MINUTES

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS	LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP
REGULAR MEETING	April 22, 2024
The following were in ATTENDANCE:
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS	TOWNSHIP PERSONNEL
Dean W. Villone, President	Thomas G. Vernau, Township Manager
Jennifer Caron, Vice President	Rebecca Davis, Asst. Mgr. & Public Works Director
Charles Brown	David Holl, Public Safety Director
Joshua Nagy	Alycia Knoll, Finance Director
Joseph Swartz	Isaac Sweeney, CED Director
	Steven Miner, Township Solicitor
	Nate Sterling, Administrative Secretary
	Renee’ Greenawalt, Recording Secretary

President Villone called the April 22, 2024 Regular Meeting of the Board of Commissioners to order at 6:00 PM. He announced that Proof of Publication for the meeting was available for review. This was followed by a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

MEETING MINUTES:
President Villone requested a motion to approve the minutes of the April 8, 2024 Regular Meeting. Commissioner BROWN moved to approve the minutes. Vice President CARON seconded. The motion passed 5-0.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION:  Any item on the agenda.
President Villone advised the audience that if there were any item on that evening’s agenda that they wish to comment on, to please indicate as such. There were none.

RESOLUTION 2024-R-15
President Villone requested a motion to adopt RESOLUTION 2024-R-15, recognizing, commending, and honoring Richard A. Grove on his retirement after 22 years of service to Lower Allen Township.  Vice President CARON made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Nagy. The motion passed 5-0.

PRESENTATION to RICHARD A. GROVE
President Villone and Manager Vernau presented the Resolution and a commemorative plaque to Mr. Grove.  President Villone read the resolution:

RESOLUTION 2024-R-15

A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, RECOGNIZING, COMMENDING AND HONORING

RICHARD A. GROVE

WHEREAS, The Board of Commissioners of Lower Allen Township desires to express its recognition and gratitude for 22 years of service provided by Richard A. Grove; and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove first joined Lower Allen Township on July 15, 1985 as the Assistant Township Manager; and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove served on the Township History Book Committee, which resulted in the 1993 publication of Lower Allen Township: A History, and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove resigned his position on March 4, 1995 to move to a different state but returned to the Township on April 2, 2012 to serve as Finance Director for the next 12 years; and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove has served as the Township Treasurer since February 23^rd, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove has been active in his professional association, serving as President, Vice-President and Treasurer of the Government Finance Officers Association of PA and its local Chapter; and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove has served as a member of the Lower Allen Township Recreation & Parks Board since January 7, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove has served the employees of Lower Allen Township as a member of various committees, including the Pension Committee, Safety Committee, and Employee Recognition Committee; and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove has obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting in every year of his tenure since 1988; and

WHEREAS, Richard A. Grove led the effort to purchase the Township’s first in-house computer system; and

WHEREAS, under Richard A. Grove’s financial management the Township has maintained a stable fund balance and attained a Standard & Poor’s Bond Rating of AA+.

NOW, hereby resolve that sincere gratitude and appreciation be and are hereby extended to Richard A. Grove for his 22 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County, and that this recognition be spread upon the minutes and records of Lower Allen Township for perpetuity.

ADOPTED into a Resolution this 22^nd day of April, 2024.

President Villone extended congratulations to Mr. Grove and expressed appreciation for his many years of service and dedication to the Township. Mr. Grove noted it had been his honor to serve.

PRESENTATION – Lower Allen Township Stormwater Program
Ms. Barbara Arnold, the Township Environmental Coordinator, presented the 2024 update on the MS4 program. Ms. Arnold reviewed the Township stormwater infrastructure and presented a background of the program. The Township obtained its original permit in 2003. The current 5-year permit was obtained in 2018, which has been extended until possibly 2026. The intent of the program is to reduce pollutants discharged into Cedar Run and the Yellow Breeches, and it is enforced by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Annual reporting to the DEP is required.

