Hi, Neighbors. We had an Aleppo Workshop Meeting on Monday night and I wanted to tell you what happened.
It was a long one. We had a lengthy discussion about a proposed Children’s Home at Masonic Village and we had a great turnout from local residents, so there were more questions than usual. If you want to watch the meeting from the beginning, click here. Otherwise, feel free to click the links below to jump to the portions of the meeting that are of interest to you.
Many of the topics we discussed this week will come up for a vote next week (on Monday 20 November). It would be nice to hear what you think about these issues before we vote on them, so if you care about any of these topics, please watch that portion of the meeting, then write back and tell us what you think.
Before I get started, let me extend my thanks to Bill Davis and the Aleppo Township Volunteer Fire Department for hosting us in their building. As I said, we had a great turnout and it was nice to spend time in different digs!
OK, here’s what happened:
- We discussed a request for a zoning change from Masonic Village that would facilitate them building a Children’s Home. There are two different motions on the table for Monday night concerning this issue, so your input is important. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting and click here to see the diagrams referenced during the presentation.)
- We discussed a proposal for core sampling work on Sewickley Heights Drive. There is a motion to approve this proposal on the table, which will likely go to vote on Monday night, so–again–please let us know what you think. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- We discussed a resolution that sets forth the criteria for the volunteer firefighter and EMS tax credit we previously adopted. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- We heard of a request that we re-approve a subdivision plan, which apparently did not get filed in time. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- We discussed scheduling our March Legislative Meeting for the third Tuesday of March. We will vote on this motion on Monday night, so please share your thoughts if you have any. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- Our solicitor told us about his negotiations with Verizon concerning our Franchise Agreement and requested authority to grant an extension for 30 days to negotiate that agreement. Again, we will vote on this motion on Monday night, so please let us know if you have any thoughts. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- We discussed options for enforcing property maintenance issues to address ongoing complaints. Among other options, this conversation included hiring a firm to aggressively enforce our property maintenance code. No action was contemplated on this issue, but we would be interested in hearing resident’s thoughts on this topic. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- We voted (5-0) to table a conversation about our Social Media Policy for 30 days. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- We revisited the issue encountered last winter of neighbors parking on township streets during snow storms, which makes it difficult to plow. We distributed cards for commissioners, public works crews, and police to put on windshields in an effort to solve the problem by educating residents about the need. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- We discussed the 2018 budget. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- A neighbor asked a question about trash along property lines on Redgate Road and we discussed the topic. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- A resident shared a rumor about development of multi-family units on the Bingo Lots, which lead to a discussion about rezoning R2 property to R1. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting and click here to watch the video of our meeting with the zoning expert on this issue from April, which we referenced during the current conversation.)
- A neighbor suggested putting a complaint form on the township website. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
- A resident asked if anything could be done to resolve the confusion between addresses on McCoy Place and South McCoy Place, which led to a conversation about efforts taken in this regard in the past. (Click here to watch this portion of the meeting.)
Our next Legislative meeting will be on Monday 20 November 2017 at 7:00 PM at the Township Building. If any of these issues are important to you, please feel free to join us and voice your opinion. If you cannot attend the meeting in person, please feel free to share your thoughts with me by email and I will be sure to convey your feelings to the other commissioners.
As always, thanks for making Aleppo a great place to live.
Best wishes,
Matthew Doebler
Aleppo Township Commissioner