CONOY TOWNSHIP
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING MINUTES
August 14, 2014
A meeting of the Conoy Township Board of Supervisors was held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 14, 2014, at 211 Falmouth Road. In attendance were Supervisors Mariani, Mohr, Shearer and Pickel and Secretary Kathy Hipple. Supervisor McKain was excused. Also in attendance was Township Solicitor Matthew Creme.
ORDER OF BUSINESS:
1. Meeting Called to Order by Mariani at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.
2. Motion by Mohr to approve Minutes of July 10, 2014 BOS Meeting; Second by Pickel; Motion carried.
3. Chair – Announcements and additional agenda items: None.
4. Secretary- Treasurer – (i) Profit & Loss Year-to-date budget comparison provided to BOS; (ii) 2015 budget preparation begins next month; (iii) Elizabethtown Area School District - first day of school for grades 1-12 is August 25, 2014; Crossing Guards Deb Goldinger and Gina Mariani and substitutes Clyde Pickel & Sabine Shearer will remain the same.
Correspondence (i) Invitation received from the Elizabethtown Fair Board; (ii) Lancaster County Drug Task Force 2nd
Quarter 2014 report is available;
5. Report of Committees / Officers:
a. Emergency Management – No report.
b. Bainbridge Fire Company – 14 calls in July – 7 Conoy; 3 E-town Borough; 2 East Donegal Twp; 1 West Donegal Twp
1 East Prospect (York County).
c. NW Emergency Medical Services – 14 calls in June; 112 calls in 2014.
d. Police – Report is available.
e. TMI – No report.
f. Waste to Energy Plant (Incinerator) – (i) June 2014 Host Fee was $55,009.42 and 30,560.79 Tons; (ii) 2013/2014
Comparison is available.
g. Roads – (i) Report is available; (ii) Motion by Mohr to approve an additional $13,000.00 for repairs to Locust Grove
Road Bridge for additional work that was discovered during repairs; Second by Shearer; Motion carried.
h. Sewage Enforcement Officer – Inspection of Permit #Z147534 for Brentwood Builders.
i. Sanitary Sewer – No report.
j. Solicitor – (i) PLGIT-P card. Solicitor Hohenadel worked with the issuing bank regarding confusion and typographical
errors in the contract. The bank has refused to edit the documents. Bills can be paid and purchases can be made with
reward money returned to the Township. Township can issue as many cards as desired. Motion by Shearer to sign
contract as presented; Second by Pickel; Motion carried. (ii) Mower subdivision has been through Township and County
approval process. Solicitor proposed handling final formalities same as Pickel subdivision. All improvements being
proposed are on Mowrer property, there are no public improvements to be made. Solicitor proposed a Memorandum of
Understanding be signed by the Mowrers with the Township waiving of holding of any financial security but that all of the
necessary inspections be completed either by Township road crew or Hanover Engineering with Mowrer being responsible
for reimbursing Township for any costs related and no occupancy permit will be issued until it is confirmed that all
improvements have been completed. Mr. Mowrer was in attendance and confirmed he was agreeable to the MOU. Motion
by Mohr for Solicitor to prepare MOU; Second by Shearer; Motion carried. Mowrer asked if plans could be turned in to
Commonwealth Code for review. Solicitor advised we could do a parallel review with the understanding that CCIS will not
issue the building permit until these other items are completed. Mowrer can coordinate with Township office. (iii) Solicitor
reported that back in April his office was instructed to research local regulations regarding placement of mailboxes in the
public right of way particularly where off-street parking is permitted. Research was of the Postal Operations Manual of the
United States Postal Service and the document library at the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors
(PSATS). The Postal Manual Operations Manual permits and anticipates that municipalities may choose to prohibit the
Installation of mail boxes at the curb and provides for alternate delivery services. PSATS has various ordinances
addressing that from outright prohibition to detailed building and construction specifications if mail boxes are to be
installed at the curb. Solicitor’s office prepared an ordinance that would apply only to those properties in the Village
Center zone under the Zoning Ordinance because of those zones allowing for on-street parking and prohibiting the
Installation of mail boxes at the curb of any property. That would allow for mail boxes anywhere else on the property
