Before
THE TOBYHANNA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
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In Re: Reorganization Meeting
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Tobyhanna Township Government Center Building
State Avenue
Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania 18350
Monday, January 7, 2008 beginning at 7:02 p.m.
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PRESENT: HEIDI A. PICKARD, Vice-Chairperson
HUGH LAMBERTON, Board Member
DONALD J. MOYER, Board Member
JAMIE B. KEENER, Board Member
ALSO PRESENT: PHYLLIS HAASE, Zoning Officer
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______________________________________________________________
PANKO REPORTING
537 Sarah Street, 2nd Floor
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania 18360
(570) 421-3620
2
1 MS. PICKARD: I'd like to call the
2 Tobyhanna Township reorganization meeting to order.
3 We'll open with the Pledge of Allegiance.
4 (Pledge of Allegiance was recited.)
5 MS. PICKARD: We have a nomination
6 for chair of the board of supervisor?
7 MR. KEENER: I nominate John Kerrick
8 to serve as chair of the board of supervises.
9 MR. MOYER: I second.
10 MS. PICKARD: We have a motion and a
11 second.
12 Any discussion?
13 All those in favor?
14 MR. KEENER: Aye.
15 MR. MOYER: Aye.
16 MR. LAMBERTON: Aye.
17 MS. PICKARD: Opposed?
18 We have a nomination to serve as
19 vice chair of the board of supervisors?
20 MR. LAMBERTON: I nominate Heidi
21 Pickard.
22 MR. KEENER: Second.
23 MS. PICKARD: I have a motion and
24 second.
25 Any discussion?
3
1 Call the vote.
2 Jamie?
3 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
4 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
5 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
6 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
7 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
8 MS. PICKARD: Okay. Motion to serve
9 as full-time township secretary?
10 MR. KEENER: I make a motion to
11 appoint Heidi Pickard to serve as full-time
12 township secretary.
13 MR. MOYER: Second.
14 MS. PICKARD: Motion and second.
15 Any discussion?
16 Call the vote.
17 Jamie?
18 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
19 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
20 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
21 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
22 MR. LAMBERTON: I'll vote in favor.
23 MS. PICKARD: I'll abstain.
24 Motion to appoint assistant township
25 secretary?
4
1 MR. LAMBERTON: I nominate Marg
2 Argot.
3 MR. KEENER: Second.
4 MS. PICKARD: Motion and second.
5 Any discussion?
6 Call the vote.
7 Jamie?
8 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
9 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
10 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
11 MR. PICKARD: Hugh?
12 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
13 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
14 Motion to appoint township
15 treasurer?
16 MR. KEENER: I make a motion we
17 appoint Teresa Dougherty to serve as township
18 treasurer.
19 MR. MOYER: I second.
20 MS. PICKARD: Motion and second.
21 Any discussion?
22 Call the vote.
23 Jamie?
24 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
25 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
5
1 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
2 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
3 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
4 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
5 Motion to appoint the chief
6 administrator of the township nonuniformed pension
7 plan?
8 MR. KEENER: I make a motion we
9 appoint John Kerrick to serve as the chief
10 administrator of the township nonuniformed pension
11 plan.
12 MS. PICKARD: Do we have a second?
13 MR. MOYER: I second.
14 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
15 Call the vote.
16 Jamie?
17 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
18 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
19 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
20 MS. PICKARD: Motion to appoint an
21 individual to serve as township emergency
22 management coordinator?
23 MR. LAMBERTON: I nominate Ed
24 Tutrone.
25 MR. MOYER: I second.
6
1 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
2 Call the vote.
3 Jamie?
4 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
5 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
6 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
7 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
8 MS. PICKARD: Motion to serve as
9 assistant township emergency management
10 coordinator?
11 MR. KEENER: I'll make a motion we
12 appoint John Lamberton to serve as the assistant
13 township emergency management coordinator.
14 MS. PICKARD: Do we have a second?
15 MR. MOYER: I second.
16 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
17 Call the vote.
18 Jamie?
19 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
20 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
21 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
22 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
23 MR. LAMBERTON: I abstain.
24 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
25 favor.
7
1 Motion to serve -- a supervisor to
2 serve as representative to the Pocono Mountain
3 Regional Police Commission.
4 MR. KEENER: I make a motion we
5 appoint John Kerrick, township supervisor, to serve
6 as the township representative at Pocono Mountain
7 Regional Police Commission.
8 MS. PICKARD: I have a motion.
9 Do we have a second?
10 MR. LAMBERTON: Second.
11 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
12 Call the vote.
13 Jamie?
14 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
15 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
16 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
17 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
18 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
19 favor.
20 Another township supervisor to serve
21 as representative to Pocono Mountain Regional
22 Police Commission.
23 MR. MOYER: I nominate Jamie Keener
24 to serve as the township and service representative
25 of Pocono Mountain Regional Police Committee.
8
1 MR. LAMBERTON: I'll second.
2 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
3 Call the vote.
4 Jamie?
5 MR. KEENER: I abstain.
6 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
7 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
8 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
9 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
10 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
11 favor.
