Plans and ruins in Berlin Township

Linda Drollinger
Posted 8/21/12

BEACH LAKE, PA — At its September 16 regular monthly meeting, the Berlin Township Board of Supervisors focused its attention on two matters on its own agenda and one directed to it by the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Plans and ruins in Berlin Township

Posted

BEACH LAKE, PA — At its September 16 regular monthly meeting, the Berlin Township Board of Supervisors focused its attention on two matters on its own agenda and one directed to it by the public.

One agenda item, the review of construction, paving and landscaping plans submitted by architects for the proposed Dollar General retail store, to be located adjacent to Joe’s BBQ on Route 652 in Beach Lake, was postponed until 6:50 p.m. on October 14. Initiated in part to give all three supervisors time to digest the many aspects of the plan, and in part to allow review and recommendations by a landscape architect of the township’s choosing, the delay became necessary when the board spent the early part of its meeting responding to public concern about what remains of the Big Apple Country Tavern.

Partially destroyed by fire in March, the charred remains of the formerly popular music and dance venue on Route 652 in Beach Lake have raised public concerns about safety at the site. One resident asked why the site has not been cleared in the intervening months, describing it as a dangerous eyesore liable to attract children, vagrants and wildlife into a structure subject to collapse at any time.

Supervisor Cathy Hunt said that, before demolition and site clearance can begin, special contractors certified by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) must inspect the building remains for asbestos contamination. If asbestos is detected, all materials containing it must be removed prior to demolition, for the safety of workers and environment alike. When residents asked why that process has not already begun, Hunt said that it is normally initiated with paperwork submitted by the property owner to the DEP. Hunt’s investigation into the delay revealed that the owner has yet to complete the necessary paperwork.

Residents insisted that, in the absence of action by the property owner, the township must have recourse to legal action. At that point, Chairman Paul Henry accepted accountability on behalf of the board, saying that it is in fact the board’s responsibility to pursue legal action and that the board has been remiss in not doing so thus far. He also said that the situation is far from straightforward; ownership of the property is unclear and is complicated by several municipal liens against it.

Henry first thought the site a prospective candidate for the state’s new Blighted Properties Act, but now agrees with residents that it is first and foremost a safety hazard. In that vein, he will ask the township’s solicitor to pursue immediately whatever legal action is appropriate to ensuring public safety.

Henry prefaced the findings of a township tax collection audit with remarks that the audit had been concerned only with the actions of the township’s former tax collector, “who left township tax records in a sorry state.” The audit found numerous deficiencies in township tax collection procedures, specifically citing failure to record and apply two payments received more than two years prior. It also revealed a complex collection process complicated further by various third-party servicers whose reporting roles were not easily established. Saying that the board would study the audit findings and act on its recommendations, Henry moved on to another important matter: a moment of silence for the fallen state police officer in the Blooming Grove barracks ambush.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here