Officials discuss reopening

When the state moves Bucks County into the green phase of the coronavirusrelated guidelines, the township building, which has been closed to the public, will reopen, Township Manager Greg Lippincott said at the June 17 West Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors meeting.

“The building will follow all CDC health guidelines, all state guidelines,” he said.

“The public shall wear masks entering the building,” he said. “Social distancing of six feet must take place.”

No more than one person will be allowed in the front lobby area

at a time, he said.

“Appointments are strongly encouraged,” Lippincott said.

So are electronic submissions and payments, as well as the use of the drop-off boxes in front of the building, he said.

The township meeting room will only be available for township use, not other public meetings, he said.

Only 15 persons can be in the township meeting room at a time under social distancing, so zoning hearing board and planning commission meetings could be held there, but the board of supervisors meetings, which draw larger crowds, will have to continue to be held by teleconference as

the June 17 one was, board Chairman Jim Miller said.

In another matter at the meeting, Miller recalled the township looking in 2014 into installing solar panels at the township building to save on energy costs.

“It was coming in at about $100,000 and we just determined at the time that we would not get enough pay back to actually make it worthwhile,” he said. “Well, fast forward six years and things have changed a lot. The cost of solar has come way down. The panels themselves have increased to the point where they used to be viable for 20 to 25 years and now they’re over 35 years.”

Miller said he’s already gathered new information on going solar and would like the municipality to look into getting a solar system that could provide 100 percent of the electricity for the

township’s facilities.

He said he was asking the other two board members to agree to have Mary Eberle, the township’s solicitor, and Steve Baluh, township engineer, do some work for the plans, after which he would give a more complete plan at the board’s July meeting.

“I think it’s a great thing for the township. It could save us hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next 35 years,” Miller said.

Board members Jay Keyser and David Collingwood said they’re ready to take a look at the proposal.

Keyser said he sees a possible issue, though.

“I have big concerns about what happens to the solar panels when they wear out,” he said. “What do you do with them? Where do you get rid of them?”

Miller said he will look into that.