Chair Doug Phelps did not attend the Harford Township Supervisors’ meeting on December 20th, so Conrad Owens presided … and then quit, again. Since there were only 2 of us in attendance, plus the township’s attorney, Jamie Hailstone, it made for a short meeting, barely more than a half hour.
Following the routine preliminaries, the first item on the agenda was once again what to do about the roller. Mr. Owens made a case for purchasing the machine, for about $26,200, but Supervisor Sue Furney preferred to continue renting as necessary. And so, since winter weather is upon us and the roller is not needed for the duration, Mr. Owens simply told Roadmaster Jim Phelps (who also supported the purchase) to “send it back.”
The Supervisors announced a new part-time employee, Steve Welch, and a new full-time employee, Rob Weida. Along with the other staff, they will enjoy the Christmas holiday on Friday, December 23 instead of Monday; Ms. Furney was concerned about weather forecasts for the day after Christmas, and having crews available to deal with the roads.
Two new commercial operations, a saw shop on Fair Hill Road, and a new compressor station on Tingley Lake Road, are requesting permission to install sewage holding tanks. Mr. Owens wondered why these facilities couldn’t get by with portable toilets; Ms. Furney said that she thought the pipeline company intended to establish an office at the compressor station. In any case, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), has some problems with the holding tank idea, so the measure – which would require an ordinance – is on hold for now.
The Williams company has requested driveway and road-crossing permits for a pipeline that will cross U.S. Route 11 as well as Old Route 11. A section of Old Route 11 will be closed, with a detour to U.S. Route 11 during construction. Roadmaster Phelps said that the line will consist of two 24-inch pipes in a single trench that will link the Zick compressor station with the Tennessee transmission pipeline.
A small oil spill in the Pennay Hill Road area spawned a 41-page document from Cabot Oil that reads as if Harford Township was responsible. Attorney Hailstone is trying to get that cleared up before the document is submitted to the government.
A question arose from a contractor about the handling of emergency sewer calls. The management of the sewer system is in transition from Klepadlo Associates to JHA. The emergency number (570-434-9060) is now automatically forwarded to Joe Hunt & Associates (JHA). JHA is working on arranging coverage for after-hours support.
The Supervisors announced that their annual reorganization meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 3, 2017, followed immediately by the regular January business session. The reorganization meeting will be especially important: at the very end of this December meeting, Mr. Owens claimed that his colleagues had “excluded [him] from 3 meetings,” and declared that he was unhappy about the decision on the roller, so he announced that his “resignation is official as of right now,” and promptly walked out. (Several months ago, Mr. Owens submitted a letter of resignation and then, 4 days later, offered another letter rescinding his resignation. The other Supervisors were pressured, and advised by their attorney, to ignore the resignation, and Mr. Owens resumed his seat.)
No one remaining at the meeting was able to determine what meetings Mr. Owens referred to. Nevertheless, his absence – and the absence of Doug Phelps – left Ms. Furney the only member of the Board of Supervisors – not exactly a quorum – to adjourn the meeting by herself (on the advice of Solicitor Hailstone).
And so, the year 2016 is closed out in Harford with a whimper, and wishes for Happy Holidays all around.