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MILL HALL -- Lamar Township supervisors discussed potential road improvements, equipment upgrades and stormwater concerns during their November meeting, including plans to pursue improvements to Mill Street and explore purchasing a new tar buggy in cooperation with neighboring municipalities.
One of the primary road projects discussed was the paving of Mill Street, which township officials identified as also being too narrow for the amount of traffic it receives, adjusting plans to potentially widen the road as well.
The proposed project would include base work, paving, widening and berming at an estimated cost of approximately $760,000.
Township supervisors said vehicles frequently have to stop to allow other traffic to pass along the narrow roadway.
"People literally have to stop on that road to pass," Chairman Wade Vonada said, noting that the issue occurs in several locations.
The project is already included in one of the township's submitted Multimodal Transportation Fund grant applications. However, supervisors discussed the possibility of using township funds to complete the work if grant funding is not awarded.
Supervisors agreed to continue exploring the Mill Street project for next year, with the possibility of advertising it for bids in February.
Supervisors also shared the bridge opening along Long Run Road following the replacement that began in June.
Supervisors discussed replacing the township's aging tar buggy through a cooperative purchase with neighboring municipalities.
The existing equipment is shared among Lamar Township, Flemington Borough, Mill Hall Borough and Bald Eagle Township. Officials said the machine is becoming increasingly worn and takes considerable time to heat up and prepare for use.
The proposed replacement would cost approximately $75,000 and would be shared among three or four municipalities.
Officials said the newer equipment would offer improved safety features and allow road crews to complete crack sealing more efficiently. The current machine requires employees to monitor gas pressures and temperatures while transferring heated material between kettles.The newer model would automate much of that process, allowing crews to begin working sooner and apply the material more consistently.
The current equipment can take approximately an hour and a half to two hours to reach operating temperature, while the newer machine could be ready in about 30 minutes.
Officials also discussed the potential savings associated with purchasing rather than continuing to rent equipment. Renting a machine for approximately two weeks currently costs between $4,600 and $7,000, depending on the company.
The municipalities would need to determine how the purchase would be divided, how the existing machine would be handled and how scheduling would work among the participating communities.
Vonada said demonstrations of two potential replacement machines were expected during Thanksgiving week.
Supervisors agreed to include $37,500 in the township's upcoming budget to allow for the possibility of purchasing a share of the equipment. The discussion was preliminary, and no purchase was approved.
Supervisors discussed taking legal action regarding stormwater management at a development along Airstrip Drive after township officials said required stormwater provisions had been overlooked as new buildings were constructed.
The township previously sent a letter to the property owner requesting that stormwater requirements be addressed. However, officials said they had not received a satisfactory response.
Township engineer Randy Webster had recommended working with solicitor John Lhota to file a complaint and request a preliminary injunction.
The proposed action would seek to address the stormwater concerns and prevent additional development from proceeding beyond work already covered by existing permits.
Supervisors approved moving forward with the recommended legal process.
During public comment, a resident raised concerns about the lengthy delay in resolving stormwater and impervious-surface issues associated with Whitetail Estates.
The resident said the township held a special meeting in March to address the matter but that little progress had been communicated since then.
According to the resident, the issue involves impervious surface coverage on the property and questions about how the original development plans were approved.
The resident said the property's existing driveway alone accounts for approximately 8,500 square feet of impervious surface, while the overall property has been identified as having approximately 12,000 square feet.
The resident also questioned why the property's situation has prevented additional improvements, such as a pool or shed, when other residential properties are permitted to have impervious coverage of up to 60% under applicable zoning provisions.
Supervisors explained that their engineer had completed some initial calculations but had not finished the work despite repeated follow-ups since the special meeting in March earlier this year.
Supervisors discussed requesting a firm timeline from the engineer, Vassallo Engineering and Surveying LLC, and potentially transferring the information already collected to another engineering firm if the work could not be completed promptly.
The resident urged the township to take action, emphasizing that the issue had been ongoing for years.
Supervisors said they would follow up with the engineer and consider other options if progress continued to stall.