Regular
Meeting
January
26, 2010
The
regular meeting of the Millcreek Township Board of Supervisors was called to
order at
7:00 p.m.
by Vice
Chairman McGrath in the Assembly Room of the
Millcreek
Township
Municipal
Building
.
Present were Gerald Wolf,
Brian McGrath
, Richard
Figaski,
Evan Adair
, Esq., Phyllis
Vollbrecht and Richard Morris, P.E. Mr.
Kujawa was absent due to illness.
Following
the Pledge to the Flag, Mr. McGrath called for public comment on agenda items
other than development or rezoning applications.
No comments were received.
It
was moved by Mr. Figaski and seconded by Mr. McGrath to approve the minutes of
the meeting of
January 19, 2010
.
Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Payment
of the weekly General Fund bills in the amount of $37,794.19 was approved on
motion by Mr. Figaski, seconded by Mr. McGrath.
Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
A
public hearing was held on the following subdivisions and land development
plans:
David
L. and Nancy I. Yanosko. Subdivision
Plan. A subdivision plan to create a
0.21 acre parcel, Parcel A, located along the east line of Greeley
Avenue north of
West 32nd Street in Tract 23.
Engineer
Morris reported that the Millcreek Township Planning Commission recommended
approval. David Yanosko,
925 Ardmore
Avenue
, appeared on
behalf of the plan. It was moved by
Mr. Figaski and seconded by
Mr. McGrath to approve the subdivision plan.
Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Preliminary
Plan for
Laurel
Springs
.
Preliminary
Land
Development Plan. A modified
preliminary land development plan to show an increase of total proposed
apartment units to 402 with proposed private roads, located along the south line
of
West
Grandview Boulevard
(S.R. 4014) west of
West
Street
in the South Gore Tract and Tract
348.
Engineer
Morris reported that the Millcreek Township Planning Commission recommended
approval with the following:
Conditions
1.
The
developer shall provide a traffic study with a full traffic signal warrant
analysis with 24 hour counts for the intersections of
West Grandview
Boulevard
and
West Street
and
West Grandview
Boulevard
and
Perkins Street
.
The traffic study shall be conducted within six months after the full
opening of the final phase of the development.
Financial security is to be withheld for the traffic study in the amount
as estimated by a P.E. specializing in traffic engineering for the future cost
of the study plus 10 percent.
2.
The
developer shall provide Township approved financial security in the amount of
$60,000.00 plus 10 percent for traffic improvements.
Atty.
Gary Eiben, McDonald Group,
456 West 6th
Street
,
Erie
,
PA
, appeared on
behalf of the plan. Mike Sanford,
Sanford Surveying and Engineering, has primarily been responsible for work on
Laurel
Springs
but could not
attend the meeting because of the unexpected death of his father.
The Preliminary Plan was approved for 223 units which they are asking for
a modification to approve the maximum of 402 units.
The developer feels this is the best use of the land.
The stormwater has been addressed, as well as screening and mound work.
Atty. Eiben asked the Board to approve the Preliminary Plan without the
conditions because they don’t have any basis under Township ordinances.
They will not agree to those conditions at this time.
The plan as presented meets all the requirements of the Subdivision
Ordinance.
Mr.
McGrath said that under Section 618 – Submission and Review of the Final Plan
applications – it reads that a final plan application must comply and be
consistent with the Preliminary Plan approval.
This new Preliminary Plan is not consistent with the prior one and either
is the Land Development Plan. In
Section 902 – Prerequisites for Approval – it reads that the proposed
development shall not abut or have access on a street deemed by the Board of
Supervisors to be insufficient or conditioned to accommodate the proposed
development and/or traffic to be generated therefrom and no such development
shall be approved. If the Board
feels that the abutting streets cannot handle the additional traffic, it has the
opportunity to deny the application. The
Planning Commission recommended that in order to have the nearby streets able to
accommodate the additional traffic, some improvements may be necessary.
To determine what the improvements might be would require a traffic
study. If improvements are necessary
and money is not held for that, the cost would fall on the taxpayers.
Atty.
Eiben does not feel there will be adverse impact upon the abutting streets.
