EAST MARLBOROUGH TOWNSHIP
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Meeting of the Board – March 6, 2017
Chairman Richard P.S. Hannum, Jr. called the public meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Township Building by leading the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Board members John Sarro, Eddie G. Caudill, Robert F. Weer and Christine Kimmel were also present, as was Solicitor Frone Crawford, and Engineer Jim Hatfield.
Public Comment Period. East Marlborough resident Shelly Mincer asked if the Township was doing anything to recognize the retirement of Road master Dennis Mellinger. Chairman Hannum said there was going to be a staff luncheon for Dennis and a public proclamation at the April meeting.
Minutes of February 6th. The minutes were approved by a vote of 5-0.
Bellefield Escrow release #6. Based on Mr. Hatfield’s recommendation, the Supervisors approved the release of $36,180 in escrow for the Bellefield subdivision. The Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve the release.
Historic Commission Appointment. At the suggestion of Historic Commission Chairman John Rosecrans, the Supervisors voted unanimously, 5-0, to appoint East Marlborough resident Christine McDougall to the Historic Commission.
Land Development Agreement for Ed Henry Car Wash. At the suggestion of solicitor Frone Crawford, the Supervisors voted 4-0 with John Sarro abstaining to conditionally approve the Preliminary/Final Land Development Plan for the car wash located at the intersection of Schoolhouse Road and Onix Drive. The approval is contingent upon staff review of the final submissions.
Fireworks at Longwood Gardens. Greg Papernik, Director of Public Safety, and Thomas Warner, Performing Arts Manager, for Longwood Gardens asked for the Supervisor’s approval for 6 Fireworks Displays throughout the summer months at Longwood Gardens. (4) shows will start at 9:15 p.m., and (2) shows in September will start at 8:15 p.m. Mr. Papernik said Longwood Gardens has coordinated with Police Chief Clark and Longwood Fire Chief A.J. McCarthy regarding traffic control and parking. Longwood asked for permission to close the ramps to Route 1, Greenwood, Longwood and Conservatory Roads 10 minutes prior to the start of the shows until the show is complete. Longwood Gardens anticipates there will be 1900 cars, they have spaces for 3000 cars. Shelley Mincer asked about the noise from the fireworks and wanted to know if they would be quitter than in the past. Mr. Warner said the focus of the shows will be the Fountains with the Fireworks as accessory entertainment but the explosions will still be loud.
The Supervisors approved the request unanimously with a 5-0 vote.
Board of Supervisors Minutes
Page 2
Walmart Temporary Outdoor Garden Center. Ms. Michele Serbin requested approval for Walmart to open a temporary outdoor garden center on the East side of the store in the parking lot. The garden center would be open from April 1st through July 31st and sell plants, gardening supplies and flowers. The center would take up approximately 56 parking spaces and would be approximately 54’ wide by 230’ long. Lance Ransom, the previous store manager, said the center was open for the convenience of their customers and was very well received by the general public. Eddie Caudill said he enjoyed shopping at the Garden Center and thought it was a benefit to the community. Bob Weer expressed his opposition to the outdoor display since they had opted to eliminate the Garden Center when Wal-mart asked for the permit to expand the building. The Supervisors voted 4-1 with Mr. Weer opposing the application to allow the Temporary Outdoor Garden Center.
Specimen Tree Removal. Jim Hatfield discussed the removal of a tree that was determined after the fact to be a specimen tree per the East Marlborough Zoning Ordinance. Mr. Hatfield explained that because the Walnut Walk plans evolved when they purchased the 2.1 acre tract from the Reed family it was not noticed that the newly acquired acreage contained a specimen tree until an inspection was done to determine the impact of grading on the ramp to the historic structure on the property. Bentley Homes arranged for an arborist to inspect the tree and his inspection showed the tree to be diseased and not-viable. However, before the tree could be inspected by Glackin Thomas it was prematurely removed. In her review letter, Lisa Thomas recommended that Bentley Homes provide (4) additional trees to offset the loss of the specimen tree. Cuyler Walker said that the Ordinance now requires (6) additional trees for each tree and Bentley agreed to add (6) trees with some of them being planted at the Unionville Park. Christine Kimmel took issue that the Specimen Tree was missed during plan review. Bentley agreed to provide 7 trees and would rely on Lisa Thomas’ recommendation on where to plant them. The Supervisors voted (5-0) to accept Bentley’s offer to offset the lost specimen tree with (7) replacement trees.
Road Closure. Kim Holt representing The Willowdale Chapel Run for Recovery requested approval from the Board of Supervisors to close Route 82 between The Willowdale Chapel and Chalfant Road from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 1, 2017. Mrs. Holt said the course would be the same as the one that was run last year, which was Route 82 to Chalfant to Blackshire to Beverly and back the same route. Mrs. Holt said approximately 350 cars are expected. Chief Clarke said he reviewed plans and made suggestions on the size and font for the signs, they will also provide traffic assistance for the road closure. Pending receipt of the Certificate of Insurance and Special Event Application, the Supervisors approved the road closure with a unanimous (5-0) vote.
HARB. The HARB issued a Certificate of Appropriateness for 32 Buffington Street for changing the siding from Synthetic German Siding to Synthetic Beveled Siding. The Supervisors accepted the notification with a unanimous (5-0) vote.
Safety Committee Update. John Sarro briefed the board on the activities of the East Marlborough Safety Committee, he said the radar signs had been installed and they were working to slow traffic on Route 82. Mr. Sarro suggested that the Township should buy one more battery powered radar sign to use in locations with limited sunlight. Mr. Weer asked for the extra sign to be positioned by the URA Ballfields during baseball season. The Supervisors voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the purchase of an additional sign.
Bills. By unanimous vote (5-0) the Supervisors approved payment of invoices with the following totals:
General Fund $143,355.72
Payroll $ 78,845.07
Sewer Fund $188,821.89
Unionville Park $ 43,192.85
Treasurer’s Report. By unanimous vote (5-0), the attached Treasurer’s report was accepted as prepared.
The public meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m., at which point the Supervisors went into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter.
East Marlborough Township
Laurie C. Prysock, Manager/Secretary
p align=”center”>EAST MARLBOROUGH TOWNSHIP
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
AGENDA – March 6th – 7:00 P.M.
- Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
- Public comment period
- Approval of Minutes of February 6, 2017
- Escrow release for Bellefield
- Appointment of Chris McDougall to the Historic Commission
- Ed Henry Car Wash, Land Development agreement
- Longwood Fireworks Request for Event Approval
5/28, 7/2, 7/22, 8/12, 9/2, 9/16
- Walmart Request to Open Outdoor Garden Center
- Removal of specimen tree on the Walnut Walk Phase II property
- Willowdale Chapel Run for Recovery 5k Road Closure Request
- Bills
- Treasurer’s Report
Note: There will be an executive session immediately following the public meeting to review personnel policies.