Charlestown Township Board of Supervisors Business Meeting Minutes of February 1, 2021

The first business meeting for February was held on February 1, 2021, via remote dial-in/log-in via Webex due to the ongoing coronavirus situation.

Present

Call to Order:

7:04 p.m.

Announcements

Mrs. Csete announced that PECO sent a map indicating where they would be trimming trees in March and April of this year. The map includes State Road (Route 29), Charlestown, Pikeland, Whitehorse, Union Hill, Rees, Church, Green Lane, Bodine, Valley Hill, Conestoga Roads, Tinkerhill Road and Lane, and Phoenixville Pike plus others in the Tyrone Farm area.

Citizens Forum

No items were brought forward.

Approvals

Mr. Philips moved to approve:

1. Minutes for the January 4, 2021, Reorganization Meeting
2. Minutes for the January 4, 2021, Business Meeting
3. The January 2021 Treasurer’s Report
4. The Operating Fund Accounts Payable Report for February 1, 2021.
5. The State Fund Accounts Payable Report for February 1, 2021.
6. The Capital Fund - Open Space Projects Payable Report for February 1, 2021.

Ms. Bednar seconded. Mr. Piliero called for discussion and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

Reports

Mr. Philips moved to accept the January 2021 reports #1-17 as submitted and Mr. Kuhn seconded. Mr. Piliero called for discussion and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

The VFSA will be contacted by Mr. Piliero about East Whiteland sewer status.

Old Business

Spring Oak – Beyond Meat Updates

Mr. Wright listed the following items:

1. As expected, the January noise report was quieter than the November and December 2020 reports. There was one exceedance, on January 28^th.
2. The 9-month contract for sound monitoring is finished at the end of February. Mr. Willig suggested contracting for 6 more months.
3. Mr. Wright will contact them this month to continue the discussion about adding more filters due to continued odor complaints.

Mr. Rubenfield said there were a few more Quigley neighboring lights that need attention.

Mr. Kuhn requested a No Right Turn sign from Whitehorse Road for Devault Lane.

Generator Survey Results

The Supervisors discussed responses (250) to the survey on generators that was sent to the residents of five communities with townhouses. They decided that ordinance will not be changed since there was not a majority of responses, in any opinion, to initiate changing it.

Ms. Bednar said residents are concerned about the noise of new supersized portable units. The Board felt it was a topic for the HOA’s.

Many people are dissatisfied with PECO because of an increase in local outages. Mr. Willig suggested contacting the area PECO rep or state representative to find out why. Mrs. Csete will contact Mr. Scott Newman, of PECO, and invite him to join a virtual Board meeting.

Jenkins Property

Mr. Philips suggested this property be used for a small Township park. No offers had been received when the Township asked for bids or tried to have it auctioned. Developers say that the site costs combined with the noise from the Turnpike, make it unattractive from a financial perspective. Mr. Willing suggested a Parks & Recreation Board review. Mr. Lawrence said they already have some passive use suggestions that they will discuss at the next meeting.

New Business

Request for approval of items related to development of Lot 1 of Daniel K. Stoudt subdivision

Mr. David Rentschler, P.E. of JMR Engineering, LLC requested approval of two items for Lot #1 of the Stoudt subdivision related to the construction of the common driveway and tree replacement. The request comes as a follow up to Mr. Wright’s review of the E & S/grading plan recently submitted which triggered the need for these approvals as follows:

1. The original approval in 2001 required that the common driveway portions be constructed at the time Lot #1 is developed. The applicant requests a change to this condition requiring only that the portion of driveway serving lot #1 be required at this time.
• Mr. Willig suggested requiring the second driveway base and grading for the full width but not requiring the paving.
• Mr. Thompson said a note can be added to the Plan, stating that (1) the second driveway can be added at a later date, (2) that there cannot be a separate driveway, (3) and the second one is to be connected as it is on the 2001 approved Plan, to avoid potential conflict.
• Any later change would need to be done through a Conditional Use.
2. The subdivision’s Plan states that the developer may be required to replace trees with one 3” caliper tree for each 12” caliper tree removed. Since the lot is heavily wooded, it would be impractical to replace ≈55 trees. They offered 10 trees and a fee of ≈$2,500 in lieu of compliance.
• The Board suggested they provide trees to the Parks & Recreation Board. Mr. Lawrence will consider using these at Brightside Farm or Charlestown Park. Both parties will return to the February meeting to discuss this further.