The traffic study already submitted states that the egress traffic due to
this development is a minimal increase. There
are existing problems on that corridor. The
traffic study already submitted is a “snap shot” study (two two-hour
periods) according to Mr. McGrath. PennDOT
did not think this was sufficient enough to make any type of recommendation.
Engineer Morris said PennDOT requires a full signal analysis involving a
24-hour count. Atty. Eiben said they
have been told much different by PennDOT. Their
traffic study was conducted during peak hours and the Board does not have the
factual premise for the finding that this will have an adverse affect so the
application should be approved without conditions.
Lilian
Saadi,
2001 Charleston
Avenue
, stated that
the residents of Wyngate Subdivision have a hard time now getting out onto
West Grandview
Boulevard
.
Also, people will drive through their subdivision to get to
Zimmerly Road
to avoid the
traffic on
Grandview
.
They are very concerned about the changes to the first plan.
Now the plan shows two 35-unit buildings further east than the original
plan. Mrs. Saadi said the buildings
are now three stories. The developer
changed the building locations behind their homes so they don’t have balconies
right in the back yards. Also, it
does not seem logical that this development won’t impact the traffic
situation.
Mr.
McGrath asked Attorney Adair if the Board has the option to deny as presented or
approve with the conditions recommended by the Planning Commission.
Attorney Adair opined that if the developer makes the proposal to include
a traffic study and contributes proportionately to traffic improvements, the
Board could approve it. The Board
has to first conclude that this proposed increase in density would have the
impact on the abutting streets that the section of the Subdivision Ordinance
sited. It does not make sense to
have a lot of traffic studies at different stages of the development, so either
a decent study be presented or the developer meet the demands on improvements to
the abutting streets.
Atty.
Eiben said the Board must determine if there is an adverse impact on the
abutting roads which there is no evidence to make such a finding.
So, the Board should make their decision in favor.
A denial would have to be based on a finding of an impact on the abutting
roads. He cannot commit on behalf of
the developer to conduct a complete traffic study.
He does not see why the developer and the Supervisors cannot agree to
extend the period of time and make the final decision on the Preliminary Plan to
correspond with the Final Plan. The
applicant has to be the one to waive the time period, in writing, to the Board
of Supervisors.
Mr.
Figaski reported to Atty. Eiben that because of the elimination of vegetation
near the Kearsarge Fire Department at the intersection of
West Street
and
West Gore Road
, there is now
an excessive amount of drifting in their parking lot.
He asked if the developer could abate that through four-foot mounds
and/or six-foot high buffers. Atty.
Eiben agreed to speak with the developer.
It
was moved by Mr. Figaski and seconded by Mr. McGrath to table action until
February 9, 2010
on the
Preliminary Plan and Land Development Plan for
Laurel
Springs
– Phase 3A.
Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Laurel
Springs
– Phase 3A. Land Development Plan.
A land development plan showing the construction of a 52-unit apartment
building with associated driveway and parking areas located at the southwest
corner of West Grandview Boulevard (S.R. 4014) and
West Street in Tract 348 and the
South Gore Tract.
Tabled
– see above.
Plan
of Relocation of
Powell
Avenue
.
Subdivision Plan. A
subdivision plan to show the relocation of
Powell
Avenue north
from the north end of the existing bridge to the south line of
Oxer
Road
.
Relocated
Powell
Avenue
will bisect three parcels owned by
Millcreek
Township
with
Erie
County
Index 33-46-171-12, 13 and 14 creating three new parcels north of
Powell
Avenue
with the residue along the south line of
Powell
Avenue
becoming integral parts of
Erie
County
Tax Parcel 33-45-154-33.02. Also
creating a 3.262 acre parcel, Parcel B, and an 80.676 acre parcel, Parcel A, all
to become parts of the
Erie
Regional
Airport
Authority property for the purpose of Runway 6-24 Extension.
Also creating a 2.587 acre parcel, Parcel C, south of relocated
Powell
Avenue
and a 2.233 acre parcel, Parcel D, east of relocated
Powell
Avenue
to be owned by the
Erie
Regional
Airport
Authority. All located east of
existing Powell Avenue and south of West 12th Street in Tracts 11, 12, 13, 18,
19 and 20.
Engineer
Morris reported that the Millcreek Township Planning Commission recommended
approval with the following:
Requirements:
1.