12 We need a resident taxpayer from the
13 Tobyhanna Township to serve as citizen at large to
14 the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Commission.
15 MR. MOYER: I make a motion we
16 appoint Dave Moyer for township resident/taxpayer
17 to serve as the township representative of the
18 Pocono Mountain Regional Police Commission.
19 MS. PICKARD: Motion.
20 Do we have a second?
21 MR. LAMBERTON: Second.
22 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
23 Call the vote.
24 Jamie?
25 MR. KEENER: Vote in favor.
9
1 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
2 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
3 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
4 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
5 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
6 We need a member from the board of
7 supervisors to serve as the representative to the
8 Pocono Mountain Council of Governments.
9 MR. LAMBERTON: I nominate Heidi
10 Pickard.
11 MR. MOYER: I second.
12 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
13 MR. KEENER: Yeah, just like to add
14 if we could put Donald Moyer as an alternate.
15 You want to do it at the same time
16 or do you want to do it second?
17 MS. PICKARD: Do you want to amend
18 your motion, Hugh?
19 MR. LAMBERTON: I'll amend the
20 motion to include Don Moyer --
21 MR. KEENER: Alternate.
22 MR. LAMBERTON: -- alternate.
23 MR. KEENER: I'll second it since
24 Donny seconded it.
25 MS. PICKARD: Okay. Is there any
10
1 discussion -- further discussion?
2 Call the vote.
3 Jamie?
4 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
5 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
6 MR. MOYER: I abstain.
7 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
8 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
9 MR. KEENER: Actually, we might have
10 to do that --
11 MS. PICKARD: I'll vote for David.
12 MR. MOYER: I will -- I'll vote in
13 favor for her and me.
14 MS. PICKARD: Okay. Township
15 supervisor to serve as a representative to Pocono
16 Mountain Regional Emergency Services Commission.
17 MR. KEENER: I make a motion we
18 appoint Heidi Pickard to serve as a representative
19 to Pocono Mountain Regional Emergency Services
20 Commission.
21 MR. MOYER: I second.
22 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
23 Call the vote.
24 Jamie?
25 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
11
1 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
2 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
3 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
4 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
5 MS. PICKARD: And I'll -- I'll
6 abstain.
7 Let's make this two separate --
8 MR. KEENER: Yeah. I make a motion
9 we appoint Donald Moyer to serve as the board of
10 supervisors' representative to serve on the joint
11 code enforcement program administrative committee.
12 MS. PICKARD: Okay. So we have a
13 nomination.
14 Do we have a second?
15 MR. LAMBERTON: Second.
16 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
17 Call the vote.
18 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
19 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
20 MR. MOYER: I abstain.
21 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
22 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
23 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
24 favor.
25 I'd like to have an alternate to
12
1 serve on the joint code enforcement program
2 committee.
3 MR. MOYER: I'd like to appoint
4 Jamie Keener.
5 MS. PICKARD: Okay. Motion.
6 Do we have a second?
7 MR. LAMBERTON: Which committee is
8 this?
9 MS. PICKARD: This is alternate to
10 the code enforcement.
11 MR. LAMBERTON: I'll second.
12 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
13 Call the vote.
14 Jamie?
15 MR. KEENER: I abstain.
16 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
17 MR. MOYER: I abstain.
18 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
19 MR. KEENER: We did it separate.
20 MR. MOYER: Okay. I'm sorry, I vote
21 in favor.
22 MR. LAMBERTON: And I'll vote in
23 favor.
24 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
25 favor.
13
1 Okay. We need an appointment to
2 chair the vacancy board.
3 MR. KEENER: I'll make a motion we
4 appoint Margie Argot to serve as the chair of the
5 vacancy board.
6 MR. LAMBERTON: Second.
7 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
8 Call the vote.
9 Jamie?
10 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
11 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
12 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
13 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
14 MR. LAMBERTON: I'll vote in favor.
15 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
16 favor.
17 Appointment to serve as township
18 auditor?
19 MR. MOYER: I make a nomination to
20 appoint John Duffy.
21 MS. PICKARD: We have a motion.
22 Do we have a second?
23 MR. LAMBERTON: Second the motion.
24 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
25 Call the vote.
14
1 Jamie?
2 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
3 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
4 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
5 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
6 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
7 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
8 A motion to appoint recording
9 secretary to the board of supervisors.
10 MR. KEENER: I'll make a motion we
11 appoint Panko as recording secretary to the board
12 of supervisors.
13 MR. LAMBERTON: Second the motion.
14 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
15 Call the vote.
16 Jamie?
17 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
18 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
19 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
20 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
21 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
22 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
23 favor.
24 Motion to appoint township
25 solicitor?
15
1 MR. KEENER: I'll make a motion we
2 appoint Grim, Biehn & Thatcher to act as township
3 solicitor at the rate of $150 per hour for the
4 general municipal law, $170 per hour for
5 litigation, and $175 per hour for real estate and
6 land use matters; and that meetings be provided at
7 those same rates on an hourly basis without travel.
