[0:01] Okay, like everybody to turn their microphones on a while, please.

[0:07] Um, want to call this meeting to order and please join me for the pledge of

[0:15] allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the

[0:20] United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation

[0:26] under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[0:35] » Okay. Good evening and welcome to our September 9th, 2026

[0:42] um Spring Garden Township business meeting.

[0:47] Uh, presentations. We have none. I don't think anybody's on the list for

[0:54] um public comment.

[0:58] Nobody called you. >> Okay.

[1:02] » I didn't know you had >> Oh, no. Sometimes people make a

[1:07] presentation like just a citizen. >> Okay. Yeah. Yeah. walk, please walk up

[1:14] to the microphone and state your name and address, please.

[1:18] This, we're live streaming this um so we want to make sure that we get all our

[1:24] facts straight and we're recording it.

[1:28] » Okay. >> Hi, my name is Sydney George. I live at

[1:34] 1341 South Ogans and our whole block is having a problem with fungus flies. All

[1:42] the neighbors have had spring. We've had spring inside, outside. We cannot get

[1:46] rid of them. So, we're wondering, I've had a man from the University of

[1:51] Maryland. Um, what do you call the enmologist? We've had like five

[1:55] different exterminators and maybe 20 plumbers. They don't know where they're

[1:59] coming from. And so, I'm coming to you with a plea maybe to um canvas the

[2:05] neighborhood to see if there's something you could do for spraying. There's also

[2:08] mosquitoes and sweat flies. 1300 block of oans. So think maybe the run across

[2:15] the street where their deer live at the cemetery could be a source, but we don't

[2:18] know. We'll kind of wish. >> That was 1349.

[2:21] » 1341. >> 1341.

[2:24] » South Ogats. Yes.

[2:29] So, yep. Any thoughts, any ideas? That would be great. That's all I have to say

[2:34] unless you have Thank you. >> Thank you.

[2:41] to to anybody's knowledge, have we had any

[2:45] other complaints? I was there before

[2:50] and I could figure out. I mean, because that type of insect

[2:57] lives and breeds off of decaying matter. They're very tough to pinpoint.

[3:08] Are you tied into the sore? >> I'm sorry.

[3:11] » Are you tied into the public sore? >> Yes, we are.

[3:19] » It's not that.

[3:32] Okay. Yeah. Well,

[3:36] » we'll leave it up to you. >> Let me let me look at it.

[3:40] » Thank you.

[3:43] » Um, is there any other public comment, Rick?

[3:57] Ricky Dubs, 545 South Oant Street. I'm not sure who to direct this to, but uh

[4:06] since we're talking a lot about fire halls and fire buildings,

[4:13] uh I took notice there was a property sold

[4:17] on the back side or the front side, whatever you want to call it, of the

[4:22] Grantley Fire Department building uh over by York College.

[4:29] It was listed as Spring Garden Township Fair,

[4:36] not Spring Garden Township. My question is,

[4:42] is it our property or what?

[4:48] It's owned by the volunteer firefighters. And Chief Hoff, you can

[4:52] correct me if I'm wrong. >> No, you're correct, sir. that bill the

[4:57] property that Grantley Fire Company owns and operates out of presently is owned

[5:01] by them uh not the township. So yes, they did sell part of their property uh

[5:06] but that's completely separate from the township or our department.

[5:12] » Okay. In other words, we don't provide the taxes, the maintenance on the

[5:18] buildings or anything like that. >> I'm sorry, say that again. We don't

[5:24] get involved in the taxes, maintenance, billing, or

[5:29] » we get involved, our department gets involved with the maintenance at all of

[5:32] our fire stations, but that that's the extent of it. And the property that was

[5:36] sold is not the fire station. It was a a separate property that they own next to

[5:40] the fire station. >> So, in other words, you don't maintain

[5:44] that property, though. >> Correct. We only maintain the fire

[5:46] station. Sir, >> you you maintain the fire station, but

[5:50] not that property. >> Correct. So if the fire station sold, it

[5:55] would be in Spring Garden Township's name then.

[5:58] » No, >> no, it's owned by the volunteers.

[6:01] » It's owned by the Grantley Volunteer Fire Company.

[6:03] » Well, I'm asking. In other words, we're paying We're doing maintenance on

[6:09] it, the building that the fire station's at.

[6:15] But they're going to sell the building. I'm assuming when the new fire station

[6:21] is built. >> Yes, that's that I believe I have a

[6:26] memory. >> That money go to be recouped.

[6:29] » It'll probably go back into the new fire station.

[6:33] » What? >> It'll probably go back into the new fire

[6:36] station at some point in time. That's

[6:41] » Are you going to look into that for me? >> Yeah.

[6:45] » Okay. So, I could call you. We already talked talked about this. Yeah, we had a

[6:50] » Okay. I just wonder cuz I've seen it it come out of the blue. I seen it on the

[6:57] listing for real estate sold and it was sold to York College.

[7:02] » Yeah. >> I can't imagine they got a good deal out

[7:06] of it at 200 and some thousand a property in that neck of the woods.

[7:11] » That's real estate they need. And they're also I believe

[7:15] » I know they need it, but a lot of rent landlords would like to have it at that

[7:21] money. I'm sure of that. Okay. I'll call you when I see the fire station or when

[7:27] we start talking big about the fire building.

[7:31] » Yeah. >> Okay.

[7:33] » Okay. Is there any other public comment on something that's not on the agenda?

[7:41] Okay. Um,

[7:46] I need an action to approve the business meeting minutes of August 12th, 2026.