Close
roads within Parcel A.
2.
Provide
a letter or agreement from PennDOT stating that the closed portion of
Powell Avenue
shall be
dedicated to the Airport.
John
Camp, C&S Engineers, appeared along with Tyrone Clark, MGC-Erie.
The project consists of extending the existing runway to the east which
would sever the existing
Powell Avenue
.
Powell would then be relocated to connect to
Marshall Drive
at
West 14th Street
.
The Airport is purchasing properties in the affected area by the
extension and relocation. The
application would combine all pieces purchase by the Airport as well as create
the right-of-way for
Millcreek
Township
for the
proposed road relocation. A portion
of
Linden
Avenue,
West 17th Street
,
Marshall
Drive, and
West 14th Street
will be closed.
Attorney
Adair said the Township must file appropriate petitions to close and/or vacate
streets. There are some paper
streets there. He asked if any of
the streets to the east, i.e. West 13th, West 14th and
Idaho Avenue
, are impacted
by either the runway extension project or the relocation.
Mr. Camp said there are no proposed improvements in that area that would
potentially affect the relocated
Powell Avenue
, as he knows
now.
It
was moved by Mr. Figaski, seconded by Mr. McGrath to approve the subdivision
plan for the relocation of
Powell Avenue
.
Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Runway
6-24 Extension. Land Development
Plan. A land development plan to
show the construction of relocated Powell Avenue, the construction of a
cul-de-sac at Marshall Drive and West 11th Street and the extension of Runway
6-24 located east of Powell Avenue south of West 12th Street in Tracts 11, 12,
13, 18, 19 and 20.
Engineer
Morris reported that the Millcreek Township Planning Commission recommended
approval with the recommendation that the Township and Airport Authority develop
a cul-de-sac solution for
West 11th Street
and
Marshall Drive
that is best
for all parties
John
Camp and Tyrone Clark appeared on behalf of the Land Development Plan which
shows the extension of the roadway to the east, severing the existing
Powell Avenue
, and
constructing a new roadway to tie into the existing
Marshall Drive
.
The road project includes modification to the existing Riviera Estates
flood detention basin and the construction of a cul-de-sac at
West 11th Street
and
Marshall Drive
based on
several years of concern from the neighbors that existing
Marshall Drive
becoming a
through street. The plan is to
terminate
Marshall Drive
at the north
end of the block just south of
West 11th Street
.
Mr.
McGrath explained that the neighbors made it clear that they did not want to see
Powell Avenue
between
West Lake Road
and
West 12th street
relocated on
Marshall Drive
and become a
through street. Several different
options were reviewed. One was to
close
Marshall
at West 12th,
but the Board wants to put a traffic signal at that intersection which would
enable CRI to use that traffic signal. Also,
the homeowners on the east side of
Marshall
between West
11th and West 12th would have easier access to their homes.
Tyrone
Clark indicated that the information they’ve received from the community after
a survey was completed was that a cul-de-sac at West 11th and Marshall was the
most favorable solution. Also, a
solution needs to be agreed upon with Community Resources of Independence (CRI).
He believes the Land Development Plan should be approved with the
condition that they will continue to work with all parties for a cul-de-sac
solution.
Wayne
Labonte,
630 Clifton
Drive
, appeared in
opposition to the plan. He is a
pilot and believes this extension is a waste of taxpayers’ money, is a
security risk for the Airport, and the new
Powell Avenue
will be
continually drifted shut in the winter. It
will not be a safe road to drive. Consideration
should be given not only to
Marshall Drive
, but streets on
either side;
Clifton
will be
affected the most. Mr. McGrath said
the general consensus from the public that utilizes
Powell Avenue
was that
another north/south route is needed, which is the reason the Board fought so
hard to maintain another north/south route.
Safety is key for emergency vehicles and school busses.
Atty.
Jay Shimek, Quinn Law Firm, appeared on behalf of CRI in opposition to the plan.
CRI has been ignored in the process according to Atty. Shimek even after
sending a letter to the Airport in February of 2008 asking to be involved.
In December of 2009 they received notification of the Land Development
Plan before the Planning Commission. CRI’s
main reason for opposition is that the proposed cul-de-sac ruins the access to
their loading dock.
