There was a full house at Monday’s meeting of the Bradford Township supervisors, where residents discussed issues including an emergency sewer problem and the open supervisor seat.
Both issues sparked heated debates.
After the death of Supervisor Gayle Bauer on Feb. 6, township officials are tasked with appointing someone to complete her term. The term lasts through 2019.
At a work session on Feb. 25, Supervisor Chairman Jim Erwin nominated Laree Sue Behan, while Supervisor Steve Mascho nominated Don Cummins. Each rejected the other’s nominee.
Since no one was appointed, vacancy board chair Mark Cline will serve as a tiebreaker.
On Monday, Cline clarified information previously provided to The Era. The choice will not be just between Behan and Cummins, but rather between them and six others who applied: Steve Pettinato, Jeffrey Carson, Robert Burrell, Richard Yovichin II, Robert Miller and David Geitner.
Cline said his choice will not necessarily be Mascho’s or Erwin’s favorite applicant, but rather “somebody that’s going to work with both of them.”
Burrell expressed his disappointment during the meeting that neither supervisor chose one of the two candidates that he believed were the most educated. He noted that while he was one of those two, the other is someone with even more degrees than he.
Township resident Rocco Camas commended Bauer’s service to the township, saying she had the “foresight to look ahead” when making decisions for the township.
However, Camas took issue with the fact that he was not considered for the vacancy board post that Cline received. Camas said he attends every meeting that he is able to and had applied for the position.
A vacancy board meeting is set for 6 p.m. Thursday.
Regarding the emergency sewer repair — for an issue on West Washington Street across from Berva Drive — a motion to move forward was tabled.
Erwin explained a broken sewer line there has been deemed an emergency because the sewer is “backing up into people’s houses.” Also, sewage is leaking into a creek at the break site, while water is flowing into the pipe.
Erwin said he assigned an engineer to make a plan for the project, and the engineer collected quotes from three companies, which were $159,061, $135,470 and $75,114. The companies are all located out of the area.
The township would normally have been required to seek bidders for the project, but it did not in this case because it has been deemed an emergency.
“I think it’s something we need to act on to get this in the works to get things done,” said Erwin.
Erwin made a motion to approve the emergency sewer project, but he was unable to get a second from Mascho.
Mascho would not approve the project until they gathered quotes from local businesses. He suggested that he be given until Monday to gather local quotes.
When asked what local contractors could do the job, Mascho suggested Cummins Construction in Bradford and a Port Allegany company — he couldn’t remember the name.
Some residents brought up concerns with pushing the project back.
A woman who experienced sewage backing up on her property attended with her grown daughter seeking a solution to problem, which she said she had been dealing with for 20 years before it got to the point of being an emergency.
Another resident was concerned that the township could be fined by the state Department of Environmental Protection if the repair is not made soon. He said DEP fines for such issues can be $10,000 a day.
Toward the end of the meeting, resident Kerry Roslinski suggested setting up a temporary bypass pump to keep those living near the break from having to deal with sewer backing up in their homes.
A special supervisors meeting is tentatively set for 6 p.m. March 19 to look into the emergency sewer project again.
Also at the meeting, Camas brought up the poor condition of Songbird Road, too.
Erwin he plans to meet with people Monday to look at the road and come up with a plan to address it.
When giving the police department report, Chief Robb Shipman again mentioned people who go door to door offering gas discounts to residents. He thinks there will be more out now that the weather is getting warmer.
While the salespeople do have permits, Shipman noted that police only have limited ability to check into their backgrounds, as they have not committed a crime. He advised anyone who does not want to talk to a salesperson to tell them to leave — if they don’t leave, it’s trespassing. He also brought up the possibility of putting up “No Solicitors” signs.
Shipman noted the salespeople must carry identification and have credentials around their neck.
Under the road report, Erwin said noted the township has used more road salt this year than last. He also asked residents not to call yet to ask the township to sweep the sand off the roads, as it’s not done snowing yet.
Supervisors passed a motion to hire Joyce Hotelling as a part-time billing clerk for $11/hour to fill in occasionally.
The next regular supervisors meeting will be at 7 p.m. April 8.
