Bridge issues and code enforcement were two of the topics of discussion at Monday’s meeting of the Foster Township supervisors.

During the public discussion, two Fairview Heights residents attended to let the supervisors know that the bridge on that street is “plugged up with gravel.”

Describing the issue, one resident said they have lost “this much” depth of water, holding his hand about three feet above the ground.

Foster Township officials said they could do some work within a certain number of feet of the bridge, but they are limited by law in what they can do in a waterway.

For instance, Supervisor Chairman George Hocker said they cannot remove roots of trees that have fallen because they hold the bank together.

Road Foreman Chad Babcock will be seeing what kind of equipment they can get in the area to remove some of the stuff by the bridge.

Hocker noted that the bridge is set to be replaced. They have grant money for the project, but they are waiting for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation before they can move forward. The pandemic caused delays in many projects.

He added later in the meeting that he would look into where the township’s current bridge projects stand.

Code Enforcement Officer Kevin Shaffer said he handled six complaints in June. However, two or three of the property owners were out of town and have been “hard to get a hold of. We’re trying.”

Shaffer noted in particular a trailer on Interstate Parkway that has been discussed a lot. He said the property owners are finally going to tear the trailer down. He handled high grass complaints, as well.

Hocker gave examples of some of the roadblocks the township has with code enforcement issues.

One property is in an estate as the owners died, and it is going up for tax sale now. Another property, located on Bolivar Drive, had a fire recently that is still under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police.

“We can’t touch it till the investigation is done,” said Hocker.

It’s “a disaster” to handle complaints if the property owner lives out of town “because we’re not allowed to take it out of the local area,” he added. One property owner is currently living in Florida, he said.

Under the public discussion portion, a resident complimented the road crew for their work on ditches on Wolf Run Road. He said the work is better than what PennDOT does.

Hocker also reminded residents to participate in the 2020 census if they haven’t already. High census participation helps municipalities qualify for more grant money.

Also at the meeting, supervisors voted in favor of applying for its liquid fuels distribution.

PennDOT announced earlier this year that Foster Township would receive $190,204.47 in liquid fuels funding, which municipalities can use to maintain roads and bridges. The funding is allocated to municipalities based on population and miles of municipality-owned roads.

They accepted the resignation of Tina Phillips from the Zoning Hearing Board, too.

Also, supervisors voted in favor of entering into an energy supply service agreement and accepted bids related to anti-skid material, a vibratory roller and a sewer jetter trailer.