At Tuesday morning’s regular meeting, Snyder Township engineer Bill Gohn of the EADS Group gave supervisors an update on the Act 537 Thomastown study.
According to Gohn, the study is close to being finished. He said he had to observe at least 50 percent of the sites in the Thomastown area, and the sites had a 38 percent malfunction rate.
“As you can see, it’s pretty bad,” Gohn told supervisors as he was showing them the graphs he prepared of the area.
He offered four alternatives to the supervisors to be able to extend the public sewer system to the Thomastown area.
Alternative one is a gravity/pressure sewer system at a cost of $657,000; alternative two is the same as the first but with a pump station added at a cost of $785,000; alternative three is an all-pressure sewer system at a cost of $639,000 and alternative four is an all gravity system with a pump station at a cost of $758,000.
Alternative four is what the supervisors said they favored. The alternatives for the project will be open for public comment soon.
Supervisors also adopted a resolution for EADS to do an income survey for the Thomastown Act 537 study. This study, when completed, will enable the township to be eligible for grants to help pay for the work for the sewer project.
Also at the meeting, supervisors approved to sign a one-year agreement with the Middle Department Inspection Agency, Inc. This inspection agency will provide building inspection services for the township.
They also adopted a resolution to set Uniform Construction Code fees at 20 percent above Middle Inspection Agency’s fees.
The building code official position was also discussed. It was decided that secretary Viola Dysart and code enforcement officer Bob Ayers would both act as building code officials.
Supervisors also adopted a resolution to establish an authority for a board of appeals created in accordance with the Uniform Construction Code. It will be a five-person board, with Rich Baumgardner, Bob Ayers, Bob Schoch and Helen Mengel appointed. One vacancy still exists.
Positions on the board are one-year terms, with new members being appointed at the township reorganizational meeting every January.
Gohn gave an update on the HOME Project, which provides assistance for homeowners who qualify for the project. He said for whatever reason, bids from contractors are now coming in at a higher amount than before.
After some discussion, supervisors agreed to raise the amount for a given project from $20,000 to $24,000 so that more projects will not be dropped from the program.
