report: Mr. Hiller submitted his written report for the Township files. He reported on the Road Tour of April 17th and he has since met with the Township Contractor to schedule some of the work to be done. Also, he investigated a complaint regarding trash bags on Foster Road and Green Lane. Sections of Rees Road and Sycamore Lane will be paved this year. The Board resolved that Mr. Kohli should develop the specs. for the road equipment and material contracts.

Parks & Recreation Report: Mark Connolly, President, reported the following: PMYC -generating a plan for the parking lot layout, pour a new deck on the porch (to address the flooding), put a new roof on the clubhouse, filling in the access road going from the clubhouse to BMX, and re-seeding extensively. PASC - June 7 will be their annual meeting, at which time it is expected the club will elect a new President. They plan to address the problem of the BMX field with grading and seeding; put a new roof on the clubhouse and deal with the exterior and interior of the building; due to the condition of the small field, the Soccer Club is moving their intramural to Pickering. Mr. Connolly reported the mowing in the Park area is on schedule but the picnic area needs trimming. He requested the Supervisors consider contracting this project for which he will obtain several quotes. Also, the gate at the base of Mary Hill Road needs repairing, Paul Hogan’s work has been completed, and the open space trails are open. Mrs. Ewald suggested the miniature golf course would be a good Eagle Scout project. At this time, the Chairman entertained a motion to approve the appointment of Forrest “Chip” Downing to the Parks & Rec. Board. Mr. Kling moved to approve the appointment, Mr. Martin seconded the motion, it carried unanimously.

Fire Marshal’s Report: Fred Alston submitted his written report for the files. Reported during the month of April were 2 vehicle fires, 2 controlled burnings, 1 residential rescue and 3 vehicle accidents. Mr. Alston investigated 6 open burning incidents.

Mr. Martin reported receiving a letter from the attorney for Charlestown Hunt requesting modification of Act 537. Mr. Martin referred the letter to Mr. McErlane for advice. Mrs. Ewald requested a copy of the letter for Mr. Kling and for herself.

At this time, the Chairman turned the meeting over to Mr. McErlane to open the record on the continuation of the Charlestown Meadows Public hearing. A Court Recorder took the minutes. Primarily discussed were the tree loss and tree replacement. NOTE: exhibit 16,17 and 18 were not submitted in time to review. The Board meeting of May 17, 1993, was set for a continuation of this public hearing.

The Chairman brought before the Board the option on HUD - whether to opt in or out on being part of the County Community Development block grant money. Mr. Martin noted that HUD money was used to restore the Rapp House, install water in Devault, build a soccer field and for the storm water project in Tyrone Farms. He would like to opt out of HOME but not HUD, if this was possible. The matter was tabled until the May 12th meeting of the Board.

The next item on the agenda was the Chester County Historic Preservation Network Annual Summer Social. Charlestown Township has been asked to host the event this year. Mrs. Ewald requested authorization to spend up to, but not to exceed, $2,000 to cover cost of providing supper, use of the Nature Center and other necessary expenditures. Mr. Martin moved to approve the above, Mrs. Ewald seconded the motion, it so carried.

Requests for financial support were received from the State Police Cadet Camp and the Community Visiting Nurse Service. Both of these organizations serve Charlestown Township. Mrs. Ewald moved to approve both requests in the same amount as donated last year. Mr. Martin seconded the motion, it carried unanimously.

Tom Comitta gave a brief presentation of the revised Open Space Plan which has met the approval of the County Planning Commission. A copy of the plan was given to the Secretary for the Township office. Mr. Comitta noted that there were about 40 minor changes made in the text, but at this point, if the Supervisors adopt the plan, we can initiate reimbursement from the County. Following a discussion and questions from the public, Mrs. Ewald read aloud the Resolution to adopt the Charlestown Township Open Space Recreation and Environmental Resource Plan. Mr. Kling moved to adopt the Resolution, hereinafter known as Resolution # 467-93. Mr. Martin seconded the motion, it unanimously carried.

The Chairman opened the list of correspondence to the public.

All business completed, Mr. Kling moved to adjourn, Mrs. Ewald seconded the motion, it unanimously carried. The Chairman adjourned the meeting - 11:07 pm.