Zoning Amendment Passes, FEMA Flood Insurance and More (Aug. 2 Baldwin Township Meeting Notes)

Zoning Amendment Passes by Unanimous Vote

The Baldwin Township Board of Commissioners unanimously voted on Tuesday night to pass an amendment to 's municipal zoning ordinance provisions pertaining to the parking of commercial and oversized vehicles on residential streets.

At the outset of Tuesday night's board meeting, Baldwin Township solicitor Tom McDermott explained the township's existing law and the impact of the amendment. McDermott said that, as it was, the law stated that “commercial vehicles are not an accessory for use in a residential area,” thereby prohibiting their parked presence on residential streets.

McDermott went on to say that Tuesday's amendment will change this prohibition and allow, if possible, commercial and oversized vehicles to be parked on or in the rear of residential property. McDermott advised that parking such vehicles in front of houses or in the front area of driveways is still prohibited under the amendment, except for temporary parking for the purposes of packing, unpacking and boarding said vehicles.

Resident Matthew Fallon, of 648 Dewalt Drive, asked where residents who don't have a backyard or rear parking area could park such vehicles.

McDermott replied that, if there is no parking available in the rear of a residence, then the vehicle cannot be parked anywhere else on residential streets.

The amendment applies, McDermott said, only to oversized commercial, nonpassenger vehicles of the Class 4 category, where the gross weight of the vehicle is up to 11,000 pounds. This class and weight category typically includes commercial trucks, small equipment vehicles, small box trucks, recreation vehicles and boats.

According to McDermott, the amendment was encouraged by safety and visibility concerns, as well as by opinions regarding street appearance.

Citizen Complains About Clusters of Clunkers

Fallon addressed the board regarding unlicensed cars parked in business lots on McNeilly Road. In particular, Fallon was referring to the business lots of local auto repair and detailing shops.

Complaining that the presence of such cars is an eyesore, Fallon asked if anything could be done to prohibit the parking of cars with expired registrations and/or inspections, or cars that have been obviously scrapped, on business lots.

Commissioner Darrell Bichler said that some of the auto businesses on McNeilly Road are actually on property located within the City of Pittsburgh, preventing any action on the part of the township.

As for those businesses located within the township's limits, McDermott said that, if it is normal business conduct of an auto shop to work on cars, cars are allowed to be present on that shop's property, even if unlicensed. If, however, the business appears to be acting as an auto junkyard, it would have to register as such and meet Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Armstrong Park Lights

Township engineer Glenn Jonnet reported that lighting improvements for are still under way and that further research will continue to be conducted as per illumination circles radiating into residential properties adjacent to the park.

Jonnet said that the spacing between the light posts in Armstrong Park is 25 feet so as to meet the illumination standard required for the walkway in the park. To address , Jonnet said that the wattage of the bulbs could not be decreased because it would both fail to meet a foot-candle requirement and shorten the life of the lighting fixtures.

Resident Robert Hoffman, of 616 Highview Road, asked if the posts had to remain that close together and said he did not like the “picket fence” appearance of the posts.

Jonnet explained that the posts had to be spaced that way to achieve foot-candle requirements.

Upcoming Township Garage Sale Date Announced

Board President Eileen Frisoli announced that a community-wide garage sale for Baldwin Township will be held on Sept. 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Frisoli said that she will post signs on poles around the township containing pertinent information. With the help of resident Gary Moeller, of 701 Highview Road, the signs are expected to be up by mid-August.

Wet Weather and Watersheds

Jonnet reported on his involvement with a 3 Rivers Wet Weather agreement committee. As a representative of various municipalities, Jonnet attended a recent CONNECT meeting, wherein watershed takeovers were discussed.

According to Jonnet, the committee debated having Allegheny County Sanitary Authority or Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority take over municipal interceptor systems or take over complete systems. Jonnet said that privatization and watershed creation were also discussed as options. He explained that the committee is trying to get a multi-municipality agreement on options and costs, as well as cost distributions.

Lucky Ticket Holders

Commissioner John Paravati disclosed the names of the winners of the recent raffle held by the Castle Shannon Volunteer Fire Department, which services Baldwin Township.

The first-place prize, a Ford Mustang, went to Donna Young. Fred Hopfer won the second-place prize of $7,500. Ray Clover won the resident raffle, receiving a payout of $1,000.

Ambulances to Be Re-Chassied

Commissioner Bob Downey said that he was hoping to hold off on replacing ambulances that service the township for another year. Downey said, however, that many ambulances will be re-chassied over the next year because they are in bad shape.

FEMA Flood Insurance on the Horizon

Jonnet provided a summary of a letter that he received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He explained that the letter contained a flood insurance rate map and study to establish McNeilly Road as a federally recognized flood-hazard zone.

Jonnet said that FEMA's determination only includes certain parts of McNeilly Road but that he is going to write to FEMA to request that the zone be expanded to include more of McNeilly Road and higher elevations. He said that he would like the flood-hazard zone to be expanded all the way to the intersection of McNeilly Road and Route 88.

Once the zone is established and rates are mapped within the zone, property owners will be able to purchase FEMA National Flood Insurance. Jonnet said that the map and rates should become effective in seven to 10 months.

Commitments to Solar Power

McDermott proposed that the township's commissioners submit a commitment letter to take part in the SunShot Initiative, a voluntary grant program providing incentive to facilitate municipalities coming together to devise a common zoning regime regarding solar panels and solar energy.

By unanimous vote, the board agreed to submit a commitment letter to the program.

Police Agreement

The finalization of a wage agreement between the municipality and the was also passed by unanimous vote. The agreement is effective from 2011 through 2014 and represents a 3-percent raise for each officer.

The agreement also increases the amount of money given to each officer for uniform purchases, up to $750 per year from the previous $700 rate. Also, officers will now pay 4 percent of the premium for their health insurance. Previously, officers had paid a set dollar amount.