[7:53] » Move. >> I'll second.

[7:55] » Okay, we have a motion. We have a second. Is there any public comment?

[8:01] Okay. All in favor? I

[8:05] » I wasn't there.

[8:09] Okay,

[8:12] motion carries. Um,

[8:19] finance. We need an action item to accept the August 2026 treasures report

[8:25] in bank transactions.

[8:30] » I'll make a motion that we accept the August 2026 treasures report and bank

[8:34] transactions. >> I'll second.

[8:36] » Okay, we have a motion. We have a second. Is there any public comment?

[8:43] Okay. All those in favor? >> I

[8:45] » I >> I

[8:47] » opposed none. Motion carries.

[8:52] Subdivision and land development. Your country day school.

[8:58] He finally finished his project. I need an action item to ratify the manager's

[9:03] authorization for the engineer to inspect your country

[9:07] day school improvements for release of security funds and to release fuel full

[9:13] security based on the engineers's recommendation.

[9:17] » I'll make that motion. >> Okay, we have a second.

[9:23] » Second. >> Okay. Is there any public comment?

[9:29] All those in favor? >> I

[9:31] » I opposed none. Motion carries.

[9:36] Security release. York College nailer eco sciences building.

[9:43] I need an action item to ratify the manager's author authorization for the

[9:49] engineer to inspect your college nail eosciences building improvements for

[9:55] release of security funds and to release full security based on engineers

[10:00] recommendations. >> I'll also make that re or that uh

[10:04] motion. >> I'll second.

[10:05] » Okay, we have a motion. We have a second. Is there any public comment?

[10:12] Okay. All those in favor? I

[10:17] » I oppose none. Motion carries. 1 Golf Club Drive, Regent's Glenn

[10:24] Clubhouse time extension waiver. Um need an action to approve a 45day

[10:32] time extension waiver to November 19th, 2026 for Regent's Glenn Clubhouse plan.

[10:43] So moved. >> Second.

[10:46] » Okay, we have a motion. We have a second. Is there any public comment?

[10:53] » All those in favor? >> I

[10:54] » I >> I posted none. Motion carries.

[10:59] Okay. Old business. Fire station 892 Indian in Rock Dam

[11:06] Road. Request for payment MW Studios invoice

[11:12] 24156-14.

[11:17] Uh I need to approve $968.98

[11:22] 90 payment to MW Studios using unbudgeted funds from the building

[11:29] improvement fund. >> So move second.

[11:35] » Motion to second. Is there any public comment?

[11:40] All those in favor? >> I

[11:43] » opposed, none. Motion carries.

[11:50] Um, Windsor Park

[11:57] Public Park Rehabilitation Project Resolution 2026-15,

[12:05] Windsor Park Rehab Project, York County Open Space and Land Preservation Grant

[12:11] Application and Signing Authority. Uh, the grant request is for $60,000. I

[12:19] need an action item to approve resolution 2026-15

[12:24] Windsor Park Rehab project to York County Open Space and Land Preservation

[12:29] Grant application and signing authority. >> Gladly approve it.

[12:38] » Okay, we have a motion. >> Second

[12:41] » and a second. Is there any public comment?

[12:47] Okay. All those in favor? >> I

[12:49] » I >> opposed, none. Motion carries.

[12:54] Okay. I can't wait to list projects done.

[13:02] Triill road, Tri Hill sanitary and storm water sores project.

[13:09] Um, I need an action item to approve Tri Hill Sores project change order number

[13:16] eight in the amount of $ 38,618.95.

[13:25] » This will settle any differences in supply amounts using

[13:30] supply bid unit costs. >> I'll make that motion.

[13:36] » Okay, we have a motion. Do we have a second?

[13:39] » Second. >> Okay. Is there any public comment?

[13:46] » I've been regularly posting on social media about that being closed right now

[13:50] and yet I have still tried to drive that way a couple of times.

[13:55] » Yeah. Well, we all have. Okay. All those in favor?

[14:01] » I >> I

[14:02] » I opposed. None. Motion carries. Application for payment AFP

[14:10] number five final. The word final in action to approve AFP 5 in the amount

[14:19] of $31,000

[14:24] $31,216.87 87

[14:29] to CPA pavement services in accordance with the engineer's recommendation

[14:35] with 24,49120

[14:40] coming from liquid fuels and 2

[14:46] 5169 from SOAR fund and 4,67398

[14:54] from the general fund.

[14:59] I will make that motion. >> I'll second.

[15:03] » Motion second. Is there any public comment?

[15:08] » Okay. All those in favor? I >> I

[15:11] » I oppose. None. Motion carries. Virginia Avenue Storm Water and Sanitary

[15:19] Source Project. Application for payment AFP1

[15:26] in action item to approve AFP1 in the amount of $91,613

[15:34] to Roguel LLC from general fund.

[15:40] » I'll move that we approve application for payment number one in that amount to

[15:45] Roguel. >> I'll second.

[15:48] » Okay, we have a motion. We have a second. Is there any public comment?

[15:54] Okay. All those in favor? >> I

[15:57] » I oppose none. Motion carries. Vehicles and traffic ordinance

[16:04] amendment. This would be um in our code book

[16:09] 300-12, maximum speed limits established on certain streets.

[16:16] And we're going to establish a speed limit of 25 m an hour on South Yale

[16:24] Street as advertised by LTA PIG.

[16:30] » That's ad. >> And then we have 300-18

[16:35] stop intersections established. We're looking to establish a four-way

[16:41] intersection at Second Avenue and South Belellmont Street.