Carl
Barry, Director of Human Resources for CRI, stated that the loading dock is on
the northeast corner of their building which is where the cul-de-sac is
proposed. They are a non-profit
social service headquartered in
Erie
that supports
people with physical disabilities. They
employ 90 to 100 people in that office. CRI
purchase that building because it is wheelchair accessible and has the loading
dock. Their business would be
detrimentally impacted by the proposed smaller than spec cul-de-sac.
He spoke about the lack of communication with the Airport.
CRI agrees about the concern of traffic on
Marshall Drive
but disagrees
that the cul-de-sac is the only solution.
Mr. Figaski asked about discussions regarding the moving of their loading dock.
Mr. Barry said no one has talked with them about this.
Moving the loading dock to the west side of the building would be
prohibitively expensive according to Atty. Shimek because of the internals of
the building. In answer to Mr.
McGrath’s question, Atty. Shimek said that a properly sized cul-de-sac would
allow a truck to get in from West 12th, turn around, and get out.
The proposed 39-foot cul-de-sac which is less than half of what the
Township requires, presents many problems; safety issues, snow removal, and
one-third of the delivery trucks would be parked out into the roadway.
Mr.
Barry said that CRI receives a delivery every one to two weeks.
A delivery truck sticking out into the cul-de-sac that infrequently would
not be a huge concern, but snow is a big concern according to Mr. McGrath.
CRI’s engineers came up with a plan whereby northbound traffic on
the new
Powell Avenue
would turn left
or right only at
West 12th Street
.
In front of those lanes would be a turtle allowing westbound
West 12th Street
traffic to
enter
Marshall Drive
northbound.
That would prohibit northbound
Powell Avenue
traffic from
entering
Marshall Drive
.
Southbound traffic from
West Lake Road
on
Marshall Drive
would come to a
peninsula with signage of “Do Not Enter.”
In order to stop traffic at the physical barriers, a camera enforcement
system would be installed at each intersection at a cost of approximately
$16,000 per year which would be offset by fines.
CRI
wants involvement in planning a solution. Another
suggestion is the corner lot (82’ x 65’) across
Marshall Drive
from CRI could
be purchase by the Airport for use of a properly sized cul-de-sac.
Mr. McGrath said cul-de-sacs are not wanted in the Township unless
absolutely necessary. The plan
presented by Atty. Shimek is certainly unique and unless physically prohibited
from going around an island, people will do it.
Mr.
Figaski feels the cul-de-sac configuration is a mess and so is the new plan.
He’s not sure the new runway is the answer.
He does not have a solution and the cul-de-sac is not the answer.
If one has to be put in, do it the right way.
The developers must go back to figure a plan that is favorable to all
those involved.
Rachel
Farmer, 1103 Marshall Drive, owner of the property mentioned as being purchase
by the Airport to make the cul-de-sac, appeared to suggest putting the
cul-de-sac at West 10th and Marshall because West 10th only goes east to the
cemetery or put four-way stop signs at West 10th and West 11th and Marshall
Drive. The proposed cul-de-sac would
take a tree and some property up to her sidewalk.
It would also prohibit her from using
Marshall Drive
northbound.
Fred
Pence, 1109 Marshall Drive, suggested using the whole intersection at West 11th
Street and Marshall Drive by using a small amount of property from all four
corners. Mr. McGrath said that has
been considered but the Board wants to do what the neighbors feel most
comfortable with. Rather than
debating the issue further, a meeting should be held with the neighbors,
including CRI, Township officials, and the Airport.
Will
Fiddler addressed the Board regarding the runway project.
Tyrone
Clark agreed to a meeting with the property owners.
He said they attempted several times to contact CRI who did not return
their phone calls. The Airport will
send out invitations within the next week. He
believes a solution is forthcoming and asked the Board to approve the Land
Development Plan with the condition that the cul-de-sac issued be solved.
Mr.
McGrath asked Atty. Adair if the plan could be approved tonight with a condition
or would it be better to table. Atty.
Adair opined that the application before the Board includes a major project and
the proposed terminus of
Marshall Drive
north
of
West 12th Street
.
People did not appear tonight for any part of the project south of
West 12th Street
.
