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| The Dec. 14 Limerick Supervisors meeting was livestreamed on Facebook. |
In a swift meeting, the Limerick Board of Supervisors dispensed with a number of very expensive issues.
Of greatest note, to anyone who has passed through the Route 422 Sanatoga Interchange, was the approval of bids for the construction of a new westbound ramp for those traveling south on Evergreen Road.
Limerick Township Manager Dan Kerr said the township received six bids for the project and the wining bid went to Construction Master Services LLC for $1,424,912.20.
Another $170,000 contract went to Traffic Planning and Design, a Lower Pottsgrove Firm, for regular inspections while the work is going on, a requirement of the $2.1 million federal grant received to cover the costs for the project.
Kerr said \the bids work out to $300,000 less than estimated.
$21.8M Budget Has no Tax Hike
That was good news for Limerick's budget, which saw expenses in its road fund drop by a similar amount, said Assistant Township Manager Beth DiPrete.
That was the only major change to the 2021 budget since it was presented formally to the supervisors last month.
With Supervisor Ken Sperring absent, the remaining supervisors voted unanimously to adopt the $21,883,657 budget for 2021.
It carries no tax increase.
"That's five years in a row we have not raised taxes," said Supervisors Chairman Thomas Neafcy. "That's a very good thing."
Another money matter will come before the supervisors next month.
Park Fee Hikes
Kerr outlined 10 percent increases for parks and recreation fees, but the percentage makes the increases appear larger than they are. For example the cost to rent a pavilion will increase from $35 to $40.
The major change will be what the for-profit sports leagues are charged for the use of the township's fields.
Kerr said many sports leagues are community leagues and are non-profit, but some are run as a business. Those enterprises will see their charge jump as high as $85. That will generate about $8,000 more a year for the township if the same number of fields are rented by the same number of for-profit leagues, Kerr said.
For the non-profit leagues, field rental costs will increase from $50 to $55, Kerr said.
But that is all to be finalized next month when the township's full fee schedule is brought before the board for discussion and a vote.
Clash Over Property Maintenance
Neafcy also chose Tuesday night's meeting to bring up a matter regarding Supervisor Patrick Morroney and his property.
He said a complaint was made in August and an inspection found several potential violations. Kerr explained that like any property or code complaint, the property owner is informed of the issues and given a chance to correct them.
Kerr said Morroney has made "steady progress" on correcting the issues identified and said there has been no violation notice levied against Morroney.
Neafcy nevertheless read through the inspection report from August, citing weeds and unmown grass, derelict cars and a auxiliary building that had not been maintained and appeared to be structurally unsound.
Morroney replied that the cars have since been removed, the building demolished and the grass, uncut because his lawn mower was broken, has been cut.
"There should be some kind of timeline," said Neafcy, who said neighbors were suffering from reduced property values as a result of Morroney's property which, Morroeny noted, cannot be seen from the road.
Morroney also suggested that Neafcy had initiated the anonymous complaint, which Neafcy denied.
Neafcy then recalled a recent meeting at which Morroney had wanted "the full weight of the township" brought down upon a property owner. "You can't have it both ways Pat," Neafcy said.
Morroney replied that the person in question "was running a business" on the property.
It seems Neafcy's outrage about property violations may be limited to the Neafrcy, who also happens to be the board's only Democrat.
Information provided to The Mercury earlier this year as the result of a right to know request to the township indicated that code violations identified at businesses owned by Republican supervisors Ken Sperring and Michael McCloskey were handled the same way as Morroney's .
Corrections were made and no violation were issued.
Kerr confirmed that is regular procedure for all violation notices.
In McCloskey's case, seven items appeared on a Feb. 18 inspection of the Railroad Bar and Grill in Linfield which found seven potential fire safety violations were identified. They included open junction boxes and improper use of extension cords; an old fire extinguisher in the kitchen in need of replacement and others in need of inspection.
We are unaware of any public complaint by Neafcy regarding that inspection, which, arguably, could have more serious consequences than some unmown grass.
In 2014, an annual fire inspection at the Industrial Parkway business owned by Ken Sperring found all seven emergency exit signs were not working because the batteries had died. In the presence of the inspector, he ordered new batteries and no other violations were found.
No records of property violations or other code matters were produced for either Neafcy or Supervisor Kara Shuler as a result of the right to know request.
Neafcy and Morroney publicly clashed in June and July when Morroney complained about the failure by some of his fellow supervisors to wear masks during public meetings in the township building, as a sign on the front door of the building required.
Supervisors meetings began to be broadcast live on Facebook after a citizen's petition asking for that measure was submitted to the supervisors in August.
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