Hempfield News

Keeping you up to date with articles of interest to Hempfield Residents.  Note: Please see the Home Page of this website for emergency announcements, including weather related items.

Fire Training Courses Offered

Please visit our Volunteer Fire Departments page, or download our Fire Training Courses PDF to learn about courses offered in September and November.

Hempfield Area High School Homecoming Parade Slated

Fall is the time for homecoming parades.  Mark your calendars!  Hempfield High School Homecoming Parade, will take place on Friday, October 15th, 2010 from 6:00p.m. to 7:30p.m., at Route 136.

Emergency Aid Provided by Employees of the Hempfield Township Public Works' Department

The Hempfield Township Board of Supervisors issued “Certificates of Accomplishments” on two separate occasions to its Public Works’ employees commending them for their commitment to the public safety of the Township and their actions in assisting someone in need.

On March 4th, 2010, Fred Garlitz, Jeff Skiavo, Dennis Stout, and George Walor came upon a vehicle which had gone off the road and into the woods and upon seeing a man from the wrecked vehicle attempting to get through the weeds to the road, assisted him to the road and called for medical assistance.

Also, on June 22nd, 2010, Joseph Svetkovich, Jr., Paul Dudash, and Jonathan Shrum were driving along Route 136 to a job site and saw a resident fall to the ground, striking his head and they stopped to assist and notified medical assistance.

Blood Drives Slated

Please consider giving the “gift of life” today for those in need tomorrow… The Westmoreland County Chapter of the American Red Cross and the recipients of these “gifts of life,” thank you for your assistance in saving lives. Any questions should be directed to the Westmoreland County Blood Service Coordinator, Stacy Hunter. She can be reached at 724-837-3651 or 724-837-3671.

Donors should call 724-837-3651 prior to the blood drive to confirm date, time and place as these are subject to change.

Hempfield TV Channel 765 is Up and Running

THTMA Project Updates

From the completion of the Andrew's Run Sewer Project Update to the acquisition of the Authority's new Vactor Plus 2100 Truck, learn about Hempfield Township Municipal Authority updates on our THTMA page.

Smile, You’re on Rancid Camera!

Sorry about the bad pun in the headline, but we are trying our best to capture the essence of the environment in which THTMA’s new sewer-cam works on a daily basis.

The closed circuit television (CCTV) system was acquired by the Authority in June and consists of a sewer camera, inspection software, and a new vehicle to transport it all around.

The Authority’s field crew is steadfastly putting the sewer-cam equipment to good use in the bowels of the sewer system in order to:

• Pinpoint sewer line defects
• Identify infiltration and inflow sources
• Locate sewer laterals for homes and businesses
• Find buried manholes
• Determine causes of clogs

These activities allow the Authority to be proactive in maintaining the sewer system by keeping the pipes in good shape and the wastewater flowing to the treatment facilities.

Lincoln Heights/Arona Borough Project

Construction has begun on the Lower Route 136 interceptor which will serve Arona Borough. This work is expected to be completed by August.

The rest of the Lincoln Heights project will get underway once funding is secured through Rural Utilities Services (RUS).

Andrew's Run Sewer Project Update

The main lines are complete and folks are tapping in as we speak...so far, about 75% of the customers have connected to the new sewer line which conveys sewage to the Darragh Treatment Plant.

Web Site Development

As noted in the project updates, a great deal of sewer line construction is taking place in Hempfield Township. At the same time, the new THTMA web site is also under construction.

The web site will contain a history of the Authority, a list of services provided, new bill-payment options, news flashes, and much more valuable information for the customers of THTMA. The web site is expected to be up and running by the end of September. Stay tuned to Hempfield Township’s Comcast channel 765 for the unveiling announcement!

Township Manager Announces 2010 Projects

As the Township of Hempfield moves into 2010, preparations begin for major improvements throughout its municipality. It will also be undertaking major infrastructure and storm water projects.