The issue is that all the land must be controlled that is involved in the
application, which includes the cul-de-sac.
There are a lot of unanswered questions.
The cul-de-sac was addressed in the 2003 MOU according to Mr. McGrath.
It was noted that no one appeared with a problem of anything south of
West 12th Street
.
It
was moved by Mr. Figaski and seconded by Mr. McGrath to table action until the
meeting of February 16, 2010. Motion
carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Regarding
Ordinance No. 2010-1 to increase the quarterly sewer rental rates from $70.00 to
$80.00, Mr. Figaski is unsure if this was done legally.
The rate increase was approved at the December 29, 2009 meeting and
residents are already being billed for the increase.
An ordinance is required to make the change.
He is not in favor of the increase and that the people in
Millcreek
have had enough
with the sewer increase and the water issues.
He knows it takes money but at this point, he doesn’t care if the money
has to be borrowed, bleed every reserve in the Township, or stand out on the
corner with a can. Alternative forms
of billing should be looked at to alleviate the increase.
A flat rate billing is antiquated. The
Township should use a billing system based on water usage which would be fairer
for residents. An 80-year old woman
living in a trailer pays $80.00 per quarter for sewer, the same as someone at
home with six kids taking two dozen showers per day, doing 20 loads of laundry
per week and running the dishwasher twice a day.
He is not in favor of the ordinance.
Mr.
McGrath also likes the idea of billing for sewer on the basis of water usage.
The downside is that there is a set amount of money that must be paid to
the City of
Erie
for
transportation and treatment which will not change.
Some people obviously will see their sewer bill go down and others will
go up. Based on water usage, in
theory, one would pay for what is going into the sewer.
People make the choice to water their lawn, wash their cars, etc. which
will make their sewer bills increase.
Again,
Mr. Figaski feels it is a fair way and one pays for what one uses.
Different ways must be looked at to get the Township’s hands out of the
people’s pockets. Mr. McGrath is
concerned with the amount to be paid to the City of
Erie
for
improvements to the sewer treatment plant and for the 21 percent increase in
transportation and treatment which must be collected from residents.
Mr. Figaski again said that maybe the money would have to be borrowed.
He is not in favor of borrowing and the Township has an admirable history
of paying as it goes. Mr. McGrath
does not understand the theory of borrowing money to take the burden off the
people because the money will have to be paid back with interest.
Now is the time to force the issue of sewer rates based on water usage
according to Mr. Figaski.
It
was moved by Mr. McGrath to approve Ordinance No. 2010-1.
The motion died for lack of a second.
It
was recommended by Engineer Morris, moved by Mr. Figaski and seconded by Mr.
McGrath to approve the withdrawal of the John Everett Alberstadt Subdivision on
East Clifton
Drive
.
Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
On
motion by Mr. Figaski, seconded by Mr. McGrath, the following petition
requesting a change in zoning classification was referred to the Planning
Commission for consideration:
Scott
M. Bonnell, for
property located at
2650 West 26th
Street
, now zoned
“B” Business District, asking for a change of classification to “C”
Business District.
Motion
carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Treasurer
Wolf reported that Mr. Whitbread reviewed and recommended approval of two
contracts with IPLogic for emergency telephone service for the Police Department
($4,683.92 per year) and the Millcreek Township Supervisors ($6,976.46 per
year). It was moved by Mr. Figaski
and seconded by Mr. McGrath to approve the contracts.
There being no public comment; the motion carried by unanimous roll call
vote.
It
was recommended by Treasurer Wolf, moved by Mr. Figaski and seconded by Mr.
McGrath to approve an amendment to the original contract with New World Systems
to release
New World
from providing
separate vendor files and ultimately separate general ledgers.
New World
informed the
Township that they would not write the software modifications so additional
software and services were negotiated for in its place.
The amendment was reviewed by Thomas Horvath and Barry Baker.
Also, included in the motion was the additional software and services to
provide report writing software for four modules; financial management, human
resource/payroll, utility billing, and community development, along with eight
hours of remote implementation and training at a cost of $1,200.00.
Up to two weeks of on-site training which includes travel expenses
relating to street lighting billing at no charge is included.
The Secretary would be authorized to sign the contracts.
There being no public comment; the motion carried by unanimous roll call
vote.
