By John Chambless
Staff Writer

Speeding through Kemblesville was discussed by the Franklin Township Board of Supervisors during their Sept. 18 meeting, specifically the speed at which drivers exit Route 896 and continue onto Appleton Road.

The board discussed placing a radar speed advisory sign at the intersection to slow traffic. There is nowhere to put up a permanent sign advising drivers of the reduced speed limit on Appleton Road, so police are unable to ticket drivers due to the short distance before the start of the 25-mph speed limit.

After discussion, the board authorized the purchase of a radar sign and trailer at a cost not to exceed $6,500. The motion passed unanimously.

The vacant home at 3327 Appleton Road was brought up, and the township solicitor will be contacting the judge overseeing the issue about the status of his ruling. There has been more than a year of legal wrangling to try to get the historic property secured.

Paul Lagasse, the chairman of the Historic Architectural Review Board, discussed his conversations with a PennDOT cultural resource professional about the proposed improvements to the intersection of Route 896 and Appleton Road, which at this point call for the removal of the small traffic island that has been at the intersection since the 1800s. Lagasse asked the supervisors to attend a meeting with PennDOT at the site on Oct. 8.

Jim German of the Franklin Sportsman Association said that hunting areas are being marked in the preserves at Banffshire, Franklin, Goodwin and White Clay Crescent. The FSA has a full complement of 35 members. Since July, the FSA has given 58 hours of community service, and members are now working on installing five charcoal grills at Crossan Park.

Supervisor Steffen Torres discussed the landscaping plan for the healing gardens at Crossan Park. They board decided they would like to move forward with one more staggered row of trees at the municipal site to hide concrete blocks in the yard. Additionally, the board decided that if there was money left over from the current tot lot project, they would implement the landscaping plan for the healing garden by the end of October.

At the close of the meeting, Lagasse suggested that, during the upcoming reconstruction of Route 896, there should be an “experts” section on the township website to give residents names of local contractors and arborists or tree experts to help them judge if their offers from PennDOT are reasonable, and how to replant or fix their property after PennDOT takes down their trees or moves their driveways. The idea remains under discussion.

For updated township information, visit www.franklintownship.us.

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