Budget talks underway
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

Interest in township proceedings dropped precipitously last week. The Antrim Township Board of Supervisors is used to meeting before a full house, but only five citizens sat in on its first worksession to prepare the 2008 budget.

Township manager Ben Thomas Jr. explained that the purpose of the meeting was to look at the works in progress and to brainstorm for the future, including creating a vision for the community.

He said that while the budget had 460 line items, the time to analyze each of them would come later.

Roadmaster Paul Barnett said his department prioritizes the roads in each quadrant of the township. It takes two years to reconstruct any road. The township has 12 miles of tar and chip roads, 61 miles of flexible-based surface, and 31 miles of hot mix pavement.

The state also controls 71 miles of road within the township.

Barnett said the road department needs a mower attachment, a dump truck and a crew cab. He estimated the current dump truck could be sold for $55,000 and a new one would cost $133,000.

The pickup, with 111,000 miles, could sell for $10,000 and a new one would cost $45,000.

He said the township could get the vehicles through a piggyback program in which PennDOT does the bidding. That agency does blanket bidding within the Pennsylvania Department of General Services.

Charles Goetz, Utilities Director, said, "The volume discount is so great the local dealers can't beat them."

The discount can be a third or more off retail. He said local businesses are used for service work on the equipment, though.

Goetz said the utility department budget comprises mostly yearly operations and maintenance. He and Larson Wenger, Utilities Superintendent, explained the operation of the sewage treatment plant.

They hope the site can become a certified DEP lab so they can do more of their own testing and also do work for other municipalities.

"It's not a money-making venture, itís a money-saving measure to be certified," said Goetz.

Zoning Officer Angela Garland updated the board on progress on developing the west side of Exit 3. The township has been working with an attorney for Food Lion for road and sewer easements.

"Staff has made more progress with this area in the last four months than in the last 10 years," she said.

She added there is interest in the land on both the west and east sides of Interstate 81.

Garland said Antrim has included in its future plans areas zoned R3, for high density housing.

In regular business, the board reinstated Eileen Strausner as fulltime financial secretary and hired Paul Minnich as a road laborer. Twelve people applied for the job.