It
was recommended by Parks and Recreation Director
James Sperry
, moved by Mr.
McGrath and seconded by Mr. Figaski to approve the following for the 2010 spring
season staff:
Judy Shapiro
Mah Jon Supervisor
$ 9.00/hour
Alex Bartlebaugh
MIHS Lifeguard
$
7.65/hour
Mark Coursey
Outdoor Grilling
$10.00/hour
Ross Mayo
Model Airplane Instructor
Volunteer
Kathy Wiest
Babysitter Clinic Supervisor
Volunteer
Joe Logue
Tuite Supervisor
Volunteer
Charlotte Haggerty
Adult Dance Supervisor
Volunteer
There being no public comment; the motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Mr.
McGrath reported that Garage Foreman William Hitchcock received a quote from Day
Ford through the Central Westmoreland COG for a new Ford F550 small dump truck
with an 11-foot dump body for the Parks and Recreation Department at the
piggyback price of $47,316.00. This
purchase was included in this year’s budget.
It was moved by Mr. McGrath and seconded by Mr. Figaski to approve the
purchase. There being no public
comment; the motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Because
one of the employees offered a position in the Streets Department declined it,
Mr. McGrath and Mr. Kujawa conducted interviews to fill the position.
It was moved by Mr. McGrath and seconded by Mr. Figaski to employ Joseph
F. Maffeo to fill the open position, effective February 8, 2010, at the
appropriate and pending successful passing of a pre-employment physical and drug
screening. There being no public
comment; the motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
It
was moved by Mr. Figaski and seconded by Mr. McGrath to approve a $.42 per hour
(3%) increase in rate of pay for the part-time fire inspector and part-time
radio dispatchers. There being no
public comment; the motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
It
was recommended by Engineer Morris, moved by Mr. McGrath and seconded by Mr.
Figaski to approve the solicitation of quotations for the removal and
replacement of 14 catch basins in the
Belle
Valley
area of the
Township. There being no public
comment; the motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.
Sue Weber
,
5338 Norris
Drive
, asked if the
person hired for the Streets Department has a CDL.
Mr. McGrath said people are not interviewed for those positions unless
they have a CDL. Since she left the
Board of Supervisors six years ago, the sewer rental rates increased 25%.
Now the rates are proposed to be increased another 15%.
This is definitely not the right thing to do.
Both she and Mr. Figaski think sewer rates should be based on water
usage. The idea that everyone should
pay a flat rate is ludicrous. Even
the City of
Erie
changed to
sewer bills based on water usage. For
years now, sewer bills for businesses in the Township have been based on water
usage. It is discriminatory to allow
businesses to have the sewer bills based on water use but not homeowners, and it
is time to change. All the water a
homeowner uses, except for washing cars or sprinkling lawns, goes into the sewer
system so that would be an accurate way to pay for sewer.
She said it would not be hard to change.
It does not make any difference what the City is charging for
transportation and treatment charges, it would all balance out in the end.
Mrs. Weber does not like the way the increase came about—that it was
snuck through just before Christmas, done without an ordinance which is illegal,
without advertisement of the ordinance, and then people got the increase in
their bills after the first of the year. She
wants those people credited back on their next bill.
She congratulated Mr. Figaski for catching the non-advertisement and
enactment of an ordinance and that he demanded an ordinance be drafted and
public notice be given. She said she
does not want to pay the same sewer bill as someone with six kids that doing all
kinds of laundry, taking all kinds of showers, running the dishwasher.
She told the Board to do the right thing by the taxpayers in this
Township. There are so many
progressive cities and townships across the State of
Pennsylvania
and country
that do it by water usage. Mr.
McGrath asked for statistics on this and if she would share them with the Board.
He said this idea should be pursued but an education process will be
necessary because the Board will not hear from homeowners with the lower sewer
bills but the ones with higher bills will be in here in droves.
Mrs. Weber said those homeowners should be told to learn how to conserve
water. When those people come in,
they should be asked if “their grandmother living alone and using hardly any
water should be paying the same rate as those with six kids”.
Mrs. Weber said that if you don’t want a higher sewer bill, don’t
have six kids, don’t take a lot of showers, don’t run your dishwasher five
times a week. It’s up to the
homeowner to conserve water.
