New Hanover Supervisors Have Birds and Bees Talk

Discussion at the New Hanover supervisor's meeting Thursday involved some talk of the birds and the bees.

No, it's not what you're thinking. It was all rated PG.

Rather, the supervisors were discussing actual birds, chickens to be exact, and actual bees, as in actual bees.

Several months ago, a resident brought a bee expert to the board meeting who told the supervisors that their zoning ordinance regarding beekeeping was unnecessarily restrictive.

The Asian giant hornet has been found in Washington State.

Given the threats honey bees, nature's finest pollinators, now face from disease -- and the latest, an Asian invader called the "murder hornet," no really, it bites the heads off bees! -- we should be doing all we can to help our bees.

Toward that end, the township staff and supervisors have been taking a look at the ordinance to see if a relaxing of the rules is warranted.

And under changes proposed by zoning officer Jim Wozniak, solicitor Andrew Bellwoar and township manager Jamie Gwynn, they would be.

Currently, the zoning code requires someone who wants to raise bees to have three acres of property.

The proposal is to change that to one acre, with a 50-foot setback from the property line. This would also apply to the raising of chickens.

"Beekeeping is already regulated by the state," said Bellwoar said during the meeting, which was conducted on-line due to the social distancing restrictions brought to us courtesy of COVID-19.

Both the raising of bees and chickens would remain under the township's agricultural section of the zoning code, under the proposal now being considered.

Supervisors Chairman Charles D. Garner Jr. asked if the ordinance would recognize a difference between "raising chickens and keeping chickens."

"It would all be under the umbrella of farming. It's not the same as having a dog or a cat," Bellwoar replied.

Bad rooster!

"Roosters can be a problem" because of the noise they make, said Supervisor Boone Flint. "They are not allowed in certain parts of Pottstown because of the noise."

They can also be very aggressive, said Supervisor Ross Snook.

"I like them because I like hearing them in the morning, but they have a two-inch barb and they will come after you," Snook warned.

"You wouldn't want to run into him in an open field," he said.

Bellwoar said he will put the suggestions into a proposed ordinance change and send it to the township planning commission for comment.

Where Election Politics and Policy Intersect

Photo of the planned improvements to the intersection of Route 663 and 73 presented last night to the New Hanover Township supervisors.

As is so often the case, the shocking news from the New Hanover Supervisors meeting last night was not on the agenda -- unless one considers "comments from citizens" to be a likely source of shock.

Several potentially newsworthy items fizzled.

The agenda item to confirm a new police contract with withdrawn.

A review of the legal matters involving the quarry turned out to be a review of things nearly everybody already knew.

There was some new information about plans to improve the dog-legged intersection of Routes 663 and 73, which involves a traffic signal and left turn lanes, but that was not the item which made everyone sit up and take notice.

Ross Snook, who was recently appointed to the newly revived environmental advisory board, took to the microphone to make several announcements.

One was that he is running for supervisor.

The second was that Marie Livelsberger, appointed about one year ago to replace former chairman Doug Muller, had been knocked off the ballot by a judge.

And the third was his call for the candidate who filed the petition that knocked her off, Shawn Malloy, to withdraw from the race for being an even worse offender of the same technicality that knocked Livlsberger off.

It seems that in addition to filing election petitions with the elections board in Norristown, as well as financial disclosure forms, that those financial disclosure forms also have to be filed with the township.

And it seems, according to Snook, that Livelsberger's were four days late, which was the technicality that convinced a judge to bump her from the ballot.

What no one told the judge, again according to Snook, was that Malloy's forms were filed with the township even later than Livelsberger's -- about 10 days.

Snook also called for the resignation of the person who "orchestrated" the matter, but did not state a name.

There are three seats up for election and, given that Democrats rarely run in New Hanover, the matter is usually decided in the Republican primary.

The two seats up for six-year terms are currently occupied by Livlsberger and Andrew Kelly, who is not seeking reelection. The third seat, with two years left in the term, is occupied by Kurt Zebrowski, who was appointed to the seat after Ralph Fluharty stepped town in July.

Zebrowsky is opposed by Brian Hemmingway in the Republican primary.

With Livlsberger knocked off the Republican line, only Snook and Malloy remain for the two seats with six-year terms, unless Livlsberger decides to run a write-in campaign.

As the meeting wound down, Livlsberger said she has "no personal agendas and I am disheartened to see how the election process has brought out those personal agendas in others."