[16:46] In an action item to direct staff and solicister to draft and advertise

[16:51] chapter 300 ordinance amendment establishing a 25 mph speed limit on

[16:56] South Yel Street and to establish a four-way intersection at Second Avenue

[17:02] and South Belmont Street based on the advisement of an LTA

[17:09] traffic study. >> So moved.

[17:12] » Okay, >> I'll second. Motion to second. Is there

[17:16] any public comment? >> Greg, did we get any input from them as

[17:21] to how to ensure the safety farther down Belmont Street?

[17:26] » Um, >> yes, I did.

[17:28] » Okay. >> I got their recommendation. Um, we're

[17:31] going to paint a single line. >> Okay.

[17:34] » From where the entrance was to the old hospital.

[17:37] » Okay. >> And but it has to be at the correct

[17:41] angle. That's why we have to go back so far. And you don't do the intersection.

[17:46] You go to what would be the uh south side of third. Start that

[17:54] transition just keep traffic over that way.

[18:03] » Okay. I got

[18:12] » What does LTA stand for? >> Local technical assistance program. It's

[18:18] a program offered from Pendot for

[18:23] municipalities, burrows, cities. It's a free up to a certain point. So, at this

[18:31] point, we're getting great advice and

[18:36] Yeah, it's free. So,

[18:41] » okay. So, Rick, you want to come up?

[18:52] Ricky Dubs, 545 South Oant Street. Would somebody explain to me, in other

[19:00] words, where on South Yale Street is this involved with

[19:08] » all of South from Mount Rose to Spawn? >> All of South Yale.

[19:14] » Yes. >> Do you understand? South Yale goes from

[19:18] Market Street to Mount Rose Avenue. >> Correct.

[19:22] » So, in other words, we're talking in the boulevard still.

[19:26] » Correct. Neighborhood pro neighborhood area should be posted 25 miles an hour.

[19:34] » Okay. >> So, in other words, there will be signs

[19:38] posted 25 mph speed limit. >> Right. I don't think that's a change for

[19:45] between market and sixth. I think that's what it is right now.

[19:49] » Well, this said South Yale Street. South Yale starts at Market, goes to Mount

[19:54] Rose, >> right? I'm just saying I think that's

[19:57] already 25 miles hour. >> It's all 25 miles an hour without the

[20:02] sign. >> It's supposed to be, but we're putting

[20:05] signs up so our police department can enforce it.

[20:10] » Okay. So, in other words, we're spending money for something that

[20:16] doesn't need posting because you're not going to get a speeder. We can't even

[20:23] get police protection, much less speeding. But now, question comes in. I

[20:30] talked to my commissioner last meeting

[20:34] and there's no signs for speed limit on OAT Street,

[20:41] Midland Avenue. Are we going to do anything? Cuz when

[20:47] the gentleman wanted that sign put up about speed limit, all it did was force

[20:54] the traffic from Yale Street to Oon Street. more traffic. Then it went back

[21:00] to normal. In other words, when they took the which

[21:05] they put the sign up backwards, wrong location, this and that. But my question

[21:11] is, what about other township residents? We have the same problem. We have school

[21:20] buses on Oant Street. We got a daycare on the corner of Oant and

[21:28] Prospect Street. Don't we rate

[21:34] signs? >> I think you have signs in there.

[21:38] » I think you have signs in there. >> You think we do not have signs?

[21:45] Take my word or call my wife. She can tell you too cuz she looked for them.

[21:54] So, are we going to get, you know, oh, look at it.

[22:01] » Yeah, I guess. Yeah, >> but it's automatically 25 miles an hour

[22:08] » in a street in that location.

[22:13] » There there are signs on Midland Avenue South.

[22:16] » There are signs of Midland Avenue south of Mount Rose. You're saying there are

[22:19] none north of Mount Rose. >> North of Mount Rose.

[22:24] » Midland Avenue doesn't go north of Mount Rose. So, I'm not I'm not sure what you

[22:28] mean that there are no signs. There are >> There's no signs on South Shale Street.

[22:33] 25 mile RP limit. >> No, we're talking Yeah, that's what

[22:36] we're doing right now. >> Signs on Midland and on Oans. And I know

[22:41] there are signs on Midland. >> There are.

[22:43] » Yeah. >> We have to keep going here.

[22:46] » Yeah. because I mean I know on oans we don't have them.

[22:50] » Okay. Well, we can check into that, >> you know,

[22:56] but we're doing something that we don't need to do. That's why I

[23:01] don't understand cuz

[23:05] he'll tell you how much a sign cost. I don't have to.

[23:10] » We got a man in charge of that department. We've gotten multiple

[23:14] citizen complaints about speeding on South Yale. So,

[23:18] » you had >> Okay. Thank you for your comments, Mr.

[23:23] Dubs. Okay. Is there any other public comment?

[23:30] Okay. All those in favor? I >> I

[23:35] oppose none. Motion carries. New business.

[23:40] Uh Resolution

[23:46] 2026- >> 16

[23:50] » 16 Okay. Um

[23:55] let's see that Benjamin. Come on up.

