Board of Commissioners
5-26-2020 Minutes
MINUTES
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP
REGULAR MEETING MAY 26, 2020
The following were in ATTENDANCE:
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TOWNSHIP PERSONNEL
Dean W. Villone, President Thomas G. Vernau, Jr., Township Manager
Edward Black, Vice President Erin G. Trone, Assistant Township Manager
Richard F. Schin Richard A. Grove, Finance Director
Carolyn Holtzman David Holl, Public Safety Director
Thomas H. Kutz Dan Flint, Public Works Coordinator
John Eby, Building and Zoning Coordinator
Leon Crone, Police Captain
Tony Deaven, EMS Captain
Steven Miner, Solicitor
Tina Thomas, Recording Secretary
President Villone called the May 26, 2020 virtual Meeting of the Board of Commissioners to order at 7:00 pm followed by an explanation of rules for the virtual meeting being held due to the COVID-19 shutdown. He announced that Proof of Publication was available for review and that the meeting was being recorded on the Township’s YouTube channel. President Villone said that the meeting was being hosted by Assistant Township Manager Erin Trone. This was followed by a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
MEETING MINUTES
Commissioner SCHIN moved to approve the minutes from the May 11, 2020 Regular Meeting, as amended by Vice President Black. Vice President BLACK seconded the motion and the motion carried 5-0.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Any item on the agenda.
President Villone asked if anyone joining online in tonight’s meeting would like to speak on any item on the agenda. He requested that they notify the host of the meeting. There was no response.
BID OPENINGS
Detention Basin Retrofit Project
Mr. Vernau spoke about a bid which was opened at the last meeting for this project from Malco Landscaping for $170,000. He said another bid had also come in before the deadline but was missed for the meeting. He opened the second bid which was from SMC of Hunt Valley, Maryland. They offered a bid bond and provided a bid of $136,395.69. Mr. Vernau said that bid would also be forwarded to the Solicitor for review and possible action before the end of the meeting.
Packaged Rooftop Unit/Outdoor Air Handling Unit No. 2 Replacement
Mr. Vernau said that a total of seven bids were received for this project. Results are as follow:
| Name | Amount of Bid | Bid Bond of 10% |
| Northbay Mechanical, LLC
Oxford, PA |
$107,800.00 | Yes |
| W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc
Harrisburg, PA |
$99,688.00 | Yes |
| William R. Spotts
Schuylkill Haven, PA |
$124,000.00 | Yes |
| Sheet Metal Specialists, LLC
Harrisburg, PA |
$109,300.00 | Yes |
| Myco Mechanical
Telford, PA |
$117,000.00 | Yes |
| Daflure Heating & Cooling
New Cumberland, PA |
$121,689.00 | Yes |
| Thermotech
Harrisburg, PA |
$115,618.00 | Yes |
President Villone asked if any of the contractors come to see the project that they would be bidding on. Mr. Vernau said that there was a pre-bid meeting and some contractors came. He also said that the bids would be reviewed and placed on the next meeting’s agenda for action.
CONSENT AGENDA
President Villone asked that any Commissioner, staff member, or anyone in attendance who would like to have an item on the Consent Agenda removed for further discussion request so now. There was no response. The following items were on the Consent Agenda:
1. Department reports for the month of April for Community Development, Fleet Maintenance, Facility Maintenance (March and April), Township Engineer, Public Works, and Public Safety.
- Tax Collector’s April Report.
Vice-President BLACK moved to approve the Consent Agenda and Commissioner SCHIN seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0.
PRESIDENT VILLONE
Check Register
Commissioner SCHIN moved to approve the check register of May 22, 2020 in the amount of $113,335.06. Vice President BLACK seconded the motion and the motion carried 5-0.
ANY BUSINESS PERTINENT TO THE TOWNSHIP:
There was no response.
