Harford handles snowstorm

BY PAT FARNELLI

 The Harford Township Supervisors meeting had a rocky start Tuesday night (Mar. 8), as the township’s copier decided to quit, before the treasurer’s report and bills to be paid were printed.

These agenda items were tabled to the next meeting.

New business involved road materials to be advertised for bidding with roadmaster Terry VanGorden presenting a fairly comprehensive list of materials sought.

Fred Grasso, a resident who spent a great deal of the February meeting questioning VanGorden about snow removal and road work in the township, had good things to say this month.

“I thought you did a good job (plowing) yesterday,” he said. “That was not an easy snow to plow.” He said that the heavy, wet snow had a bottom inch of ice and slush.

VanGorden said that the more than ten inches of snow that fell Sunday night was a challenge. “The problem was 50 percent snow, 50 percent water,” he said. “We had to pull each other out 12 or more times.”

He said that he is monitoring the levels of the creeks, and that especially on Lower Podunk Road, the creek water did overflow the banks and come across the road.

A representative from Southwestern Energy attended the meeting, and asked for permission to close Houlihan Road for two weeks for geotechnical testing, from Martins Creek to the New Milford Township border.

A geotechnical test bore will be used to acquire a core sample to determine the rock strata, he said. This is part of a study preceding a fresh water pipeline to draw water from Martins Creek to be used in natural gas extraction.

The representative said that permits for the pipe to carry the water, as well as for the consumptive use of water, are on the DEP docket for March.

He said the test borings will be done with a directional drill under

SR 11, and will not require its closing. The supervisors approved the closing of Houlihan Road for the test borings.

According to the Southwestern representative, the exact spot on Martins Creek where water extraction will likely occur is at the point where Houlihan Road crosses the creek below Alford Pond.

Some brush cutting was done in the township near phone lines, and their was some question about who had done the cutting.

Grasso said that he had inquired if North East had done the work, and was told it was probably Frontier, which was verified when he called the phone company. The supervisors concurred that brush needed to be cut on both sides of that road.

Supervisor Garry Foltz said that he has been reviewing noise meters to measure decibel levels for the township’s new industrial noise ordinance. Foltz said that He wants to call manufacturing companies and investigate the devices further before choosing one to purchase for the township.

“Nowhere does it say that the device is American Standards Certified,” he said. He has looked into several meters that come with a screen, kit with calibration unit. “I want to research this further to be in proper compliance with our ordinance and the standards of others,” he said.

Raises for township employees were tabled at the reorganization meeting in January, but had not come up at a public meeting since.

Supervisor Sue Furney said that a 50 cents an hour raise was given, but that “employees have repeatedly asked that we not give out the exact amount” of their wages.