[24:05] Good evening. Uh thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak with you

[24:09] tonight. Uh, first off, I want to sincerely thank the Spring Garden

[24:13] Township Board of Commissioners, Mr. W, Chief Hoff, and York County Regional

[24:17] Police Department for the continued support you've shown First Capital EMS

[24:21] over the years. Um, and more importantly, for your continued

[24:24] commitment to the health and safety of the citizens we all serve. Uh tonight

[24:30] I'm asking the township to sponsor First Capital EMS for an LSA category 4 grant

[24:35] application that would help us begin replacing our aging fleet of cardiac

[24:39] monitors. Uh cardiac monitors are one of the most important pieces of equipment

[24:44] we carry on our ambulances. They're the reason why ALS service happens. Um, they

[24:51] allow our crews to monitor a patient's heart rhythm, obtain 12 lead ECGs,

[24:55] provide defibrillation when necessary, and gather critical information that

[24:59] helps guide patient care. Currently, we have 10 cardiac monitors that need to be

[25:03] replaced. But I want to make it clear for everybody in attendance, we're not

[25:08] asking Spring Garden Township to solve the entire problem for us. Uh, in fact,

[25:13] we're taking a very deliberate and financially responsible approach to

[25:17] addressing this. and some of our monitors right now we currently use

[25:21] LifePack 15s but we have version one and version two uh of those units and

[25:27] unfortunately the V1's and V2s have been considered obsolete by Striker so they

[25:33] no longer carry parts for it and that's been 2 and 1/2 years since that since

[25:37] they made that determination and that's that's a big concern for me uh and it's

[25:42] a big concern for our patients and the residents that we serve because if we

[25:47] can't get these parts. Those monitors become paper weights. They're not worth

[25:51] anything. They don't do anything. And that doesn't help anybody because we

[25:56] don't have cardiac monitors that we can put on a unit. That means we have to

[26:00] take that unit out of service, which means less units on the street for our

[26:04] residents. Um, you know, they are critical pieces

[26:08] of life-saving equipment and our crews know that they or our crews need to know

[26:14] that they can depend on it and we can maintain it, service it, and keep it

[26:18] operational. Uh, and that's why we're looking ahead rather than waiting for

[26:22] something to fail because we've done that way too long in EMS. We react

[26:25] instead of being proactive and we're trying to change that and we're not

[26:29] looking at it simply as trying to buy something new or fun or different. Uh

[26:35] the lifepac 35 is the current generation platform and provides significant

[26:40] enhancements. Uh it has a larger and high definitionition touchscreen. Uh the

[26:45] ability to display more waveforms and patient parameters. So our u diagnostic

[26:50] equipment we can see much more at once on one screen. Um, we have expanded ECG

[26:56] capabilities, pediatric AED functionality, and CPR insight

[27:00] technology that gives us immediate live feedback on the CPR that we're

[27:05] performing. Uh, the LifePac 15s currently don't do that. Our goal is to

[27:10] make an investment that will serve First Capital EMS and Spring Garden Township

[27:14] for many years rather than simply replacing an aging monitor with another

[27:17] aging platform. The quote we have obtained is for two life pack monitors

[27:21] and the associated equipment with a total cost of approximately $133,000

[27:26] including shipping and handling. Two monitors represent only 20% of the

[27:31] 10 that we ultimately need to replace. But we're okay with that because 20% is

[27:37] better than zero. And that philosophy is really representative of how we've been

[27:41] approaching First Capital EMS as a whole. We've been very intentional uh

[27:46] about being responsible stewards of our resources. Uh you know, as an example,

[27:50] we've been right sizing our fleet. Uh we sold two ambulances and an SUV that no

[27:55] longer made sense for our operational needs. And rather than simply replacing

[27:59] those vehicles with more ambulances, we strategically reinvested those resources

[28:04] into a pickup truck uh that will serve as a dedicated uh rehab, mass casualty,

[28:09] and ALS response vehicle to serve the fire companies and also the communities.

[28:16] Uh we've been very aggressively pursuing grants and outside funding opportunities

[28:20] for equipment, training vehicles, and other operational needs. And we're doing

[28:23] that because we understand that financial responsibility isn't simply

[28:27] about asking municipalities for money whenever we need it. It's about looking

[28:31] at what we have, determining what we actually need, making smart decisions

[28:36] with the resources available to us, and pursuing every outside funding

[28:40] opportunity we possibly can. And this cardiac monitor project is a perfect

[28:43] example. We have a legitimate capital need. We have aging equipment that needs

[28:47] replaced. and we've identified that equipment that we believe makes the most

[28:52] sense for our organization instead of simply coming to our municipal partners

[28:56] and saying, "Hey, we need $133,000 because I'm sure that would go over

[29:00] really well in, you know, September." Um, we're asking for your help in

[29:06] leveraging an outside funding opportunity is what we're going for. Uh,

[29:10] and that's why Spring Garden Township is so important to us. This grant requires

[29:14] municipal sponsorship and by sponsoring First Capital, you're giving us the

[29:18] opportunity to compete for funding that could provide approximately $133,000

[29:22] worth of cardiac monitoring equipment. I know there's no guarantee we'll get it,

[29:27] but without a municipal sponsor, we don't even get that opportunity. And I

[29:32] think that's and I think it's an important distinction we talk about

[29:35] financial stability and fiscal responsibility. We're not asking the

[29:38] township to purchase these monitors. We're asking you to help us pursue

[29:41] funding that could significantly reduce the financial burden on that would be on

[29:45] us to replace them. If we're successful, we replace two monitors. Then we'll

[29:50] pursue funding for the next two, then the next two, and eventually we'll get

[29:54] all 10 replaced. And that's how we're approaching it. One opportunity, one

[29:58] grant, one investment at a time. Um, we also understand Spring Garden has to be

[30:04] careful about how you use your own resources. We understand that every

[30:08] dollar has competing demands. Uh that's why we're not asking you to simply take

[30:14] our word for it that this is a worthwhile investment.