TOWNSHIP ENGINEER
SLD Docket No. 2020-07: Final Land Development Plan for Weis Market Gas and Go
Mr. Flint provided an orientation of the property at 5140 Simpson Ferry Road on the screen. He noted that there is plenty of room available on the property which is all owned by Weis Market. The area to be developed is currently used for storage and there is ample parking available. He said that the existing islands will have some modifications and there will be underground storage tanks located under the concrete pad. Mr. Flint said that there are going to be 3 gas pumps located there with 6 fueling positions, as well as a kiosk for an employee. He spoke about modifications to the stormwater system being minor as the stormwater pipe that runs through the lot will go around the construction. Utilities needed in the kiosk will come from the main store. Mr. Flint added that the Planning Commission recommended approval of the plan. He said that Alex Ororbia from Weis Market and William Swanick from HRG were both on the Zoom call.
Commissioner Schin asked if ingress and egress from Simpson Ferry Road could potentially be an issue. Mr. Flint replied that it is a right in, right out set up which is designed to be tight so that vehicles do not make the left turn there. Mr. Swanick said that there is also an entrance/exit onto Wesley Drive. President Villone asked Commissioner Kutz if he had any comments from attending the Planning Commission meeting where the plan was discussed. Commissioner Kutz said that he agrees with the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve the plan. President Villone spoke about the Gas and Go which was previously added to the Weis store on Lowther Road and asked if this caused an increased demand on public safety services. Director Holl and Captain Crone agreed that it did not.
Commissioner SCHIN moved to approve SLD Docket No. 2020-07, Final Land Development Plan for Weis Market Gas and Go, 5140 Simpson Ferry Road, contingent upon Lower Allen Township Authority Approval.
Vice President BLACK seconded the motion and the motion carried 5-0.
Awarding the Contract for the Detention Basin Retrofit Project
Mr. Flint requested that this item be moved to the end of the meeting to allow Solicitor Miner more time to review the latest bid. President Villone said that he would check with Mr. Miner before Commissioner Reports.
COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Ordinance 2020-01: Amending Chapter 220, Zoning, Articles XXV Signs
President Villone spoke about the previous meeting where the Township Manager requested that Board members submit their comments on the subject of opinion and election campaign signs for further review. Commissioner Kutz submitted several comments to be considered. President Villone requested that since the ordinance change is too late for the June 2nd election, they be given more time to go through the proposed changes. He suggested tabling the issue until the Board has more time to review the subject. Commissioner Schin and Vice President Black added that they would like more time for discussion as well. President Villone said he would like to table this issue to a future meeting within the next month or two. Discussion will occur at the next meeting. Additional comments can still be sent to the Manager.
MANAGER
Discussion of reducing the minimum part-time hours required for employee purchase of vision and dental insurance coverage
Mr. Vernau spoke about the Township Personnel Manual stating that part-time employees are eligible to enroll in health insurance coverage if they work over 20 hours per week. He received a request by a Paramedic employed part-time by Lower Allen Township EMS to purchase dental and vision coverage. Captain Deaven said that Paramedic Sean O’Haren works approximately 12 hours per week or 24 per pay period. Mr. Vernau said that the 20-hour requirement for medical and prescription would not change, however, the premiums are not as expensive for vision and dental insurance and the hour requirement for those coverages could be changed in the Personnel Manual. Commissioner Schin asked if this would be a permanent change to the manual and Mr. Vernau said that it would be. He also said that Paramedic O’Haren is a valuable employee who is reliable for filling in when asked. Commissioner Black expressed his support as well as Commissioner Schin.
Commissioner SCHIN moved to reduce the minimum hours required for purchase of vision and dental insurance coverage by part-time employees to 12 hours per week. Vice President BLACK seconded the motion and the motion carried 5-0.
COMMISSIONERS REPORTS
Captain Crone spoke about the arrests and clearance rates for the year being above 64% for Part One clearance rates. He said that this number is usually around 30 – 40% for most police departments, and the officers on the street and investigators in the office are doing a good job.
