When it comes to criminal activity, Pocopson Township qualifies as quiet and even experienced a decrease in total police calls during the past year.
That number dropped from 110 to 100 in 2015, said Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Kelly Cruz during a brief presentation at Monday night’s Pocopson Township supervisors’ meeting. But that doesn’t mean the township should get complacent, Cruz said.
“Historically, the township is known to be affluent,” he added, explaining that such wealth often attracts prospective thieves. He urged residents to remain vigilant, to keep doors locked, to maintain nighttime lighting, and to report any suspicious activity.
“Encourage residents to pick up the phone and call us if they see something out of the ordinary,” Cruz told the supervisors.
Responding to a question from Supervisor Georgia Brutscher about reducing the frequency of false alarm calls, Cruz said he would send the supervisors the state police guidelines so that they could remind residents to notify their alarm company if they set off an alarm by mistake. Cruz said residents are not fined until their fourth infraction; however, lessening the problem would eliminate its drain on police resources.
In Barnard House business, Supervisors Ricki Stumpo and Barney Leonard voted 2-1 to approve an $804 payment to CMSE Inc., a Cochranville electrical contractor – a bill that had been in dispute for a year. Brutscher cast the dissenting vote, and although Leonard and Stumpo agreed with her that the contractor had left substantial debris that had to be cleaned up, they said the work had been completed.
“I do not feel we should pay because he left a mess,” Brutscher said.
The supervisors set Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. for a public work session to discuss the bid package for Phase II of the Barnard House project. The repurposing of the historic residence into a Pocopson Township administration building and a home for the Kennett Underground Railroad Center has sparked conflict for months.
Some residents have questioned the building’s suitability for municipal offices as well as the renovation costs. According to township records, about $800,000 has been spent on the project so far.
The 2016 draft budget, which will be available for review by residents on Nov. 19, includes a $750,000 loan as well as $200,000 in a reserve fund for capital projects. The latter was added as insurance against cost overruns, which members of the Barnard House Steering Committee have said won’t occur. A vote on the 2016 budget is expected to occur at the supervisors’ meeting on Monday, Dec. 14.
In other business, the supervisors voted unanimously to move forward with a proposal from the Brandywine Conservancy to obtain a trail easement on properties owned by the township, Lenape Forge and Sklar Industries on Pocopson Road.
Leonard said the goal is to provide a permanent, natural-surface, public trail along the Brandywine, part of a project that was started in 1942 by the Wilmington Trail Club. Leonard said the next step would be to approach the companies.
In response to a question about the cost, Leonard said the conservancy’s fees to set up the easement would be capped at $2,000 through a grant. Ideally, the companies would donate the easement since the land lies within a floodplain, but that isn’t known yet, Leonard said.
The supervisors also voted unanimously to double the township’s contribution of $8,000 to the West Chester Public Library for this year only. The money had been budgeted for the Kennett Public Library and was not used. Tension between the township and the Kennett Public Library have existed since May 2013 when the library board rejected the township’s two nominees for a seat on its board. Pocopson, which is served by both libraries, stopped contributing to the Kennett library, a standoff that has continued.
Another unanimous vote involved the renewal of a three-year contract with the Chester County SPCA. For $3,500 a year, the agency handles calls regarding stray animals or suspected abuse.
Addressing the recent resignation of Richard Jensen, the township’s zoning official, the supervisors signed a temporary contract with Castle Valley Consultants, Inc. to handle zoning and code-enforcement services for the township from Nov. 27, when Jensen’s resignation takes effect, and Feb. 1. They also approved a thank-you letter to Jensen for his five years of service that will be added to his file.
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