| Forks Action Committee |
| Homepage - Last Day of the Month |
| April 30, 2006 |
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The Board of Supervisors took a very big step at their April 20th meeting. They
voted unanimously to accept a resolution that endorses the concept of assessing school impact
fees on developers building new houses in the Township! Of course, that is not the only thing the
BoS did that night - there was the CVS/grocery agenda item too. Please read Sarah Mausolf
(Express Times) and Joe Nixon (Morning Call) for their reports on the meeting.
Our nutshell version follows:
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there...
and the Comments too. Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
voted unanimously to accept a resolution that endorses the concept of assessing school impact
fees on developers building new houses in the Township! Of course, that is not the only thing the
BoS did that night - there was the CVS/grocery agenda item too. Please read Sarah Mausolf
(Express Times) and Joe Nixon (Morning Call) for their reports on the meeting.
Our nutshell version follows:
- The Finance Committee is nearly ready to finalize their task of creating job descriptions for all
office employees. - The Board was presented with a new month-end (March) revenues vs. expenses summary
report. It will be available online at the Township website shortly after every second meeting
of the Board. Howell referred to this new report as an "achievement in disclosure." - There is no fireproof box in the office for staff to use to lock away checks at night.
- The formal open house of the new Municipal Building is tentatively scheduled for June 10th.
- Ace Hardware is having its ribbon cutting on April 26th from 6-8 PM - even without a CO.
- The new Township quarterly "informational" publication will have a Township map as its
centerfold. Look for it this summer! (There is hope that it will be ready for the open house, but
it's not promised.) - The Community Center/Recreation Department (?) will put out a newsletter next month.
- The PD is continuing to issue citations at the Arndt/Bushkill intersection .
- In March the PD answered 570 calls for service and at their current April pace, it looks like
700. - Rich Bassett was appointed to be assistant EOP coordinator.
- Liquor license transfer hopefulls will now have to complete a permit application and pay a
$1000 fee. If their application requires a second hearing, there will be an additional $750 due. - The resolution in favor of the concept of assessing school impact fees on developers was
supported 110% by Miller, and completely by all Supervisors in a 5:0 vote. HB 2550 and HB
2564 (start on page 24) are in Harrisburg now. Rep. Grucela is a sponsor. - Upper and Lower Mount Bethel Townships have passed similar resolutions in support of
school impact fees. Washington Township is considering it. And, 7 municipalities served by
the Bangor Area School District are meeting on May 1st at 7 PM to talk about it. - Landowners near Gollub Park are considering signing easement agreements to allow the
Township emergency access over the old trolley bed (to get to the park). Another public
easement is needed from one landowner to allow the footpath for public use to cross a
corner of his property. Pete Rossi reported that 5 more trees and 3 new plantings may come
down. - The speed bumps in the Community Center roadway are being replaced by kinder-to-cars
speed humps. - Zucksville Road resident (and geologist) Art Panzini warned the Board of a possible
catastrophe if the drainage is not addressed. He said he has been watching a sinkhole form
for 25 years. He said that PennDot says the drainage is the Township's problem and the
Township says it's PennDot's. He brought photos of a submerged car to share with the
Board. - The CVS/grocery proposal was presented, questions were asked, and the discussion will
take place on Tuesday, April 25 at the 7 PM Joint Meeting of the Planning Commission and
Board of Supervisors. The public is welcome!
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there...
and the Comments too. Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
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On April 13, 2006 our Planning Commission was assured by Solicitor Karl Kline that the vote (5:0 with Dean Turner
casting the "no" vote) they took to recommend that the Board of Supervisors consider changing the zoning to allow a
non-permitted grocery use in the EC (Employment Center) District, was by no means the end of their input for this project. They
were told that they had several more opportunities to turn the project down. The vote was simply a recommendation to the
Board to consider it. To the developer, SamCar, the positive vote cut 30 days off of the process and is good news for their six
interested "high-end" grocery candidates. Read more about it in the Express Times (Sarah Mausolf) and the Morning Call (Joe
Nixon).
The PC learned to be wary of traffic studies that use growth projections based on PennDot's "typical" factor of 2.2% per year.
Vice Chairman Erik Chuss noted that Forks has experienced 44% growth since 2000, considerably above PennDot's typical
figure. The developer was asked to update the traffic study for their next appearance. The bottom line is that if the zoning is not
changed to allow the "high end" grocery store, a CVS drugstore will occupy the site instead. The difference in the two retail
operations is one of size. In the EC distrrict, retail the size of CVS is permitted and cannot be stopped. Retail the size of a true
big box store (any grocery, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, etc.), is not allowed and requires a zoning change.
The PC also learned that a zoning change is a pretty permanent thing. Once the doors are opened with a zoning change, any
and all applicants who fit the new rules, must be allowed in the changed district.
Also on the PC agenda was Riverview Estates, Phase IIC/Temporary Parking Land Development. The submission was
rejected unanimously based on engineer Fred Hay's letter recommending that it be rejected. The developer (unnamed at the
meeting) declined to follow the SALDO and did not submit proper plans. The project engineer was there and said that he
asked to submit a proper plan and was told (by the developer) to go with the "sketch" (submitted once before) and call it a
"plan."
