MINUTES  

       STORMWATER AUTHORITY                                           LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING                                       OCTOBER 4, 2018

 

The following were in ATTENDANCE:

STORMWATER AUTHORITY BOARD                        TOWNSHIP PERSONNEL

Gordon E. Wilson, Chairman                                                 Thomas G. Vernau, Jr., Township Manager

Timothy Johnson, Vice Chairman                                          Rebecca Davis, MS4 Coordinator     

Lloyd Bucher, Treasurer                                                         Dan Flint, Township Engineer

Alison J Shuler, Secretary                                                       Steven P. Miner, Solicitor

Richard Schin, Assistant Secretary                                         John Brosman, III, PE, Manager/Engineer

                                                                                                Tina Thomas, Recording Secretary

SWEARING IN OF BOARD MEMBERS

Jacqueline M. Hill, LATA/Notary of the Public, administered the Oath of Office to the newly created Stormwater Authority Board members.

Tina Thomas called the October 4, 2018 meeting of the Stormwater Authority to order at 8:24 pm and completed Roll Call of the Board members present. She announced that Proof of Publication was available for review.

CHAIRMAN NOMINATION – STEVEN MINER:

Solicitor Steven Miner announced that he was prepared to accept nominations for Chairman of the Lower Allen Township Stormwater Authority. Nomination of Gordon Wilson was made by Richard Schin and seconded by Lloyd Bucher. Mr. Miner asked for a motion to close the nominations and cast a unanimous vote for approval. Alison Shuler made this motion which was seconded by Richard Schin. Motion passed 5-0.

 AUTHORITY APPOINTMENT NOMINATIONS – CHAIRMAN WILSON:

Mr. Wilson was congratulated by Mr. Miner who requested that he begin the process of nominations for the remaining board positions. Mr. Wilson appointed Mrs. Shuler, as a nominating committee of one, to present the nominations. Nominations are as follows:

• Vice Chairman – Timothy Johnson
• Treasurer – Lloyd Bucher
• Secretary – Alison Shuler
• Assistant Secretary – Richard Schin

Mrs. Shuler presented the above nominations to Mr. Wilson. Mr. Schin moved to close the nominations and cast a unanimous vote for all nominees.  Mr. Johnson seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0.

Mr. Wilson brought up the fact that the Stormwater Authority does not currently have funds to pay for the Solicitor. Mr. Miner stated that he is currently being paid for his services by Lower Allen Township. The Stormwater Authority will reimburse his wages to the Township when funds are available. Motion to appoint Mr. Miner as Solicitor was made by Mrs. Shuler. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bucher. Motion carried 5-0.

Mr. Wilson requested a motion to appoint Tina Thomas as recording secretary for the Stormwater Authority. Mrs. Shuler made a motion and Mr. Bucher seconded this motion. Motion carried 5-0.

SOLICITOR’S REPORT – STEVEN MINER:

Mr. Miner stated that this is mainly an organizational meeting. He pointed out the Articles of Incorporation which officially created the Stormwater Authority and that a Public Hearing had been held August 27, 2018, as required by law. The appropriate documentation was filed with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on September 14^th and was accepted. The entity number is 6771812. Minutes of the Articles of Incorporation and Public Hearing were provided board members.

Mr. Miner explained that creation of the Stormwater Authority was necessary due to a failure of the state legislature to give Townships of the First Class the ability to collect funds for the various projects that have been mandated by the Chesapeake Bay program. Lower Allen Township employees will be available to assist the Board with this.

An employer identification number has also been established with the IRS for the potential of future audits when there are funds in existence.

MS4 COORDINATOR REPORT – REBECCA DAVIS:

Mrs. Davis started her Stormwater Authority presentation by explaining the roles that the Township staff, within the department of Community and Economic Development, have in the MS4 program. She explained that MS4 stands for Municipal, Separate, Storm, Sewer, System and is aimed at reducing the flow of pollutants into the Chesapeake Bay. The MS4 program is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). The government does not give funding for this program but requires municipalities obtain a permit called a NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System).

