Township supervisors budget for roads in 2008
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

The good news was a quiet announcement at the end of last week's Antrim Township Board of Supervisors meeting. Township Manager Ben Thomas Jr. said he expected no tax increase for residents in 2008.

The rest of the meeting was devoted with how to spend the money that will be coming in.

Though roadmaster Paul Barnett had submitted a list of roads prioritized for improvements in 2008 and beyond, the board on Oct. 16 decided to create its own list.

Not everyone was excited about the switch. Supervisor Scott Diffenderfer wanted to rely on the expertise of Barnett.

"We've enjoyed a pretty good reputation with our road maintenance," he said. "We have professionals who know what they're doing."

Curtis Myers wanted to take off all roads less than a mile in length. Sam Miller saw problems with Lehman Road, which narrows to one lane, and Hykes Road. The board had discussed Hykes the previous week and leaned toward waiting on any repairs until major construction in the area was completed.

Miller suggested the board and township staff meet on a Saturday to tour township roads, but Thomas said that would have to be advertised as a worksession. Chairman James Byers said each supervisor could on his own create a Top Ten Worst Roads list and they could compare.

Thomas would then give the list to Jeff Statler of Hammaker East Paving, a contractor Myers had contacted. The board agreed Statler could inspect the roads and make recommendations.

The Grindstone Hill connector road also received extensive review.

"It's time to put a line item in capital reserve for final engineering and construction, depending how much you want to construct," Thomas told the board.

Because progress is being made on getting rights-of-way and easements, Antrim Township is conducting a survey of the land. Thomas said an independent financial analyst could project costs out 20 years, since a bond, loan or some type of debt might be necessary.

A

traffic light at the U.S. 11 intersection

could run $2 to $10 million.

Miller said, "For that kind of money, I don't want to see the road just sitting there."

Thomas recommended putting in the light and extending the intersection 500 feet, talking with the Greencastle Area Franklin County Water Authority about extending the water line and talking with the school board about assisting with funding. He would get an estimate from Martin and Martin Engineering on the road expense. He felt the water issue was critical.

"If you really want to see true economic development in this community, you have to have a joint water authority," he said.

Diffenderfer agreed. "I think the commitment is there, but it appears at different times."

Supervisor wish list

Supervisors had submitted lists of other items they also wanted considered for the 2008 budget.

Myers had suggested setting aside $3,000 to $5,000 for an independent staffing review and assessment of township employees. Thomas and a citizen felt the true cost would be two-to four times that much. The board put $15,000 into the budget, to decide later whether to use it.

Miller asked about outsourcing water and sewer billing. Utilities director Charles Goetz said software companies determined that was not feasible because of the low number of customers. Sewer customers are charged a flat rate and the township reads only 317 water meters quarterly.

Completing Phases 3, 4, and 5 of Antrim Township Community Park would be a deficit expense, but Thomas said the board could borrow from the general fund.

Following a recommendation by Myers, Thomas will research the smoke-alarm disbursement program in use by the city of Hagerstown.

The board decided to put $5.5 million from the capital reserve fund into the budget for the municipal government building, but to debate in 2008 how to spend it.

Traffic from the I-81 northbound exit ramp onto Rt. 16 was also a concern. As tractor-trailers wait to get onto John Wayne Drive, stacking occurs back onto the interstate. Thomas said that following a study of the intersection, engineers recommended a video system which would regulate the timing of the signals in the area, and also to make John Wayne Drive one-way.

Thomas said a full engineering study on the pros and cons of that idea needed to be done, since it could cause stacking of trucks coming back to Route 16 from Grindstone Hill Road.

General fund items

Thomas said the current building needed carpet replacement because employees were tripping on the loose carpets. Miller suggested taping the sections or just tearing them out, since the board might be considering remodeling the building in 2008. Thomas said no, for the safety of the workers, the carpet had to be replaced but that he would go cheap.

He said he was holding off on necessary upgrades to the phone system and that an inspector was scheduled to look at the roof.

Future staff positions, depending on growth in coming years, included a recycling coordinator, park/recreation director, emergency management coordinator, capital projects specialist and code compliance specialist.

While Diffenderfer is going off the board in December, the supervisors wanted to retain his services as a contracted arborist, particularly because of Conservation by Design requirements.

"I just started my first review on one of those," he said. "It ain't going to be easy."