Stormwater plans go public

Critics also go public

By TOM KANE

MILFORD, PA — After over three years of preparation, the Pike County Commissioners released the Pike County version of the Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Act of 1978. The state directs that a stormwater plan be developed by each county.

A public hearing to get community reactions was held on September 22 after the commissioners’ weekly meeting.

The presentation of the plan was handled by Susan Beecher, director of the county conservation district, which worked on the plan, along with the county planning department.

In a formidable multi-paged presentation projected on a screen to a packed meeting room, Beecher waded through the numerous steps in the plan’s development and the suggested implementation. Numerous agencies, watershed officials, key municipal officials and state technical staff served on an advisory committee that met over three years and had a key role in developing the plan’s content and format, she said.

“We met with township officials often and will plan implementation workshops during the coming year,” she said.

The plan’s aim is to set development standards of stormwater management that affect land use and to identify problem areas that must be addressed.

“We’re mainly focusing on run-off caused by development and streambank erosion, as well as reducing the creation of impervious surfaces that exacerbate water flow from a site,” Beecher said.

Al Bane, a consulting engineering from a company named HRG, took over the presentation, outlining what new developments would have to seek a stormwater permit from the townships and which developments would not.

Critics comment

“You’re presenting a radical plan that takes away from property owners and puts an unnecessary burden on them,” said Bob DiLorenzo, zoning officer for Milford and Shohola townships.

Other critics said that they had no knowledge of the plan or of this hearing until recently.

“We used all due diligence in announcing the work of the committee and of the date for this meeting,” said Rich Caridi, chairman of the Pike County Commissioners.

“I find this very hard to hear,” Beecher said. “We informed everyone who had any interest in development over a three-year period and met with numerous groups.”

Planner Tom Shepstone, who represented Milford Township, complained that the document did not define some essential terms and left them open to discretionary interpretations. “This fact could be abused by those with anti-development objectives,” he said. “This will raise the expense of doing business for many residents and businesses who wish to expand and will hurt the local economy,” he said.

“The regulations must be practical and affordable for landowners and businesses,” said Ed Nikles, from the Pike County Builders Association.

Robert Vandercar, public works director at Hemlock Farms, announced that they were currently addressing stormwater issues that have already cost $34 million. “Now you are asking us to do more,” he said.

Another Hemlock Farms resident said that if you add to the expense of the landowners, the development would turn into a “ghost town.”

“This plan has been well thought out and has a wide participation of municipal officials over three years,” Beecher said. “Some of those who criticized the content had numerous opportunities for input but chose not to comment until now. We met with the builders’ association and got their input as well as the input of planners and others. Many of the comments at the hearing were not representative of the county.”

Beecher said that all the comments will be considered as the development of the plan moves ahead.