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Council met on 38 separate occasions in 2013, including 24 regular meetings, 7 public
hearings and 12 workshops. The comprehensive plan hearing and adoption was the most impor-
tant from a long term standpoint and was a focus of much activity during the year.
In 2013, Council adopted 17 Ordinances and 25 Resolutions. The most significant ordi-
nances were crematory, electronic signs and mineral extraction. Also, the budget was adopted
and the real estate millage ordinance was retained at 13 mills. In addition to the Comprehensive
plan adoption, another key resolution was the development of a new citizen complaint process
for police matters. Council also entered into 12 agreements and approved 19 bids, including an
agreement for the Elm Grove park lease extension, the Sugar Camp Bridge project, the HVAC
project for the municipal building, multi-year insurance renewals and workers’ compensation
insurance. Bids for a new fire truck, paving, storm sewers, phone system and 5 year solid
waste contract were awarded. The solid waste
contract will involve a change in how recycling is
collected in 2015, increasing the amount of recy-
cling that will be collected.
The Township completed many construction
projects, especially on renovations to the aging
municipal building infrastructure systems. A new
fire truck was ordered and will arrive in 2014. In
2013, we lost long time Councilman Robert Atki-
son. Michael McCaig filled in on Council for the
remainder of the year.
Administration/Council
Report
Financial Report
Police Department
Report
Fire Department
Report
Planning Department
Report
Engineer Report
Public Works
Department Report
Reviewing the top 20 vendors always pro-
vides a good picture of Township activities. As has been the norm, the number one ex-
penditure was for garbage and recycling col-lection. Construction activities dominated
the expenditures, led by resurfacing of over
4.8 miles of roads, rejuvenating 9 miles of
roads and in-line pipe repairs of 3 storm sewers. The Sugar Camp Bridge Replace-
ment was another key project. The munici-pal building HVAC project was one of many
municipal building renovations. The final payment for the clay tennis
courts renovations, which were completed
in 2012, was made. Contributions was the
second highest category for expenditures.
Contributions were made for the Canons-burg Lake Restoration Project and to the
Library, Volunteer Firemen and Ambulance Service.
Insurance and benefits payments include
health insurance, which included a change to UPMC and a reduction in cost. General
casualty, liability and workers compensation insurance were all given to new carriers in
2013. Pension payments for 3 pension plans
also were in the top list of expenditures.
Utility expenditures for water service, mainly for fire hydrants is included and bond pay-
ments.
Peters Township Annual Report 2013
Annual Report 2013
Parks & Recreation
Department Report
Library Report
Cable Television Report
Peters Township Council - 2013
Construction Projects & Contributions Dominate 2013 Expenditures
Council Adopts Comprehensive Plan & Holds Line on Taxes
Inside This Report
Comprehensive Plan Update (Plan Peters 2022) Completed &
Numerous Vacant Buildings Occupied
Building Maintenance, Energy Conservation and Paving were
Major Public Works Projects in 2013.
There were 109 new residential permits
issued in 2013, which was 7 less than in 2012.
There were 2 new commercial permit, for
the new Market District Express and Get Go
complex. Total permits increased to 382, up
form 358 in2012. For the second year in a
row Ryan Homes led the list of permits with
14 in Great Meadows and 10 in Orchard Hill.
Ted Taylor developments came in second
with 11 permits in Whispering Pines and 9 in
Old Trail.
Completing the comprehensive plan proc-
ess was the major focus of the Planning De-
partment. In December, Council adopted the
plan after a process that was initiated in 2012.
The plan provides a framework to address many long term is-
sues such as providing adequate services
to the community while maintaining the
fiscal viability of the Township.
There were 127 code enforcement
notifications sent. The top three topics
were high grass, outdoor storage and tem-
porary signs. The Zoning Hearing Board
held 21 hearings mostly for sign variances.
Many commercial buildings/sites became
active such as Fiori’s, Anthony’s Pizza &
Market District Express.
There were 381 homes sold at an aver-
age price of $351,594.
The Sugar Camp Bridge Replacement Project
was the most visible Township project.
For the seventh year in a row, we paved over
4 miles of roads (4.93), plus 5.5 miles were reju-
venated. In house, we paved Meredith Drive,
Brush Run, Marie Drive, and Louisiana Lane.
Also, the Elm Grove parking lot was pave in-
house by the Public Works Department. The
department also replace/repaired 21 storm
sewer basins.