Including individual or group boxes such as in some residential land development but would not permit mail boxes to be
Installed at the curb and the draft of the ordinance recites the hazards and risks connected with mail boxes at those
locations. Mariani asked about the mail box that a resident recently installed on Hill Street and that it is obvious if
mail boxes are placed throughout village center there won’t be any parking throughout town. Solicitor advised that the
location where the mailbox is currently located is the public right of way and anything within the public right of way
is at the sufferance of the BOS and the BOS could issue a notice of violation currently to remove something that is in the
public right of way. He is aware that in other municipalities where residents are putting basketball poles and other things in
the public right of way that notices of violation are being issued because those items create a hazard. On another matter
Mariani reported residents never had problems with the post office until recent employee changes and now the post office
keeps sending everybody’s mail back. Solicitor advised letter could be sent to Postmaster. Motion by Mohr to advertise
ordinance for September 2014 BOS Meeting; Second by Shearer; Motion carried. Shearer’s preference was for the
September BOS Meeting as he will not be in attendance at the October 2014 BOS Meeting. Debra Homoki, 117 N. Third
Street, Bainbridge reported she has a list of issues with the postal service and asked if the BOS wanted to discuss them or
wait. Solicitor advised when the BOS has the hearing public comment can be heard where a court stenographer records
comments and if Homoki can attend the September BOS Meeting and make a statement she will be able obtain a record
of the proceedings. Solicitor advised her that because the US Postal Service is a federal corporation that she can contact
constituent services at Congressman Joseph Pitts’ office. Mohr advised Homoki could place a mail box in the right of way
but the Township does not accept liability and that she would have to contact home owner where she wants to place the
mail box.
k. Zoning Officer – (i) Report is available.
l. Buildings – None.
m. Personnel – None.
n. Parks and Recreation – (i) NWLCRT – Motion by Mohr to authorize and approve 7/16/14 retroactive signing of Norfolk
Southern / Conoy Township Agreement for the Shocks Mill project on the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail with
Supervisor Mohr as signer; Second by Shearer; Motion carried.
o. Planning, Subdivision and Development – None.
6. Financial Reports – FYI – See General Fund Deposit Detail, General Check Detail and Payroll Summary reports and Sewer Fund Deposit and General Check Detail reports for July 2014.
7. Motion by Shearer to pay bills (See Unpaid Bills Detail Reports for General Fund for 7/24/14; 7/29/14;
7/31/14; and 8/14/14; and Sewer Fund for 7/16/14; 7/24/14 and 8/14/14); Second by Pickel; Motion carried.
8. Old Business: (i) Solicitor reported he, Supervisor Mohr and Kendra Mohr of the Conoy Township Zoning Hearing
Board attended the West Donegal Zoning Hearing Board hearing regarding the height variance for the Koser barn to be
reconstructed in Elizabethtown by David Abel. Mohr reported there was modest opposition from the Township Solicitor
but that was overcome and Abel was granted the height variance to reconstruct the barn on his property. Framed print
is located on the wall of the Conoy Township meeting room. (ii) Lighting issue. Steve Dellinger, Hanover Engineering
provided a draft lighting ordinance which Solicitor Crème had received and will review for the September Planning
Commission to provide the Planning Commission an opportunity to make a recommendation to the BOS. Mariani asked
that it be written in that anything over a certain foot candle onto someone else’s property be included. Solicitor advised
that intensity and direction are two items generally included. Solicitor to research pre-existing, non-conforming situations
to find out if amortization of non-conformity is permitted.
9. New Business: None
10. Other Items and Public Participation: (i) Tricia Mercier, 333 Hill Street, asked if sign indicating no parking from here
to corner could be installed on Hill Street at 441. Mariani responded BOS will need to look at the location.
11. Motion by Mohr at 7:46 p.m. to adjourn; Second by Shearer; Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
John L. Shearer
Secretary-Treasurer
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