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Mainly clear. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Mainly clear. Low around 50F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Ligonier Township will temporarily halt the addition of new advertising signs in the municipality while its officials work to tighten regulations in the zoning ordinance.

The township’s board of supervisors earlier this week unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the township manager, zoning officer and solicitor to place a six-month moratorium on the erection, size modification and approval of all advertising signs in all zoning districts.

The move was recommended by Ligonier Township’s planning commission last month following questions raised by the zoning hearing board over the zoning ordinance after its decision to approve a special exception for a rentable billboard earlier this year.

Zoning hearing board member Linda McDowell and planning commission member Jim Darr, who both attended the meeting, provided the supervisors with some background on the issue.

The zoning hearing board in March granted a special exception for a 250-square-foot static advertising billboard at Ligonier Self Storage and Ligonier Dry Cleaners along Route 271 in Waterford.

“We did not want to approve that one that we did and we had no choice the way the zoning ordinance is written. And we almost had to do that. But that’s when we got concerned – in our mind was the Waterford corridor – that if you put up one, is there going to be another one and another one, and it will soon look like that Route 30 corridor along past Greensburg and we didn’t want that,” McDowell said.

Darr explained the signs in question are leased advertising billboards on private property where the landowner receives a fee.

“What we would like to do is in some way restrict those billboards, not saying you can’t do it, but let’s make them small enough so that they don’t crop up everywhere. We need time to figure out how to do that, which is why the moratorium was suggested,” Darr said.

The supervisors voted 5-0 to implement the moratorium despite their legal counsel’s hesitation in offering his opinion.

Supervisor Stephanie Verna asked solicitor Dan Hudock if he had any concerns after reviewing the proposed resolution.

“I’m not sure you have the authority to do it, but it’s a gray area in the law, I’ll say that, as far as the moratorium,” Hudock answered.

In other business, the supervisors also unanimously passed a resolution increasing the maximum cost for Ligonier Township’s summer chip-seal program to $228,000, a roughly 5% jump.

The board in March initially awarded Russell Standard the project contract in an amount not to exceed $217,000.

Township manager Michael Strelic attributed the cost increase to incorrect road measurements. Some medians were thought to be narrower than they actually were, plus the calculations didn’t include the aprons at intersections. Some roads dropped off the list, like Jacob Miller Road, where logging is in progress.

Twenty roads are now planned to be chip-sealed tentatively starting Aug. 12, weather permitting: Ann Roberts Road, Betz Road, Byers Lane, Charlotte Drive, Crossmead Drive, Edgemont Road, Fairview School Road, Freeman Road, Giesey Road, Hi-Acres Drive, Murphy Road, Nicely Road, Old Linn Run, Peters Road, Presidents Drive, Ramsey Road, Ross Road, Slater Road, Weaver Mill Road and Zion Church Road.

Following a 40-minute executive session to discuss personnel and contractual matters, the supervisors voted 5-0 to hire Cody Wainwright and Zachary Yesho as new public works operators.

However, the board tabled agenda items for the public works director position and a new memorandum of understanding to change pay rates for the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 204 union. Chairman Dan Resenic said the township will soon begin contract discussions with the UAW as its current contract for public works employees expires in June 2023.

Public works director Russ Morgan is on leave, Township Finance Officer Bethany Caldwell told the Bulletin when asked about Morgan after the meeting.

In Morgan’s absence, Verna asked Strelic to work with public works employee Michael Shadron to review the current policy for equipment and vehicle use logs as it has come to her attention that the logs are not being completed.

In other personnel business, the board also appointed Strelic as Ligonier Township’s Pennsylvania Municipal League voting delegate.

Strelic has also assumed some zoning responsibilities as Ligonier Township searches for a new full-time zoning officer. To give the board a sense of how busy that department can get, he said on Monday he handled permits for a residential demolition, new picnic pavilion and screened-in porch addition, plus a driveway permit, four lien letters and 911 address permits, in addition to fielding multiple phone calls and emails.

The supervisors also briefly discussed concerns about the local fire companies continually responding to automatic fire alarms and how the township can work with them to address the issue, perhaps by fining repeat offenders or filing citations against them. Vice chairman John Beaufort cited a recent fire call report where 15 out of the 20 calls responded to during a two-week period were for such alarms.

Both Verna and Ligonier Valley Police Chief John Berger spoke about Ligonier’s second annual National Night Out held Tuesday, Aug. 2, in Ligonier Borough. Despite the rain, Berger estimated a couple hundred people from the community participated in the collaborative event with the Ligonier Valley Police Department, all four local fire companies, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and local ambulances services.

“It was a really nice night. There were a lot of families there and I think we’re just very fortunate to have such a great community come together,” Verna said, commending Ligonier Borough staff and councilwoman Marish Fisher for organizing the event.

The board of supervisors’ next meeting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23, at the Ligonier Township Municipal Complex.

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