By John Chambless
Staff Writer

A car wash that will be built behind the Bank of America on Onix Drive took a big step toward the start of construction on Monday night as the East Marlborough Board of Supervisors gave final approval to a land development plan for the facility.

The plan incorporated suggestions from several previous meetings with the township supervisors and zoning board. The car wash will have a water reclamation system that will capture 70 percent of the water used by customers, as well as heated pavement from the car wash exit to Onix Drive that will keep ice from forming in cold weather. There will be vacuum stations at the facility, and all chemicals used will be fully biodegradable, so they won't affect the sewer treatment process, according to developer Ed Henry, who was in the audience at the meeting.

The board voted to approve the plan, with supervisor John Sarro abstaining because he knows the owner of the land where the facility will be built. Escrow for the car wash was set at $217,966. No date has been set for the start of construction.

The board also heard about a housing development plan that would put 27 twin units on property at Walnut Street and Gale Lane, near the Tri-M and Everfast facilities in the township. Mike Gavin, a representative for developer Doug White, said the 54 homes would have two stories and attached garages, and would sell for $430,000 to $539,000. “They will be a nice product that fits in well with the community,” Gavin said.

Supervisor Bob Weer, Sr., asked about sewer hookups for the 22.6-acre development, and Gavin said that “It's on us to find a way to get public sewer connected.” Weer also pointed out the industrial nature of the area and the truck traffic that might be a concern for homeowners.

The development is still in the early planning stages, and was presented to the board as a general outline. It faces conditional use hearings and further scrutiny. “I think Mr. White may be faced with having to make some off-site sewer improvements,” Weer said.

Next on the agenda was a consideration of sewer capacity in East Marlborough. Jeff Simpson, the township's public works director, said a study is intended to address developments such as the proposed one on Gale Lane, since the 10-inch sewer main that runs along Route 1 is already handling hookups from several new housing developments and businesses, and might be approaching capacity.

The study of existing sewer lines will cost the township $7,800, but will give an accurate estimate for how much more load the system could handle, Simpson said. He estimated that the system is handling about 300,000 gallons per day and was rated for a maximum of 440,000 gallons, but “we don't know how close we are to that amount,” he said. The board approved the study, which will be completed in 30 days.

Simpson also outlined the state of the township's traffic signals, particularly three areas that have partially failed or are outdated and in danger of failing. At the intersection of Route 926 and Doe Run Road, one of the traffic detection wires has failed, and the intersection of routes 82 and 926 might not respond to emergency equipment that is intended to change the light to green. The board agreed to spend $13,000 for ongoing maintenance work on the problems in order to avoid the much higher cost if the equipment fails completely.

The board also approved road closures for the upcoming Kennett Run on May 20; and the Mushroom Cap Half-Marathon, which will be held on Nov. 4. The Kennett Run route has been altered to avoid closing Route 82 this year, and Police Chief Robert Clarke said the route “means less officers required, less detoured traffic – it's a lot easier for us.”

Last year's race resulted in about $50,000 being donated to area non-profits, said race organizer Chris Daney, who was at the meeting. “Our goal is to get a little bit more than that in 2017.”

The Mushroom Cap Half-Marathon will follow the same route as last year, and will start and finish at Kennett High School. The event raised about $16,000 last year.

Richard Hannum, Jr., the board chairman, said, “I think events like these are great for the community, and you guys do a great job” before the board voted to approve the road closures.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].