Board of Supervisors Says ‘No’ to Sewer Project Exemption

For Ralph Christman, it seems two strikes means he’s out. At least as far as his recent request to opt out of the Vera Cruz Sewer Project is concerned.

In a 2-0 vote Thursday night, the Upper Milford Board of Supervisors denied Christman’s request for an exemption from the ongoing Vera Cruz Sewer Project. Supervisor George DeVault abstained from the decision.

Before making the motion to deny Christman’s exemption, Supervisor Robert Sentner said: “Whether we like it or not, we need to abide by the ordinance that we set. I feel for you Mr. Christman, I really do, but our hands are kind of tied.”

Supervisors’ Chair Daniel Mohr said: “I only wish he had come in at the beginning. (With the project already underway) there are people who would have been in the same situation that you are in now who are already hooked up to the sewer.”

Township solicitor Marc Fisher confirmed that those properties required to hook up to the sewer are determined at the state level by Upper Milford’s status as a second-class township. “The state legislature makes the law as to who has to hook up in a second-class township,” Fisher said.

Ultimately, Sentner ended the discussion on Christman’s situation stating: “I will make the sad motion to deny Mr. Christman’s request.”

Supervisor George DeVault, who lives in Milestone Area III of the Vera Cruz project and finds himself in a similar situation to Christman, abstained from the vote. “It’s not fair, it’s wrong, and it needs to be better. I can’t vote for it (the exemption) because I would want one too,” DeVault said.

Christman, who lives at 3311 Main Road East, first approached of the ongoing at the board’s June 7 meeting. At that time, Christman told the board he was seeking the exemption because his house sits more than 500 feet from the road and his 11-acre property has a fully functional and relatively new sand mound.