BY PAT FARNELLI

A silent auction of obsolete road signs, outmoded by 911 requirements, brought almost $700 in cash and checks for Harford Township  at its supervisors’ meeting Tuesday, Dec. 11.

The three supervisors opened the bids for requested signs, and were pleasantly surprised by the amounts offered for the road signs, a list of which had been provided on the township’s website and at the office.

Some of the signs were more popular than others, perhaps because of quaint names, like ‘Podunk.’

Several envelopes contained specific requests for misspelled signs: “Reservoir Road, provided it was spelled Reservior.”

The supervisors had specified that the minimum bid amount would be $5, but the smallest bid for a sign received was for Tingley Street, at $10. The highest bids were $135 for Tingley Lake Road and Richardson Road.

Some signs were still unclaimed at the end of the evening.

The proceeds from the sale would be given to the Harford/Lenox Baseball Association.

In other business, the used tires collected during the cleanup were taken away by Bluestone Gathering and Price Gregory, to be used as filler for pipeline construction.

This saved the township the cost of disposal, and greatly improved the appearance of the property.

Officers of Harford’s Water Authority attended the meeting and spoke at length with the supervisors. They are now disbanding the company, in operation since about 1972, and may be turning over the reins to the township. The deeds will have to be researched and signed over. The supervisors signed some of the paperwork at the meeting. “This needs to be clean, so it is not confusing 20 years from now,” said Supervisor Garry Foltz.

Kozlowski Trucking and Repair fixed township trucks which had four different episodes of damage, at a total cost of $2,020.34.

Cabot Oil & Gas has been wanting the supervisors to lease one piece of township property to complete a pooling unit.

A special meeting was held Nov. 20 to prepare the proposed budget for 2013. The proposed expenditures for 2013 are $347,367; the proposed revenues are $323,412. $25,000 of the 2012 impact fees will be used to balance the township account.

For the state account, the proposed expenditures are $205,561, and the proposed revenues total $175,561. $30,000 of the impact fees will be used to balance this account.

For the sewer authority, the proposed expenditures are $158,256, and the proposed revenues are $125,072. The gas leas money received in 2010, as well as $25,000 of  the impact fees, will be implemented to balance the sewer budget. The revenue amount also includes an increase of sewer users fee of $3 per month for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2012.

The Williams pipeline project in the Jeffers Road area needs to be inspected, as well as Stockinger Road off of the Old Turnpike Road. There are road concerns on Stevens and Grinnell Roads as well as at the bottom of Miller Road, where “really bad mud pits” have formed, Foltz said. It will be necessary for stone products to be used, as calcium alone would not correct the issues.

Grindings received from the contractor working on Interstate 81 have been applied to the township roads after they were worked with stone materials, which held hold the road together and seal the surface.

North Harmony Road was extended in length, and a lot of material was hauled in and used to build up that road.

At least four or five liens were filed by Solicitor Drew Hailstone for sewer accounts that are long past due. A letter received from FEMA about the flood insurance study and an ordinance to be adopted has been received.

A closed session for personnel was held after the meeting.

Harford Township supervisors meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.