Sadsbury Township supervisors Aug. 4 directed the township planning commission to prepare their own new subdivision and land development ordinance, rather than working with other municipalities to forge a regional document.
Supervisors said they would work with the planning commission on updating the ordinance, using a model ordinance prepared by Gwen Newell, a planner with Lancaster County.
“The county has given us a very good document we can work with,” said David Blank, a planning commission member who attended the meeting. “If the planning commission and supervisors can work together as a group it will probably speed it up.”
The planning commission had considered working with Christiana Borough and Bart Township on an updated ordinance. County grant money is sometimes available for regional documents. Those at the meeting felt that using Newell’s model ordinance would save both time and money, although there will be some engineering fees.
The model ordinance, available in booklet form and CD, was prepared with the assistance of an engineer, attorney, developer, contractor and surveyor. It’s formatted so municipalities may edit in their own changes.
Supervisors also heard from Jack Assetto, chairman of the capital campaign which is moving Moore’s Memorial Library in Christiana into the larger historic bank building on Bridge Street.
With a $500,000 Keystone grant and donations, which Assetto said are trickling in slowly in the current economy, construction is moving ahead. Assetto said the committee chose Warfel Construction for the construction project. Work is underway. The library's board must match the Keystone grant with $500,000 in donations.
“I hope the township will consider a three- to five-year commitment to the library,” said Assetto, indicating slowing donations show the project to be currently $100,000 short.
Assetto said Sadsbury Township residents are the library’s largest population of users, at 32 to 34 percent.
Christiana Borough pledged $10,000 for five years, and neighboring West Sadsbury in Chester County also has made a $3,000 donation. Sadsbury generally makes a donation at the end of each budget year.
In other business supervisors agreed to consider enacting their own noxious weed ordinance so they may move more quickly than the department of agriculture to stop the spread of thistle and other weeds.
Roadmaster Jeff Nickel told developers from Christiana Development Corp., which has Sadsbury Business Park on Pine Creek Drive, that after inspecting the road he thinks the edges should be milled and a new top put on the road before the township should consider taking over the road. Nickel and the developers agreed to further meetings.
Finally, supervisors agreed to notify PP&L they may be interested in purchasing a tract of land adjacent to the township building. Supervisor Linda Swift said PP&L will then contact the township with a proposal and their asking purchase price. The parcel also includes a small parcel across the road, which is not of interest to the township, but Swift said PP&L wants to sell the parcel intact. A township building committee is currently working on plans for a new township building.