By John Chambless
Staff Writer

Christine Kimmel, who has served on the East Marlborough Township Board of Supervisors for three years, announced at the end of the board's Aug. 6 meeting that she will be resigning her position, as of Sept. 11.

Kimmel said she and her husband are moving out of the township, so she will no longer be eligible to serve on the board. “It's with a sad heart that I tender my resignation,” Kimmel said. “My husband and I will be moving to Thornbury Township in the near future. I did not anticipate this,” she said. “We're excited, but sad to be leaving. We love this township, we love the school district, but we decided it was time for us to move. … If I could pick up the house and move it here, I would,” Kimmel added, smiling.

Board chairman Richard Hannum, Jr., thanked Kimmel for her service and wished her well. “Having the opportunity to work with you has been a real pleasure,” he said. “The fact that you are a real estate and land use attorney has given us an edge when we're dealing with certain issues. We appreciate all of the time and effort you put into being a supervisor.”

The board plans to discuss Kimmel's replacement, and will appoint a new supervisor within 30 days of her Sept. 11 departure date.

During the meeting, the board spent 45 minutes in a careful debate about trees that will be removed from the former site of a Citgo gas station at 800-804 East Baltimore Pike. The abandoned, overgrown site, which is across from the Walmart store, has been a source of concern for the supervisors for several years.

Attorney John Jaros, representing a client who is exploring the possibility of building a Royal Farms store on the nine-acre parcel, said that there are eight trees being considered. Three of them do not meet the 36-inch diameter requirement to be classified as “specimen trees” for preservation under the township's ordinances. Of the five remaining, the developer asked to keep two – a Chinese chestnut tree and a cherry tree that are “in good shape,” according to a professional arborist. The other trees would be cut down.

Supervisor Robert McKinstry objected to cutting down an ash tree that is presently in good shape, but is susceptible to the emerald ash borer that has decimated ash trees in the region. The arborist recommended a preemptive removal of the tree because it is likely to become infested. After debate, the developer agreed to preserve three trees on the site, including the ash tree, because it is still in a healthy condition. There is no site development plan yet, but the applicant was seeking direction on the removal of the trees so that the plan could be developed.

The developer said in addition to the Landhope Farms store, a medical office may be put on the site, as well as some other retail space.

John Rosecrans, chairman of the township Historic Commission, explained the addition of 25 places to the Historic Resources List. The sites are primarily in the northwest corner of the township, he said, and include both ruins of historic significance, and homes and barns that were left off of surveys done in the 1980s and 1990s.

The properties include foundations of barns and homes that may date back to the 1700s, as well as homes and barns from around 1800 to 1935. The new additions also include tenant homes and outbuildings that were not included in surveys done in the 1800s because they were not the primary residences of the landowners.

Rosecrans said adding a property to the list “doesn't mean we're going to tell the homeowners what color they can paint their home,” but does insure that subsequent owners “can't just come in and bulldoze a foundation or tear down a barn,” he said.

A letter will be sent to the owners of the additional sites, inviting them to a September meeting with the Historic Commission that will explain the purpose of the list. After that, there will be a formal motion to add them to the list of historic resources.

For more information, and a list of upcoming meetings, visit www.eastmarlborough.org.

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