This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.
Cornwall Borough Council unanimously agreed to continue working towards an agreement for the Cornwall Borough Police Department to enforce traffic violations along Alden Way at its monthly meeting Monday.
Representatives of the 55+ housing development at 100 Freeman Drive came before council last month to request borough police enforce violations on the private roadway. Council directed the solicitor to look into whether enforcement is possible, given that the road has not been dedicated to the borough.
Solicitor Josele Cleary reported that traffic enforcement on the private roadway is possible if three conditions are met: a traffic study is performed to determine a speed limit, signs and postings comply with PennDOT regulations, and the borough advertises and adopts an ordinance establishing a speed limit.
Council president Bruce Harris noted that if plans to enforce the road go forward, he wants it to be clear that police would not be obligated to spend any set amount of time patrolling the street. He also said that Hometown HOA would be expected to foot the bill for meeting the conditions.
Hometown HOA representatives indicated they are willing to take on the cost.
Frequent problems in the development include stop sign violations and speeding, both by residents and nonresidents using Alden Way as a shortcut.
The HOA is looking into installing snowplow-safe speed bumps as a speeding deterrent, but primarily hopes the borough can help with stop sign violations.
Council also heard updates on the Spring Hill Acres emergency access. In the last few months, several residents have come forward concerned about the safety of residents and campers in the event of an emergency, with only one way to exit.
Last month, council agreed to accept a donation of stone from Byler Holdings to create an emergency access between Spring Hill Acres and Camp Rocky Creek.
Borough manager Cody Rhoads said the stone ultimately was not accepted because it was muddy, but councilman Tony Fitzgibbons said it may still be usable if properly layered.
The as-of-now-unusable road is owned by the defunct Spring Hill Acres HOA, which makes altering it legally tricky. Cleary said improvements to the road cannot be made without an agreement by the HOA, which has not met in years.
She also said that, although the person paying the property taxes has offered to gift the land to the borough, he cannot sell the parcel without a vote by the HOA. While condemnation of the parcel is possible, she said, it would be a time- and resource-intensive endeavor that could ultimately yield no results.
Council discussed sending mail to residents of Spring Hill Acres to see if former members of the HOA could organize a meeting to deal with emergency access.
In other news, council:
- Approved waivers and conditional approval for a 12-townhouse development at Rexmont Ridge. Councilman Thomas Burton opposed.
- Unanimously agreed to hire Zachary Donmoyer, 25, as a full-time police officer and to renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement so they can pay Donmoyer and another officer who started this year $67,000 annually rather than $62,000.
- Unanimously agreed to approve waivers for and conditional approval of a subdivision plan at 130 Magnetite Lane, including an additional two-family unit.
- Unanimously agreed to accept a low bid for a pressure reducing valve from Arthur Ungst Inc. for $172,552.
- Unanimously agreed to authorize a stormwater exemption for Gatehouse Drive, where Cornwall Manor is developing one more duplex than stormwater management has accounted for.
- Unanimously agreed to plan for minimum 2025 MMO contributions, with $133,000 allotted to them for the police plan from the state.
- Unanimously agreed to authorize Steckbeck Engineering to apply for a Low Volume Road Grant for a six-inch pipe replacement.
- Unanimously agreed to approve the treasurer’s, secretary’s, and police reports.
Council meets the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
More Top Stories
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
