Resident wants weeds whacked

Colin Beegle has seen a change in personal responsibility since he was Antrim Township supervisor from 1976-1980.

“When I was on the board we had no weeds. The farmers took care of them.”

He doesn’t see developers doing the same thing with land they have purchased, so Beegle asked the board July 28 to consider a nuisance ordinance. He turned in a petition from 14 homeowners living on Route 16 and Grindstone Hill Road. A field along the intersecting roads was full of Canadian thistle.

Samuel Miller referred to a nuisance ordinance the board had considered the previous year but voted down, though he favored it. “It was common courtesy to your neighbor, the way I looked at it,” he said.

Zoning officer Sylvia House said the ordinance was rejected because it included a burn ban, which citizens didn‘t want. “Angie (Garland, former zoning officer) put together a well-written ordinance that puts everything back on the neighbor.”

House said people with weed complaints should file a notice with DEP and their personnel would come out to inspect and handle it. She also did not want to create an ordinance that would negatively impact farmers.

In other business, the board again considered the sludge digester and dryer upgrade at the wastewater treatment plant. Because no stimulus money was awarded for the project, it voted to apply for a PennVEST loan, realizing they would not be obligated to accept the loan once they learned the terms.