West Cornwall Twp. sets timetable, gains flexibility for Cavalry at Quentin rec fee

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West Cornwall Township supervisors approved a change to a land development agreement with Cavalry at Quentin on Monday that sets a new timetable for the developer’s payment of the parks and rec fee and allows the township a broader use of those funds.

Based on the number of residential units, the parks and rec fee for Cavalry at Quentin is $356,328, township solicitor Eric Gibson told supervisors. The assessed fee is in lieu of the developer dedicating land specifically for parks and rec facilities.

With the renegotiated agreement, the developer won’t have to pay the total parks and rec fee up front but instead will pay a per unit fee as residential units are permitted, Gibson said. There is no parks and rec fee associated with Cavalry at Quentin’s commercial lots, he added.

A mixed-use development at the corner of state routes 419 and 72, Cavalry at Quentin includes 140 age-restricted apartments, six single-family homes, and six commercial lots. A Wawa gas station and convenience store is slated for one of those lots.

“This gives the developer some financial flexibility, and in exchange, the developer is waiving any ability to request a refund of the parks and rec fee,” Gibson told supervisors. “They are agreeing they won’t question how the funds are used.”

The PA Municipalities Planning Code allows developers to request refunds of parks and rec fees if the money is not used for that designated purpose. With the renegotiated agreement, the developer waives that stipulation, so the township can use the funds on priorities other than parks and rec, Gibson said.

Supervisors unanimously approved the change but did not indicate how they might use the funds.

In other business, supervisors learned water testing of a new well drilled on the Mennonite school property in Quentin should occur this week. The pump test will determine the presence of contaminants such as pesticides, bacteria or petroleum that would rule out the well as a new source of drinking water, said Jeff Steckbeck, engineer with the West Cornwall Township Municipal Authority, which owns the well.

At the February meeting, Steckbeck had said the new well is yielding 45 gallons per minute or about 65,000 gallons per day.

The proposed emergency water line interconnection with the authority and Cornwall Borough is in the works with solicitors, Steckbeck said.

Steckbeck reported that stormwater excavation and grading is underway at Cavalry at Quentin. Sewer and water utility installation is scheduled for this month or April after roads are rough grade.

In other business, supervisors:

• Approved final plans for the Quentin Mennonite School.
• Adopted a resolution appointing Justin Thompson, North Cornwall Township manager, as the Cornwall & Lebanon School District’s representative for the Lebanon County Tax Collection Committee.
• Were updated by Steckbeck that the land development plan for Ebersole Auto Repair at the corner of Route 72 and Alden Lane is under review by the county. The plan may come to supervisors for approval in April.
• Approved expenditure of $31,575 from the general operating fund and $10,732 from the payroll and liabilities.

West Cornwall Township supervisors meet at 73 S. Zinns Mill Road on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting will be held Monday, April 13. These meetings are open to the public and do not require registration.