Summary of 10 April 2024 BOS Meeting
This is my personal summary of the April 10, 2024, meeting of the #NewtownPA Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete nor an official summary.
Access the 2024 BOS Chronicle for detailed summaries of all 2024 BOS meetings to date. Also, access the (UNOFFICIAL) 2024 BOS Voting Record.
Agenda Items, Discussions, Decisions, and More
- Reports of Committees, Boards and Commissions
- Board Member John Mack
- Public Hearing
- Reports of Officials
- Manager’s Report
- Other Items of Interest
ZHB: Newtown Artesian Water Company PFAS Filtration Plan
Newtown Artesian Water Company (NAWC), requested variances from and a special exception to permit a rear yard setback of 36.46 feet where a minimum of 50 feet is required in order to construct a 2-story addition to an existing building, which will be used to remove PFAS from Newtown’s drinking water.
As of Wednesday, public water systems that don’t monitor for PFAS have three years to start. If they detect PFAS at levels above the EPA limits, they will have two more years to purchase and install new technologies to reduce PFAS in their drinking water.
I was a "party to the case" and requested that a tree barrier be installed on the border with the Country Bend common ground to mitigate any noise generated by the facility. The ZHB approved the variance and special exceptions with the CONDITION that the NAWC will work with the township implementing the “appropriate landscaping,” which I assume includes the tree barrier that I requested.
Durham Investments Day Care/Medical Building Plan
Applicant is seeking approval of conditional use for two buildings, a D-2 medical office, 6,000 square foot building and a C-10 childcare facility on a 10,000 square foot building with associated play area, parking and roadway improvements on a 4.9-acre parcel.
Public Comment
From Frank McCarron (FTMcCarron@gmail.com): “For your information, I had submitted a Right to Know Request and reviewed the developer's application form, the Justification submitted by the developer, the site plan submitted by the developer and the CKS review letter prepared by Michele Fountain. I found so many issues with the application that it warranted a thorough response.”
Read Mr. McCarron’s Full Public Comment.
The vote: 4-1 (Supervisor Mack voting “nay”)
Law Enforcement Accreditation Services proposal
According to the April 5, 2024, Township Manager’s Report: “Chief Hearn has obtained a service agreement from Law Enforcement Accreditation Services to perform ongoing reporting, etc. to maintain the department's accreditation status. The Sergeant who currently handles the reporting is planning on retiring in the near future. The annual cost is approximately $12,000 annually. This cost will be offset by the unused Watchguard (in car cameras) warranties that we are no longer using, as we have the body cameras in place (also approx. $12,000 annually). An item will be included on the upcoming agenda for the Boards consideration and associated documentation from the Chief will be included in the packet for reference.”
BOS voted 5-0 to approve this.
NOTE: I attended the February 15, 2024, Bucks NAACP Race & Policing in Bucks County Briefing (see page 19) where I was told that Accreditation required police departments to facilitate public complaints by residents. The NAACP noted that there is no complaint form on the NTPD/Newtown Twp website.
My Personal Meeting Notes
I prepared the following personal notes prior to the meeting, adding vote counts and answers to questions. View the notes embedded below or download the pdf document.
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