Aug 4, 2010 By Rebekah Sungala 3 min read

PERRY TWP. – Township supervisors unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance that requires mandatory water connections as public water becomes available. At Tuesday’s meeting, supervisors A.J. Boni, Janet Galla and Clarence Johnson voted in favor of the ordinance, noting that competitive funding to pay for water projects often requires mandatory connections.

Boni said grant money is hard to get and that it becomes almost impossible to acquire financial assistance if residents are unwilling to connect to public water after it becomes available.

Most residents, according to the supervisors, want public water. Supervisors also said public water is only brought to a community if the majority of residents living in that community want it.

“Majority rules,” Boni said.

The mandatory water tap-in ordinance states that the owner of any property whose house is within 400 feet of a water system provided by the township, municipal authority or a joint water board will be required to connect with and use the public water supply.

However, farms and industries that have their own water supply for uses other than human consumption are granted an exception and are allowed to continue using their own water for needs other than human consumption.

According to the ordinance, farms and industries would only be required to tap-in and use public water for human consumption.

The township has regularly taken a pro-farm stance in past actions, and supervisors said they are careful to maintain the township’s agricultural heritage.

The four-page ordinance also addresses, among other things, what course property owners may take if they wish to ask for a waiver, costs and expenses associated with connecting to public water and legal actions and fines for not connecting to public water once it becomes available.

A copy of the ordinance is available at the township building.

In other business, township residents were given an opportunity to learn more about an upcoming project the state Department of Transportation is undertaking during a public hearing prior to Tuesday’s township meeting.

Donald R. Davanzo, project manager for PennDOT, said the bridge carrying Route 201 over Route 51 will be refurbished next year.

Davanzo said the project entails removing the current driving surface on the bridge and replacing it with new. Barriers will also be replaced, approached work will be done and drainage issues, in addition to other safety issues, will also be addressed as part of the project.

Route 201 over the bridge will be reduce to one lane of traffic at the beginning of the project, but traffic will not be detoured.

Davanzo said lane closures on Route 51 will also occur as crews do work to the undercarriage of the bridge.

The entire project should take about four months to complete, with work beginning in the spring of 2011.

The project, according to Davanzo, should make the bridge safe for at least 20 more years and is estimated to cost almost $1 million, several million less than the $5 million to $6 million it would have cost to replace the bridge.

As for other matters, supervisors announced a fall clean-up day will be held the week of Oct. 5. Residents are instructed to put out items on their normal garbage day.

The next township meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 7 in the municipal building.