Supervisor Charles D. Garner Jr. said he regrets that Livelsberger was knocked off the ballot by a judge for "technical issues" because it will deprive voters of a choice in the election.

We'll be looking into this a little more deeply I suspect. In the meantime, here are the Tweets:

New Hanover Loses Another Township Supervisor

Photo by Evan Brandt

Ralph Fluharty exists the New Hanover Township building after his surprise resignation Monday night. 

Only four months after Township Supervisors Chairman Doug Mueller abruptly stepped down from the board, another supervisor has made a surprise resignation.

This time it was veteran board member Ralph Fluharty, who has served the township for 31 years between his time on the township planning commission and then on the board of supervisors.

The resignation came as Fluharty sparred with the other supervisors over spending on road paving.

As the other supervisors scrambled to understand the finances involved -- with Supervisor Andrew Kelly at one point calling it "a shell game" -- Fluharty argued the cost of paving materials is currently so low more roads should be paved while "we have the men and the equipment."

But the resignation evidently was not entirely spontaneous.

After Fluharty stopped conversation cold by telling Chairman Phil Agliano "well, I've got another problem for you. I'm resigning my post," he pulled out a prepared statement which he proceeded to read.

Here's some of it on video:




Agliano said he would not consider accepting Fluharty's resignation until the end of the meeting "after Ralph has had a chance to calm down."

But after the meeting wore on, the supervisors adjourned to an executive session, Fluharty did not join them and instead listened with a smile on his face while others tried to convince him to change his mind.

Outside the meeting room, Fluharty, 82, said he was done.

He said the township's reserve fund has now grown to $1.6 million, which he considers a good thing, but only if the money gets used for things the township needs when the time is right.

Fluharty after making his announcement.

The low cost of paving materials this year would have allowed for the paving of many extra miles of "poor roads" in the township  -- he was advocating for Swamp Picnic Road Monday night -- but the other supervisors insistence on cleaving to budget estimates made when the price was unknown costs valuable time.

"We should act on it," he said. "I hope things go well for them, but I am apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time."

After the executive session, the board was advised by solicitor Andrew Bellowoar that if they did not act to accept Fluharty's resignation, it would leave his status an open question and prevent the board from naming a replacement.

Ultimately, the board voted unanimously, "with great reluctance," to accept Fluharty's resignation.

They then voted to authorize interim manager Greg Prowant to advertise for those interested in applying with a letter -- and resume -- Supervisor Charles D. Garner Jr. emphasized.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Employee Raises, Agenda Talk and Lawn Mowing

Monday night marked the third month that the New Hanover Board of Supervisors has met just once.

As part of an experiment initiated in January, the board decided to try meeting just once per month, and last night, decided to keep it going as long as the meetings don't get too long.

But admittedly, Monday night's meeting was pretty long -- if you stayed to the end, which occurred after a fairly long executive session.

And out of that executive session came most of the news of the evening.

The wages of the township's non-uniformed personnel were increased by 2.4 percent, but not uniformly.

Supervisor Andrew Kelly explained that each employee received a different raise, based on merit. I will be trying to obtain that list tomorrow for a story to be published in The Mercury.

But two of the specific employees were broken out for separate votes for reasons which will shortly become obvious.

Recreation Director Connie Garner received a 3.7 percent pay increase, from a salary of $52,246 to $54,205 a raise of $1,959.

Garner's husband, newly elected Supervisor Charles D. Garner Jr., abstained from voting on his wife's salary.

Bookkeeper Kaleena Aguilano, received a 2.5 percent raise, from $35,899 to $36,796, a raise of $897.

Aguilano's father, Supervisor Phil Aguilano, abstained from voting on his daughter's salary as well.

The supervisors also voted to settle a dispute with a company providing uniforms to township non-police personnel for $3,000.

And the supervisors also put off the decision on hiring a new township solicitor.

Since January, when former Township Solicitor Paul Bauer stepped down, the township has been using its special quarry council, Robert Brant and Associates as interim solicitor.

But despite a last-minute add-on to the agenda of a vote on the new solicitor, the supervisors apparently could not reach an agreement.

Instead, they voted to advertise special meetings on April 4 at 5 p.m. and, if necessary, April 5 at 5 p.m. to interview candidates for the position.

And, without further ado, here are the Tweets from the meeting: