NEW LONDON TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
August 6, 2020
The New London Township Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting convened at 7:00 PM via Zoom video conference. The following Supervisors were present: Gerard Porter, Chairman; Dale Lauver, Vice Chairman; and Supervisor, Mary Anne Steel; and Ron Ragan, Township Engineer.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment on Agenda items.
Pawtucket Road Residents – Park Portable Rest Room Concerns
Stewart Shapiro of 3 Pawtucket Road addressed the Board of Supervisors advising that he has received twenty three (23) letters of concern from residents neighboring the Township Park over the placement of the portable toilets. They are concerned the portable toilets will be located just ninety (90) feet from the entrance to their development and will bring a potential for odor. He also expressed that they do not want to look at a toilet when going to and from their neighborhood.
Kristin Begosh of 2 Pawtucket Road said that she sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors addressing her concerns of the toilet being just ninety (90) feet from her home. She is concerned about the odor and unsightliness. Ms. Begosh mentioned that the spectators who are present observing the baseball games would be sitting in the general area of the portable toilets and she is sure they would not appreciate that.
Gerry Porter asked landscape architect and lead park designer, Martha Straus, if it would be possible to relocate the portable toilets closer to the baseball field. Ms. Straus stated anything is possible, however, there are a bunch of variables to consider. It would be on the edge of a slope that goes into the baseball field. The current portable toilet in that location has been blown and tipped over many times. It would take too many spaces up to place it on the Township parking lot. There was mention about placing the portable toilets in the parking lot behind the Township utility shed building, however, a safety concern was raised that when the Township Contractor would be using the building there would be trucks going in and out of the parking lot. Dale Lauver agreed that he did not think placing the portable toilets behind the utility building was a good idea since this area was originally designed for the contractors to receive deliveries with trucks in and out of that area. Mr. Lauver suggested moving them further into the park closer to where the trails split off but to keep in mind that the portable toilets have to be accessible by the trucks that clean them. Charlie Humkey of 6 Pawtucket Road agreed that placing the portable toilets in the parking lot by the utility shed building could put someone at risk. Mr. Humkey suggested the area that is currently designated for the portable toilets could possibly be turned into something else such as a concession stand.
Township resident, Dave Schupp, made a suggestion to the Board that all work be stopped on the structure that is proposed to house the portable toilets until a solution is found. The Board of Supervisors agreed with Mr. Schupp.
Mary Anne Steel suggested that the Board of Supervisors, Township Engineer, and Martha Straus all meet at the park site to minimize the liability and to come up with a central location for the portable toilets. Gerry Porter agreed with Mary Anne Steel’s suggestion.
It was agreed that the Board of Supervisors, the Township Engineer, and Martha Straus will schedule a date to meet at the park to come up with an alternative location for the portable toilets. After the meeting, when a decision is made, the Township will notify the concerned residents.
2020 Road Work Bid
There was only one (1) bid received for the road work. Motion was made by Gerry Porter, seconded by Mary Anne Steel, to accept and reward the bid of Harlan Construction for the amount of $43,050.00 for the year 2021. The vote was unanimous.
DocuWare Program
Township Assistant Secretary, Maureen Zdun, presented the Board of Supervisors with information regarding the purchase of the DocuWare scanning system for the Township office. Dale Lauver asked how secure will the Township data be? He expressed concern if the Township files could be held for ransom. Township Emergency Management Coordinator, Dave Flad, suggested that we ask Rothwell Document Solutions what their SOC 2 rating is. It was agreed that Maureen Zdun will contact Rothwell Document Solutions about the security concerns. She will also contact Neil Land of Brutscher Foley and ask his opinion on the Docu Ware system which they are currently using.
SECRETARY’S REPORT
Regular Meeting Minutes
On a motion made by Gerry Porter, seconded by Dale Lauver, the July 2, 2020 Regular Meeting Minutes were approved as presented. The vote was unanimous.