One of Hempfield’s major projects in 2010, Walton Tea Room Road from Route 136 to Kerr Road, will result in an additional 1.1 miles of paving. Mr. Kurt Ferguson, Township Manager, said, “The resulting 33+ miles of road improvements will be the biggest road improvement undertaking ever in Hempfield. With approximately 300 miles of local roads in Hempfield, 30+ miles of improvements a year will allow the Township to make improvements, on average, every ten (10) years. The Township of Hempfield will continue to focus on roads to this extent beyond 2010 and believe the cumulative effect to this approach will be a significant upgrade to the Township’s infrastructure, and to its resident’s property values.”

Up-Coming Major Projects Include:

Storms

Over the last several years this Township has been hit with two (2) significant wet weather events. The August 2007 and June 2009 storms are two (2) of the heaviest rain events to hit the Township in 100 years. Truth be told it is almost impossible to create a storm water retention system to handle that much water in such a short period of time. What do the very hard hit areas of the Township tend to have in common? Answer: They tend to be areas with hillsides/drop-offs and very limited to no storm water collection systems. These houses were built during a time when storm water management did not exist. There were very few requirements to collect storm water. Many of these homes could not be built today because current storm water requirements would prohibit their construction.

The Township is now undertaking storm water projects in Fort Allen, Cambridge Drive, and West Point. These improvements total approximately 3 million dollars. These three (3) projects represent the biggest investment in storm water control that the Township has ever undertaken. While we cannot guarantee that homes in these areas will never flood, we can say that this is everything the Township can do to improve conditions in these areas. The storm water projects are underway in Fort Allen and Cambridge Drive and we will begin the West Point project in the Spring of 2011. 

Walton Tea Room

The Walton Tea Room project, which will rebuild the road, shore up the hillsides, and add drainage, should be completed by the end of September. This 1.8 million dollar project saves the road, which was beginning to slide away, for the 5,000 plus cars a day that use it.

Roads

The Township purchased its own paver this year. The Township has several ways it improves roads. We tar and chip, used recycled asphalt, have our traditional ‘hot-mix’ program, and now pave in-house.

With 250 plus miles of road in the Township, we have set our goal to improve approximately 30 miles of road every year. This paver allows us to more substantively improve Township roads, as well as have increased flexibility with potential road emergencies to pave if necessary.

Road maintenance and improvements serve as the very foundation of what local government is supposed to provide. Also, the condition of the road does affect the value of your property. Most road improvements have a maximum life of ten (10) years. That means with 300 miles of road, doing 30 miles of improvements a year, the Township would be able to get back around to each road every ten (10) years. We are now able to meet those standards.

Our current hot mix paving program comes from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania funding known as ‘liquid fuels’ money. This funding must be used for road or related infrastructure improvements, as well purchases that help support that. Having our own paver allows the Township the flexibility of potentially diverting that state liquid fuels money, if necessary, to an unexpected bridge improvement, for example. In the past the Township would have had to float a bond or greatly reduce paving to cover such unexpected costs, but now we could continue to pave roads and address any emergency situations.

Housing Demolitions

In 2010 Hempfield Township began a program to demolish dilapidated/abandoned properties.

Hempfield is now participating in a program through the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority to tear down four (4) to six (6) properties a year. The program has no direct cost to Hempfield Township taxpayers.

About two (2) months ago the Township had its first house torn down on Brown Avenue in Grapeville. We will have several more tore down this year and will continue to pursue these properties. We strongly believe that by taking these eyesores down, we will improve the value of properties in the neighborhoods that they are located.

Property Maintenance

In 2010 Hempfield Township has begun to address grass problems at abandoned properties throughout the Township. The Township will have the grass cut at these properties two (2) or three (3) times during the summer months and then lien the property. We have had three (3) of these properties sell this year at sheriff’s sales where the cost of cutting the grass has been recouped by the Township.

Hempfield Township will continue along this path. We will focus on the basic tenets of what we are supposed to do; focusing on our roads, storm retention ponds, and infrastructure projects. We have moved towards disciplined and conservative fiscal management including 5-year capital planning for projects, recreation, and equipment. We will continue to evaluate what we are doing and if it is the most efficient way to do it. We will continue to focus on problem properties and do everything we can to rid our neighborhoods of these eyesores that affect your property’s value. Finally, you will begin to see the cumulative effect of our road program as we work our way through the Township in the coming years.

When people focus on the negative I would just ask you to remember the “Did You Know’s?”.

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