A new public works fueling station was placed
into service, increasing our fuel storage ca-
pacity to 16,000 gallons.
Recycling was significant with over 52
tons of electronics recycled, and 391 yard
waste and leaf vacuuming stops made. The
limb chipper was our most used piece of
equipment during the year.
PA One Call activity were slightly lower
with 1,508 calls in 2013.
The department had to respond to many
clean up efforts as a result of some severe
storms in 2013, disrupting planned activity.
Construction projects dominated engineering
activity with the design and oversight of many
projects including the resurfacing programs, storm
sewer projects, a water line project and bridge
projects. In 2013, we began a process of eliminat-
ing unsafe dead-end streets with turnarounds; the
first was Valley View Drive. Minimal disruption of
neighborhoods was achieved by using cured in
place pipe replacements.
Severe storms and flooding also occupied activ-
Page 2 Peters Township Annual Report - 2013
Giant Eagle-Market District Express
opened on Rt. 19 in December 2013.
The 2013 Township Council had eight members:
Chairman - Frank Arcuri,
Vice Chair– James F. Berquist
Robert L. Atkison, David M. Ball, Robert J. Lewis,
Monica M. Merrell and Gary J. Stiegel, Jr.
* Michael McCaig also served for part of 2013 upon
the death of Mr. Atkison.
The Administrative Staff is comprised of:
Township Manager - Michael A. Silvestri
Assistant Township Manager - Paul F. Lauer
Manager’s Assistant - Tom Gromek,
Admin Assistant Finance - Linda J. Coyle
Admin Assistant Human Res.- Wendy L. Klima
Receptionist - Gail Rodgers
Township Council & Administrative Staff
Council met for 38
meetings in 2013
A New Fueling Station was Constructed
at the Public Works Dept. during 2013.
ity in responding to resident issues and
assisting them with solutions, either by
engineering recommendations or direct-
ing projects.
Other engineering projects included
the South Heide Landscape Island, the
Trillium Stormwater pond renovation,
and coordinating with utilities on many
road projects.
™
Valley View Dr. Turnaround Design
Construction Projects Dominate Engineering Activity
Peters Township Fund Balance $10.4 million
The General Fund revenues for 2013
were 13,489,718, exceeding the budgeted
amount by $860,000. This was primarily
due to tax revenues led by Transfer Taxes
and Earned Income. General Fund expen-
ditures in 2013 were 11,838,681, which is
$777,992 less than was budgeted. Overall,
the cash balance at the end of the year
was $9,656,235.
The total fund balance for all funds
was $10,436,535, exclusive of the library
fund. So in 2013 the Township’s overall
fund balance did not decrease as was
budgeted to do.
Page 3
The police
department has 23
full time and three
part time officers,
including 2 detectives
and a juvenile officer.
The fire department
has 11 full time and
4 part time paid fire
fighters and 20
volunteer firefighters.
Peters Township Annual Report - 2013
ISO Rating Increased to Class 4 &
Volunteer Numbers Increase
In 2013, the Insurance Services Office
increased the Fire Departments rating to
Class 4, which puts us in the elite of fire
departments in the state and country. The
total number of calls for response was
1,157. The response times for calls was
5.14 minutes.
In 2013 new recruitment efforts resulted
in an increase of volunteers to 20. The Vol-
unteer on Duty program continues to grow
with 632 shifts, working a total of 2,528
hours.
The number of full time paid firefighters
increased by 1 to 11, including the Chief.
There are 4 part time firefighters.
Total loss from fires continues to be low ,
representing .5% of value. There was one
significant fire loss that is a suspected arson.
Sadly, in another fire, one resident did die.
False Alarm calls (286) were the number
one source of calls, followed by mutual aid
(2541) and rescues (115); also,
113 mutual aid events occurred.
There were 1,225 non emer-
gency service events held, led by
475 fire drills/prevention pro-
grams. The volunteer who was
most active was Bill Gaughan.
In 2013 a new fire safety house
was put into service, part of a
joint effort with North Strabane
and financial support by the
chamber of commerce. The de-
partment also added new fire re-
sponse software and a new web-
site. Two volunteers achieved the rank of
Fire fighter 1 in 2013.
Overall, criminal activity was down by
24.27% in 2013 and the clearance rate in-
creased to 45.9%. The police had 5,630 calls
in 2013. The number of crimes prosecuted
were 267, led by DUI’s, Disorderly Conduct
and Assaults. In 2013, the Township was
rated the 16th safest community in the state.
