Supervisors settle waste-removal suit for $2,000
Vermont company had sued for $75,000 over payment dispute
The Amity Township supervisors voted Feb. 5 to pay $2,000 to settle a lawsuit over a payment dispute for sludge removal work at the township wastewater treatment plant.
In 2016, the township hired P&H Senesac Inc. of Vermont to remove waste from the plant. Township Solicitor Brian Boland said the dispute arose because the township overestimated the volume of waste to be removed, and P&H wanted payment for the estimated amount rather than the actual amount.
“They wanted to be paid for sludge they didn’t remove,” Boland said. “The contract clearly said that the amount we thought was in the lagoon was an estimate only, and each contractor was encouraged to go out and determine the amount for themselves.”
Boland said P&H originally sued for $75,000.
Hill Road property
Also at the meeting, officials discussed the process of acquiring a Hill Road property near the Monocacy Hill Recreation Area.
Supervisors said the roughly 10 acres would provide additional parking for the park area, but it could require testing for soil contamination because the property was formerly an asphalt production plant.
Township Manager Troy Bingaman said he had begun discussions with the vacant property’s current owner —New Enterprise Stone and Lime Co., Lancaster County — about whether the company or the township would be responsible for any necessary tests.
Bingaman noted that officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection told him any contamination likely wouldn’t be an issue if the property was only used for parking.
“The concern would be if something was built on the parcel or a well was drilled,” Bingaman said.
Bingaman also noted the township is looking to acquire the plot at no cost.
In other business, township Police Chief Dan Brown urged residents to keep car doors locked because of a recent spate of car break-ins.