Captain Deaven thanked everyone for their support on behalf of EMS.
Mr. Eby said that he would be available to provide background or help with the sign ordinance comments.
Mr. Grove said that he has not seen a Part One crime clearance rate as high as the current level in any other municipality. As a Township resident, he is proud of the achievement of this level.
Mr. Holl thanked everyone for their support of Public Safety. He spoke about the shifting from red to yellow in the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that call volume has begun to increase for police and EMS services. Mr. Holl said that lately there has been an increase in cardiac arrests, possibly due to people not going to see the doctor when they should. There was a recent cardiac arrest save credited to a medic and an EMT. They will receive an award in the future. He said he has seen everyone in public safety go above and beyond in the current pandemic situation. He is looking forward to going to green. President Villone thanked him for the updates.
Solicitor Miner spoke about his willingness to help anyone with questions regarding the sign ordinance. He said he was able to review the Detention Basic Retrofit project information from SMC in Hunt Valley Maryland. He said that they are the lowest responsible bidder for the project and their documents appear to be in order. Mr. Miner said action can be taken on this item if the Board wishes to take it.
President Villone suggested that they pause the Commissioner reports in order to take action on the Detention Basic Retrofit project bid. Commissioner SCHIN moved to award the contract for the Detention Basin Retrofit project to SMC of Hunt Valley, Maryland in the amount of $136,395.69. Vice President BLACK seconded the motion and the motion carried 5-0. President Villone thanked Mr. Miner and Mr. Vernau for their part in getting the process completed.
Mrs. Trone spoke about submitting a Section 902 grant application, which is for recycling. It would provide money for a new wood chipper and reimbursement for the leaf picker. The grant can provide reimbursement for up to five years. It is possible that this grant may be cut by the state but Mrs. Trone did apply anyway.
Mr. Vernau said that the Township building is now open to the public. He said that most employees are coming in for work but a few are still working from home at least part of the time. Mr. Vernau said that additional cleaning and mopping is taking place but there is still fairly light foot traffic. He spoke about Township parks being open but the bathrooms are not as they cannot be cleaned daily. Temporary bathroom facilities are available. Mr. Vernau said that the fields can be used but not reserved at this time due to the limit of 25 people. Pavilions can be reserved for groups of 25 or less. He will be attending a meeting later this week for discussion on grants available to assist with cost recovery. Commissioner Kutz asked if fields can be reserved for practices for one team under 25 people. Mr. Vernau said that the Township has never taken reservations for practices; it’s just based on availability.
President Villone told Commissioner Holtzman that the Board is thinking of her and praying for a speedy recovery.
Commissioner Schin spoke about the annual COG auction still being on for July 15th. They are not currently sure of a location. He also spoke about a resident who contacted him and wanted to do something for Public Safety to express appreciation. Mr. Holl said that lunch was being provided by this resident tomorrow.
Commissioner Kutz spoke about welcoming Shirley Rae’s Ice Cream to the Shoppes at Arcona. He is planning to continue his support of small businesses as more places open up.
Vice President Black said that he feels fortunate to have quality Public Safety services available. He congratulated Captain Crone and the police department on their clearance rates. He spoke about attending a presentation by UPMC/Pinnacle which he called enlightening and encouraging. The doctors presenting said they had 9 COVID-19 patients last week and have seen rates decrease steadily since mid-April.
President Villone thanked staff and employees for doing a great job. He said that it doesn’t take a crisis for Township employees to do their best and the residents appreciate it. He thanked staff for answering questions that have come up. President Villone spoke about the use of the gardens by the Yellow Breeches Creek. He said residents from all over the Township are taking part. He also spoke about appreciating the wood mulch and leaf compost at the yard waste facility. President Villone asked if there is still an Executive Session regarding a Civil Rights Lawsuit needed and Solicitor Miner said that there is. Mr. Vernau said that there would be no action required following the session.
ADJOURNMENT
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Commissioners adjourned to Executive Session at 8:04 pm.