Kennett Township officials talk infrastructure, employment, and public safety in their last meeting before the New Year
By P.J. D’Annunzio Staff Writer, KennettTimes.com
KENNETT — Monday saw the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors meet for the last time before their Reorganization Meeting on January 3rd, 2012.
“The supervisors met with residents from the Willow Glen subdivision to discuss the right of way disagreement,” said township manager Lisa Moore. The dispute was between property owners and the township centered on which group legally owns the 50-foot wide right of way at the access point of the subdivision. “We found out that the township owns the right of way,” Moore continued, “However, we have always permitted the residents to maintain the right of way, and the supervisors will continue to allow them to maintain it.”
Adding to the discussion the BOS brought up the status of the status of the Way’s Lane Road renewal project. Last month the supervisors met with residents living near the road to come up with an agreement to contract a concrete company to finish Way’s Lane, which currently stands as an unsafe back road. The township is will begin contacting the appropriate concrete companies shortly.
In other township news, supervisor Bob Hammaker established a Public Safety Director position, which is currently unfilled. The position deals with handling traffic, police, and other data. In the same vein, outgoing supervisor Allan Falcoff appointed Jeff Hammaker to the position of safety committee member. Jeff Hammaker currently serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator.
Falcoff also presented Township Police Chief Albert McCarthy with a two-year contract renewal. McCarthy—who is refraining from operating police vehicles due to an absent seizure he suffered earlier this year—has been on light duty. His patrol duties have been taken over by Pennsylvania State Police and officers from Parkesburg Borough.
McCarthy’s contract extension was approved by the board.
In terms of road safety, supervisor Bob Hammaker reported an increase in accidents from last year.
“Accidents for this year totaled 194 versus 169 of the previous year for a 15% increase” he said. “This October there were 25 accidents versus 23 last year. There was one on Kaolin Road; none on Rosedale Road, there were seven on US-1, accounting for 28% of the total; there were six on Hillendale road with four of them at the Hillendale-52 intersection.”
The township also installed new 35-mile per hour speed limit signs on Burnt Mill Road in an effort to curb speeding in that area.
The BOS will reconvene for its Reorganization Meeting. During that time supervisor elect Scudder Stevens will be inaugurated. Township residents are encouraged to attend and stay for the subsequent reception.
So…if an immigrant who works in the mushroom houses had the same hit and run incident I wonder where they would be today even if they had a medical claim… I sure hope they would have been treated exactly the same