MINUTES OF MEETING
MARCH 28, 2011
Chairman Robert Birch called to order the executive session at 6:30 p.m. In attendance were Supervisors Candyce Fluehr Chimera, Michael Fox, Jeffrey McDonnell and Joseph Walsh. Also in attendance were Lawrence Gregan, Frank Bartle, Esquire, and Terry O'Reilly. Two matters of litigation and potential litigation and two matters of personnel were discussed.
Chairman Robert Birch called to order the regular action meeting at 8:08 p.m. In attendance were Supervisors Candyce Fluehr Chimera, Michael Fox, Jeffrey McDonnell and Joseph Walsh. Also in attendance were Frank Bartle, Esquire, Lawrence Gregan, Richard Brady, William Brightcliffe, Bruce Shoupe, Kevin Costello, Ann Shade, Shannon Drosnock, Vicki Zidek, Richard Grier and Deb Rivas.
Chairman Robert Birch called for public comment from the audience and there was none.
Frank Bartle, Esquire, announced that the Board met in executive session at 6:30 p.m. this evening to discuss two matters of litigation and potential litigation concerning the Zehr Tract Condemnation and a Zoning Hearing Board application for 941 Horsham Road. Mr. Bartle also indicated that two matters of personnel were discussed, which included an update on the ongoing negotiations with the Police Collective Bargaining Unit, and applications for two Township positions. Mr. Bartle said that these matters are legitimate subjects for an executive session pursuant to Pennsylvania Sunshine law.
Chairman Robert Birch made a motion to approve the minutes of the March 14, 2011 Board meeting and Supervisor Michael Fox seconded the motion. The minutes of meeting were unanimously approved as submitted.
Chairman Birch announced that the Township had received a Facilities and Field Use request from Cub Scout Pack 229 for the use of Spring Valley Park for their annual rocket launch on Sunday, June 19, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Scout Leader David Eglin reported that the pack was requesting a variance so that they could launch the rockets that they had built in the Township park. Mr. Eglin had the scouts show some of the handmade rockets to the Board and staff. Mr. Eglin reported that, as requested by the Township, only rockets created by the cub scouts will be launched under the direct supervision of an adult. Mr. Eglin also presented a certificate of liability insurance and reported that he had requested the presence of the Fire Department of Montgomery Township for this event. Supervisor Walsh indicated that he had attended the event last year and that he had enjoyed it very much. Resolution #1 unanimously approved the Rocket Launch for Cub Scout Pack #229 on Sunday, June 19, 2011, with the conditions specified.
Chairman Birch announced that the Township had received notice on March 14, 2011 from Varsha Desai that she would be resigning from the Environmental Advisory Committee. Ms. Desai served on the committee since June 2008 and she provided valuable input on many important matters. Chairman Birch thanked Ms. Desai for her service and Resolution #2 unanimously accepted her resignation from the Environmental Advisory Committee.
Chairman Birch reported that William Brightcliffe has submitted his notice of retirement from the position of Director of Fire Services effective June 2, 2011. Mr. Brightcliffe assumed the position of Director of Fire Services on May 22, 2006 and also served as the Fire Marshal and Emergency Preparedness Director for the Township. Mr. Brightcliffe previously served as Battalion Chief and Executive Chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department with thirty three years of fire fighting experience. Chairman Birch also reported that during his tenure here, Mr. Brightcliffe oversaw the complete renovation of the Stump Road fire station. The Fire Protection Services in the Township benefitted greatly during Bill's tenure as the Director and his contributions will be missed. Mr. Brightcliffe thanked the Board and the staff for their assistance over the last five years. The Board thanked Mr. Brightcliffe for providing an invaluable service to the Township.
Lawrence Gregan reported that the date of the Spring 2011 Curbside Leaf Collection would be on Saturday, April 16, 2011 beginning at 7:00 a.m. Participation requires that all leaf and yard waste materials be placed in biodegradable paper bags at the curb. Mr. Gregan also reported that all materials collected are disposed of at the Barnside Farm Compost Facility, which is a DEP approved compost facility, in accordance with the Northern Montgomery County Recycling Commission (NMCRC).
Supervisor Walsh reported on the upcoming Earth Day events being held at the Montgomery Mall on Saturday, April 16, 2011. Mr. Walsh reported that the Environmental Advisory Committee has been working on this event and will be participating. The event will run from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will include many activities such as composting, raised garden beds, rain barrels, storm water management, energy conservation, kid's crafts, free residential paper shredding and free electronic and equipment recycling. Residents are encouraged to come out and participate.
Lawrence Gregan reported that at the March 14, 2011 Board meeting, the Board announced its' intent to provide time on the agenda of this meeting to allow citizens to present and discuss projects for consideration for submission under the 2011 Montgomery County Community Development Block Grant Program. Mr. Gregan reported that the Township has proposed an application for the installation of handicap ramps that will serve the general public in areas such as parks, schools and commercial areas. There was no public comment on any other proposed projects.
Ann Shade reported that staff had received several inquiries concerning part time participation in Kids University. Township staff reviewed the options and have created a fee schedule amendment which would allow for part time registrants at a fee sufficient to maintain the proper staffing levels and ratios of participants to counselors. Mrs. Shade also reported that an additional hour per day fee was created as well. Resolution #4 unanimously approved the part time program registration fee schedule for Kids University with a minimum of three days per week participation.
