Municipal News

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 March 2015 19:35

By J.R. Brower

Contrary to popular belief, there is a rush hour in mostly rural Nottingham Township. It occurs on weekdays in the early morning and late afternoon, according to a resident of Munntown Road.

The resident told the Nottingham Township Board of Supervisors at their March 16 meeting that speeding occurs regularly along his section of the road, and he asked if there was anything that could be done about it.

Supervisor Doug King said that he is aware of the problem, which is prevalent on other roads in Nottingham as well. He said that since the township does not have a police department, they are under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania State Police, who simply do not have the time or manpower to enforce the speed limits here.

King said that the speed limit on Munntown Road is 35 miles per hour, and the township may need to consider installing more speed limit signs. He said that another possibility to cut down on speeding may be to reduce the speed limit to 25 miles per hour.

Township Solicitor James Liekar said that if the township was serious about doing that, they would need to hire a consulting engineer to conduct a traffic study, who would then make recommendations.

King said that neighboring Peters Township has installed speed humps along various roads to try to cut down on speeding. But since most of the officials in Peters he has talked to have said that they don't work that well, King said he is reluctant to try speed humps in Nottingham.

In other business, the Nottingham Supervisors:

· Received notification that the Planning Commission wants to see the final draft of the amendment to the oil and gas ordinance prior to making recommendations.

· Acknowledged receipt of the state audit report (DCED) and management letter from Maher Duessel, Nottingham's appointed certified public accounting firm.

· Acknowledged receipt of a certified notification from Rice Energy containing their application to drill and operate an unconventional well and coal module attachment at their Rumpelstiltskin sites in Somerset Township. These are copies of forms submitted to the state DEP.