CLEARFIELD – The Lawrence Township Supervisors heard from a resident at Tuesday night’s meeting regarding road dust issues.
Supervisor and Roadmaster Ed Brown said the township has been unable to treat gravel/dirt roads with dust oil material because of the rainy weather. He said the company that provides the material advised that it’s best to have at least three to four days of dry weather to apply the dust oil material and that applying during rainy weather makes the material ineffective.
Brown assured that the maintenance will be done as soon as weather permits and when the contractor is available.
The resident also complained about all-terrain vehicle traffic that adds to the dust and traffic problem on his road. Township Police Chief Mark Brooks advised that problems with ATV’s on roadways be reported to the police station.
He said police can do a targeted enforcement patrol to monitor ATV traffic and cite any ATV violations. Brooks stressed that residents need to report these issues to the police so they can be addressed. He said police would like to get involved because ATV riding has become so prevalent and safety is a major concern.
Brooks provided his report for July, noting the major increase in activity overall for the department. In particular, he pointed out the police department had 425 criminal arrests for July as compared to 374 for July of 2013. Traffic arrests for the same period were 62 for 2014 and only 12 for 2013.
Brooks said the increased numbers are due to the department’s increase in manpower, including seven full-time officers. He added that, in his 24 years with the department, the current crew is the best the community has seen in a long time.
Brooks reviewed the department’s vehicle status, noting it finally received the new police cruiser that was approved for purchase by supervisors last August. He said the department has four other vehicles in service, including two Crown Victoria cruisers and two sports utility vehicles. He pointed out that one of the cruisers will be due for replacement next year.
The supervisors agreed to sell the old Crown Victoria cruiser that’s been out of service for two years.
Fire Chief Elliott Neeper reported the final balance required for fire engine repairs that weren’t in the original bid is $21,719. Neeper said the majority of the cost is for equipment racks.
Brown noted there were some omissions made in the original repair estimate. He said there were enough funds available in the fire management budget to cover the added costs. The supervisors approved the payment.
The supervisors approved final changes to the “False Alarm” ordinance, specifically, limiting the number of false alarms from businesses to two, after which fines and costs will be assessed. They approved for it and the “smoke testing” ordinance to be advertised for adoption.
Solicitor James Naddeo explained the smoke testing ordinance will require that sewage smoke testing be done as part of closing procedures in township property sales.
After a brief executive session, the supervisors re-adjourned to approve to retain Attorney Chris Pentz as special counsel to represent the fire company in a minor controversy with an outside party. Naddeo explained his office has a conflict and is unable to represent the fire company in this matter.