8 MR. MOYER: I second it.
9 MS. PICKARD: Motion and second.
10 Any discussion?
11 Call the vote.
12 Jamie?
13 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
14 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
15 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
16 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
17 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
18 We need a solicitor to serve on the
19 township planning commission.
20 MR. KEENER: I make a motion we
21 appoint Grim, Biehn & Thatcher to act as township
22 planning commission solicitor at the rate of $150
23 per hour for general municipal law, $170 per hour
24 for litigation, and $175 per hour for real estate
25 and land use matters; and that meetings be provided
16
1 on an hourly basis with no travel time.
2 MR. MOYER: I second.
3 MS. PICKARD: Motion and second.
4 Any discussion?
5 Call the vote.
6 Jamie?
7 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
8 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
9 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
10 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
11 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
12 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
13 I need a motion establishing the
14 payment of the employees' salaries and wages on a
15 biweekly basis.
16 MR. LAMBERTON: So moved.
17 MR. MOYER: I second.
18 MS. PICKARD: Motion and second.
19 Any discussion?
20 Call the vote.
21 Jamie?
22 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
23 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
24 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
25 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
17
1 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
2 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
3 Entertain a motion establishing the
4 2008 holiday schedule for the township employees.
5 MR. KEENER: So moved.
6 MS. PICKARD: Motion.
7 Do we have a second?
8 MR. MOYER: I second.
9 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
10 Call the vote.
11 Jamie?
12 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
13 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
14 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
15 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
16 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
17 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
18 favor.
19 Certify the five township board of
20 supervisors, township engineer and township
21 solicitor as delegates to the Pennsylvania Township
22 Supervisors 2008 Annual Convention.
23 MR. KEENER: I'll make a motion we
24 certify the supervisors, township engineers,
25 solicitors as delegates to the 2008 Annual
18
1 Convention.
2 MR. MOYER: I second.
3 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
4 All right, call the vote.
5 Jamie?
6 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
7 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
8 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
9 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
10 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
11 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
12 We need to entertain a motion
13 establishing the tax assessor's bond at $40,000 per
14 annum.
15 MR. LAMBERTON: So moved.
16 MS. PICKARD: We have a motion.
17 Do we have a second?
18 MR. MOYER: I second it.
19 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
20 Call the vote.
21 Jamie?
22 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
23 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
24 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
25 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
19
1 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
2 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
3 We need a supervisor to serve as a
4 voting delegate to the Pennsylvania State
5 Association of Township Supervisors 2008 Annual
6 Convention.
7 MR. MOYER: I nominate Jamie Keener
8 to serve as the delegate to the State Association
9 of Township Supervisors 2008 Annual Convention.
10 MR. LAMBERTON: Second.
11 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
12 Call the vote.
13 Jamie?
14 MR. KEENER: I abstain.
15 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
16 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
17 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
18 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
19 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
20 We need to approve agreement to
21 retain George D. Martin, PSS, for the year 2008 as
22 a professional soil scientist for the township at
23 the rates set forth in the agreement.
24 MR. KEENER: I make a motion we
25 approve George D. Martin in accordance with the
20
1 January 1, 2008 retainer agreement.
2 MR. MOYER: I second.
3 MS. PICKARD: Motion and second.
4 Do we have any discussion?
5 Call the vote.
6 Jamie?
7 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
8 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
9 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
10 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
11 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
12 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
13 favor.
14 Resolution No. 2008-001, setting the
15 dates, times and place for the township public
16 meetings to be held.
17 MR. LAMBERTON: So moved.
18 MR. MOYER: I second.
19 MS. PICKARD: And that would be for
20 the meetings to continue at 7 p.m. every Monday
21 with the exception of April where we have the
22 meeting at 10:30 during the day to accommodate
23 Tobyhanna Elementary Center. And our work sessions
24 will be preplanned the first Monday.
25 Motion and second.
21
1 We'll call the vote.
2 Jamie?
3 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
4 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
5 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
6 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
7 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
8 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
9 favor.
10 Consider enactment of Resolution
11 2008-002; designating certain financial
12 institutions as depositories for township monies.
13 MR. LAMBERTON: So moved.
14 MR. KEENER: Second.
15 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
16 Call the vote.
17 Jamie?
18 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
19 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
20 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
21 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
22 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
23 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
24 favor.
25 Consider the enactment of Resolution
22
1 2008-003; appointing the public accounting firm to
2 the township replacing the elected/appointed
3 township auditors.
4 MR. MOYER: I nominate Todd Bushta
5 to serve as the public accounting firm for
6 Tobyhanna Township replacing the elected/appointed
7 township auditor.
8 MS. PICKARD: Do we have a second?
9 MR. KEENER: Second.
10 MS. PICKARD: Any discussion?
11 Call the vote.
12 Jamie?
13 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
14 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
15 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
16 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
17 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
18 MS. PICKARD: And I'll vote in
19 favor.
