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MILL HALL -- Bald Eagle Township Supervisors continued to address repairs following extensive storm damage and discussed a dispute involving a local industrial project during the township's Oct. 19 meeting.
The township reported over $260,000 in storm-related expenses as crews continued repairing roads and drainage systems damaged by last month's rain. Supervisors also discussed the possibility of recovering some of those costs through disaster assistance, although reimbursement had not been confirmed.
Township officials said storm-related expenses had reached over $260,000, including contractor work, stone and fuel. The township had spent approximately $82,000 on stone alone and was still awaiting additional invoices for materials and roadwork.
"We hit $262,000 in payments as of today," Chairman Steve Tasselli said, describing the financial impact of the damage.
The township has been forwarding bills to the county while awaiting information about potential reimbursement. Officials said they hoped some of the expenses would be covered but could not guarantee assistance.
The recent flooding also left numerous drainage and erosion problems throughout the township, requiring crews to balance emergency repairs with other road maintenance responsibilities.
Residents expressed appreciation for the township's response while asking officials to address remaining problems that could cause further property damage.
Township officials said they were compiling a list of outstanding storm-related repairs and acknowledged that the work would take time.
In other business, township Secretary Marissa Morgan told supervisors that the township will need to establish or join a Uniform Construction Code (UCC) appeals board following a letter addressed to the township from local business Avery-Dennison.
The issue arose after Avery-Dennison encountered disagreements with building-code officials over an expansion project.
According to correspondence read during the meeting, the company said it had received earlier guidance that ground-level installation of new electrical equipment was acceptable. During a later inspection, however, a second inspector reportedly said the equipment needed to be raised above the floodplain.
The company said the project was essentially complete and operational, and that modifying the installation could result in substantial expenses and downtime. The potential cost was described during the meeting as $100,000 or more.
The company also identified a separate concern involving two interior stairways that reportedly conflicted with the building's life-safety egress path.
Township officials said an appeals board could provide a formal process for reviewing disputes over code decisions. However, the township does not currently have such a board.
Township solicitor Frank Micelli explained that board members generally must have relevant professional qualifications, such as experience in engineering, architecture or the construction trades. Municipalities may establish a joint board through an agreement with another municipality.
Township officials said they would continue looking for qualified board members or a municipality willing to share its appeals board.
One of the meeting's most extensive discussions concerned the Bald Eagle Mountain Road paving project and the portions of the newly paved roadway which require additional work.
Township officials agreed about the extent of the problems and whether previous discussions had established an agreement with the contractor but disagreed on where to start repairs first.
Vice Chairman Ken McGhee, who has been involved in reviewing the project, said the road had developed an excessive crown and uneven areas that affected how vehicles traveled over the surface.
He argued that the previous roadway did not have the same pronounced crown and said the new surface created dangerous transitions in several locations.
The contractor's position, as described during the meeting, was that the work involved placing new asphalt on the existing roadway without changing its original crown.
McGhee disputed that explanation and urged officials to consider the contract specifications, the amount of material used and the resulting road profile.
He also questioned whether the shoulder material supplied for the project met the township's specifications.
The discussion included concerns about the approaching winter and the possibility that the paving window would soon close for the season.
The discussion ended without a clear resolution of all the disputed repairs. Officials discussed the possibility of holding a special meeting to continue addressing the project.