[30:17] Showing you we're putting our own house in order. We're making strategic

[30:20] decisions about the resources we have and we're actively looking for ways to

[30:24] bring outside funding into the organization.

[30:29] It's a municipality and its EMS provider working together to make an investment

[30:33] in the safety of the community. So on behalf of First Capital EMS, I want to

[30:37] thank you not only for considering this request tonight, but for the partnership

[30:41] and support you've provided to us. We're asking you to help us take the first

[30:46] step in in fixing our cardiac monitor issue.

[30:53] » Okay. Thank you. >> Any questions for me?

[30:57] » I don't think so. It's pretty cut and dry.

[31:01] Thank you. >> Okay. Okay, I need an action item to

[31:04] approve resolution 202616, First Capital Cardiac Monitors LSA Cat 4

[31:12] grant application and signing authority. >> So move second.

[31:21] » Okay, we have a motion. We have a second. Is there any public comment?

[31:26] Okay, all those in favor. >> I opposed none. Motion carries. And I

[31:32] wanted to comi com commend you guys on the reduction in call time that you

[31:37] reported on your monthly report this been trying we've been trying to make

[31:41] better better decisions.

[31:45] » Okay. Commissioner constituent representation.

[31:51] I would personally like to thank public works for

[31:56] getting the graffiti as well as they could off the Wrath Road

[32:01] Bridge. Um there was a fence of

[32:06] there was there was more Nazi symbols and

[32:10] um words I'm not even going to say.

[32:15] Um so thanks for that Craig. Appreciate it.

[32:23] Um, that's pretty much the extent of my comments.

[32:32] Commissioner Pinkerton.

[32:35] » Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I I was not um in attendance at the last uh board of

[32:41] commissioners meeting and um thank you for excusing me for that. So, um I just

[32:44] wanted to mention that because uh some of my remarks here are going to reflect

[32:48] um uh some of the period that includes uh the month of August in into September

[32:53] here. Uh but I I I just wanted to start on a note of appreciation. Um and we

[32:57] have had conversations as recently as this evening concerning traffic issues.

[33:01] Um traffic issues, concerns that have been expressed um in these public

[33:06] meetings um and suggestions in fact as to how traffic uh might be addressed

[33:11] differently. And I just want to acknowledge the good work that has

[33:13] happened. Um earlier this evening we took action on a issue pertaining to

[33:20] Second Avenue and South Belmont Street which is terrific. Um I wanted to

[33:24] specifically thank manager White uh Superintendent Rule uh Chief Damon um

[33:30] and the LTAP engineer um for just uh not just the professionalism but the

[33:35] expeditious approach that was taken relative to these traffic issues. I

[33:38] appreciate uh the seriousness and again the the the the the responsiveness um on

[33:43] that. So, thank you very much. I know that it's an ongoing evolving issue.

[33:46] Obviously, traffic concerns and and accidents are are prevalent all around

[33:50] us and just that that those issues are in good hands uh provides I think some

[33:54] comfort for me and the folks uh in in in W 2. So, thank you. Um I I secondly

[34:01] wanted to address some concerns that um were heard as recently as this evening

[34:06] um and and and last month as well. And that relates to the bike lanes on uh

[34:11] Belmont Street specifically. And I I I note that uh Mr. Dubs uh stepped stepped

[34:15] out of the room right now. He did pass me a note uh before leaving that says,

[34:19] "Have you done," he's referring to me specifically, "Have you done any survey

[34:23] on bike path at Old Hospital?" He's referring to Belmont Street. and he's

[34:27] raised this before and I understand he raised it in my absence the last month

[34:30] in the month of August. Um I just wanted to briefly say a couple things about

[34:34] bike lanes and the bike lanes uh on Belmont Street in particular. Um the

[34:39] first is is that I think and and I hope and I think uh Superintendent Rule would

[34:44] agree um that we we're off to a good start here but but that certainly

[34:47] there's room for improvement, right? And I think the fact that in response to

[34:51] Commissioner Gray's question, you know, Superintendent Rule pointed out that

[34:54] yeah, we're going to make little changes and we kind of make this better as we

[34:56] go. Um, so that's that's to say that it's not perfect to begin with, but it's

[35:00] getting better. Um, with respect to this idea of how much use the bike lanes are

[35:06] getting. I wanted to first offer that um, in general, in a very general sense,

[35:10] ridership in bike lanes anywhere uh, increases when um, destinations are

[35:17] connected. So the point here is I think oh we're just in phase one. We don't

[35:21] have a phase two yet. So we don't have an absolute uh destination and therefore

[35:26] I don't think can get too upset that the bike lane is not filled with traffic. So

[35:29] that's point number one. Secondly uh I think I think most everyone can agree

[35:34] that there's a need for um education on bike lanes in general. How to properly

[35:39] use them how they are used um who belongs there in what ways and and and

[35:43] and how that particular facility is used. Um, and that goes hand inhand with

[35:48] awareness. So, I don't think it's it's it's completely fair for anyone to sit

[35:53] back and say, "Oh, the bike lanes aren't being used." When in fact, I don't know

[35:56] that we've done a whole lot to make folks aware that aware that they exist

[36:00] in the first place. So, I think there's just a general education, awareness that

[36:04] needs to happen before we can stand back and and make a judgment call as to

[36:07] whether or not the bike lanes are used. Lastly, uh, in terms of bike lanes, um,

[36:12] bikes move people quickly. Um, I've lived in and visited uh some of the most