Environmental Advisory Committee Request to Add 2 Alternate Members

Mrs. Csete asked Mr. Thompson about the procedure to appoint alternate members to the EAC. Mr. Thompson said the modification must be done via amendment.

Mr. Kuhn moved to approve the advertising for a hearing to amend the ordinance to appoint alternate members to the EAC and Mr. Philips seconded. Mr. Piliero called for discussion and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

Parks & Recreation Board Items

The Parks & Recreation Chairperson, Mr. Lawrence, said the group is interested in a “Young Lungs at Play” program, which prohibits smoking in township parks with accompanying signage. Mr. Thompson referred to the need for an amendment to the parks rule ordinance, so Mr. Lawrence will provide a draft for Mr. Thompson with enough time to advertise it for the March 1^st meeting. He also mentioned the need to switch the terms “passive” and “active” in the ordinance.

Proposals for Roof Replacement on the PMYC Building

Mr. O’Brien, from the PMYC, presented the first two proposals he received for 4 separate roof sections on the PMYC building and asked for the Supervisors’ input on whether they wanted to spend extra for a metal roof on the main portion of the building.

4 roof surfaces for quote #1 is $12,600

Flat rolled rubber	$4,500
Standard pitch over snack bar	$3,100
Clubhouse & garage	$5,000

Increasing the cost to $18,270 if the Board would want a metal standing roof.

Quote #2 is at $22,053 from Bachman’s Roofing.

One more quote will be obtained by Mr. O’Brien since Mrs. Csete said he needed three. The building is on a slab, has vinyl siding, and cinder block construction. It is in rough shape per Mr. O’Brien. He said the structure also needs 3 new windows ($3,500) and downspouts.

The Board discussed a longer-term vision to address the 3 areas needed-storage, snack-bar, and meeting area. They also want to fix the part of the roof that is collapsing before spring. The Board will ask Mr. Dettore to perform a site visit and provide a report discussing immediate repair vs. long-term proposals.

Accept Tax Collector Resignation and Appoint Interim Tax Collector for Elected Term expiring 12/31/21

The Board received a resignation letter from Mr. Richard Findlay as Elected Tax Collector due to his plans to move out of the Township. The position was advertised on the website and a candidate came forward to fill his unexpired term ending 12/31/21.

Mr. Kuhn moved to accept the resignation of Richard Findlay and to appoint Ms. Esther Estes to the unexpired term ending 12/31/21, and Mrs. Bednar seconded. Mr. Piliero called for discussion, and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

Authorize Advertisement of Bids

Mrs. Csete stated that she circulated drafts of the bid documents for the three contracts expiring 3/31/21 including the one-year Road Equipment & Labor Contract and the three-year contracts for Landscaping and Tree Work. She incorporated comments received from the Board, Roadmaster, Parks & Rec Board, and Property Coordinator into the newer versions.

Mr. Philips discussed the revision by the Parks and Recreation Board to pay for manual weeding and not use synthetic herbicides. Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Connolly discussed using organic chemicals vs synthetic, weed-whacking, and targeting certain areas. Members discussed approving bids according to a preference for organic chemicals vs. low bid.

Mr. Philips moved to authorize the advertising of these three bids, to be due at the Township Office, 4030 Whitehorse Road, Devault, PA on March 1, 2021, at noon, and will be opened at 7:00 p.m. via Webex during the March business meeting, and Mr. Kuhn seconded. Mr. Piliero called for discussion, and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

Annual Earth Day Clean-Up Event

Mrs. Csete said she discussed plans with Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Goodman and together they propose holding the annual Earth Day event on April 10^th with a rain date of April 17^th. Due to Covid, some adjustments to the usual procedure will be needed, but most of the roadside litter clean up, trail clean up, and park and trail projects, can proceed with the proper cautions.

Schedule Hearing for Zoning Ordinance Amendment to Equestrian Regulations

This agenda item received late comments from the Phoenixville Regional Planning Commission and the Township will review them in February before scheduling a hearing for March.

Other Business

Naylor H/W v. Board of Supervisors of Charlestown Township, et.al.

Mr. Thompson asked the Board to consider requesting the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to review a recent decision.

Mr. Philips moved to authorize the Solicitor to file to request that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania review the Opinion in the Naylor v. Township matter, and Mr. Kuhn seconded. Mr. Piliero called for discussion, and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

Mr. Piliero announced that an executive session will be held after tonight’s meeting to discuss legal matters.

Adjournment

Mr. Piliero adjourned the meeting at 8:20 p.m. The next Business Meeting is scheduled for March 1, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. via Webex.