Mr.
Figaski stated that he did not catch the ordinance.
However, in order to increase the sewer rate, an ordinance must be passed
and it wasn’t. For so long, flat
rate sewer billing was the only way because so many residents had wells.
Now, the majority of the Township does have metered water.
Changing the system of billing is the fair way for the taxpayers.
Mr. McGrath said the reason the City didn’t bill based on water usage
was because up until several years, not everyone was metered.
Lou
Arcovio,
3927 Vista Drive
, reported that
he attended two meetings between the Board of Supervisors and Erie Water Works
recently and thanked the Board for the meetings.
The last meeting was very encouraging in that each key point was
discussed in detail and it seems that there are not any problems that can’t be
solved. Erie Water Works will submit
a new proposal within the near future based on discussions last week.
Regarding representation on the Erie Water Works board, Mr. Arcovio feels
is not a huge deal breaker. A
two-tiered water system in the Township is not only not fair, but unnecessary.
In the past five years, it is estimated that the higher-paying water
customers have paid more than $7 million than those with
Erie
water.
Again, he thanked the Board for the progress made to date.
Ronald
Kolb,
4101 Vista Drive
, urged the
Board to make water rates equal for all. He
has some suggestions on the lease of the water system that he would like to
discuss with the Board sometime. He
said the Board has a difficult job with hard decisions to make for all citizens.
Mr. Kolb talked about the difficulties between the Millcreek Water
Authority and the Erie Water Works.
Buzz
Andreseski,
3102 Wellington
Road
, appeared and
thanked Mr. Figaski for being a “breath of fresh air” in
Millcreek
Township
.
There is no logical reason for higher water rates for some.
Mr. Andreseski said the Board has used its powers as politically elected
supervisors to create full-time, well-paying Township jobs for themselves.
So, now as employees, is the Board acting outside the scope of their
responsibilities when they discriminate against 7,000 homeowners.
He feels two Board members have spent their time figuring out a way to
avoid letting 7,000 people have the same water rate as Erie Water Works
customers. He feels these people
deserve money back because there is no rational reason to charge people 30 to 50
percent more.
Gary
Behr,
4045 Feidler
Drive
, told the Board
he is one of the 7,000 water customers that have been discriminated against.
Mr. Figaski’s idea of borrowing money is irresponsible.
Mr. Behr said that after working as a police officer in the Township for
31 years, he should have a better grasp, have a plan to present to the public,
think before he speaks, and be more responsible.
He is concerned with the employment of the sewer and water department
employees. Mr. Figaski said he
offered a plan for the lease of Millcreek’s water system to Erie Water Works,
and indicated there are some employees within the Water Authority who will be
absorbed by
Erie
, some will bid
in to jobs in the Township in other capacities, some will retire and maybe some
will lose their jobs. Discussion
followed on the appointment of Mr. Thiemann to the Millcreek Township Water
Authority at the reorganization meeting and the appointment coming up to fill an
unexpired term. Mr. Figaski wants
intelligent, regional thinking individuals appointed to these positions and
feels these people meet his criteria. Regarding
the Cable Television Advisory Committee, Mr. Figaski informed Mr. Behr that most
of the previous members will be re-appointed.
A great deal of work needs to be done by this Committee. Time Warner
services everybody within this region, with exception to those with satellite
dishes, under 25 separate contracts. It
makes sense to bring these contracts together under one contract to economy
scale, drive prices down and services up. The
members are anxious to get to work and in the past, meetings were held on an
as-needed basis. Mr. McGrath said
the committee used to meet more frequently but has never been denied the
opportunity to hold a meeting. An
attorney from
Pittsburgh
is willing to
speak to the Council of Governments to discuss the issue of renegotiating a
contract with Time Warner so input from the Cable Committee is very much needed.
Mr. Behr again told Mr. Figaski that he is concerned about debt for the
Township.
There
being no other citizens to be heard or further business to come before the
Board, it was moved by Mr. McGrath and seconded by Mr. Figaski to adjourn the
meeting at 9:50 p.m.
Phyllis A. Vollbrecht
Assistant Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________
APPROVED:
February 2, 2010
Brian
P. McGrath
Richard P. Figaski