[36:18] bike friendly communities in the United States, and I can tell you not once have

[36:22] I ever seen a bike lane that's congested where it's bumper-to-bumper bikes. It

[36:25] just doesn't happen. Bikes move uh uh efficiently. Uh they don't cause traffic

[36:29] jams. And so, I think when people see empty bike lanes, what they're actually

[36:32] seeing is efficiency in a form of transportation. So, um, again, there's

[36:37] room for improvement on the bike lanes that we've started here in Spring Garden

[36:40] Township, but I but but but I want folks to know that, um, efforts are being made

[36:44] to make those better. And again, I think education and awareness with respect to

[36:47] those bike lanes is very important as we as as we move forward. Um, last point I

[36:53] wanted to make. I was uh not able to uh add my voice to the congratulations on

[36:58] the $2.5 million uh that we received for the RACK P award specific to the fire

[37:04] service and emergency service center uh that that we will build. So so so I am

[37:08] very much appreciative of that and I think we all owe a debt of thanks to uh

[37:12] uh state senator Christristen Phillips Hill and and and state representative

[37:16] Carol Hill Evans. So so thank you uh and congratulations to the folks working on

[37:20] that project. Um, and lastly, since uh, Chief Damon's here, I just wanted to

[37:24] point out I did review the the last meeting and and noted um, some really

[37:29] good information that Lieutenant Zimmerman had provi provided. Uh, I

[37:33] think intended to be in response to uh, some of the feedback that he had

[37:37] gathered from from meetings like this in which residents and others may have made

[37:40] comments that uh, there wasn't maybe a visual or a real presence of police. And

[37:46] I think the numbers bear out uh as as Lieutenant Zimmerman presented that in

[37:50] fact offensives, you know, offenses have actually increased. And so I think what

[37:55] I took from that presentation um that Lieutenant Zimmerman gave was that um

[38:00] you know the work the hard work continues. Hard work is being done. And

[38:03] if you compare the two years in fact um from the time that this the the Spring

[38:08] Garden had its own police department to where we are today on a regional basis,

[38:11] a lot of good work has been accomplished. and and and you know

[38:15] that's that's that's definitely worth um I think an acknowledgement of just not

[38:20] just pulling the data together but but presenting it in such a way that made

[38:23] sense and I think makes makes a strong uh uh argument as to um the the the

[38:29] value and and the good work that your county regional police department is

[38:32] doing. So thank you Chief Damon and and my thanks to Lieutenant Zman as well.

[38:35] Thank you. >> Nothing further m

[38:38] » Okay, Commissioner Gray. Um to jump off of that, I wanted to

[38:44] mention that um in the police commission meetings for the regional, we get to

[38:48] enjoy something that we used to enjoy here in this with this body, which is

[38:54] the award ceremonies for our police officers. Um and um

[39:01] so I will try to um in the future it occurred to me let the rest of my

[39:06] commissioners know when awards are being given out at the commission meetings in

[39:10] case you want to come and participate in congratulating our officers. And I'll

[39:15] just mention for instance that in August the our um one of our K9 units um Jesse

[39:23] Maine and K9 officer Tango were awarded the Fiat Justicia Award by the

[39:28] organization our rescue uh for their work over the years uh involving child

[39:34] exploitation investigations. So that was not an award that we gave out. That was

[39:39] an award that they received though and we're very proud of them. Um

[39:44] um kind of continuing on first uh responders. Uh everybody knows we're

[39:50] approaching the 25th anniversary of 911 and um I was very proud to see that York

[39:56] Suburban High School will be hosting a 911 remembrance ceremony sponsored by

[40:01] the York County Commissioners on Friday morning. That is an invitationon

[40:06] event because there's limited space, but it's for our first responders and their

[40:11] families. um and um to uh to recognize those who

[40:16] serve today, to remember those that we lost and to honor all those who answered

[40:21] the call when our nation was attacked 25 years ago. And also I've spoken to the

[40:25] superintendent and our EMS group which is supported by Yawer and by first

[40:30] capital our students who are studying uh EMS are going to are very excited to be

[40:37] welcoming uh all these first responders to the high school and planning to go

[40:41] with them as after the ceremony itself they are going to

[40:47] uh symbolically do a 911 stair climb representing the 110 floors of the World

[40:53] Trade. cent's twin towers. So, they're going to go up and down the steps in the

[40:57] football stadium to climb 271 steps. So, um that'll be quite the event. And

[41:05] um I um so that's not a public one, but I did

[41:11] want to remind the public that everybody is invited to the annual Court of Valor

[41:15] and Safekeepers Shrine ceremony at Prospect Hill Cemetery honoring veterans

[41:19] and first responders. That's this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Prospect Hill. And um on

[41:27] September 17th, uh I wanted to mention um Luther, I just got the invitation to

[41:33] the next Yampo workshop. Um I don't know if you guys are planning to go. Uh

[41:38] that's um Yampo is the York area metropolitan planning organization and

[41:44] it is our uh decision-making organization for transportation plans

[41:49] made done with federal funding. Um so I am planning to attend so I unfortunately

[41:56] that'll make me at least half an hour late to the staff picnic but um I will

[42:00] be there and the public is welcome to attend that as well. So, um, other than

[42:06] that, I just, uh, echo what Dave said at the earlier in the meeting. We're really

[42:10] looking forward to the work on Tri Hill being done, but, um, we've really been

[42:16] enjoying this good weather. I'm so glad that you got good weather for it.

[42:22] » Tomorrow, not so much. Yeah. So far, yeah,

[42:25] » day by day. >> Yeah, that's me.