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there... and the Comments too.
Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
casting the "no" vote) they took to recommend that the Board of Supervisors consider changing the zoning to allow a
non-permitted grocery use in the EC (Employment Center) District, was by no means the end of their input for this project. They
were told that they had several more opportunities to turn the project down. The vote was simply a recommendation to the
Board to consider it. To the developer, SamCar, the positive vote cut 30 days off of the process and is good news for their six
interested "high-end" grocery candidates. Read more about it in the Express Times (Sarah Mausolf) and the Morning Call (Joe
Nixon).
The PC learned to be wary of traffic studies that use growth projections based on PennDot's "typical" factor of 2.2% per year.
Vice Chairman Erik Chuss noted that Forks has experienced 44% growth since 2000, considerably above PennDot's typical
figure. The developer was asked to update the traffic study for their next appearance. The bottom line is that if the zoning is not
changed to allow the "high end" grocery store, a CVS drugstore will occupy the site instead. The difference in the two retail
operations is one of size. In the EC distrrict, retail the size of CVS is permitted and cannot be stopped. Retail the size of a true
big box store (any grocery, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, etc.), is not allowed and requires a zoning change.
The PC also learned that a zoning change is a pretty permanent thing. Once the doors are opened with a zoning change, any
and all applicants who fit the new rules, must be allowed in the changed district.
Also on the PC agenda was Riverview Estates, Phase IIC/Temporary Parking Land Development. The submission was
rejected unanimously based on engineer Fred Hay's letter recommending that it be rejected. The developer (unnamed at the
meeting) declined to follow the SALDO and did not submit proper plans. The project engineer was there and said that he
asked to submit a proper plan and was told (by the developer) to go with the "sketch" (submitted once before) and call it a
"plan."
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there... and the Comments too.
Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
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The Board of Supervisors April 6th meeting was definitely informative and definitely not dull, a successful election for Chairman
was held. Sarah Mausolf (Express Times) and Joe Nixon (Morning Call) were there and interviewed the Supervisors after the
meeting. Their articles are worth the read.
After 3 months the Board voted and elected Supervisors David Hoff as Chairman, Donald Miller as Vice Chairman, and David
Howell as Secretary/Treasurer. Supervisor Ackerman rejected a nomination as Vice Chairman.
Chief Dorney reported the latest tally on the Arndt/Bushkill intersection. In 23 days of enforcement (in March) there were 59
citations issued for stop sign violations, 4 DUI arrests, 3 drug arrests, 3 injury accidents, and 1 firearms arrest. A blinking light
permit is being applied for (to PennDot).
And, the new committee reports are providing lots of "inner workings" news. Some of this meetings highlights include the
following:
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there... and the Comments too.
Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
was held. Sarah Mausolf (Express Times) and Joe Nixon (Morning Call) were there and interviewed the Supervisors after the
meeting. Their articles are worth the read.
After 3 months the Board voted and elected Supervisors David Hoff as Chairman, Donald Miller as Vice Chairman, and David
Howell as Secretary/Treasurer. Supervisor Ackerman rejected a nomination as Vice Chairman.
Chief Dorney reported the latest tally on the Arndt/Bushkill intersection. In 23 days of enforcement (in March) there were 59
citations issued for stop sign violations, 4 DUI arrests, 3 drug arrests, 3 injury accidents, and 1 firearms arrest. A blinking light
permit is being applied for (to PennDot).
And, the new committee reports are providing lots of "inner workings" news. Some of this meetings highlights include the
following:
- A "quarterly" information type bulletin is in the works - all paid for with advertising revenues.
- Forks EMS has paid its bill to the State Fire Commissioner and a 10 year (period) audit has begun.
- PSATS has recommended that all Supervisors be issued keys to all municipal buildings - in case of emergency.
- The gym floors are soon to undergo "refurbishing."
- The Community Days Celebration will include representatives from Easton's arts community and their Farmers Market.
- Permanent restrooms are planned near the Meco fields.
- The DPW is working to prepare Old Mill Road for a bike lane.
- The Township has pockets of 100 year flood plain areas.
- The Township ran out of "horses" during the last heavy rain and couldn't mark all the closed roads.
- PennDot will allow directional signs at several of Forks intersections providing that Forks foots the bill.
- The weather prognosticators are anticipating a very bad 2006 hurricane season. They feel that the paths of these big
storms are changing and we are now targets. - The Township will soon have another permit application form - one for liquor licenses.
- The flower tent is up at the Giant complex and the sellers are subject to the new ordinance - higher fees and shorter
stays. - Very old trees were cut down on the right-of-way leading to Gollub Park. Property owner (and Zoning Hearing Board
member) Pete Rossi felt that they obstructed access to his property.
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there... and the Comments too.
Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
In case any of you wonder how our website and blog are doing lately, here are some graphs to view. Double click on the
images below for larger views. We are excited at the traffic we are getting. Thank you all! Tell your friends!
images below for larger views. We are excited at the traffic we are getting. Thank you all! Tell your friends!
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