Charlestown Township
Board of Supervisors Business Meeting
Minutes of April 19, 2004

The second business meeting for April was held April 5, 2004, at the Great Valley Middle School, Room 154. Kevin R. Kuhn, Chairman, Paul Hogan, Hugh Willig, Charlie Philips, Surender Kohli, P.E., Tom Oeste, Esq., Tom Comitta, Linda M. Csete, Township Administrator, Melanie M. Lammers, Recording Secretary, and those on the attached list were present.

The meeting was called to order at 7:33 P.M.

Announcements

Mr. Kuhn announced that Mr. Willig would be arriving later, because his son is receiving a school award (arrived at 8:22 P.M.)

Mr. Kuhn announced that Mr. Rodgers would not be in attendance, because he is attending the PSATS convention this evening.

Citizen’s Forum/Non-Agenda Items

There were no Citizen’s Forum/Non-Agenda items discussed.

Approval

Mr. Philips moved to approve the April 5, 2004 minutes, and Mr. Hogan seconded. Mr. Kuhn called for discussion, and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

Hearings

Lillmars – Construction in Flood Hazard District

At the request of the applicant, this hearing was continued to May 17, 2004.

Conditional Use Application – Altemose – Continuing Care Facility

After expert witness testimony and cross-examination, the hearing was continued to May 17, 2004.

Other Business

Mr. Michael Main notified the Board that he received the Home Builders Award for Spring Meadow Farms. He said the award speaks not only to his building expertise but also to the Board and its consultants for their input during the planning process.

Mr. Oeste distributed final drafts of the Stormwater Management Ordinance and Sewer Discharge Ordinance to the Board. Mr. Oeste said the Valley Forge Sewer Authority enforces the entire Sewer Discharge Ordinance. Mr. Kohli said it strictly deals with industrial waste that cannot be taken into the Valley Forge Sewer Authority directly, but rather has to be pretreated by the company creating the waste.

Mr. Philips moved to advertise both the Stormwater Management and Sewer Discharge ordinances for May 17, 2004, and Mr. Willig seconded. Mr. Kuhn called for discussion, and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

Mrs. Csete asked a question regarding the UCC, and Mr. Oeste responded the existing code is still in effect until the Board opts in.

There was a short discussion regarding the Charlestown Oaks trails. Mr. Kohli said it makes sense to map the existing trails and use them where possible. Mr. Kohli said Mr. Sal Lapio should incur the costs associated with this project. Mr. Oeste said the Township should acquire agreement in writing from the Homeowners Association on their letterhead to authorize the Township to proceed in this manner.

Review Mill Project & Expenses

Mr. Oeste asked who was responsible for coordinating the Mill efforts, and Mr. Kohli said it was Mr. Dale Frens.

Mr. Hogan thought at least $6,000 of the payroll went toward cleaning up the job site and staging it to make work go more efficiently for the balance of the project. He said he hopes a lot of the materials, such as scaffolding, can be resold after the project.

Mr. Hogan asked two of the masons how long they thought the job would take. Including the interior of the mill, they said they were 33-50% done. Mr. Philips asked how much of the excess would have been covered under a contract situation, and suggested that CRJ Construction should come in and see what would be covered under their contract. Mr. Kuhn said it was his understanding that a lot of the cleanup done thus far was the responsibility of the Township and, therefore, he didn’t think a lot would have been covered by the contractor anyway. He said he is not concerned at what they have already spent, but rather at what they might end up spending. He thinks just doing the outside is all that is needed, and that the inside can be for left for another time. Mr. Kohli suggested having CRJ come in to see what portions of this work they can do.

Mr. Kuhn confirmed CJR’s contract is for $268,000, and covers putting the roof on the entire structure and replacing all of the windows.

Mr. Hogan said he would like to install a drain, and Mr. Kuhn asked Mr. Kohli to take a look at the water issue.

Mr. Oeste expressed concern over the cost of materials and equipment, which may trigger bidding requirements if they exceed certain amounts. Mr. Willig added that the workers need to include details of what they are working on when they put their hours in, to create a valid audit trail. Mr. Hogan said he would get them to be more descriptive.

Mr. Kuhn asked Mr. Kohli to look at the bulge in the second story wall. He then asked how the budget looks. Mrs. Csete expressed concern that there may be a temporary cash flow crunch even though overall the budget should work out for the year.

Fund Transfer

Mr. Philips made a motion to approve the transfer of funds from the Municipal Building Office Fund to the Open Space Acquisition Fund for the purchase of the Jenkins property, and Mr. Kuhn seconded. Mr. Kuhn called for discussion, and there being none, called the vote. All were in favor.

Adjournment

Mr. Kuhn moved to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 10:47 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,


Melanie Lammers
Recording Secretary