[42:30] » Okay. Commissioner Herold. Uh the first thing

[42:33] that I would uh well the pretty much the only thing that I would like to say is

[42:37] um I e echo uh Commissioner Gray. There's never a wrong time to express

[42:41] our thanks to the first responders, but uh particularly as we approach the 25th

[42:46] anniversary. I think it's just um important to um express our thanks, our

[42:50] gratitude, and to uh remember sort of the cohesive um u environment that this

[42:57] country was uh we enjoyed after that. And it's um never again never a bad time

[43:02] to uh to thank our first responders. So I'll just leave it at that. Thank you.

[43:08] » Okay, Commissioner Qu.

[43:12] » Okay. Well, in reference

[43:16] to uh what we passed a little bit earlier about a

[43:21] four-way stop sign at Second and South Belmont,

[43:27] the intersection right down the street from my house at Lancaster Avenue and

[43:32] South Street is not getting any better.

[43:37] The other week, we had an incident down there.

[43:41] young man got hit with a one of them ebikes.

[43:45] Unfortunately, it was one of our pickup trucks from the township.

[43:51] Now, he wasn't hurt or anything. Uh, and it was his fault because he went right

[43:56] through the stop sign, never stopped, and the driver of our pickup truck was

[44:04] that close to the intersection, he just didn't have time to really stop

[44:07] completely. and it clipped the back of his bike,

[44:13] but he got up and brushed himself off and

[44:18] talked, you know, see if he was all right and everything. He was. He got on

[44:21] his bike and left. Um,

[44:26] now on that west side of that intersection that where the stop sign

[44:32] is, there's been a car parked there for the last four days.

[44:37] That whole side's been parked up and it's right on top of the stop sign.

[44:43] Um, the other side's almost as bad. So, um,

[44:51] we had another incident where, matter of fact, this morning, a car come through

[44:57] that same stop sign, went down towards Prospect Street, and

[45:02] at that stop sign went straight through that up towards Hill Street.

[45:08] Um, I had two I seen two of them come out of

[45:13] off of uh Maple and head towards Mount Rose.

[45:19] And then the ones coming off of Mount Rose are still flying down the street.

[45:24] Um,

[45:27] where one car he almost had an accident at the same intersection.

[45:34] We thought he was going to hit the truck that went through the stop sign.

[45:39] We measured his skid marks. They were over 36 feet long.

[45:44] So that guy come down Mount Lancaster Avenue off of Mount Rose, he was flying,

[45:50] but yet we're told constantly nobody speeds up and down that street.

[45:57] Now I guess somebody's got to get killed before we get something done on those

[46:02] intersections. So,

[46:06] um, I don't I don't know. I

[46:12] I I think I'm just going to give up on trying to get something done that's

[46:15] going to be safe for that section of the neighborhood because it's not worth

[46:20] fighting it anymore. We've been trying for six years to get a four-way stop

[46:25] sign in there on both those intersections.

[46:30] We can't get nobody to listen and nobody wants to do anything. So, I guess

[46:34] somebody's going to have to get killed before we get something done in this

[46:38] township for that. So, that's all I got to say about it.

[46:50] There was an email sent about some different configurations for that

[46:55] intersection, but um yeah, we can talk about that

[47:00] later. Um

[47:04] okay, township consultants. Um Beth, do you have anything to add your report?

[47:11] » No, nothing to add this evening. Thank you.

[47:14] Okay, Dave, >> just to add on to Commissioner

[47:17] Pinkerton's remarks on the bicycle trail usage, uh, phase two is actually in

[47:24] progress, which includes dedicated parking adjacent to Elmwood Park and

[47:28] parking spaces behind Victory Fire Company. So, that will help. The other

[47:33] thing I'd point out is that um little known fact is Market Street and

[47:37] Philadelphia Street are part of Bicycle Pennsylvania Route S which goes from

[47:42] Ohio to New Jersey. So you're within a half a block of something that actually

[47:46] connects to two different states. So give it a little bit of time to to catch

[47:51] on and I I think you'll find it'll get some use.

[47:57] » Yep. Thank you. Um, Chief Hoff.

[48:04] » Okay.

[48:08] Um, Chief Damon.

[48:12] » Yes, I do. Thank you. Um, just wanted to remind everyone that on um, Sunday the

[48:20] 13th, there will be a Court of Valor ceremony at Prospect Hill Cemetery.

[48:26] And at that ceremony, we will be uh honoring and recognizing fireman John

[48:31] Peters, who was a Spring Garden Township Police Officer and Firefighter who died

[48:37] in the line of duty on April 6, 1937. So, in his passing, his uh recognition

[48:45] of dying in the line of duty has been lost to time. Um, but I would say thanks

[48:50] to our uh part-time grant writer and uh Spring Garden Township resident Samantha

[48:56] Dorm, she was able to uh uncover this information and bring it to the

[49:01] attention of uh Prospect Hill Cemetery where where uh Officer Peters can

[49:06] finally be recognized where his family is actually coming from out of town uh

[49:11] for this ceremony. So uh that is part of that for that uh

[49:17] incident. Yes. And again on um Friday uh 911 and a lot of us uh first

[49:24] responders have been uh started before this or started after 911 and we

[49:30] continue to recognize the sacrifice of of all first responders especially those

[49:35] that uh we lost on that day and um I I don't think it's lost on us to uh to

[49:41] remember them and so that they're they're never forgotten uh for what they

[49:45] did And um so just uh just to identify some of the the other issues and and uh

[49:53] Commissioner Pickerton, I appreciate your comments uh on the police activity.