2013 was the second year for the School
Resource Officer Program at the high
school, this in addition to the existing DARE
Program means that there is a regular pres-
ence of police in every school.
Traffic enforcement activities continue to
be a major focus with 2,207 traffic citations
and the continued activity of the DUI Task
Force. The department received its 9th con-
secutive Platinum Traffic Safety Award
from the AAA. Motor Vehicle accidents
were slightly higher at 144, and there was
one fatality. The officers were on the
move, logging 230,583 miles.
The Deer Management program is in
year 6 with 128 deer harvested through the
program and a 13% reduction in deer vehi-
cle accidents. Burglar Alarms were down to
a low of 724. The Drug Take Back pro-
gram continues to grow with 767 lbs col-
lected in 2013, a 50% increase. The depart-
ment did meet the goal of having 3 officers
on patrol 80% of the time; the average was
83.8%
Township Rated 16th Safest in State by Safewise &
Crime Down by 24.27%
2,207 traffic citations in 2013
The top 3 traffic enforcement
performers were officers: 1.
Richard Bonczek, 2. William
Woods and 3. Andrew Green.
The Officer with the most gen-
eral monthly totals was Sgt. Ge-
rald Maloni.
The New Fire Safety House is a joint effort between
Peters Township & North Strabane Township.
™
Peters Township earned the 16th spot
in SafeWise's top 50 PA rankings.
Library Renovates to Meet Current Needs
WAGGIN System Implemented
Improvements to existing facilities were a focus in 2013 with
the completion of the Har-Tru Tennis Court renovations, paving
and fencing of Elm Grove Park, CRC lounge furnishings, and up-
grading the kitchen area of the community room. A new facility, an 18 station fitness trail was
installed in Peterswood Park. A
new flag pole and lighting was installed in Peterswood Park. A
major project was the replace-
ment of the Sugar Camp Trail
Bridge, which benefited both trail
users and motorists.
The sports associations con-
tinue to participate in making improvements as Football added
a new building at Hofbauer Field .
Our special events continue to
be well received, includ-
ing Community Day,
Haunted Trail, Tree Light-
ing, Touch a Truck, Prin-cess Ball, Fishing Derby
and our Concerts in the
Park series. CRC mem-berships increased in 2013
as well as exercise class
participation. Pickle Ball
was added to the venue, which is very popular with
our senior citizens. Sports association programs also increased in
2013.
Maintenance converted Field 3 & 4 to a new configuration.
They also installed fencing at Peterslake Dam and renovated the
Center Church lawn area after the PennDOT project.
18 Station Fitness Trail Added at Peterswood Park &
Increased Programs for All Age Groups
The library saw physical improvements to the building to
meet the current and changing needs of its patrons. A more
open look with additional seating was added to many areas, as
well as continued electronic offerings. The Teen area was also
renovated with new furnishings and a focus on reading. Cam-
eras were added as a safety feature for the security of patrons
and staff.
Another major change was participation in the new WAG-
GIN One Card One System, which combines the libraries in
Washington, Green, and Fayette Counties into a joint system.
This reduces costs and increases catalog opportunities for resi-
dents. The library has a circulation of 337,181, with over
200,000 visitors. 27,491 patrons used library computers.
1,252 programs were conducted for all levels of interest. Pro-
gramming included the World Affairs Council Series, authors,
Robotics and Dig into Reading.
There were 536 programs produced with 9,175 hours of
programming on the three channels, equaling 382 full days of programming. The township channels are 7, 17, and 19 on
Comcast and 38, 39 and 40 on Verizon. In addition viewing of programs over the internet has become increasingly popu-
lar. There were 894 episodes available on line and there were 5,208 views of shows. A new series has become the
most watched show “Healthy Inspirations’ with 1,200 view-ers, coming in second was Council meetings with 578 view-ers.
Cable assists many departments in programming and tech-nical assistance. Their assistance in the Plan Peters 2022
process was invaluable to get information to the public. Parks & Recreation benefitted from the park concert recording and
the YES program series. The Cable Department also as-sisted in improving the municipal building lobby with security
cameras and an new information center. The collabo-
ration with the school
district is still strong and is
still very popular with
the students and teachers.
Healthy Inspirations #1 Program
Cable Assists all Departments
Page 4 Peters Township Annual Report - 2013
™
Touch-A-Truck - July 2012
18 Station Fitness Trail
@ Peterswood Park
Exercise Class Participation
Increased in 2013
New Information Center in the Municipal Bldg.