Township rejects bids for renovation

Municipal office project headed back to drawing board to reduce costs

EAST ROCKHILL >> Plans to add to and renovate the municipal office building are going back to the drawing board.

The lowest bids for the work put the price tag at $797,000, more than $100,000 over what had been expected, township officials said at an East Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors special meeting on July 15.

At the board’s July 23 meeting, the board approved rejecting those bids, having changes made to the bid specifications to reduce the scope of the project, and then asking for new bids.

The plans include enlarging the township meeting room and moving it to the front of the building and making improvements to other parts of the building to increase security and improve public meeting spaces, township officials say.

In other matters at the July 23 meeting:

• Although the work was not included in this year’s budget, the board decided during road inspection to get bids to repave Azalea Court and Holly Drive, Township Manager Marianne Morano said.

“Blooming Glen Contractors was the lowest bidder at $96,996,” she said. “I have looked at the general fund and I believe we would be able to do that this year if you want.”

The board approved having the work done.

• Tom Duncan, of the Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox law firm, which was hired by East Rockhill as special attorneys for the legal battles with Rockhill Quarry, outlined the work done by his firm.

“We were retained by the town

The lowest bids for the work put the price tag at $797,000, more than $100,000 over what had been expected.

ship to review the environmental permitting aspects of the quarry to make sure that everything was in compliance and determine what was not,” he said.

Two appeals have been filed with the Environmental Hearing Board, one appealing approval of the air quality plan for a crusher at the quarry and the other appealing a stormwater discharge permit, he said.

The quarry, which has been dormant since the 1980s, is seeking to resume operations. Neighboring residents have raised safety and environmental concerns about the plans.

After naturally-occurring asbestos was found in December, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ordered quarrying operations stopped until a plan to deal with the asbestos is developed.

Testing continues in connection with the asbestos, Duncan said.

“DEP has to take a number of steps before they’re willing to consider reopening the quarry,” he said.

The legal battles are on two separate tracks, John Rice, of the Grim, Biehn & Thatcher law firm, the township’s solicitors, said.

Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox is handling the appeals of DEP permits; Grim, Biehn & Thatcher is handling zoning-related matters currently in Bucks County Court.

“DEP doesn’t have any say in zoning issues really and the township doesn’t issue environmental permits,” Rice said.