[49:59] I would I would also be remiss if I didn't say that the police department

[50:04] has been reviewing an unsolved homicide uh from 2008

[50:10] » uh which is taking up some time and and that is not police uniform time. So

[50:16] there's still police officers on patrol. Um you have two to three of them in the

[50:22] township at any one time and many times more than that. Uh as I personally came

[50:27] in on July 31st to do some uh activity in the morning hours between midnight

[50:33] and 5:00 a.m. Uh and there was five of us the entire time in the township.

[50:38] » And thank you for that, Chief. >> Yep.

[50:40] Um, so there they're although you may not see them, they are there. And um,

[50:49] I want to make sure that we also address the unsolved homicide in a family that

[50:53] hasn't had justice in the last 18 years. So we are diligently working on that and

[50:59] hopefully we'll have a resolution to that in the near future. So I I get what

[51:05] you're saying. Um, I'm also, uh, Commissioner Guilt, an accident

[51:10] reconstructionist. I've been qualified in court as an expert and 36 feet of of

[51:15] skid marks is only 29 miles an hour. So, that's that's the formula and that's the

[51:22] facts because I just sat here and did that. So, I I understand that

[51:25] perception. >> I understand the perception may be that,

[51:29] but uh, I am qualified as an expert in accident reconstruction.

[51:32] » There's a woman driving the car, not a guy. So,

[51:35] » I don't know that that has anything to do with the with the with the skid

[51:40] marks, but um I do appreciate the opportunity to uh be a part of this

[51:45] township. I know the officers uh enjoy and I know a lot of the officers from

[51:50] Spring Garden have enjoyed the merger. So, we continue to work towards uh

[51:55] satisfying all the needs of the citizens and the commission and we continue to do

[51:59] that work. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[52:04] » Okay. Thank you, Chief Damon. Uh, Township Administration Luther, do

[52:10] you have anything to add to your report? >> Nothing to add.

[52:13] » Okay. >> I just wanted to note that Luther's

[52:16] report included that our website is now fully ADA accessible. So, congrats to

[52:21] the staff for achieving that. It's great.

[52:30] » Okay. Um, zoning and codes enforcement. Okay,

[52:39] Craig. >> I have nothing to

[52:42] » Okay.

[52:46] And Katie's recovering, so

[52:53] he um she'll be out for a little bit. >> Recovery from surgery, if anybody's

[53:00] » Yeah.

[53:08] I didn't say that. >> Okay. Is there any other public comment

[53:14] at this time about something that's not on the

[53:18] agenda?

[53:23] » Missy Stewart, 1161 Hollywood Terrace. I would also like to give kudos to Luther

[53:27] and the staff. At last month's meeting, I made mention that the newsletter was

[53:31] not correct on the website. It was old version and like within a day, y'all had

[53:35] that fixed. So, thank you for doing that.

[53:47] » Robera Bafo, 1080 Grand View, I just wanted to thank you for putting the

[53:52] workshop on Savvy Citizen. It was really helpful for me and it allowed me to

[53:56] come. And I was also since we're talking about Savvy Citizen hoping that you

[54:01] could I'm I'm just suggesting that maybe we

[54:05] put all our meetings on Savvy Citizen via Port of Commissioners Recreation

[54:09] Commission as a way to promote recreation

[54:13] and send it out to everybody so they know when it is and also when we cancel

[54:19] meetings like recreation or planning commission so I know not to show up as

[54:23] well. Thank you.

[54:31] Hi everybody. Amy Mitten, 653 Malberry Street. Um, nice to see you all. Haven't

[54:37] seen you guys in a while. I've been a little held up with family stuff, so I

[54:41] haven't been able to make it to most of the meetings, but I'm happy to be back

[54:44] this month and on a good month when we're getting uh some stuff for the

[54:50] rehab for the parks in in my neighborhood. So, I'm very happy about

[54:54] that and wanted to thank you all for for that effort as well. Um, I wanted to

[54:59] make a comment to uh your your com your your complaints regarding the traffic in

[55:05] your neighborhood. I agree with you. It has the we you and I have both had

[55:11] complaints about our neighborhoods and speeding and the traffic for many many

[55:14] many years. My comment is more along the lines of Mr. Pinkerton

[55:21] just started this year and already has a four-way stop sign under his belt. What

[55:25] is he doing that maybe you could emulate perhaps and and assist? If there's

[55:31] anything that you did to assist to get that done, perhaps you could help Mr.

[55:35] Guilt >> and in getting that done instead of

[55:38] siloing in our wards, maybe working together to get those things worked out

[55:44] » so we don't have to complain about them for many years.

[55:46] » Good. I'm not I'm not I'm not accusing anyone of not doing what they wanted to

[55:51] do. I'm just making a suggestion of maybe collaborating a little bit to you

[55:57] know you were you were successful. Perhaps you could share your success

[56:00] with with him and maybe he can find the missing piece that he's been looking

[56:04] for. That was my only comment. Thank you very much.

[56:11] Is there any other public comment?

[56:16] Okay. Somebody want to make the motion to

[56:20] adjurnn? >> So moved.

[56:24] » Motion to have a second. Okay. All those in favor? I

[56:28] » I >> journed.

[56:36] Chief, all I know is that you've been at each meeting you've been at, we've been

[56:40] under an hour. So, I mean, you know, >> I don't know.

[56:51] » That's true.

[57:03] Do you know if that's Um,

SGTwp BOC Business Meeting 09/09/2026

Transcript