Antrim Township

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- The Antrim Township Supervisors voted Tuesday night to lift the burn ban that had been in effect for more than a month. The ban was enacted July 14 due to extremely dry conditions. Township Administrator Brad Graham said in a news release that supervisors appreciated the cooperation from residents during the ban and also urged caution at all times when burning outdoors.

Crews battled a house fire Monday evening in a subdivision off Pa. 16 west of Greencastle. Firefighters from several companies responded at about 7 p.m. to 10099 Lindale Ave., which is in a neighborhood across from Calvary Baptist Church in Antrim Township. Fire damage was contained to the garage and attic above it, but the smoke damage extended throughout the two-story house, Rescue Hose Co. Deputy Fire Chief J.R. Koons said. Koons said a neighbor spotted the fire, called 911 and helped to evacuate a woman and her dog from the home.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A 92-year-old Greencastle, Pa., woman died as a result of an accident Wednesday night on Williamsport Pike in Franklin County, Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg said. Martha Rebuck was pronounced dead at Washington County Hospital, according to a written statement police released late Thursday. The accident happened at 8:32 p.m. Wednesday. Rebuck was a passenger in a Honda Accord driven by Janet Steele, 67, of Greencastle, police said. Weldon Jackson, 80, of Greencastle, was driving a Buick Regal north on Williamsport Pike in Antrim Township and attempting to turn left onto Countryside Drive when the car collided with the Accord, police said.

Pennsylvania State Police were searching for a man who robbed a gas station attendant at gunpoint Friday morning on Buchanan Trail West in Antrim Township. The man pulled up to the pumps at Talhelm's Gas and Diesel at 2342 Buchanan Trail West and started a conversation with a gas station attendant, according to a state police news release. As the two talked, the man pulled a gun and robbed the attendant of an unknown amount of cash. He fled east at about 9 a.m. in a maroon, four-door Toyota Camry.

This is the third year there won't be a tax increase for Antrim Township residents. At a special meeting to pass the budget last week, the Antrim Township Supervisors unanimously passed their 2013 budget. The budget not only held the line on a zero mill property tax rate, but also reduced an amusement tax. Township Administrator Brad Graham said the amusement tax affects three organizations and generates about $10,000 for the township. “In today's economy, it was a little bit of a burden, for all the more it generated, so rather than do away with it altogether, the supervisors passed a resolution to drop it from 3 percent to 0 percent,” Graham said.

An Antrim Township man plans to announce his candidacy for Franklin County Commissioner at the county courthouse Wednesday morning.   Dan Pellicano, a Republican who lives in Antrim Township, said in a news release that his background in business would serve him well as a county commissioner. He described himself as a a lifelong conservative who values everyone’s input and believes that a public official’s primary motivation should be to serve as the voice of the citizens he represents.

Renovations to upgrade Antrim Township's municipal building could begin as soon as mid-June with completion by early fall. At Tuesday's meeting, township supervisors Fred Young, James Byers, John Alleman and Rick Baer voted to move forward with bidding renovation work on the 34-year-old building. David Molino of Centura Associates of Chambersburg, Pa., presented a detailed, final look at the drawings for the upgrades to the township building at the worksession prior to Tuesday's meeting.

Antrim Township is cracking down on delinquent sewer customers. Over the last four years, sewer customers not paying their bills on time has become a growing problem in the township, township administrator Brad Graham said. At least 45 of the township's 3,500 customers were 120 days behind on their sewer bill and each owed $1,000 or more, Graham said. The average residential quarterly sewer bill is $115.50. Graham said the township board of supervisors discussed tightening the township's current collection policy at its Jan. 28 worksession and at several recent meetings.

Supervisors change insurance carrier GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Antrim Township will pay less to insure more of its assets in the coming year. The board of supervisors voted unanimously to accept a bid from Kilmer Insurance Ageny of Wyalusing, Pa., that was about $10,000 less than what the board paid Strickler Insurance of Chambersburg, Pa., in 2008 and early 2009. Township Administrator Brad Graham recommended the board accept Kilmer's bid of $97,863 for the upcoming year.

The Antrim Township Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to create a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program that it hopes will be a shot in the arm for the Greencastle-Antrim business community. The program provides incentives for owners of eligible commercial properties to undertake improvements by easing the usual burden of increased taxes that come with an improved property and higher tax assessment. “In the short term, it would mean less tax revenue, but in the long term, it would mean a potential for drawing in more business and more tax revenue,” Antrim Township Administrator Brad Graham said.

