Sludge Watch ==> Backyard liming of sludge not ok in Pennsylvania town of Ayr

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=541&NewsID=735600&CategoryID=1441&on=1

Ayr Authorizes Civil Action In Sewage Sludge Dispute


Township hires special counsel
07/27/06
By Jean Snyder
Staff Writer
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A conference call with their special counsel in a litigation matter topped 
Ayr Township supervisors’ agenda on Monday evening. The supervisors and 
their solicitor, Stanley J. Kerlin, spoke by telephone with attorney Greg 
Knight of Carlisle and authorized him to file a complaint for declaratory 
judgment against Ayr Township resident James Chestnut. The civil action asks 
the local Court of Common Pleas to uphold the township’s ordinance that 
would prohibit the land application of sewage sludge. The ordinance has 
certain treatment requirements that dictate that the sludge must be treated 
at a wastewater facility prior to land application.

Chestnut has applied for and been tentatively granted a permit from the 
state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to apply the sludge on 
his farmland after treating it with lime in a tank on his property. The 
supervisors say that does not meet their ordinance requirements, and they 
are asking the local court to uphold that ordinance.

Prior to authorizing the civil action, the supervisors have tried 
unsuccessfully through their attorney to impose special conditions on the 
permit.

In other business, the supervisors also adopted a resolution in support of 
the county’s grant application to provide 50 percent match funding for the 
purchase of new road signs and poles for the township. If the application is 
successful, the township will be able to purchase approximately 35 road 
marker signs. The new signs will feature 6-inch lettering to replace the old 
4-inch lettering signs in the township.

Ayr supervisors also announced that they will terminate their contract with 
Berkheimer Associates, wage tax collector, effective at the end of 2006. The 
township will contract with J.P. Harris of Mechanicsburg to collect the wage 
tax beginning in January 2007. According to township secretary Denise 
Grissinger, J.P. Harris will be assisting the township in notifying 
employees and employers about the change in collection in an attempt to 
avoid any confusion that may arise from the fact that the school portion of 
the wage tax may still be collected by Berkheimer Associates. It is believed 
that several other townships in the county may be switching from Berkheimer 
to J.P. Harris. Ayr Township has said that Berkheimer has been slow to 
update tax records and its service has grown to be unsatisfactory to the 
township

The township was also informed by the local conservation district that 
several earth disturbance violations have been filed against My Father’s 
House new church project located off old Route 30 in Ayr Township.