MCM’s, or Minimum Control Measures, must be reported annually to the PADEP demonstrating efforts to reduce pollutants in the following 6 areas:

1. Public education and outreach – develop brochures to hand out and educate groups from the public.
2. Public involvement and participation – Website updates and Facebook posts, advertisement of public meetings, supporting volunteer efforts.
3. Illicit discharge detection and elimination – anything that is not stormwater; sewer system map was completed as well as a way for residents to report pollution entering the stormwater system.
4. Construction site stormwater runoff control – we work with County Conservation District as well as educating the construction industry; we have added a handout to be included with building permits dealing with earth movement or concrete.
5. Post-construction stormwater management – the Township has 100+ residential Best Management Practices (BMP’s) that must be monitored annually by asking residents to report back on how their BMP is functioning.
6. Pollution prevention / Good housekeeping – municipal employees are being educated on MS4 and pollution prevention.

The first annual report for the 2018 MS4 PAG 13 permit was due by September 30^th.  Mrs. Davis has already submitted this report. The current permit effective date is March 16, 2018 and expires March 15, 2023. Sediment is considered a major stormwater pollutant and our goal is to reduce that source of contamination by 10% in 5 years. We have an agreement with the Cumberland County Conservation District where they inspect sites larger than an acre for construction site runoff.  In Lower Allen Township there are two systems for disposing of water. Household/Commercial waste water is sent to a treatment plant, but stormwater flows directly into creeks and streams.

Mrs. Davis spoke about ongoing efforts to implement the Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) so that our Pollution Reduction Plan (PRP) can begin, once approved by the DEP. This plan includes retrofitting 10 stormwater basins to bioretention basins in the Township as a way to reduce pollutants. We have applied for grants through the PADEP to offset the cost of completing four of these basins on Township owned property.

Mrs. Davis provided hand-outs from the Township’s stormwater consulting firm, Arcadis. These will be presented at the Board of Commissioner’s meeting on October 8^th. We will discuss a fee rate structure at a future meeting of the Stormwater Water Authority. Mr. Flint explained that the fee rates are based on a five year permit cycle. We are hoping to start fee collection by the second quarter of 2019 but need to give people and businesses notice this year so they can begin to plan for it.

Mr. Wilson requested that a member of the Township staff be present at the Stormwater Authority meetings to serve as a permanent contact. Mr. Flint responded that Mrs. Davis will be the contact person.

FUTURE MEETING SCHEDULE:

As advertised, the Stormwater Authority will meet November 1^st and December 6^th of 2018, following Sewer Authority meetings. Beginning in 2019, the meeting times will be the first Thursday of the month at 7:30 pm, following the Sewer Authority meetings. Mr. Schin moved to accept the proposed meeting dates and times for 2018 and Mr. Bucher seconded it. Motion carried 5-0. Upcoming dates for 2019 will be formalized once LATA approves it meeting schedule for the coming year.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS PERTINENT TO THE AUTHORITY:

Mr. Miner spoke about the need to make a resolution to deal with failure to pay stormwater fees. He also stated that the program will be most successful if the Commissioners and Stormwater Authority work together. Mr. Vernau stated that as projects come up, the Stormwater Authority will be approving them and then releasing the money to the Township to complete the projects. He offered to present the costs that were incurred in 2018 at the next meeting. Mr. Schin said that he is excited about being part of a new project and Mr. Wilson thanked Mrs. Davis, Mr. Miner and Township Staff for their work on the stormwater project. Mr. Wilson asked if there were any pending stormwater legal issues before the Township. Mr. Miner and Mr. Flint responded that they were aware of none.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no more business, Mr. Wilson adjourned the Stormwater Authority meeting at 9:37pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Tina Thomas

Recording Secretary