The West Finley Township Board of Supervisors held their monthly meeting on Monday, May 13, 2024, at 6:00 pm at the Township Office Building. Chairman Martin and Vice Chairman Pritt were present, and Supervisor Collins was absent.
Township residents present at the meeting were Steve Emery, Warren & Melinda Duncan, Tracey Shaulis, Tim Collins, and Christopher Malli. Pennsylvania State Trooper Lt. Steve Dowlin was also in attendance for the meeting.
CALL TO ORDER
The call to order was made by Chairman Martin at 6:00 pm.
READING OF PRIOR MEETING MINUTES
The Secretary read the minutes from the April monthly meeting. The motion to approve the minutes was made by Vice Chairman Pritt and seconded by Chairman Martin. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Melinda Duncan expressed her appreciation to the Secretary for including the final cost of the Building Expansion project in the April meeting minutes.
Steve Emery also conveyed gratitude to the Road Crew for correcting the slip on Jake Hill Road as Chapel Hill is still hazardous for travel. Chief Emery advised the Board that he contacted several gas companies for donations to replace the foam for the trailer and was successful in meeting the monetary goal.
Tim Collins asked Vice Chairman Pritt if he had talked to his PennDOT contact regarding the issue with his barn. Unfortunately, this contact has retired from employment. Mr. Collins has reached back out to PennDOT because the wall of the barn is beginning to move. Vice Chairman Pritt will schedule a time later in the week to view the current damage and will attempt to find the appropriate contact to address this situation.
Lt. Dowlin presented the Board with the April service call report for West Finley Township. With only five (5) calls last month, our year to date total is eighteen (18). This is very low in terms of illegal activity. Vice Chairman Pritt asked Lt. Dowlin to clarify the permitted actions of pilot cars. He clarified that pilot vehicles are not allowed to stop or interfere with traffic in any way as that would be a violation of the Commonwealth’s motor vehicle law. Lt. Dowlin also offered to make a visit to any of the well pads that might need to be reminded of the traffic laws.
OLD BUSINESS
The dispatcher from First Student, Inc. called last week to notify the Township of an incident on Burnsville Ridge Road involving several CNX trucks and school bus F18. The manager, Bill Kubicar, contacted the CNX safety division and requested a curfew be set up for the remainder of the school year. Vice Chairman Pritt has already spoken to SWN (Southwest Energy) regarding truck traffic and blackout hours along Beham Ridge Road. These companies will be contacted again in the fall when school resumes to ensure the blackout hours are being followed and enforced.
The Verizon One Talk system that was approved by the Board last month had some errors in pricing. For two (2) phones, the equipment cost is $315 with a $50/month charge for line access. The motion to approve the new costs was made by Chairman Martin and seconded by Vice Chairman Pritt. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
A geotechnical company, Ackenheil Engineers, inspected three (3) roads: Blockhouse Run Road, Spotted Tail Road, and Jake Hill Road. They would drill several bore holes at each slip to determine how deep we would have to dig to repair the issues. The estimated cost for this would be around $20,000.00. They would also give the Township options on how to fix the slips which could include moving sections of the roads. No official action was taken by the Board. The slips will be individually addressed by the Board and Road Crew Foreman to determine the best course of action.
The invoice for clean up days was received. The final count was about twenty (20) tons of trash in seven (7) thirty yard dumpsters for a total of $3,300.00 payable to Newman’s Landscaping and Tree Service. The Township will also receive a check from Brookman’s for $651.00 for the extra scrap metal that was collected over the weekend.
The Board would still like to schedule a separate day for tire collection. We will need to verify the cost per tire with the vendor. Supervisor Collins had a contact who was collecting tires for $3/tire. Apparently, there is also a collection site in Indiana, PA taking tires from the Game Commission at no cost, however, the tires must be brought to them. More research needs to be done into this collection site and to confirm all the details.
The West Finley Township employee handbook is still in progress. The Board was given a Table of Contents specifying the topics to date. Requests for additional topics should be sent to the Secretary as soon as possible.
NEW BUSINESS
At the State conference in Hershey, Supervisor Collins attended a presentation on the InQuik Bridging Systems, detailing the accelerated construction of bridge work. Sections of the bridge are fabricated off site, then delivered and installed. Bridge components include reinforcing steel and form work. As the Township is responsible for maintaining two bridges, and both bridges require repairs, the InQuik system could be a possibility for a future bridge replacement. Just recently, SAI Consulting Engineers completed the annual inspection on the Whiteman Bridge. It was found to have two priority repairs, one of which needed to be completed in seven days. The Road Crew repaired the hole that was in the bridge using forms and concrete, and SAI was notified that the job was completed. The second repair will involve repairs to the left wingwall and must be completed within six months. The InQuik Bridging System will be discussed further at a later date if bridge replacement becomes necessary.
The tilt-tach attachment for the skid steer needs to be replaced. One quote has been received from Quick Attach. Quotes from two other vendors have yet to be received. As this is a necessary piece of equipment, Chairman Martin motioned to approve the purchase of a new attachment for up to $6,000.00. The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Pritt. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
A tri-axle load of cold patch is needed. The motion to approve the order was made by Chairman Martin and seconded by Vice Chairman Pritt. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
The Foreman and Road Crew attended a demonstration of the MowerMax Boom Mower at Morris Township in Greene County. We received a quote for this machine from Patrick Schumer at ATMAX Equipment. The Township also received a quote for a similar machine, the JCB HydraDig, from our Stephenson Equipment representative. The Board reviewed quotes, but no action was taken.
ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS
The financial reports for all Township accounts were presented. April bank statements and QuickBooks reconciliation reports were reviewed. Chairman Martin advised the Board of the new higher interest rates on certificates of deposits at Community Bank. The Township has a CD at First Federal of Greene County that will be maturing in the next few days. The Secretary will contact both banks regarding the CDs.
The Board also reviewed an itemized list of current bills. Specifics of the bills were discussed. Included in the bills was a mileage report for the Secretary. The motion to approve the financial statements and payment of the bills, including the mileage reimbursement, was made by Vice Chairman Pritt and seconded by Chairman Martin. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
SECRETARY’S REPORT
Tunnel Ridge completed mining in panel 23 and began panel 24 on May 6, 2024. They also sent a Notice of Intent and map for the next eighteen (18) months of mining activity.
Dana Kendrick, a grant writer, from K2 Engineering was updated from the DCED regarding our application for LSA funds. An analyst has reviewed the application and forwarded it to the program manager for a second review. The original application time frame was from March to November, so it could still be a few months before we have another update.
On Friday, May 17, 2024, West Finley Township will meet with Jennifer Dann and Jason Filhart from the Washington County Conservation District’s Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Roads Program.
MISCELLANEOUS
Tar and chip and mowing need to be scheduled as soon as possible.
Chris Malli asked Chairman Martin about permitting for a new sign at Windy Gap Church. They reviewed some of the details, but Chairman Martin will make a site visit to discuss the project more in detail.
ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING
Chairman Martin adjourned the meeting at 7:18 pm.