The first regular meeting in 2021 for the Cranberry Township supervisors focused on an old topic – the devastation caused by severe flash flooding in the summer of 2019 along two small meandering streams in the township.
Three Deep Hollow Road residents who live along Lower Two Mile Run pressed the supervisors Thursday to keep pushing for the removal of collected vehicles and other machinery from a junkyard at the intersection with Route 322.
Many of those vehicles were pushed into a culvert in the July 2019 flash flood, and the resulting backwater flooding was severe.
Barb Ross, owner of a property at Victory Heights that abuts a Spencer-owned tract, told the supervisors that Spencer is now moving some vehicles from the Route 322 site and up over the hill near her.
“He’s … doing it without anyone’s permission,” said Ross. “It is beginning again and we need to do something about it. … We can’t get our foot off the gas and we need to prevent him from bringing any more trailers (carrying vehicles and parts) up that hill.”
John and Linda Lindholm, who also live on Deep Hollow Road, told the supervisors they agree with Ross.
“A flood hurts with Spencer’s stuff down there … so we are pushing, too, to get him out of there,” said John Lindholm.
The Lindholms have lived on Deep Hollow Road for 55 years, said Linda Lindholm.
“It was a beautiful creek but after the 1981, 1996 and 2019 floods, we had an inspector tell us it’s not if we’ll have another flood, it’s when,” she said. “It’s a concern that … Randy’s stuff is still there.”
Harold Best, chairman of the supervisors, emphasized the township is continuing its efforts to remedy the junkyard issue and said, “Our attorneys are working on it. … We hope to have it done sooner rather than later.”
John Lindholm also said an upgraded containment pond near the Cranberry Mall property is now leaking and sending water over a hill onto Deep Hollow Road. Township roadmaster Ted Williams said he would check the containment pond.
In response to the concerns, township manager Chad Findlay said the township has budgeted funds to do a full study, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on the flood prone Sage Run along Riverside Drive and Lower Two Mile Run along Deep Hollow Road.
“It will identify deficiencies and the agencies that are responsible for helping,” said Findlay.
Permits issued
In another matter Thursday, township zoning officer Ben Breniman said the township issued five building permits last month at an estimated construction value to $370,300.
He announced two hearings are scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, at the township building to consider making amendments to the township’s municipal code. They involve self-storage units and second-hand stores.
“We’ve had some interest in both cases and we don’t have language in our ordinance about those,” said Breniman, noting the change would make those two enterprises a conditional use in a zoned area.