20 Consider the enactment of Resolution
21 2008-004; establishing tax rates for the calendar
22 year 2008.
23 MR. LAMBERTON: So moved.
24 We have a motion on the floor.
25 Do we have a second?
23
1 MR. MOYER: I second.
2 MR. KEENER: Do you want to read
3 that or --
4 MS. PICKARD: Yeah. Next we have on
5 this resolution the art income tax at one percent,
6 which is split half to the township and half to the
7 school district.
8 The general fund and tax rate is
9 13.74 mills. The tax rate for the library is .75
10 mills and the tax rate for fire equipment and
11 apparatus fund is .70 mills. And those are of
12 assessed real estate valuations.
13 Any further discussion on Resolution
14 2008-004?
15 Call the vote.
16 Jamie?
17 MR. KEENER: I vote in favor.
18 MS. PICKARD: Donny?
19 MR. MOYER: I vote in favor.
20 MS. PICKARD: Hugh?
21 MR. LAMBERTON: I vote in favor.
22 MS. PICKARD: And I vote in favor.
23 We have no further business. We did
24 have an open space report if we have time.
25 Was that your --
24
1 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Do you want to
2 do it now?
3 First, the DCED money that's
4 supposed to be spent by June 30 of 2008, we
5 received a professional survey agreement for Locust
6 Ridge and Keiper Fields on October 6, 2007 in the
7 amount of -- for Keiper it was $8,000 and for
8 Locust Ridge it was $2,000. We need to spend that
9 money or we have to give it back. So we probably
10 need to get this approved in the next couple of
11 weeks so Martin and Robbins can move forward.
12 The other matter -- the open space,
13 we've met with our master site planners and we're
14 at the point now where we would like to move
15 forward to get our highway occupancy permit for the
16 Marconi parcel. They would like to do the work --
17 Hanover Engineering would like to do the work, and
18 they're estimating between 1600 and $2,000. I
19 spoke with Dick Van Noy from Tunkhannock Township
20 to see if they can help us out with that and, of
21 course, they have no money either.
22 So, I don't know which way you want
23 to do this. I spoke with Jason from Hanover
24 Engineering and said that we have an in-house
25 engineer and our in-house engineer could possibly
25
1 do it. But I will give you his e-mail that was
2 sent to me to review it because there's a lot of
3 work that Hanover already has. So I don't know --
4 MS. PICKARD: This is Jason Smith?
5 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Jason Smith
6 from Hanover, yes. So I'll let you take a look
7 at -- I have two copies of his e-mail, you can take
8 a look at them.
9 And the other thing was, there was a
10 discrepancy in the Marconi parcel. It's a couple
11 of feet. I think, Hugh, you're aware of that too.
12 So they want to get that resolved as well. And of
13 course that's another $1600 to $2,000 too. So I'm
14 looking for -- I need you guys to approve or tell
15 me how we're gonna handle this because we're doing
16 a master site plan -- in getting a master site
17 completed properly they need this work done.
18 MS. PICKARD: We had the survey when
19 we purchased the Marconi property?
20 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Mm-hmm. And
21 there was a problem with the metes and bounds
22 description. There was an overlap in the Marconi
23 parcel and McDevitt's parcel. So I don't know how
24 you want to do this. There's two copies.
25 MS. PICKARD: Who did the survey?
26
1 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Martin and
2 Robbins. So I don't know if we can go back to
3 Martin and Robbins. I said to him, I said we'd
4 rather do as much as we can in-house. And Jason
5 said -- he e-mailed me back and told me exactly
6 what they need to try to get this resolved. So I
7 don't know if you want to go to --
8 MR. KEENER: Let me see the copy.
9 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: -- Hanover do
10 it or -- I talked to Bob McHale too.
11 MS. PICKARD: Terry would help us
12 out --
13 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Right, maybe.
14 MS. PICKARD: -- to survey it.
15 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: And maybe if --
16 maybe if Jason could talk to Hanover and they can
17 get it resolved without spending too much money,
18 'cause, like I said, Tunkhannock has no money
19 either.
20 MS. PICKARD: I had a question. Did
21 we get the highway occupancy permit from the first
22 parcel and why are we getting --
23 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Well, we need
24 access down where the little stone building is. As
25 you look on the master site plan, that's where the
27
1 picnic area is gonna be, that's where we're gonna
2 try to have a handicap access. It just makes the
3 most sense to have -- we'd like to have both
4 accesses, you know --
5 MS. PICKARD: Is any of this going
6 to line up with Keswick Drive?
7 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: No, because we
8 don't own -- right across from Keswick is the
9 McDevitt parcel. We don't own it. So I don't know
10 where -- unless you want us to try to explore
11 trying to purchase it, that parcel from the
12 McDevitts; but she's just way out in outer space
13 with her number. I think she's asking -- was it
14 250, 225? And she paid 72,000 for it. And it's
15 pretty much a useless piece of property as Hanover
16 Engineering has gone over it too.
17 So those are the -- there's two
18 issues I need you guys to consider, and my open
19 space meeting is on the 21st. So we'd like to try
20 to move forward with this. I just don't want to
21 hold up the master site plan getting -- we're
22 moving pretty well right now so I don't know what
23 you guys want to do with this.
