Washington Township

A house fire was reported early Monday in the 12500 block of Pen Mar Road in Washington Township, Pa., according to a Franklin County Emergency Services dispatcher. The dispatcher said crews were called at 2:25 a.m. and worked to fight the fire for six hours. No injuries were reported. The fire started in the garage and spread to the house, the dispatcher said. The last fire unit was cleared shortly after 8 a.m. No other information was available Monday night.

The Washington Township Supervisors on Monday unanimously approved a public hearing to discuss a tax abatement program that officials hope will kick-start development in the township. The hearing to discuss a LERTA zone was set for Monday, March 18, at 8 p.m. It will follow the supervisors' regularly scheduled meeting at 7. Mike Ross, president of Franklin County Area Development Corp., will lead the discussion at the hearing. LERTA (Local Environmental Revitalization Tax Abatement)

A state grant will allow the Washington Township (Pa.) Supervisors to purchase a baling machine for the municipal recycling center, which experienced financial losses last year largely due to repairs on the existing baler. The township recently received news that it has been awarded $205,754 from a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recycling development and implementation program. That grant will be used to purchase a new baler and related equipment, Township Manager Mike Christopher said.

Washington Township Board of Supervisors met with Pennsylvania state lawmakers and other local leaders Friday as part of its annual planning meeting. Township Manager Michael Christopher said the all-day meeting, which was held in the Washington Township Municipal Building on Welty Road, sets the direction for the township in the coming year and opens up a dialogue with local leaders and legislators. Rep. Todd Rock, R-Franklin, and Sen. Richard Alloway, R-Franklin/Adams/York, were among those who addressed the meeting weighing in on a range of topics including the state budget, transportation and the implication of both on the township.

Washington Township, Pa., crews on Monday received authorization to clean up debris outside the designated boundaries of a junkyard on Pa. 316 South. The township supervisors voted Monday to fine junkyard owner Bruce Neibert $500 a day for violating the agreement under which refuse must be kept behind his treeline. They said township crews will clean up the area. The supervisors criticized him after looking at pictures that show items along his driveway. They already denied Neibert's 2013 permit application based on the same reasons.

Washington Township, Pa., officials are refocusing on residents' needs as they endeavor to keep the municipal refuse transfer station and recycling center off Pa. 16 profitable. Unlike some facilities, Washington Township's is unable to do single-stream recycling, in which things like cardboard, cans and plastic bottles are thrown into the same bins. Municipal officials determined single-stream recycling would be too labor-intensive without pricey capital purchases. Because it doesn't do single-stream recycling, Washington Township is no longer taking in materials from IESI, Waste Management and other commercial haulers.

A Washington Township, Pa., junkyard owner finds himself in a position similar to ones in the past as he is forced to clean up debris while not being permitted to operate his business. The Washington Township Supervisors on Monday denied Bruce Neibert Jr.'s salvage yard permit for 2013, after reviewing his application. The supervisors had photographs showing items outside the designated boundaries of Neibert's debris field. The supervisors have denied Neibert's permit previously for the same reason.

Retiring Blue Ridge (Pa.) Fire Chief Jim Meek was congratulated Monday by Washington Township, Pa., officials.

The Washington Township (Pa.) Supervisors on Monday approved a property tax increase some board members say will better prepare the municipality for the future. The 2-mill increase, which supports $4.5 million in general fund spending, will mean about a $40 increase for the average tax parcel, township officials said. A mill represents $1 of every $1,000 assessed property value. Each mill generates about $129,000 in revenue for the township, which will now have an overall tax rate of 6.4 mills.

Pump station could be replaced in township WAYNESBORO, Pa.  - The Washington Township (Pa.) Municipal Authority is preparing to replace a pump station on Monterey Lane because the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is requiring greater protections for the township's sewer system during heavy rainfall. The authority will replace a force main with larger pipe as part of the project, WTMA Manager Sean McFarland told the township supervisors Wednesday.