Firefighters were called to the scene of a silo fire that was reported in the 1300 block of Mason Dixon Road in Antrim Township. The fire was reported at 6:30 a.m. Friday north of the Pennsylvania-Maryland state line about a mile and a half west of State Line, Pa. At least two volunteer fire companies from Washington County - Longmeadow and Halfway - were at the scene. - Caleb Calhoun

A last-minute write-in campaign has secured Mercersburg Mayor James C. Zeger a place on the ballot in the Nov. 5 municipal election. The Franklin County Board of Elections on Thursday released its write-in results from last week's primary election. Candidates now have a few days to submit documents asking that various spellings of their names - such as John Doe and John A. Doe - be cumulated or amassed.  Zeger's name did not appear on ballots on May 21. However, write-in votes would secure him both the Democratic and Republican nominations for the mayoral spot if he cumulates spellings of his name.

Antrim Township Community Park could be home to a dog park as early as this fall, according to township officials. Antrim Township Administrator Brad Graham told township supervisors Tuesday that the parks committee approved recommending moving forward with constructing a dog park at the township park at 12315 Grant Shook Road in Greencastle. The township budgeted $50,000 in its 2013 budget for the dog park, Graham said. Pat Heraty, vice chairman of the board of supervisors and liaison between the supervisors and the parks committee, said the dog park project is moving ahead.

Renovations to upgrade Antrim Township's municipal building could begin as soon as mid-June with completion by early fall. At Tuesday's meeting, township supervisors Fred Young, James Byers, John Alleman and Rick Baer voted to move forward with bidding renovation work on the 34-year-old building. David Molino of Centura Associates of Chambersburg, Pa., presented a detailed, final look at the drawings for the upgrades to the township building at the worksession prior to Tuesday's meeting.

Chester R. “Chet” Talhelm, age 86, of Molly Pitcher Highway South, Chambersburg, Pa., died unexpectedly at 5:43 a.m. Friday, March 15, 2013, at Chambersburg Hospital. Born May 22, 1926, in Antrim Township, Franklin County, Pa., he was the son of the late Roy J. and Leah Gail (Ryder) Talhelm. He married Dorothy L. “Dot” (Daugherty) Talhelm on May 1, 1966. Chet first worked for the former Miller and Friedly Co. and then Myers and Fitz, both of Greencastle. He retired after more than 40 years of employment with Antrim Building and Farm Supply of Greencastle.

Antrim Township is cracking down on delinquent sewer customers. Over the last four years, sewer customers not paying their bills on time has become a growing problem in the township, township administrator Brad Graham said. At least 45 of the township's 3,500 customers were 120 days behind on their sewer bill and each owed $1,000 or more, Graham said. The average residential quarterly sewer bill is $115.50. Graham said the township board of supervisors discussed tightening the township's current collection policy at its Jan. 28 worksession and at several recent meetings.

This is the third year there won't be a tax increase for Antrim Township residents. At a special meeting to pass the budget last week, the Antrim Township Supervisors unanimously passed their 2013 budget. The budget not only held the line on a zero mill property tax rate, but also reduced an amusement tax. Township Administrator Brad Graham said the amusement tax affects three organizations and generates about $10,000 for the township. “In today's economy, it was a little bit of a burden, for all the more it generated, so rather than do away with it altogether, the supervisors passed a resolution to drop it from 3 percent to 0 percent,” Graham said.

Carl L. Gudgeon, 78, of Chambersburg, Pa., died Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, at Chambersburg Hospital. A graveside service will be Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Browns Mill Cemetery, Kauffman's Station, Antrim Township, Pa., with Pastor Alan Smith officiating. Military honors will be provided by the VFW Post 1599 Honor Guard. Arrangements are by Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Chambersburg.

Sylvia J. (Snider) Meckley, age 83, of 654 S. Washington St., Greencastle, Pa., died at 2:15 a.m. Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, at her home. Born March 16, 1929 in Antrim Township, Franklin County, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Jacob Adam and Esther (Elliott) Snider. She and her husband, Willis Ramon Meckley, were married Nov. 16, 1951, in Upton, Pa. She was a homemaker, and in her earlier years she worked at the former Landis Tool Co. and Fairchild Aircraft. Sylvia was a 1948 graduate of Greencastle High School.

Police are investigating an incident of rock throwing that damaged a Franklin County woman's car, and possibly other vehicles. Terra A. Lorshbaugh, 44, of Mercersburg, Pa., told Pennsylvania State Police that she was driving east Sunday at 5:30 a.m. on Pa. 16 near Talhelm's Service Station west of Greencastle when she heard a loud noise. After pulling over, she noticed damage to her 2005 Kia. Later, she found a rock the size of an orange in her back seat. There was damage to her windshield and to the inside of her vehicle, she said in a phone interview.