April 5 Township Council Meeting Update

There were a few items of more than passing interest discussed at the meeting Tuesday night:

• Stephanie Flom reported that the fundraising for the new community center building is just about half complete.  In addition there are discussions underway with the YMCA that could result in a partnership that would bring an indoor pool and associated Y programs to the new facility to augment the already vibrant cultural programs.  She also mentioned that the new library will be opening on April 30.  Check the library web site for more details.
• There was a brief discussion regarding enforcement of the provisions of the zoning ordinance covering parking of trailers and boats.  The general consensus is that the ordinance needs to be updated since there are places in the Township where it is not possible for residents to park these vehicles except in their driveways, and that is technically prohibited.  The ordinance is currently being enforced only when the Township receives a specific complaint, and even then “enforcement” is often simply some encouragement to the neighbors to work things out appropriately.  This will continue until the next major overhaul of the zoning ordinances when this and other pending changes will be addressed and the entire ordinance updated.
• The item on the agenda regarding energy cost savings turned out to be of particular interest to me.  Not because it offered anything of value in and of itself, but because it didn’t:  it was an item that never should have made the agenda in the first place.  Energy Savers, Inc. turns out to be one of many providers of electric power in the Commonwealth, and their approach to “team” with Township was really an effort to get the Township to send out advertising to residents regarding their services.  Since they ARE just one of many, it’s pretty clear that we shouldn’t be doing this. Nor should we be even telling Township residents about all such vendors in a non-biased way as one council member suggested.  It’s simply not a Township function.

  But one great thing came out of the discussion:  Stephanie Flom pointed out  that the library really IS a resource for information, and that they would be interested in planning a community-wide “energy fair” with a full-blown program that could include players like Energy Savers discussing their programs as well as “green” builders and home renovation experts presenting a variety of ways to make your home (and life) more energy-efficient.  It’s nice when all the right players are in the room and something like this springs to life!

• Not much new on the Saxonburg Boulevard Area Sanitary Sewer Project.  There will be two “Township Council Town Hall Meetings” held at the Township Building on Tuesday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 7 at 9:00 a.m.  They’ll be announced as Council meetings so that if four Council members attend,  the requirements for announcing an official meeting will have been met, but the only item on the agenda at these meetings will be the sewer project. If you use Saxonburg Boulevard on a regular basis and certainly if you live in that corridor it would be a good idea to attend one of these meetings.  Understanding the need for the project and understanding how it will be executed will help us all to be a little more patient with the disruption that the implementation is bound to cause.  There are also interesting financing and property issues attached to the project, and it’s always good to be aware of how our local government is dealing with these types of issues.

Next week:  Township Council meeting on Tuesday, April 12 at 7pm.  No idea what the agenda will be, but when it becomes available I’ll attach it to the calendar item (in the calendar on the right).

See you at the next Council meeting!

Cindy