Radio tower, sewer hearings yield amenable solutions
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

Antrim Township hosted two hearings in one night, and all interested parties walked away with a doable plan of action.

Pastor Larry Aikens of Hagerstown, Md. likely has a new spot for two 150-foot radio towers needed for Christian radio station WHGT. And Timmy and Penny Lowans can move onto their own property to care for his aging parents.

The second site selection for the radio towers met with approval by the board of supervisors and citizens Oct. 2. They will be in the middle of a field owned by Harold and Ellen Burkholder, 1200 feet from the nearest home.

Though the township had granted conditional approval to a site near Interstate 81 off Clayhill Road on April 17, Aikens said those conditions imposed a hardship on the non-profit station. The township required a $100,000 bond the first year of operation, $25,000 the next four years, and $10,000 for the life of the station.

Neighbors in the area also opposed the placement of the towers.

Following testimony at last week's hearing, the board asked the citizens supporting the towers to stand. Approximately 10 did. They asked those opposed to stand. No one did.

"We should have done that first," quipped supervisor Scott Diffenderfer. The crowd burst into laughter.

Attorney Scott Patterson said Aikens and Emmanuel Baptist Church will lease 5.8 acres from the Burkholders. He asked that transcripts from the March hearing addressing radio frequency interference (RFI), health and zoning issues be submitted as evidence, in the interest of time.

Fred Frederick, professional engineer and surveyor, said the location for the towers was 2000 feet north of Route 16, 2000 feet east of Rabbit Road, and 2000 feet west of Willowdale Road. Because of the expense of getting FCC approval, which was done up front with the other location, Frederick said they wanted to get the new site approved by the township first this time.

He and Robert Mullinax of Hagerstown had canvassed a neighborhood in Washington County near another radio tower. Those people experienced some interference with their phone lines but were able to remedy the problem. They were content to have the towers so close.

Matthew McCormick, a broadcast law and communications lawyer from Washington DC, said requiring a bond was not common practice.

"RFIis regulated by the FCC," he said. "Penalties are imposed if a radio station fails to fix problems. It is always cheaper for the station to fix them than to deal with the FCC."

He advised his client not to agree to a bond.

Charles Cooper, a Floridabased professional engineer, said the blanketing contour of the airwaves could affect 30 homes at the outskirts of the pattern, but he doubted they would have problems.

The Antrim Township Planning Commission will consider the application for a conditional use permit Nov. 5 and the board will act at its worksession Nov. 6. It will have a written decision Nov. 13.

Sewage system setback

Timmy Lowans appealed the township's denial of his application for an on-lot sewage disposal permit at 3140 Hill Road. Lowans had purchased his parent's property and wanted to put another home there for his own family.

Sewage Enforcement Officer Jonathan Piper had ruled he could not hook up to the current septic system and that because of the rural location, public sewer was not an option. Piper had conducted testing of the ground and realized only a small treatment facility or a controlled fill site, which took four years to establish, were workable.

At the hearing, Piper suggested a "Granny Flat." If Lowans and the township could agree on terms within the context of Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act 537, there could be a remedy.

Lowans changed his original plans, so both dwellings would be mobile homes. Piper said a holding tank was a gray area, but it could handle the discharge with periodic pumping.

Township solicitor John Lisko said, "Let's push it a little and see what happens. It seems to me to be the best solution."

With a Granny Flat, once Lowans is no longer caring for his parents, he must remove one home within 90 days.

Government center delay

Supervisor Fred Young again requested that the board hold off on any action on the proposed municipal government complex until January, when newly elected members would be seated. The bids were supposed to be advertised in October.

Since Young is running unopposed for his recently appointed seat, Chairman James Byers said, "Chances are you're going to be here with us. And you've been appointed by elected officials. We wanted to get the facts and figures to decide if we build or stay here. I want to move forward."

Young, Sam Miller and Curtis Myers voted to delay action. Byers and Diffenderfer voted to proceed.

"Hey, it's like old times, a 3- 2 vote," said Diffenderfer. "That's great."

Other business

Resident Mark Semler asked permission for the Cedarbrook Homeowners Association to construct a sign in the island at the entrance to the development. He said the property belonged to the township and was not being maintained. The HOA wanted a sign with better visibility from U.S. 11.

The board approved the idea, pending confirmation by Lisko that the township actually owned the piece of land.

The board revisited the 520 EDU request by Molly Pitcher LLC and approved it 5-0. Last week the vote was 2-1 with two supervisors absent. Utilities director Charles Goetz said that since the first vote was not a majority, the documents could not be signed.

He also informed the board that a story in a county daily newspaper had incorrectly said the Antrim Township sewage plant needed upgrades in 2002 as it related to discharges into the Chesapeake Bay.

"We are one of the two cleanest plants in the Commonwealth," he said, adding that the plant had no violations.

Tom Green, currently chief operator at the Greencastle Water Treatment Plant, was hired as a Utilities Technician, a fulltime position.

The board met in executive session to discuss the recent Sky King Land Use Appeal, a threatened lawsuit by the Greencastle Antrim Franklin County Water Authority, and a personnel matter involving a former employee.