N. Annville splits cost of new fire tanker, cracks down on Valley Glen trespassers

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

North Annville Township supervisors Monday, July 13, unanimously enacted a resolution prohibiting trespassing on certain township-owned properties in the Valley Glen area.

In an unrelated matter, they unanimously granted a request by North Annville Fire Company #1 to contribute nearly $255,000 toward the early replacement of a tanker truck that has developed issues. 

Tanker truck replacement

After seeking ways to potentially fix the tanker, to no avail, supervisors unanimously agreed to pay $254,500 for the tanker. Fire company officials have agreed to pay the other half of the cost for the $509,000 vehicle, which is expected to be delivered in 2028 as a replacement for one scheduled to be replaced in 2031. 

Supervisor Aaron Miller questioned the cost of repairing a vehicle that was scheduled for replacement in a few years anyway.

“They’re having problems with the valve sticking, the dump valve, and (tank) sagging,” he said. 

Miller said supervisors explored various options, including repairs that would have topped $100,000 and were actually getting closer to $200,000. 

“It was getting expensive,” Miller said. “We thought we’d found a guy out of (Maryland) that seemed to indicate he could do a repair on it and we’d get a couple of years out of it.”

That same individual later backed out, telling fire company officials that the repair he believed would fix the problem in fact would not work on their tanker, which is housed at the former Union Water Fire Company. 

“Question is, how much money do we put into it and not be wasting that money,?” Miller asked the audience. 

Miller said he reviewed call logs for 2022 and 2023 and found the tanker was dispatched about two times per month, noting that “we could lose a building in the township every month if there was a fire.”

“As the supervisors, we’re tasked with making sure we have fire service as a top priority,” he added.

The three-year window until the new unit arrives will allow township officials to apply for a grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development as a way to fund its portion.

Asked if the purchase means the township will re-enact a municipal fire tax, Miller said that depends on whether the township is awarded funding via a grant from DCED. 

In a separate but related matter, supervisors announced they will seek an appraisal for their municipal building on state Route 934.

They will have an appraisal conducted with the possibility of purchasing the former Union Water Works Fire Company property from North Annville Township Fire Company officials and making that location the new home of the township’s municipal offices.

No trespassing/no parking resolution

A provision within the resolution also prohibits parking along properties slated to receive “no trespassing” signage. While those signs will be installed this week, the “no parking” signs are ordered and officials are waiting for them to be delivered, according to supervisor Adam Wolfe, who also serves as township secretary.

Township solicitor Megan Ryland-Tanner, who was substituting for colleague Paul Bametzreider, explained why passing the resolution matters. The full resolution, including the areas closed to parking and trespassing as noted on page 5 of the PDF, is included here:

“The nice part about having the ‘no trespass’ signs is it will give law enforcement the ability to make better arrests,” Rylan-Tanner said, adding that the noise complaints that residents have registered are like a speeding ticket for not speeding.

Wolfe told LebTown after the meeting that the matter came up in the last week after residents complained to township officials and law enforcement, which is under contract with Cleona Borough Police Department, that people were loud, partying, leaving behind trash, and parking vehicles along areas in and around Valley Glen, which was a former amusement park. 

Wolfe told LebTown after the meeting that the properties with Stone Cottage Lane or Upper Glen Lane in the list of addresses are the properties that are part of the former Valley Glen Park. All of the land for the properties, he noted, was purchased by the township due to devastating floods that have left it uninhabitable.

Several residents at the packed meeting room stated they heard the violators were gang members from Reading, while another resident suggested they were illegal immigrants. It was noted some were in kayaks on the nearby Swatara Creek, while an officer with Cleona Borough who presented the police report stated fire rings had been set up and were used as well. 

There have also been a rash of vehicle thefts in the area, with one individual having been arrested, according to a borough policeman.

Other business

In other business, supervisors unanimously voted to: 

• Approve the June 8 meeting minutes and treasurer’s report, including an ending balance of funds totaling $1,917,101.46.
• Accept the police report, which noted there were 104 calls, seven motor vehicle thefts, 35 motor vehicle stops, a serious motor vehicle accident on Hill Church Road, detail for two security events, and two traffic details on Clear Spring and Shiremanstown roads. The thefts occurred in unlocked vehicles, and police urge residents to lock their vehicles to deter thieves.
• Receive the June fire company report, including 23 incidents, 13 training events, 11 fundraisers, three PR events, and three work details, totaling 255 incident hours and 216.5 for other hours served by fire company volunteers.  
• Table an agenda item after discussion to change the meeting date of their monthly session to another day of the week. 
• Read and approve paying the monthly bills.
• Tell residents there will be a zoning hearing board session at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17 for an application submitted for a property in the 400 block of Weaber St. between U.S. Route 422 and Hill Church Road.
• Announce receipt of a letter from PennDOT that stated the agency will not install rumble strips on areas leading up to the intersection of Hill Church Road and Thompson Avenue when traffic safety improvements are made there in the coming months. PennDOT plans to bid the project this October.

Next meeting

The next meeting of the North Annville Township supervisors is Monday, Aug. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the former Union Water Works Fire Company, 2875 Water Works Way, Annville.