Fallowfield Township to step up security during meetings

The supervisors are also working with the township’s refuse hauler to get trash service issues worked out.

Fallowfield Township supervisors decided to increase safety measures for monthly meetings.

Starting next month, the main door to the municipal building where regular meetings are held the last Wednesday of each will be locked at 6 p.m., the start of each meeting.

Chairman Bruce Smith said it’s a safety measure supervisors have discussed in the past, and for various reasons, decided now was the time to implement a change.

The township recently hired Armory Locksmith to upgrade doors at the property, and now those doors will be locked at the start of each meeting.

“We have decided, starting next month, once the meeting starts we’re going to keep this (main) door locked,” Smith said.

There are two entrances to the building, the main door in the front and other door in the rear.

The back door is usually locked, but to err on the side of caution, the main door will now be locked once meetings begin.

Residents who want to attend but may be running late will still have access.

“That far door is always locked and we have electric locks put on for security reasons, but just because of some of the craziness that’s going on in the world, we’ve decided to keep this door locked,” Smith said. “Once the meeting starts, you can still get in. We’ll have somebody let people in, but just as a matter of security to everybody, we think it’s the best choice.”

Supervisors have talked about increased security measures before, and their decision is timely after a tragic incident in Virginia targeted an elected official.

A city councilman in Virginia was seriously injured Wednesday when a man stormed into his office at a lo cal magazine, doused him in gasoline and set him on fire in an attack that authorities say was rooted in a personal dispute, not politics.

Lee Vogler, 38, served on the Danville City Council for more than a decade and was taken by medical helicopter to a burn unit in North Carolina after the attack.

Police said the assailant, 29-year-old Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, forced his way into Vogler’s office at Show case Magazine, confronted him, then chased him outside and set him ablaze.

Hayes is facing charges of attempted first degree mur der and aggravated malicious wounding.

Thought the attack in Virginia was not the reason for the supervisors decision, it shows why it is necessary.

“We’ve talked about this for a while, and just by coincidence, there was something on the news today, a city or borough councilman some place in Virginia was in his office when somebody burst in doused him with a flamma ble liquid that they think was gasoline and lit him on fire.

That’s just terrible. That’s the kind of the crazy crap that we have to deal with. So, this is a step toward making everyone safer.”

Garbage concerns

Big’s Sanitation, also known as Earthwise Environmental, started to serve as the new trash hauler for the township Jan. 1.

They were the lowest bidder for the job, signing a threeyear contract with the township for refuse service.

Like with any transition, FROMA1

there have been hiccups over the last few months as the new company gets familiar with the township and routes.

Some residents though, seven months later, are frustrated with inconsistency in the service.

“I don’t think we’re asking for much,” resident Gary Ainsley said. “Just tell us what day you’re going to pick it up. If it’s Tuesday, it’s Tuesday. If it’s Thursday, it’s Thursday. It doesn’t matter to us, but there’s no regularity.

“One time they come at 5:30 in the morning, sometimes it’s seven o’clock at night.”

Supervisor Earl Sadler said he met with Earthwise on Tuesday as they work to more efficiently plan routes through the township.

“What happened is, they started off doing our township by using one truck, a larger truck, and a smaller truck on some off the other roads, but with the smaller truck it was eating up too much time for the amount of roads they were trying to do. And, the small truck kept breaking down.

“So, right now at the present time, we are working them to correct the problem. I’m showing them which roads they can take the bigger truck on, and which they can use the smaller truck for, but to be honest with you, the problems are because of a combination of a few things. The small trucks keeping breaking down and everyone is having trouble with personnel right now, but we’re working to get it settled.”

Sadler said regular pick-up is important, especially because the township is so rural and the temperatures have been unforgiving.

“When you’re in the country like we are, we have animals we are dealing with, and in this kind of weather things can get smelly, but we want you to know we are trying very hard and they are trying very hard to work it out.”

Currently, the township has two different garbage days depending on where you live on Tuesdays or Thursdays, right now, that schedule has not changed and residents should continue to put their trash out as they have, even if there may be a delay in pick up.

“The schedule has not changed, and it probably won’t,” Sadler said. “But we’re working hard to get it sorted.”