Towamencin’s board of supervisors, inset, see a rendering of a proposed warehouse on Delp Drive, at right, and the retaining wall and wooded area between it and houses of the Dock Woods community, at left, during their March 23 2022 meeting. (Screenshot of online meeting)
Township denies developer’s request to pour concrete at night
Neighbors in the Dock Woods community are sounding off about a long-discussed project on Delp Drive, and the township has responded by restricting night work hours.
“We understand it is a construction area, but the residents have been really greatly affected. First, by blasting,” said Lisa Reiff, executive director of the Dock Woods community.
“And then after blasting occurred, the drilling occurred, right along our property line. Right where the residents are, about 10 homes along the property line, drilling for weeks,” she said.
In early 2022 the township supervisors approved plans for a 268,000-square-foot warehouse to be built on 30 acres just north of what is currently a dead-end on Delp Drive. At that time, neighbors in the Dock Woods community adjacent to the property said they were worried about noise and air pollution coming from the east side of the building where truck loading docks were shown on the plans, and an updated version presented by the developer included added walls meant to buffer the sights and sounds.
During the township supervisors meeting on Wednesday night, Reiff led a group of residents sounding off about the project, citing noise and pollution from the construction so far, and asking the board to deny a request for late-night planned work. Residents nearby agreed to have their homes inspected beforehand, then experienced several weeks of blasting in summer, with weather causing complications, she said.
"As you know, we have not had much rain this past summer, it's created a lot of dust and dirt. That is still on their patios, their front patios, their siding. I know that the contractor has tried their best with a water truck, but it's really been impactful for the residents," she said.
Towamencin's board of supervisors, inset, see a rendering of a proposed warehouse on Delp Drive, at right, and the retaining wall and wooded area between it and houses of the Dock Woods community, at left, during their March 23 2022 meeting. (Screenshot of online meeting)After the blasting came drilling close to about 10 homes bordering the warehouse property, she added, before describing a recent visit to one of those homes.
"We couldn't have a conversation on someone's back patio, or even in their sunroom. It was just very loud," she said.
The request from contractor Conewago Enterprises asked for permission to do pavement pouring roughly eight times, starting on or around Oct. 1 and beginning at 2 a.m. each day, a request that Reiff said "the majority of the residents are not in favor of having this work done outside of ordinance hours," asking the board to vote it down, and several residents echoed those concerns.
George Rodriguez asked the board to imagine the construction happening in their own backyards: "Think about if you would like to have somebody laying concrete, with all the traffic of the mixing trucks, at 3 o'clock in the morning next to your property," he said.
"You might like it as much as having the North Penn High School band come in and practice at 3 o'clock in the morning in front of your house. I have spoken with other residents, and we are all against this change in hours," Rodriguez said, adding that he thought the request was because the contractor was behind schedule and "trying to catch up at our inconvenience."
Paul Bowen echoed those concerns, saying he wanted to "make a gripe session out of this," saying he thought the project should not have been approved, then calling the work "an environmental catastrophe and a great risk and inconvenience to the senior citizens and next door neighbors."
"I've talked to people with respiratory issues and conditions, that are getting anxious and frustrated with all of the construction that's going on," he said.
Another neighbor said they have a bedroom roughly 50 feet from the nearest construction equipment, and shared a photo of that close proximity with the board, before asking the board to oppose the overnight work. Township Manager Dave Kraynik said township Code Director Will Brugger "has had a number of conversations" with the residents and contractor and would set up a formal meeting with all involved.
Andrew Sauers, project manager for Conewago Enterprises, told the board that the request to do late-night work was a standard procedure, and reasons for the request include for the safety of contractors, with fewer vehicles on the road allowing faster deliveries, and that wind and sun in daytime can cause curling and drying of the concrete.
"This would also impact how much we are able to place at a given time. We would end up having to double our pours: we had figured on eight days, to be able to pour this concrete, and if we are not able to pour the concrete early in the morning, this would most likely double to 16 to 32 additional days," he said.
Board chairman Chuck Wilson called it "an ask that we just can't grant," saying he was bothered by the disruption to the residents, and supervisor Laura Smith said the board took "great strides to ensure the proper buffering for the residents."
"If you were working in a different area, where there were no residents, I'd probably say sure, why not. But unfortunately, you're working in their backyards, and at the end of the day their safety comes with their health, and their sleep," Smith said.
"If I was woken up for eight days straight at 3 in the morning, I would not be a very nice person. So I'm a hard no on this."
Supervisor Kristin Warner said she's familiar with concrete trucks thanks to a family member who worked in the field: "They're ginormous, and they make a lot of noise, and I know I wouldn't want that in the middle of the night. That's why we have ordinances," she said.
Supervisor Joyce Snyder put it more bluntly: "It's not my job to make your job easier. It's my job to enforce the ordinances of my township, and to protect our residents."
All five supervisors voted unanimously to deny the request for the night work.
Towamencin's supervisors next meet at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23 at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road. For more information visit www.Towamencin.org.
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