Treasurer’s Report
On a motion made by Gerry Porter, seconded by Dale Lauver, the August bills were approved for payment and the financial reports were approved on condition that the Township Engineer, Ron Ragan, and the Township Treasurer, Trish Fagan, review the porous paved charges for the New London Township Park. The vote was unanimous.
STAFF REPORTS
Planning Commission
Planning Commission Chairman, Ron Ragan, reported that the Hedge Apple Hill Subdivision is in the final plan stage. It is on the Agenda for the August 12, 2020 Planning Commission meeting. The plan will probably come to the Board of Supervisors for approval in September. There has been no work done with the Ordinance amendments since the Township Consultant, David Sweet, has been away.
Engineer’s Report
Township Engineer, Ron Ragan, reported that during tropical storm Isaiah Lester’s pond over flowed onto State Road, the bridge on School Road located just below West Avondale Road seemed to have debris on the guide rail, the Walnut Glen Bridge had water rise to one (1) foot below the road, and the bridge at Creek Road and State Road did not flood.
MS4 – All Townships are in same position. All maps have been submitted. The DEP was contacted about the possibility of challenging these requirements.
New London Township Park – Ron reported the pond filled and spilled over a little. The playground is ninety five (95) percent complete. Work will start on the pavilion next week. The trails are done. Ron met with Brian Campbell about the wet lands bridge which is proposed for this Fall. He spoke with Chester Water Authority about the proposal to tie into the Township Building with one tap. There will be a line into the Township Building, Park, and Salt Shed. The three uses would be combined on one bill.
Resident, Charlie Dunbar, of Alpine Estates was present and told Ron that the ground is eroding on his property and asked if anything can be done. Ron explained the older subdivisions used corrugated metal piping which are starting to rust allowing soil to get into the pipe causing a sink hole. The easement language on the plans state that the Township has the right but not the responsibility, however, the DEP does say it is the Township’s responsibility. The Board of Supervisors agreed to give permission for Ron to look at Mr. Dunbar’s property.
Buildings and Property
Dale Lauver will have Tom Altman service the boiler. Gerry Porter reported that Yard Clipper pruned the burning bush shrubs at the Township building and will cut them further back when they become dormant. There was also a tree cut down at 815 West Avondale Road but will have to be trimmed another day since there was an active nest of hornets.
Emergency Management
Township Emergency Management Coordinator, Dave Flad, reported that the Chester County Health Department ran a Covid test site at the Avon Grove Intermediate School – Penn London Elementary School Campus for the month of June and switched to two (2) days a week in July. He reported one thousand four hundred (1,400) people came through from sixty six (66) different municipalities. Sixty five (65) percent had direct exposure or had symptoms. Starting next week through August and September they will only be testing on Fridays. The County did not collect insurance details. They allowed anyone to go through. Test results were initially taking three (3) to five (5) days to receive the results but now the lab is backed up and taking longer.
Tropical Storm Isaiah – During the peak of the storm on Tuesday PECO had one hundred thousand (100,000) customers without power. Fifty (50) percent were in Chester County. As of today, fourteen thousand (14,000) are still without power in Chester County. There were three hundred (300) road closures. There are still one hundred forty (140) road closures this evening. They are anticipating the roads to be opened soon.
Zoning Report
Zoning Officer, Trish Fagan, reported eighteen (18) building permits were issued in July. Two (2) for single family dwellings. There were no Use and Occupancy Permits issued.
OLD / NEW BUSINESS
Storm Damage
Gerry Porter reported that after the storm he checked both the 815 West Avondale Road and
835 West Avondale Road houses. The house at 815 West Avondale Road was fine. The house at 835 West Avondale Road appeared to have no leaks and no standing water but the floor had silt on it. He would like to have a plumber take a look at the sump pump.
New London Township Baseball Field
There were a few reported concerns about the field being used and the spectators were not practicing social distancing or wearing face masks. Township Assistant Secretary, Maureen Zdun, will contact Ken Strawhecker about the concerns.
Dave Schupp
Township resident, Dave Schupp, stated for the record that anything he calls the Township about is taken care of right away.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Zdun
Assistant Secretary