24 Do you have -- I'll also give you
25 the estimate for Martin and Robbins for those
28
1 as-builts. I have a copy.
2 MS. PICKARD: We have $10,000 left
3 to pay for these -- these two.
4 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: The DCED grant
5 we -- spent $45,000 on the master site plan for the
6 Blakeslee park. We have $55,000 to spend. The
7 money is already -- has already been given to us;
8 with DCED, you get the money. So the money is
9 already in our fund -- in our account, our business
10 account. There's an account that is -- so there's
11 $10,000 that has not been spent.
12 So the discussion was when it was on
13 the board that we would have as-builts done for
14 Locust Ridge and Keiper Ball Field because we do
15 not have any Keiper mapping for those. And I think
16 John, Heidi and Hugh and I, we talked about it,
17 that that would probably be the best place to spend
18 the money. And that's the only place you can
19 really spend the money with the plans. You cannot
20 use it for infrastructure, you can't use it for
21 benches, you just have to use it for plans.
22 MS. PICKARD: And the discussion was
23 going to be that we put up the 55,000 and this is
24 the joint -- the 45, the master site plan and this
25 is the joint park with Tunkhannock.
29
1 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Right. And
2 that's why I went and I talked with Dick Van Noy
3 and I said, Dick, what do you have? 'Cause they're
4 trying to purchase a piece of property, the Mears'
5 property. So he said, I really have no money. He
6 said, let's try to do it in-house.
7 And I said, I agree with you, I
8 said, but it'll only -- just wait, and we're just
9 spinning our wheels when Hanover has a lot of this
10 stuff done, but I don't know which way you want to
11 go.
12 MS. PICKARD: Bob --
13 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: I spoke with
14 Bob and he said he wasn't familiar with the other
15 HOP that was done. John must have did it by
16 himself, the HOP that --
17 MS. PICKARD: I knew John was
18 involved, but --
19 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Right. So I
20 don't know if you want to talk to John --
21 MR. ED TUTRONE: I believe Martin
22 and Robbins did that one.
23 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Right. So I
24 don't know what we want to do with this next one
25 because the -- I guess the -- we have to find out
30
1 which type of HOP we need too, not a low volume, we
2 need the next step up. And I talked to Bob McHale.
3 He said sometimes that kicks in that turning lane
4 so you have to do that study. So we've got to find
5 out from Hanover what they think the volume is
6 gonna be. So it's kind of more in depth than --
7 MR. ED TUTRONE: I think that too,
8 Heidi, with that anything on the state road now is
9 gonna kick in that study with the left-hand turn
10 lane.
11 MS. PICKARD: We already have the
12 left-hand turn lane going into Keswick's Pointe
13 heading south on 115.
14 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: South, right.
15 But I just don't know how we -- right. I have no
16 idea how that --
17 MS. PICKARD: Is somebody looking at
18 that from Hanover that --
19 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: I am not sure.
20 I would assume that they're aware of it, but when
21 we see Jason in our next meeting we will remind --
22 MR. KEENER: That's what they're
23 asking for, what, 1600 to 2,000 to do the HOP. The
24 problem is that, I don't think, would include the
25 traffic impact study if one needs to be done. I
31
1 think that would be significantly more than $2,000.
2 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: So I think
3 that's something we'll have to bring up to Jason.
4 I can e-mail Jason and mention to him that this
5 might kick in. I mean --
6 MR. KEENER: The $10,000, that's
7 just for Keiper and Locust Ridge?
8 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Well, it's
9 not -- we just allocated it towards that, but I
10 don't know if we could pull that money and use it
11 for the HOP. We'd have to check with the DCED,
12 where the grant came from.
13 MR. KEENER: Based on the e-mail, it
14 sounds to me that that HOP is fairly critical to
15 getting the open space -- or the master plan moving
16 forward, where these are as-builts and that can be
17 done pretty much at any time.
18 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: What I'd have
19 to do then is we have to contact DCED and see if
20 they would allow us to use it for -- I mean, they
21 didn't specify, but if you look in the grant that
22 we got -- Margie has it, she has it in the open
23 space file.
24 MS. PICKARD: That might have been
25 connected with the parks. I don't see that they'd
32
1 have a problem.
2 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Right. But I
3 think it's something that we gotta run by them
4 because, you know --
5 MS. PICKARD: But knowing that they
6 have no money too so --
7 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Who?
8 Tunkhannock? Well, I think they're in a position
9 now they're trying to get that Mears' property and
10 it's a critical piece of property. And like they
11 said, he wanted to try and see if we could do it
12 in-house. Now, if he's coming to our meeting on
13 the 21st, he's the representative now for the --
14 MR. LAMBERTON: Go ahead.
15 MS. PICKARD: How do we know whether
16 or not this is going to trigger a traffic impact?