There are six minimum control measures. Ms. Arnold reviewed each of them, which include outreach and education, public involvement and participation, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site stormwater runoff, post construction stormwater management, pollution prevention and good housekeeping.

The pollution reduction plan mandates a removal of 10% of the sediment, nitrogen and phosphorous from the Township stormwater runoff. Ms. Arnold shared a map to show the location of the Township’s pollution reduction plan locations and described the basin retrofit projects planned for 2024. She explained that pollution control measures involve water sampling and analysis.

Sharing future steps, Ms. Arnold discussed three grant-related projects for 2024 and 2 for 2025, mentioned ongoing pollution control measurement reporting, GIS program updates and preparing for the next permit cycle.

President Villone expressed his appreciation for the presentation and asked for an update on the status of any restrictions related to residents being able to wash cars at home. Ms. Arnold said the car washing and swimming pool discharge regulations were added to the permit in 2022. Cars may be washed in residential driveways but must be without soap and must not be permitted to discharged into the stormwater system. Washing vehicles on a grassy area or other impervious surface with soap is acceptable provided nothing drains into the MS4 system.

Vice President Caron asked whether the stormwater infrastructure was part of the GIS mapping project and if so, who conducts the work. Ms. Arnold explained that the mapping is done by Township staff using an online cloud-based system.

President Villone asked what type of plants or flowers were located at the Sheepford Basin. Ms. Arnold said that the intent is to use native plants from a recommended list of options that absorb water, noting that the choice of plants depends on the liner of the basin. An effort is made to do something that is aesthetically pleasing for residents.

Commissioner Brown noted his discontent about what he characterized as the unfunded mandate of the MS4 program, but complimented Ms. Arnold and Assistant Manager Davis for their efforts in implementing the program and using the stormwater fee funds wisely to make it a good value for the residents.

CONSENT AGENDA:
President Villone stated that any Commissioner, staff member, or anyone in attendance who would like to have an item on the Consent Agenda removed for further discussion could do so at that time. There were none.

Items on the Consent Agenda:

a. Department Reports for the month of March for Community Development, Fleet Maintenance, Facility Maintenance, Public Works, and Public Safety (February and March).

b. Check Register of April 19, 2024 in the amount of $376,723.06.

c. Accept a motion to adopt Resolution 2024-R-16, proclaiming May 2024 as “Building Safety Month” in Lower Allen Township.

Commissioner NAGY moved to approve the items on the Consent Agenda and highlighted Tom Rigling for his efforts and creativity working with the fire departments. Vice President CARON seconded. With no further discussion the consent agenda was approved by a vote of 5-0.

PRESIDENT
Disposition of records
President Villone requested a motion to approve Resolution 2024-R-17, A Resolution of the Township of Lower Allen, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, approving the disposition of certain permanent or long term official records that will instead be maintained in electronic format in accordance with the policy standards and guidelines approved by the Local Government Records Committee.

Commissioner NAGY made the motion, seconded by Commissioner BROWN. The motion passed 5-0.

DCNR Grant
President Villone requested a motion to approve Resolution 2024-R-18 to enter into a Grant Agreement with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for Creekwood Park access to the Yellow Breeches Creek.

Vice President CARON made  the motion, seconded by Commissioner NAGY. The motion passed 5-0.

Appointment of EMT/PSO
President Villone requested a motion to approve Resolution 2024-R-19, a Resolution of the Board of Commissioners of Lower Allen Township appointing Patrick Dudzinski as an Emergency Medical Technician/Public Safety Officer in the Emergency Medical Services department, effective May 6, 2024.

Commissioner NAGY made the motion, seconded by Commissioner BROWN. The motion passed 5-0.

ANY BUSINESS PERTINENT TO THE TOWNSHIP:
President Villone noted that if anyone wished to speak at that time, there would be 10 minutes allotted per person to speak at the podium on any subject. There were none.