Supervisor Fox reported that the Board had previously taken a position in opposition to keeping the airfield open in any non-military capacity at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station. Supervisor Fox also reported that given the recent efforts by various aviation groups and by the Montgomery County Commissioners to encourage retention of the airfield for commercial and/or private use, the Board had directed staff to prepare a formal resolution for consideration. Chairman Birch reported that he had spoken to Bill Whiteside, a member of the Horsham Council, about the possibility of adding Supervisor Chimera to the Horsham Land Reuse Authority. Mr. Whiteside had indicated that members of the HLRA must be residents of Horsham Township, however, it may be possible to add a liaison position to the authority. After a brief discussion, Resolution #5 unanimously approved the motion to support the position of the Horsham Town Council, which states in pertinent part, "Since the announcement that the base would be closed, Council has consistently voiced its opposition to the future use of the base as any type of airport."
Lawrence Gregan reported that in October of 2010, the Board announced the Township's intention to acquire the Zehr Tract property by eminent domain in order to expand and enhance the William F. Maule Park at Windlestrae. Since that time, the Township has incurred preliminary expenses of $16,703.28 related to the acquisition of the property, including legal and engineering fees. Mr. Gregan further reported that these types of expenses will continue to accumulate as the project moves forward. Currently, Mr. Gregan reported, these expenses are being charged to the Capital Fund's Designated Reserve for Land Acquisition. The Board is being asked to consider a resolution which would allow reimbursement of preliminary expenses related to the acquisition to the Capital Reserve Fund from any proceeds of any taxable or tax exempt financing. Resolution #6 unanimously approved the reimbursement resolution for expenditures regarding the purchase of the Zehr Tract.
Kevin Costello reported that as a result of the installation of water service lines to new homes in the Bridle Path Manor Development, the North Wales Water Authority is responsible under the terms of the Township's Highway Occupancy Permit to repave the portion of Bridle Path Road disturbed by the cross trenches. Mr. Costello further reported that at the same time the Township has scheduled the milling and resurfacing of Bridle Path Road in this year's paving program. Mr. Costello reported that it would be best to coordinate the milling and paving of the full road by one contractor at one time. North Wales Water Authority would pay the Township the equivalent cost of the asphalt materials in lieu of paving the road. Resolution #7 unanimously approved the acceptance of a $5,512.50 payment from the North Wales Water Authority in lieu of paving Bridle Path Road.
William Brightcliffe reported that the Fire Services Department was requesting the approval for the installation of two equipment compartments for Squad 18. Mr. Brightcliffe reported that the funds were budgeted for this project and three quotations were received from companies who are industry specialists in working with fire apparatus. Resolution #8 unanimously approved the award of the contract to install two equipment compartments in Squad 18 to Kaler Motor Company at a cost of $9,987.00.
Kevin Costello reported that the Public Works Department was requesting approval for the purchase of a Kubota 4 Wheel Drive Tractor which was budgeted as a capital equipment purchase for 2011. Mr. Costello reported that the purchase would be made from the Pennsylvania Co-Stars Cooperative Purchasing Contract. Resolution #9 unanimously approved the purchase of a Kubota 4WD Tractor w/ Fold Rops, 72" Side Discharge Mower & 51" Two Stage Snow Blower to Pipersville Garden Center at a cost of $24,021.48.
Richard Grier, Technology Manager, reported that the Township's Business Continuity Plan will allow the Township's Administrative offices to continue to operate critical functions at an offsite location in the event staff could not work in the Township building. Mr. Grier reported that the implementation of this plan consisted of three phases; the upgrade, replacement and consolidation of old hardware, the elimination of costly offsite tape storage; and, annual testing. Phase 1 is the largest and most complex piece of the project which requires the purchase of two new computer servers and reconfiguration of the administrative computer systems. The system would be configured in such a way as to allow for staff to report to the fire station on Stump Road to assume critical processing duties if necessary. Resolution #10 unanimously awarded the contract for the purchase of two computer servers for Phase 1 of the Business Continuity project, to Dell Inc., authorized vendor under the Co-Stars Cooperative Purchase Contract, at a cost of $17,499.12.
Chairman Birch made a motion to approve the payment of bills. Supervisor Walsh seconded the motion. The payment of bills was unanimously approved as submitted.
Under other business, Chairman Birch reported that the Board had discussed a zoning hearing board application in the executive session concerning a property located at 941 Horsham Road. Chairman Birch made a motion and Resolution #11 was unanimously adopted to authorize the Township Solicitor to intervene on behalf of the Township and present the case in opposition to the Sherratt and Chayka Zoning Hearing Board application for the property located at 941 Horsham Road.
Under other business, Supervisor Walsh indicated that at a previous meeting, he had requested that the staff consider posting the Board action summaries online for the residents to have a better understanding of the items on the agenda. Supervisor Walsh asked if the summaries had been posted to the website. Lawrence Gregan explained that the staff had tested several ways to post the summaries to the website and link them to the agenda. One of the options was to purchase additional software which would work with our website to build the agenda and add documents as attachments. He reported that the additional software purchase was approximately $1,500 and that staff wanted to find a more cost effective way to post the Board summaries without having to purchase additional software. Following a review of the North Penn School District website, Mr. Gregan reported that staff has come up with a way to accomplish this task in a timely manner and that the agenda summaries will be posted for the next agenda.
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 8:56 p.m.