CLEARFIELD – Judy Duncan, one of the Lawrence Township auditors, addressed the supervisors during the public comment portion of last night’s Lawrence Township meeting.
She explained that the City of DuBois as well as the Sandy Township supervisors are very forthcoming and transparent with their bills as well as what is in their respective bank accounts.
She said they’re posting such information on their Web sites and sharing the information with the community.
Duncan encouraged the Lawrence Township supervisors to do the same and they said they would take it into consideration.
A concerned Lawrence Township resident inquired about when a forensic audit of the township’s books will be done.
Supervisor Jeremy Ruffner indicated that the audit will be done in March and if the auditing company does find any discrepancies, then a forensic audit would be done.
Assistant Police Chief Julie Curry reported that there were 626 incidents for the month of January including but not limited to drug arrests, assists, DUIs, traffic stops, criminal arrests, non-traffic violations and parking violations.
She also reported that the police department was awarded a regional police grant of $150,000.
Lawrence Township Rec Park board member Ron Porter reported that the park was very busy this past Sunday due to the beautiful weather; the basketball court, pickle ball court and playground were abuzz with activity.
He also reported that the board took in $2,200 from the fundraiser they held and the rec park board voted to apply for a small games of chance license for future fundraisers.
The supervisors voted to adopt a proposed amendment to add exemptions to building and zoning permit requirements.
This amendment would not require someone to obtain a permit for things such as exact replacement of windows and doors, replacing non-structural deck boards, siding and fascia, metal roofing and shingle replacement, painting, playground and swings to a one- or two-family dwelling, and interior work that doesn’t involve structural members and replacing existing sidewalks.
The supervisors approved for a conditional use application submitted by Swisher Contracting Inc. for surface coal mining on William A. Ogden’s property.
This motion is pending approval of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and any other state permits.
It was also approved to allow the work to be done from the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The supervisors approved to make a small portion of the parking lot of the Lawrence Township building a Safe Pickup Zone. A safe pickup zone would mean any seller/buyer transactions can be done in a well-lit, public space.
Ruffner shared a letter from Gigi Gearhart, who is a board member for Crown Crest Cemetery.
Ruffner explained that around 2018, Lawrence Township acquired the cemetery and was also taking care of the maintenance of the grounds. A perpetual care bank account was set up during that time.
The letter was requesting Lawrence Township to consider releasing those funds to the current board of the cemetery.
The supervisors decided to table the discussion for the next meeting when they could further discuss it with the Lawrence Township Solicitor William A. Shaw Jr.
Ruffner did share that on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m., at St. Charles Cafe, the Crown Crest Cemetery Board will be holding a public information forum and everyone is invited to attend.