Solebury Township is getting serious about getting rid of waste – electronic waste, that is.
To start with, the board of supervisors on March 19 voted unanimously to have Township Manager Dennis Carney conduct an e-waste event this year.
While details have yet to be nailed down, Supervisor Kevin Morrissey, liaison to the environmental advisory committee (EAC), said the event would likely be held at the Municipal Building grounds.
“Since in the last few years, Bucks County has been unable to sponsor such events, it has become increasing difficult for residents to dispose of electronic waste in an environmentally sensible manner,” he said.
The Solebury event would be free to residents, with the township picking up the costs, said Supervisor John Francis, noting it would cost the township about $200 a dumpster.
Supervisor Noel Barrett gave his enthusiastic approval, saying, “It just cost me 140 bucks to haul away a TV.”
In addition, the EAC is planning a Recycling Forum in June. The date was not been set yet.
Chair Mark Baum Baicker said interest has been so great that they might have to find a larger space than the Municipal Building to hold it.
“The (board of supervisors) is of the opinion that it is time to explore new and additional approaches to improve Solebury community recycling processes,” Morrissey said. “This forum will be an opportunity to share and hopefully implement some of these suggestions. We will be sending out more information concerning this event and other recycling initiatives soon.”
In other matters, the supervisors received a financial analysis of the township from Jamie Schlesinger, director, and Wes Hall, Senior managing consultant of PFM Financial Advisors LLC.
They reported that according to Moody’s Investors Service report of June 2017, Solebury has an Aa2 rating on its $6.6 million general obligation bonds. The rating “reflects a strong financial position, including reserves which have been steadily growing over the last five years.”
“Solebury’s small population of 8,664 has wealth levels that are well above average with median family income at 224.1 percent and 231.3 percent of of state and national medians respectively,” the report stated.
Year end reports for 2018 were received from the New Hope Eagle Fire Company by Chief Jim Becker and from Central Bucks Ambulance by Chief Chuck Pressler.
Chief Pressler reported 532 calls were responded to in Solebury and 263 in New Hope.
Chief Becker said 407 calls were answered which included water rescues, opioid cases, cardiac arrests, among others. Becker said Eagle has 29 active firefighters, 10 active junior members and has a partnership with Solebury School where the maintenance staffers are all firefighters.
One problem Becker said Eagle faces is that normal sized fire trucks cannot access the houses between the canal and the river because the bridges over the canal are too narrow.
The supervisors also awarded the following contracts:
– Paving the township parking lot: $36,181 to Bray Brothers;
– Road paving: $274,140 to Haines Paving & Landscape;
– Crack Seal Project: $50,077 to Asphalt Maintenance Solutions LLC.