17 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: I'd have to
18 find out from Jason. You think that it's -- all
19 HOPs are gonna require this?
20 MR. ED TUTRONE: From talking with
21 Tom Bass it doesn't matter what -- if it's any kind
22 of commercial kind of use, it's gonna kick in a
23 left turning lane analysis. And I don't know if
24 that's already in place or even if it's a low
25 volume driveway.
33
1 MS. HAASE: That was stated in the
2 meeting about three months ago.
3 MR. ED TUTRONE: We'd have to check
4 with PennDOT to see if it kicked in yet.
5 MR. KEENER: I mean, Keswick just
6 did theirs -- it's probably been a little bit of
7 time ago.
8 (Inaudible discussion.)
9 MR. KEENER: But they still have to
10 do the traffic counts on 115 to see what the
11 impacts are going to be.
12 MR. ED TUTRONE: The only thing, the
13 shoulder upgrade just repaved that so you wouldn't
14 have to get into that.
15 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: I wonder if
16 they would allow us to use their data.
17 MR. KEENER: Yeah.
18 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: I'm sure Mr.
19 Hannig would share that data with us considering
20 that it's for the open space and Mr. Hannig was
21 involved when we started with this project. So
22 maybe that's something we need to contact -- well,
23 let's see if we need it first. You want to do that
24 first? Let's see if we need this turning lane.
25 I'll have a talk with Jason Smith tomorrow, I'll
34
1 e-mail him tomorrow, find out if he thinks this
2 study, like you guys are talking about, is gonna be
3 needed. Then I can talk to Hannig and see if he
4 would supply us with that data.
5 MR. ED TUTRONE: If you want, I can
6 call John Bass at PennDOT and see --
7 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: If you want to
8 do that, it's fine.
9 MS. PICKARD: If we can get this
10 determined, because if you want the motion to
11 approve the money for Martin and Robbins to do
12 as-builts we need to know --
13 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Right. And
14 then I gotta talk with --
15 MS. PICKARD: -- our meeting on
16 Monday, we wanted it on the agenda; otherwise, it
17 needs to wait until February.
18 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Well, I'd
19 rather -- like I said, we're moving forward with
20 this master site plan. I think with the weather
21 being as nice as it is I'd like to keep going. Why
22 don't I call DCED? I'll contact them tomorrow and
23 see if we could use that money to perform an HOP.
24 I don't know, maybe they will go for it. I mean,
25 they seem to be very -- they're much more laxed
35
1 than DCNR with their funds so maybe they'll let us
2 use it towards that.
3 MS. PICKARD: You're going to call
4 DCED?
5 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Yes, I can do
6 that tomorrow morning.
7 MS. PICKARD: Ed's gonna call
8 PennDOT? And maybe we can catch up tomorrow
9 afternoon?
10 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Yep.
11 MS. PICKARD: Any questions?
12 Anybody from the public wish to make
13 a comment at this time before we close the meeting?
14 Yes, Pat?
15 MS. PATRICIA REED: I'd like to know
16 how --
17 MS. PICKARD: Could you tell your --
18 MS. PATRICIA REED: My name is
19 Patricia Reed. The status on the township manager,
20 how's that coming along?
21 MS. PICKARD: We have not been
22 moving forward on that at this point in time.
23 MS. PATRICIA REED: Do you intend to
24 move forward on that?
25 MS. PICKARD: We really don't have
36
1 money in the budget for it this year.
2 MS. PATRICIA REED: You're kidding
3 me.
4 MS. PICKARD: No. It wasn't
5 budgeted last year or this year.
6 MS. PATRICIA REED: Don't you think
7 that's necessary?
8 MR. KEENER: Well, one of the
9 appointments was Heidi as a full-time secretary
10 so --
11 MS. PATRICIA REED: Yeah, but she
12 can't be a manager as long as she's a supervisor.
13 MR. KEENER: Well, but she can --
14 the day-to-day operations can be overseen by the
15 township secretary and the supervisors still have
16 the authority to make managerial decisions.
17 So I mean, a lot of those duties,
18 except for the final decisions, will be relayed by
19 Heidi, being here full-time, to the supervisors for
20 ultimate decisions to be made.
21 You know, whether we need a township
22 manager versus a township secretary there's a lot
23 of municipalities in this county that do not have a
24 manager per se, but they have secretaries, township
25 secretaries.
37
1 MS. PATRICIA REED: And Heidi,
2 you're qualified to go like apply for grants and
3 all that -- everything like that --
4 MS. PICKARD: Yes.
5 MS. PATRICIA REED: -- and to
6 oversee?
7 MS. PICKARD: And that's our hope,
8 that we'll be able to do more of that. And I had
9 talked to you over the summer that we had given
10 more authority to our department heads and we're
11 working with that, but we still needed a
12 coordinating person to be here day-to-day to make
13 sure that things were done properly, manage the
14 payroll and supervise the employees in the office.
