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KINGSTON TWP. — Supervisors tabled the yard waste support facility ordinance due to conflicting information supervisor-elect Melissa Chamberlain presented Wednesday night.
The ordinance specified security measures including gates, surveillance cameras, signage and hiring a part-time employee to monitor the existing yard waste support facility located on East Center Street.
At the November meeting, Benjamin R. Jones III, township solicitor, cited all security measures were required by Dallas Area Municipal Authority.
Chamberlain debated the regulations stating she called the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and spoke with Chuck Rogers of the northeast office.
“He said these guidelines, the guidelines that we are following, are for a composting facility like the DAMA facility on Route 118 in Lehman Township,” Chamberlain said. “We are following guidelines for a composting facility, not a support facility.”
Chamberlain also questioned the supervisors about the cost of the “required items.”
The Yard Waste Support Facility was established over 17 years ago, said Kathleen Sebastian, township manager.
“We have had people coming in, commercial haulers taking advantage of the facility,” said James Reino, supervisor chairperson.
There were past issues of people stealing township materials that are stored on site, such as modified stone, Sebastian said.
“The gates are already there,” Sebastian said. “The cameras and signs were budgeted.”
Jones said the operation is a support facility and as such, it is subjected to the same regulations that the “Route 118 DAMA (composting) facility has, including signage, fencing, the whole nine yards.
“That was the opinion that I was given by DAMA. If you show me in writing the regulations are not what I was told it was to be, I would recommend changes to the ordinance,” said Jones.
Chamberlain also raised concerns about a part-time seasonal employee hired at $12.50 an hour for 30 hours a week to “monitor the leaf pile.”
“This opens a whole laundry list of things, such as, will there be a shelter for this person, a place to plug in a fan,” she asked.
The expense of the employee was budgeted for $12,000.
“We are a growing and progressive town,” Reino said. “We have no problem in hiring people. This is not an excessive amount of money.”
Supervisors Frank Natitus, Jeffrey Box and Shirley Moyer voted to table the ordinance for further research.
In other news…
• Box was honored for his 12 years of service as a supervisor.
• Tara Oliver, tax collector; Jonathan Jurish, road worker; and Eric Van Tuyl, janitorial and maintenance were hired. Michael Kester was promoted to assistant road director.
• David Jenkins was appointed to represent Kingston Township on the Dallas Area Municipal Authority Board of Directors.
• Dates for the Kingston Township annual Christmas Tree Pick-up are slated for Jan. 4 through 15.
The township reorganization meeting is slated for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 4 in the municipal building. The next regular municipal meeting is scheduled 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 in the municipal building.