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The Union Twp. Board and Administration Welcomes Two New Employees

Linda Roath and Jim Donahoe

Two new Employees have been added to our Administrative Staff to assist in areas that need additional attention.

Linda Roath is on board as an Office Assistant to handle some work that will free up more time for Nicole and Joan (our Secretary/Treasurer and Assistant Secretary/Treasurer). She’ll be working under the direction of Nicole and Joan.

Jim Donahoe is on board to assist as Acting Project Manager. His role will be to establish better communication between our contracted professionals (Engineering and Legal) and to schedule and follow small and major projects currently in planning or already underway. He’ll be following schedules, tracking critical milestones and watching project costs.   Jim will report to the Board of Supervisors.

Both Linda and Jim will, for the present, be on board as employees through a temporary agency.

Trick or Treating in Union Township Scheduled

A motion passed at the September 11 Board meeting to schedule Trick or Treating in Union Township for Thursday, October 31 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm.

Union Township Fall Leaf Pickup

A leaf and yard trash pickup will be made by the Union Township Road Crew in November, but dates for pickup have not yet been scheduled.   Check the November issue of the South Hills – Mon Valley Messenger for pickup dates.

MS4 – How Will it Affect You As A Union Township Resident?

MS4 is short for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System.   It’s a mouthful and it brings with it a ton of responsibility for residents and the Township Administration. Union Township has been and continues to be permitted as a MS4 Municipality. What this means is that we have the responsibility of conforming to the requirements of the NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System). The program is managed by the DEP (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection). The ultimate goal of the program is to meet the requirement of the Federal Clean Water Act put in place years back to assure that the Nation (including Pennsylvania) strictly controls emissions that would further pollute our streams, rivers, lakes, bays and ultimately the oceans – a tall order indeed.

Union Township lies in the Mississippi River water shed. Our storm water runoff reaches The Mississippi via the Monongahela River and the Ohio River. Union Township is permitted under the program to discharge storm water runoff, treated water and other clean water discharge into Piney Fork Creek, Peter’s Creek, other small estuaries in the township and the Monongahela River directly. It is also charged under the program to install and maintain a storm water runoff system that is completely separate from the sanitary sewage systems in place within the Township.    This includes runoff from storm management ponds. Outfalls into the above streams need to be identified and controlled

An outfall is defined as any source adding water that reaches the Monongahela River.   These outfalls may take the form of public and private storm water pipes, swales, and other small unnamed estuaries within the township. We have been required to map and locate all of these outfalls. So far, we have identified 30 outfalls in our MS4 and have reported their locations to the DEP by Geo Physical Coordinates on our mapping. We will be required to inspect these outfalls and report on their content. If pollutions (sanitary sewage, metals, chemicals, sediments and any other pollutants) are present their source must be determined and eliminated.

The topography of Union Township has presented a challenge to the installation of public sewage systems leaving property owners with no other option than privately owned and maintained septic systems and these systems are beginning to fail in some areas.   New technology is now available to provide public sewage in these locations.   Three public sewage projects are in the planning stages to address problem areas in Union Township.   The projects are designated as; Overlook, Mingo Circle and, Finleyville-Elrama Road. Public sewage project are coordinated with the DEP and make their way through preliminary planning including 537 plans, financial planning and construction bidding all with DEP overview and approval.

Keeping sanitary sewage runoff from township stream outfalls is only one MS4 requirement.

Elimination of other sources of storm water contamination must also be addressed - new construction sedimentation runoff, runoff from small businesses, runoff from streams in flood, road and parking lot runoff just to name a few areas of concern. Our MS4 plan outlines a phased program over a five year period with specific goals. There will be future workshops scheduled to address these issues and future bulletins to appraise residents of progress to maintain compliance to our MS4 plan. This may present a financial challenge to all residents and a challenge to the township administration to seek out financial assistance in the form of grants. Residents will also be challenged to be “pollution sensitive,“ as to what gets dumped into our streams.

Are You Missing Mailings From Union Township?

Union Township residents getting mail through a Post Office outside the Township may be missing some mailings from the Township. If you feel you may be in this situation, please contact the Township Secretary to verify your correct mailing address.   Call Joan at 724-348-4250 Ext 0. This problem showed up recently with some residents living on Courtney Hill.

Tentative Approval of the Scarmazzi Planned Residential Development Granted by the Union Twp. Board

After a presentation by representatives of Scarmazzi Homes at the September 11 meeting, the board approved (with conditions) a Conditional Use Application to construct a Planned Residential Development on the East side of State Route 88 using Hidden Hollow Road as the main access to the first phase of the development. The tentative plan includes a mix of single family dwelling homes and patio homes. A clubhouse and pool were noted as part of the plan.

The NVR Planned Residential Development is Moving Forward

A Planned Residential Development remains in the planning stages for the west side of State Route 88 on the old Mineral Beach property. The area was tentatively the target for approximately 91 Patio Homes.  

A Chicken Ordinance is being prepared.

Due to several complaints throughout the Township, a new ordinance is being prepared for the keeping of fowl (chickens and ducks) in Union Township. Restrictions due to lot size and set-backs for pens can be expected by residents.   A draft of the ordinance will be reviewed by the Planning Department prior to submittal to the Board for adoption.   A public hearing will also be scheduled. Contact Joan at 724-348-4250 Ext. 0 if you wish specific notification when a public hearing addressing this issue is scheduled.

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