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
Professional Services Agreement with YSM Landscape Architects
Assistant Manager Davis introduced the item for discussion and possible action, to approve a professional services agreement with YSM Landscape Architects for design, testing and construction documents for Phase 1 of the Beacon Hill Radar Site Park. She reminded members that the grant funding for the project is included in the 2024 budget, with four years of eligibility to start work. She reviewed the documents for the development of design and noted coordination with the Township engineer on wetland investigation stormwater controls and creation of a bidding checklist.

In response to a question from Commissioner Swartz, Ms. Davis explained that YSM Landscape Architects had also created the phase concept plan. She also noted the customary practice of staff offering Township observation of the work, and highlighted some changes made to the standard contract, mutual indemnification terms and the option of additional insurance. She also noted that the work for the project would be put out for bid later this year with construction planned for spring 2025, and the intent to submit another grant application for Phase 2 of the project.

Commissioner NAGY moved to approve entering into the agreement with YSM Landscape Architects, seconded by Commissioner BROWN. The motion passed 5-0.

MANAGER
Eagle Scout Project-Waiver of Fees
Mr. Vernau introduced the item for discussion, to consider a waiver of the building permit fees for an Eagle Scout project at the Lisburn Community Fire Company, noting it as typical practice for a project being done for municipal facilities.

Commissioner NAGY moved to approve a waiver of the fees, seconded by Commissioner SWARTZ. The motion passed 5-0.

Young Lungs at Play Tool Kit
Mr. Vernau presented the item as informational, relevant to the consideration of implementing a non-smoking policy in the Township parks. He also reviewed the results of a survey of neighboring municipalities regarding their policies. Part of the information shared with the Board includes the Young Lungs at Play Tool Kit, which has a mission to remove tobacco use from public areas.

Commissioner Nagy expressed staunch support for implementing an ordinance to ban smoking in public parks, noting the alignment with most surrounding municipalities. He thanked Mr. Vernau for researching resources and offered his support for the tool kit and program to help implement a new ordinance and policy.

Vice President Caron noted wholehearted support for the same and requested that a draft policy and ordinance be presented for consideration at an upcoming meeting.

Commissioner Swartz also expressed agreement, and noted his familiarity with the Young Lungs program, which is contracted through the PA Department of Health. He noted the availability of additional resources to help with drafting a policy and emphasized the importance of clear definitions for tobacco products.

Solicitor Miner expressed agreement that an ordinance is the best route to follow in terms of enforcement, along with a formal policy.

President Villone noted his support for smoking prohibition in the parks and noted caution in the approach to be mindful of the resource burden on Public Safety for enforcement. He stated support for the placement of deterrence tools such as signage.

Board members expressed consensus on directing the staff to use the same ordinance included in the toolkit to create draft language for consideration. Once the draft ordinance is agreed to, it will be advertised for public comment.

Commissioner Nagy said that while an enforcement portion is necessary, the priority was to establish expectations for allowable behavior in the parks.

Junior Commissioner Program
Mr. Vernau presented the item for discussion, seeking feedback on the reference materials that had been provided to Board members. Commissioner Brown noted the importance of including home and cyber school students and suggested language that is broad enough to include any student resident of the Township. Members discussed the scope of the role, to begin initially with attendance at public meetings, and to start the program at the beginning of the next school year. Mr. Vernau committed to putting together a draft proposal for consideration at the next meeting.

COMMISSIONERS REPORTS
President Villone announced that the meeting would adjourn to Executive Session for discussion of two Police Association grievances. items:

• Officer Curtis demotion
• Current Collective Bargaining Agreement wage matrix

President Villone expressed appreciation to all Township staff.

Commissioner Swartz reminded everyone about the upcoming primary election. He thanked Solicitor Miner and staff for their recent work on the food processing residual issue, noting the opportunity to engage with legislators and public officials to find a solution.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
Hearing nothing further, President Villone announced a meeting adjournment to executive session.

ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:13 PM.