At the beginning of Monday night's meeting of the Douglass Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Allen Kaiser thanked the township and EMS services for coming together and taking care of the community during the storm.

            Fire Chief Rick Smith presented his report for the month of June and the calls of services the Fire Department responded to during the storm. On June 26, Fire Police Captain Donald Frantz was struck in the hand by a motorist not obeying his signals. Captain Frantz was assisting Station 97 with traffic control on route 100 Northbound in Bally.

            Frantz received minor injuries to his hand and did not seek medical treatment. The license plate was obtained and given to Bally Police. Frantz also thanked the EMS and township for coming together and assisting in rescues during Thursday's storm. He stated that he was proud to be part of the Douglass Township community. There was a total of 14 calls. There were 13 people and 1 dog rescued from flood waters.

            Also related to last week's storm, the bulk of the meeting centered on the severe flooding caused by the storm the area received and the flooding home owners are experiencing in various developments.

            Residents from the Preserve at Montgomery came to the meeting to express their frustration with the constant flooding of their homes. They are requesting immediate resolution from responsible parties. The developer, James Gibson, stated that Ryan Homes did not build homes correctly. Ryan Homes blames the developer and both Gibson and Ryan Homes blame Douglass Township.

            Gibson stated that he paid approximately $100,000 to remove excess dirt from the development site. He stated the dirt could have been used to raise the homes and prevent storm water damage, but also said that even if the homes were built higher, residents would still experience flooding because the water table is saturated.

            There is an onsite meeting on July 22 with Gibson and Ryan Home Builders to discuss the systemic flooding issues of the homes. In addition, the Board of Supervisors are also planning a meeting with Jim Gibson, the township engineering firm, Ryan Homes and the HOA of the community to address the issues and find a solution. Solicitor Robert Brant said, "We are going to let Josh (Hagadorn), the engineer, deal with this issue and figure out where the rubber meets the road."

            In other flooding related news, Howard Houseknecht owns the property next to Gilbertville Veterinary Clinic. He addressed the supervisors with constant flooding issues of his property caused by the construction taking place at the veterinary clinic. Mr. Houseknecht stated that his yard has become a catch basin and that water from the project is running into his garage and wants the township to fix the problem immediately. He said, "I will go and rip it out myself with my backhoe. Something needs to be done by Wednesday."

            The board requested that he not use his backhoe and that they are just as concerned about the flooding issues and want to find a resolution. 

            In development business, the original plan of clustering 92 units located on 117 acres of land known as the "Hallowell Tract" is approved to proceed. The site is located at the intersection of Congo and Hallowell Roads. Forty seven acres are to be developed and the remaining 70 acres is to be designated as open space and park land. It was originally a farm and the site is surrounded by permanently preserved farmland.

            Richard C. Mast, civil engineer of the project, stated that the potential buyer of the tract would like to modify aspects to the original plan despite the fact the proposed plan of 92 single family homes has already been approved. Mr. Mast stated that his client is very busy and is trying to help speed up the process of requesting to move forward with the approved phase 1 of development, but would like to make changes to the plan.

            Solicitor Robert Brant explained that the project is approved based on the original plan and if the potential buyer wants to change the plan, then they must start from the beginning and go through the necessary township channels.

            Chairman Kuklinski added, "Him making money (potential buyer) is not our concern. His deadline and busy schedule is not our concern.  The original project is approved. If he wants to change the plan, he must start from the beginning". The representatives decided to stick with the 92 unit approval.  

            Township Engineer Josh Hagadorn presented his report to the Supervisors. The Operations and Maintenance agreement for an on-site septic system located at 538 Congo Road. The engineering firm has received the sewage facility planning module for review. The Stafy Tract ll storm water easement agreement is in process.

            The residents are looking for finalization of agreement and who will maintain the stormwater drainage system. Potentially, the HOA of the community will take responsibility for the maintenance. The Berwind ll community requested escrow release of #8 phase in l, the amount of $7,719.08 and escrow release of #4 phase ll and lll in the amount of $242,389.17. The Board of Supervisors approved the release of funds.