This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.
At their June 11 meeting, Bethel Township supervisors did their part to celebrate the country’s fast-approaching 250th anniversary by dropping the $9 daily admission fee at Fredericksburg Lions Park Pool to $2.50 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 3 through 5, at the request of recreation department director Samantha Acri.
Acri added that the rec department will hold a 4th of July weekend party at the pool, with a red, white, and blue decorating contest with prizes. But, as reported last month, staffing shortages might limit the festivities.
“We’re going to kind of keep it minimal,” she told supervisors, “just in case we don’t have staff … because we’ve been light on staff so far.”
Supervisor Michael Saphore reported that the pool has been acid washed, restrooms were cleaned and painted, and some spots were repaired and painted in preparation for summer. And, said Saphore, “we filled the pool up. It was mighty cold.”
Saphore, who doubles as township roadmaster, told supervisors that his department spent May cleaning out storm sewers, cutting grass on rights-of-way and road shoulders, filling potholes in alleys and nuisance areas, cutting trees on Valley Drive, and blacktopping on several township roads where storm sewers had recently been replaced.
Supervisors also approved the closing of School Drive from June 15 through July 6 at the request of ECI Construction, to allow completion of roadway and sidewalk work around Northern Lebanon School District property involved in a years-long construction program.
Solicitor Andrew Morrow reported that the review of the township’s zoning ordinance was nearing completion and the results could be reported to the township’s planning commission as early as next month.
Zoning ordinances are complex, and the review process has been lengthy. Morrow told supervisors, “I know it’s been a while, and I will just say that, in all fairness, it’s involved, it’s not something that’s really basic.”
Other township business
Also on June 11, supervisors:
- Approved advertising for bids for a new township maintenance garage.
- Voted to remove John Shireman from the recreation board for non-attendance at meetings.
- Discussed two “agricultural security area” applications filed by Elvin and Lenna Martin and Joseph and Dawn Detweiler, and by Michael and Rochelle Blecker, but deferred action until July and August. The commonwealth’s ASA program is intended to protect farmland from non-agricultural uses.
- Hired County Line Pest Control & Landscaping to perform carpenter bee and stinging insect remediation for $175.
- Approved two special duty requests by the Mount Zion Fire Police to provide services at the Lebanon Valley Produce Auction on Aug. 4 and at the Jonestown parade on July 3 to celebrate the U.S.A.’s 250th birthday.
- Heard from Fredericksburg Fire Chief Kevin Snader about his suggested changes to the department’s “box cards.” Box cards, at one time actual index cards, now computerized databases, are used by the Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services to dispatch the proper equipment and personnel to fire and emergency calls in the township.
Next meeting
Bethel Township supervisors meet on the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. in the municipal building at 3015 S. Pine Grove St., Fredericksburg. The next meeting is scheduled for July 9.
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