WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING
March 9, 2005

A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of West Goshen Township was called to order by Chairman Edward G. Meakim Jr., at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, 2005, at the West Goshen Township Administration Building. All members were present. Mr. Meakim opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Mr. Meakim opened the floor for public comment.  No comments were made.

Dr. White announced that the Board had been notified of the death on March 5, 2005, of Mr. James L. Mosteller, one of the Township Auditors.

On motion by Dr. White, seconded by Ms. McIlvaine, the Board unanimously approved the appointment of Mr. Hugh J. Purnell, Jr., as an Auditor to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mr. Mosteller.

On motion by Dr. White, seconded by Ms. McIlvaine, the Board unanimously approved the Board of Supervisors minutes from February 9 and February 23, 2005.

On motion by Ms. McIlvaine, seconded by Dr. White, the Board unanimously approved the Treasurer's Report dated February 28, 2005 for the General Fund, the Sewer Revenue Fund, the Waste and Recycling Fund, and the Capital Reserve Fund, as well as the bills to be paid from the General Fund, the Sewer Fund, the Capital Reserve Fund, and the Waste and Recycling Fund.

Lt. Joseph Gleason gave the Police Report for the month of February 2005.  Lt. Gleason announced that the annual Skatearama will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2005 at Ice Line as part of the "Say No To Drugs" program.

Mrs. Evelyn Baker, 900 Sheridan Drive, asked if the twenty billable calls for false alarms were the result of fines and Lt. Gleason answered that they were fines. Mrs. Baker asked if the number of false alarms were down and Dr. White said that compared to last year there are fewer false alarms now. Mrs. Baker said that with so many false alarms it could be hard for police officers to feel the urgency to respond to alarm calls and Mr. Meakim responded that the West Goshen Township Police do a very good job of responding to all calls.

Ms. Andrea Testa, Fire Marshal, gave the Fire Marshal Report for the month of February 2005. Ms. Testa also gave the reports for Goshen Fire Company and Good Fellowship Ambulance.  Ms. Testa said that the one house fire in the Township last month was caused by rags soaked with stain that had been bundled together by painters doing work at the residence. She said that spontaneous heating occurred within the rags and resulted in the fire.  The owners were able to escape without injury after being awakened by smoke detectors. Ms. Testa said that with the impending time change to Daylight Savings Time on April 3, 2005, everyone should change the batteries in their smoke detectors to ensure that they will work properly in an emergency.

Ms. McIlvaine said that she had recently heard about two fires caused by plug in deodorizers and she asked Ms. Testa if they are a fire hazard. Ms. Testa said that the danger comes from the deodorizers with fans that run constantly. Mrs. Baker said that it was a good idea, when using rags with stain, to store them in an empty can with a lid since this would take away the oxygen needed to cause combustion.  Mrs. Baker stated that she has a friend with a bad back who will not install smoke detectors on her ceiling because she cannot reach them if they accidentally alarm and she asked Ms. Testa where the detectors could be installed.  Ms. Testa responded that they should be installed as high up on the wall as possible.  Mrs. Baker asked if a carbon monoxide detector was needed with an oil heating system and Ms. Testa replied that there could be a carbon monoxide problem if the chimney became blocked.

Mr. Richard E. Hicks, Building Official, gave the Building Inspection Activity Report for February 2005.

Prior to the consideration and possible approval of Resolution 10-2005 setting a date for a Public Hearing for West Chester University for a Conditional Use in the R-3 District, Dr. White said that in the fall of 2004 the Township had received complaints from residents of lights being on at the playing field behind the Sturzbecker Health Science Center at 11:00 p.m. He said that after an investigation it was determined that West Chester University had not applied for a permit for the lights, had not requested a Conditional Use and that the light poles were ten feet higher than allowed by West Goshen Township Ordinance. He said as a result West Chester University was now asking for a Conditional Use Hearing for the lights.

On motion by Dr. White, seconded by Ms. McIlvaine, the Board unanimously approved Resolution 10-2005 setting the date of April 13, 2005, for a Public Hearing for West Chester University for Conditional Use in the R-3 District for the purpose of permitting new sports exterior field lighting.

Prior to the consideration of a Final Land Development Plan for a wireless communication facility for Nextel Communications of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc., Dr. White asked what the length of the lease was.  Mr. Gavin Laboski, who was present from Nextel to represent the plan, said that he was involved with the design of the land development plan and had not dealt with the lease so he did not know the length of the lease. Dr. White said that he was concerned that in the future if PennDOT were to widen Route 202, the land on which the tower is to be located could be taken by PennDOT. Mr. Richard Craig, Township Engineer, said that the tower would not have to be moved if Route 202 were to be widen as there is sufficient right of way already for PennDOT to use in any construction project.  Mrs. Baker asked if this tower was an especially tall tower and Mr. Craig responded that the tower is of standard height for cell phone towers. Ms. McIlvaine asked Mr. Laboski when construction would start on the tower and Mr. Laboski replied that the tower was a high priority for Nextel and would be started as soon as the permit was obtained.

On motion by Dr. White, seconded by Ms. McIlvaine, the Board unanimously approved a Final Land Development Plan for a wireless communication facility for Nextel Communications of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc., located at 1025 Paoli Pike.

On motion by Dr. White, seconded by Ms. McIlvaine, the Board unanimously approved a Final Land Development Plan for a 2,000 square foot office building addition for D & D Enterprises located at 105 Westtown Road.  Mr. John Dulin was present to represent the plan.

On motion by Dr. White, seconded by Ms. McIlvaine, the Board unanimously approved Deeds of Dedication for Empress Road, Topaz Drive, Ember Drive and Applegate Drive, an Easement Agreement for Storm Sewer Easements, a Maintenance Security Agreement and a Maintenance Bond with Surety submitted by Pulte Homes.

Mr. Meakim opened the floor for public comment.

Dr. White said that Sgt. William Camlin was in attendance at this meeting because two residents had contacted Dr. White regarding traffic issues and that those residents had expressed an interest in attending this meeting, but that they were not present. Dr. White said that both were concerned about speeding on Township roads, one on North New Street and the other on Box Elder Drive. He said that they had asked about the possibility of having speed bumps installed but that the Board is not receptive to this suggestion.  Lt. Gleason said that in checking statistics on Box Elder Drive, he found that 80 citations had been issued in the vicinity from September 1, 2004, to February 1, 2005.  He said that residents can communicate with the Police Department about traffic concerns by sending e-mails to the Police Traffic Department.

There being no further business, on motion by Mr. Meakim, seconded by Ms. McIlvaine, the meeting was adjourned at 4:21 p.m.

       Respectfully submitted,

       Sandra K. Turley
       Assistant Township Secretary