15 MS. PATRICIA REED: But I see the
16 grants are down from 2005, this year 2006,
17 according to --
18 MS. PICKARD: Well, those are one of
19 the things that hasn't really been available
20 because we just didn't have the staff here to
21 handle it. We've been extremely busy with land
22 development plans and things that were going on,
23 that were keeping us busy lately with nobody else
24 in the office on a full-time basis.
25 MS. PATRICIA REED: So you'll be
38
1 giving up your job and the position and working
2 here full-time?
3 MS. PICKARD: I will be working some
4 part-time hours at my other job.
5 MS. PATRICIA REED: So you'd be on
6 top of getting all the grant money then?
7 MS. PICKARD: Well, that would be
8 our hope. We work with open space and other things
9 to see what grants are available, but --
10 MS. PATRICIA REED: Yes, I
11 understand that. I understand that.
12 MS. PICKARD: Grants are limited to
13 certain things.
14 MS. PATRICIA REED: I understand
15 that.
16 MS. PICKARD: One of the main things
17 that we want to work on that we want to find some
18 money for is to update our zoning ordinances; so
19 that would be either -- we're going to coordinate
20 that through the regional comprehensive plan or
21 we're going to work with the county. So that's one
22 of the main objectives that we have, you know,
23 clean up some of our ordinances.
24 MS. PATRICIA REED: But you can't
25 overlap as manager of this township?
39
1 MS. PICKARD: No.
2 MS. PATRICIA REED: Okay. Thank
3 you.
4 MS. PICKARD: And I think as Jaime
5 had mentioned, at this time, unless something
6 changes, there are no municipalities on top of the
7 mountain that have a manager.
8 MS. PATRICIA REED: It doesn't
9 matter. Our township is so large and it's growing
10 so fast, that's what I mean. It needs somebody to
11 pay attention to everything, you know.
12 MS. PICKARD: We understand that but
13 the costs exceed $100,000 pretty much to find a
14 qualified manager. We did search.
15 MS. PATRICIA REED: $100,000?
16 MS. PICKARD: Well, by the time you
17 add the benefits, we were going to be about
18 30 percent of the salary that you give, yes.
19 MS. PATRICIA REED: Do they kick in
20 on the hospitalization, all employees?
21 MS. PICKARD: They kick in for
22 family. Any new employees hired after a certain
23 date, whether it was '04 or '05, pay half of their
24 family benefits.
25 MS. PATRICIA REED: Which is to cut
40
1 the budget?
2 MS. PICKARD: Well, we lost a lot of
3 money when we lost the earned income tax and we
4 have expenses that are going up and up and up. And
5 things like --
6 MS. PATRICIA REED: We haven't lost
7 all the earned income tax, just lost the percentage
8 of it.
9 MS. PICKARD: We lost half of the
10 earned income tax. And right now the real estate
11 market -- we have to be careful whether we're
12 collecting the transfer tax that we borrowed.
13 MS. PATRICIA REED: Exactly. Real
14 estate's down so everybody's going to take a cut.
15 MS. PICKARD: Yes. We were
16 collecting 6 or $700,000 a year on real estate
17 transfer taxes. If that goes down by a hundred
18 thousand or so we just don't -- you know, it's hard
19 to put that --
20 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: One question.
21 MS. PICKARD: John Duffy?
22 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: In your capacity
23 as township -- full-time township -- I'm sorry,
24 John A. Duffy.
25 In your capacity as full-time
41
1 secretary you're gonna be performing most of the
2 functions or overseeing most of the functions of
3 the township manager.
4 When you present your facts and
5 figures or comments to the supervisors are you
6 gonna vote also as a supervisor on your own?
7 MS. PICKARD: I'm unsure about what
8 exactly that you're saying.
9 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: Well, if you're
10 working on a project and you need supervisory
11 approval, okay -- you know, as performing the
12 function as a township manager there's probably
13 many things or a number of things, at least, that a
14 manager would have to go to a supervisor for
15 approval. Obviously, if you're working as
16 secretary and doing management functions even
17 though you are not the manager, you will still be
18 performing the same duties and functions that
19 you're going to be presenting to the board for
20 supervisory approval.
21 Would you be approving your own
22 work, per se?
23 MS. PICKARD: If there were a
24 conflict that had anything to do with me I would
25 not be; but if I'm providing financial information
42
1 or information for approval of a land development
2 plan, I'm not really sure what -- exactly if I'm
3 making recommendations for --
4 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: If you make a
5 recommendation, are you going to be voting on your
6 own recommendation? If you make a recommendation
7 to the supervisors, should I go this way or not,
8 you are one of the supervisors.
9 MR. KEENER: I mean, like I said, in
10 Monroe County there aren't too many township
11 managers. There's a lot of acting secretaries who
12 are also township supervisors. Pocono Township,
13 for example, has -- their secretary is a
14 supervisor. Yes, that person will vote on issues
15 that come up during day-to-day business. Like
16 Heidi said, if there is a specific recommendation
17 that she would make that there might be a conflict
18 I'm sure, in her judgment, she would abstain.
19 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: I would think
20 she would have to because you would have a
21 conflict, there wouldn't be a question that we
22 would actually have a conflict.
