The Conneaut Township Board of Supervisors held their August meeting, with Tim Greig and George Greig in attendance. Supervisor Jake Lisbon was absent Secretary Telce Varee took the minutes and there were 11 citizens present at the meeting.

The minutes and expenditures, were reviewed with the motion carried unanimously to accept them.

The subject went immediately to the current issue of HB 2431 and SB 1357, the forced merger of local townships into one County government body, thus eliminating borough councils and township boards.

Under this proposal, the PA Constitution would be changed, making local government unconstitutional and giving the County oversight on all municipal operations, including road maintenance, zoning and land use, safety and health issues and even law enforcement.

This means that local roads could not be snow plowed before a decision coming down from the County level first.

Townships would be deemed as "nonviable" and unable to "provide adequately for the health, safety, and welfare" of its residents, or if the township has less than 400 citizens.

Of course, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are exempt.

Townships are urged to adopt their Resolutions of Opposition to these Bills now, which are currently in the Senate Local Government Committee, and will be voted upon soon.

Citizens should contact their State Reps and Senators to voice opposition to these bills.

Citizens are also urged to attend their local township Board meetings, while they still can, to stay informed on this important issue.

Varee read the sample Resolution for CT, as provided by the Pa. State Association of Township Supervisors, to be submitted as evidence at Legislative Hearings.

This Resolution was then passed and signed by both George Greig and Tim Greig.

A reminder to citizens that the September Board meeting for Conneaut Township has been rescheduled for the first Tuesday of the month, September 7, 2010, at 5:00pm, instead of the second Tuesday. This is for September only.

The Supervisors then perused a letter from Richmond Township, regarding the new Storm Water Management Plan, implementing the purchase of many permits for new building construction and driveways.

Builders planning structures of 1,000 sq. feet, 2,500 sq. feet, 5,000 sq. feet and up will be required to purchase permits before beginning construction. Topography maps and engineering reports would also be required of a land owner before building anything from a chicken coop to a barn.

Recall that the State forced Counties to implement this Ordinance, under the threat of withholding finds, including liquid fuels allocations.

A letter arrived from Richmond Township, about the SWMP, and is asking for board members from other townships to attend a meeting in opposition to this County Mandate, and to help come up with an alternative Ordinance.

They have hired a retired engineer to help with a more permissive form of the Ordinance and there is a grass roots effort to oppose the one forced on by the State.

There is speculation on whether Ordinances drafted by local townships would be accepted if the criteria is less strict than the County mandated Ordinance.

The Supers agreed to table this issue momentarily, but will be attending the meeting held by Richmond officials.

Also passed on August 2, 2010, was Act 31, SB 828 which amends the Public Eating and Drinking Law of 1945. This will end food or beverages prepared in a private home and then donated to any volunteer organization such as a fire house, a church, a veterans group, sportsmen, ag fair or ag association or any non-profit youth association. Effectively, no bake sales, no chili dogs or chicken BBQ will be allowed, if the food is prepared in a private home and then donated to your organization of choice.

Under Correspondence:

• a letter was received from Solicitor Alan Shaddinger stating that within the new state budget, a law was included that automatically extends all governmental permits and approvals related to developments.

• From the PA DEP, a letter was received stating that even though CT applied for reimbursement for enforcing the sewage act in 2008, there is now no money available for said reimbursement.

Shaddinger will remain as Township Solicitor, despite his firm dissolving on September 1, 2010. It will merge with Stepto and Johnson, a gas litigation firm out of Pittsburgh.

CT has been accepted into the Federal Surplus Program, and another letter was received from the Solicitor, regarding the new Flood Plain Map, as issued by the DEP.

Bids will be accepted for cement in the new building, with heat in the floor. The heat tubing has already been purchased.

On the issue of the alleged raw sewage running from one neighbor into another neighbor’s yard, Sewage Enforcement Officer Mike Rinkovich has been dispatched to the residence in question. He is saying that the liquid substance is not sewage.

He has spoken to the owners and they stated that it is coming from a French drain out of their basement.

Rinkovich went into the ditch on a hot summer day recently, stating that the residence’s septic tank is further away from the alleged leak.

There is digging and construction going on at the residence, and it was alleged that there is no leach bed on premise.

The citizen making the complaint stated that no matter what the substance is, that it is flowing constantly, leaves some sort of residue and that all of this is flowing into the creeks of CT.

Allowable phosphate levels due to clothes detergents in washing machines have been raised by DEP in recent years.

Washing machines must be hooked up to proper plumbing pipes that lead to a septic system or sand mound. "Gray water" spewed forth by washing machines onto the ground in private yards is illegal and is bad for the environment.

Sewage Enforcement Officer Mike Rinkovich has offered to do a "dye test" at the residence in question. The issue will be looked into further.

For the Road Report, work continues around CT and there was trouble with one of the trucks.

Apparently it has two fuel tanks, and one of them was not working properly, stranding one of the Supervisors.

The bags of sand laying around the township yard are those of the Appalachian Geophysical Corp., and they are using the lot to bag 2,800 pounds of rocks. Anything left over will go to the township.

George Greig mentioned the recent storms, with an electrical transformer falling to the ground and catching fire. Wires were down, along with trees and the road was closed, with help being enlisted for the problem.

The Amish sign in question as to whether it was of legal size and legal place has since been removed.

On the Wally Bolharskey Topless Dancing Club, it is rumored that the man is intending to go to either Ashtabula County to open shop, or up to Springboro or Albion, allegedly perusing an old school house to turn into a topless bar.

The citizens of CT came out in force over the recent months in opposition to this type of establishment being moved to the Auction House on Center Road; subsequently an Ordinance was passed limiting this sort of adult entertainment.

Wally Bolharskey of "Wally’s Paradise" on Rt. 6, near Linesville, could not be reached for comment.

Having no further business, the motion passed unanimously to adjourn for the afternoon.

The Conneaut Township Board of Supervisors meets every second Tuesday of the month at 5:00pm. The September meeting will be held on the first Tuesday of the month.

The public is invited to attend.