May 22, 2007 By Steve Ferris 3 min read

FARMINGTON – Wharton Township supervisors on Monday scheduled a hearing to accept public comment on the proposed adoption of a business access road that is included in the state’s plans to relocate the intersection of Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road and Route 40. Supervisors set the hearing for 7 p.m. June 18. The ordinance needed to accept ownership of the access road could come up for a vote at the supervisors’ regular meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. that day.

The Department of Transportation’s plans to move the intersection west near the Chalk Hill Superette include a road to provide access from a new section of Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road to three businesses on the westbound side of Route 40.

PennDOT insisted that the township adopt and maintain the access road and a traffic signal that would be installed at the new intersection. The traffic signal would be the first one in the township.

Under the proposal, construction contracts would be awarded in the fall and work would begin in next spring.

The supervisors scheduled a hearing on another proposed ordinance prior to their June 4 meeting.

The ordinance follows state Department of Environmental Protection regulations for the use of sewage holding tanks and other temporary sewage systems.

It would limit the use of a holding tank to three years and require the homeowner to post a bond in the amount of money it would cost to install a permanent system, such as a sand mound. A permit from the DEP would be required to install a tank.

“If it costs you $12,000 to have a sand mound put in, you’d have to pay a $12,000 bond,” Supervisor Jack Lewis said.

Responding to a resident’s question, supervisors said the same rules would apply to chemical toilets.

The hearing on the ordinance will be held at 7 p.m. June 4. The supervisors’ regular meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. that day.

In unrelated business, the supervisors approved advertising for bids to construct a storage building at the township park and said they asked the state for a 60-day extension on the $10,000 grant that would be used to pay for it.

Supervisors opened four quotes, which ranged from $11,900 to $28,896, for the building on May 14, but rejected all of them.

Lewis said the supervisors could accept bids of over $10,000, but not quotes. The bids will be opened at the June 18 meeting.

Currently, the grant is due to expire on June 30.

Farmington Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brian Vansickle told the supervisors that visitors he speaks with at the park tell him that it is the nicest park in the county.

In other business, the supervisors:

N Approved sending letters to PennDOT and state Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union, to request a reduction in the 45 mile-an-hour speed limit on Route 40 from Marker Road east to the township line due to a number of accidents that have occurred there recently.

N Donated $10,000 to the Farmington VFD.

N Hired Bert Lowry to work part-time mowing along roads at $7.50 an hour.

N Agreed to look into buying a new computer for the township office.