23 MR. KEENER: Most of the secretarial
24 duties are oversight and coordination, it's not a
25 matter of --
43
1 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: Yeah, I have no
2 problem with that. I'm just saying there may come
3 a case where she's gonna recommend something that's
4 gonna need supervisory approval. And obviously,
5 being one of the supervisors, she should abstain
6 from it. She can't give herself approval on her
7 own project.
8 MR. KEENER: And she's one of five
9 so it's not like, you know, she's one of three
10 which is a little different as well.
11 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: Well, it's a
12 strange thing now that you brought it up. If she
13 has to excuse herself, then you don't have an odd
14 number of supervisors, then you could run it into a
15 stalemate.
16 MR. KEENER: I think --
17 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: I mean, there's
18 a possibility there.
19 MR. KEENER: That always comes into
20 play when somebody has to abstain.
21 MS. PICKARD: Anne?
22 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: Since I -- when
23 I was appointed to township supervisor, Kelly Cook
24 had left a few months prior and the person that did
25 fill Kelly Cook's shoes is Heidi Pickard. She took
44
1 over things that -- she is a very articulate
2 person. She weighs the good, the bad. She let our
3 board of supervisors know everything, she put it
4 always out on the table and the decision came down
5 to right there at that table every night.
6 There was never any time that I saw
7 Heidi Pickard be biased towards anything. She has
8 done a beautiful job. The reason why the budget
9 was completed this year was Heidi Pickard. I
10 believe that you choosing her to serve as secretary
11 was the best move you could ever make. I wish
12 Heidi would have resigned as supervisor and would
13 have taken the position to serve as our manager,
14 because she's the person we need serving.
15 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: I'm not
16 questioning that. I wasn't questioning her ability
17 or --
18 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: I'm just making
19 a comment.
20 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: I'm just saying
21 you have an appearance of impropriety. There's a
22 possibility that --
23 MS. ANNE SINCAVAGE: I don't see it.
24 I have not seen it and I don't think it will ever
25 happen.
45
1 MR. KEENER: If you check around
2 Monroe County and you check around the state, it
3 happens quite often that there are secretaries that
4 are township -- that are supervisors. There's
5 people that are DPW roadmasters that are
6 supervisors. And certainly a roadmaster is going
7 to take recommendations to the board for improving
8 roads and buying equipment and they're going to
9 vote on those recommendations.
10 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: So you'll always
11 have that potential of conflict of the supervisor
12 and a working supervisor.
13 MR. KEENER: I don't necessary see
14 is it as a conflict. It's backed up with staff
15 support and staff work that helps to justify the
16 decision.
17 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: As township
18 auditor I don't -- I could have a problem with
19 that, that's all. But she's not just a part-time,
20 she's a full-time employee now.
21 MR. KEENER: And I will tell you
22 Pocono Township has a full-time secretary and a
23 full-time roadmaster and they had three township
24 supervisors.
25 MS. PATRICIA REED: Working?
46
1 MR. KEENER: Working, yes. So
2 that's an example. If you want to look into it and
3 investigate it and see how they did it. Certainly
4 they're an example that you could look to.
5 MS. PICKARD: Middle Smithfield I
6 believe also was doing theirs at one time. I don't
7 know, they've changed a lot. And Reda Briglia from
8 Paradise is another one.
9 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: I'm not
10 questioning that that exists.
11 MR. KEENER: I think Heidi is
12 certainly professional enough that she will decide
13 if there are any conflicts and she will acknowledge
14 that.
15 MS. PICKARD: I'm sure if somebody
16 else had an issue I would certainly welcome their
17 thoughts if they felt I needed to abstain on
18 anything.
19 MR. JOHN A. DUFFY: I'm just saying.
20 MS. PICKARD: Any other comments?
21 MS. WENDY FREEMAN: Wendy Freeman.
22 Did you just accidently miss No. 32
23 or did you maybe just not want to do that?
24 MS. PICKARD: We were skipping that
25 purposely.
47
1 MR. KEENER: We're going to hold
2 that until further --
3 MS. PICKARD: We never voted on it
4 last year. We weren't sure whether or not we were
5 going to --
6 MS. WENDY FREEMAN: No explanation
7 necessary. I just had a third page. Thank you.
8 MS. PICKARD: Anyone else?
9 MR. KEENER: I'll make a motion we
10 adjourn.
11 MR. LAMBERTON: Second.
12 MS. PICKARD: Thanks everyone.
13 (Meeting concluded at 7:47 p.m.)
14
15 ---
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9 I hereby certify that the
10 proceedings and evidence are contained fully and
11 accurately, to the best of my ability, in the notes
12 taken by me at the meeting in the above matter; and
13 that the foregoing is a true and correct transcript
14 of the same.
15
16
17 ______________________
18 EVILYS E. BRATHWAITE
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