Longswamp Commits $200K to Fire Radios, Eyes Building Loan

Longswamp Township supervisors have agreed to put $200,000 toward new radios for the Topton Fire Company, short of the $283,940 share the fire chief asked for, according to draft minutes of their Sept. 22 meeting posted Oct. 12. Tonight the board takes its first formal steps toward borrowing for a new municipal maintenance building: the agenda asks the supervisors to authorize the solicitor to prepare and advertise a debt ordinance for the project and to seek loan terms from lenders.

The regular meeting starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the lower-level meeting room of the township building, 1112 State St., Mertztown. The township's meeting schedule lists a budget workshop at 6 p.m. the same evening. The agenda also carries a memo requesting cancellation of the Oct. 27 board meeting and budget meeting; if the board agrees, the next board meetings listed are Nov. 10.

The radios: $200,000 approved, the rest unsettled

The fire company's radio request came back to the board on Sept. 22 as old business, two weeks after the fire company's first request on Sept. 8, which we reported on Monday. Topton Fire Company Chief Jason Robinson told the supervisors the full project would cost an estimated $405,627.48 before warranties, which the fire company would pay itself, and before any financing interest, per the draft minutes. He proposed splitting the cost among the three municipalities the company covers on a 70/20/10 basis, "as they have done previously," which puts Longswamp's 70 percent share at $283,940. The Sept. 8 minutes had described that figure as "an estimated 70% discount"; the Sept. 22 minutes make clear the 70 percent is the township's portion of the bill.

Robinson said Berks County is offering municipalities financing at a rate and term still to be finalized, and that a seven-year county loan would mean an annual payment of about $40,563 plus interest. He asked the board to consider financing "without any impact on fire tax distribution," because those funds are already earmarked for apparatus upgrades, and said the company would make the same request to Topton Borough and Maxatawny Township.

The board's answer was a motion by Vice Chairperson Mike Sacks, seconded by Supervisor Mark Hilbert, "to approve the amount of $200,000.00 towards the purchase of new radios for Topton Fire Company." All three supervisors were present and all were in favor. The minutes do not say how the township would pay the $200,000, whether it would use the county financing, or how the $83,940 difference from the requested share would be covered. The minutes are a draft until the board approves them, which is the first item on tonight's agenda.

Borrowing for the maintenance building

Bids on the new maintenance building were due Oct. 12, per the township's Sept. 8 minutes, but tonight's agenda does not list a bid award. It lists a "Municipal Maintenance Building Status Update" under the engineer's report and, under the solicitor's report, two financing items: "Authorization to obtain RFPs from potential lenders to obtain loan terms for maintenance building project" and "Authorization for Solicitor to prepare and advertise debt ordinance for maintenance building project."

At the Aug. 25 meeting, the solicitor noted that the bid award needs to line up with adopting an ordinance approving borrowing up to a set amount. Tonight's item asks her to prepare and advertise that ordinance, not adopt it, so the borrowing limit should appear in the advertisement or on a later agenda. Chairman Don Hickman told the board Sept. 8 that he expected an interest rate of about 4.75 percent and that "a seven-year loan would result in monthly payments of approximately $35,000." Taken as written, $35,000 a month for seven years adds up to about $2.9 million in payments, which would imply a loan of roughly $2.5 million at that rate; the minutes do not state the loan amount or the building's cost, so the monthly figure cannot be checked against a principal, and it may reflect an annual payment. The Sept. 22 minutes say the project is "officially out to bid," with full plans at the front office, an addendum compiled from contractor questions to be distributed as a PDF, and a non-mandatory pre-bid meeting scheduled for Sept. 25 at the existing building at 102 Longsdale Road. The engineer's status update tonight is the likely place for the bid results to surface.

Also on tonight's agenda

• A resolution and agreement for the joint purchase of a 2018 Bomag BW161ADO-5 roller through a four-municipality equipment co-op. The Sept. 22 minutes record the co-op's proposal to buy the roller from Stephenson Equipment and the solicitor's note that the purchase "will still need to be bid due to the amount." No price appears in either document.
• Appointment of Ross Wolford as a sewage enforcement officer. The agenda notes the township's third septic pumping cycle is in effect, with a June 30, 2027 deadline.
• A memo requesting approval to disburse the township's 2026 Volunteer Fire Relief allocation to Topton Fire Company. The agenda does not state the amount.
• A tax refund for 1036 Woodside Avenue, tabled Sept. 22 "to verify the exact amounts before issuing payment." According to the draft minutes, an assessment appeal filed in 2022 cut the property's value to $225,000 for 2023 and $199,000 for 2024 after taxes had been billed on $433,900 for both years. The township must refund the township, fire and EMS portions it collected; the county and school district handle their own. The minutes also note a 2024 delinquent balance of $11,234.01 that was being paid by certified funds to keep the property out of a tax sale. Our assessment appeal guide explains how such appeals work.
• A sign request from the Longswamp Township Historical Society, and the September treasurer's report and bills.

What else the Sept. 22 minutes show

• Bills for Sept. 8 through Sept. 22 were approved on a roll-call vote. The minutes list current disbursements of $266,048.35 and interim disbursements of $26,158.99 and state a total of $292,234.34; the two listed figures add to $292,207.34.
• The board adopted Resolution 2026-13, a policy on meeting procedure and public comment, replacing a 2010 resolution the minutes say "did not align with the current procedures that are followed."
• A new two-year land lease for 7.4 acres at Hunsicker's Grove Park, 9350 Longswamp Road, was approved to be offered to Donald and Richard Savidge "or any other party interested." It adds $2.50 per acre per year, which the minutes call a 2 percent increase, and renews automatically for one-year terms unless the township gives 90 days' notice.
• The township will switch its website hosting to PSATS. The current vendor, Revize, wanted $2,900 for a rebuild to meet accessibility rules on top of a $1,500 annual fee; PSATS offered $340 a year with a $300 setup charge. The board voted to extend Revize for six months at $750 while the new site is built.
• The board authorized the solicitor to open franchise-renewal talks with Service Electric Cablevision. The current 10-year agreement runs through 2029.
• The board approved selling the co-op's 2000 Kelly-Creswell line-painting machine through Municibid.
• The board acknowledged a staff memo on township email use and Right-to-Know compliance, noting that text messages on personal cell phones are subject to disclosure.
• The engineer reported that corn was blocking the required 500-foot sight line at Longswamp Road and Schlossburg Street (the minutes spell it both ways), and the board chose to send the property owner a courtesy letter on planting setbacks and to provide educational materials on sight-triangle rules.
• A State Street resident, Rance Strunk Jr., told the board that many accidents have happened within a quarter mile of his home and asked for flashing speed signs and a township letter to state police seeking enforcement. The engineer suggested putting out a speed sign, and the minutes record 1237 State St. as the authorized spot for it.
• Three requests from the Longswamp Lions Club for Hunsicker's Grove, to replace a deteriorating roof between the two pavilions, upgrade the kitchen, and lease space for a permanent address so the club could hold an annual small-games-of-chance permit, all ended with no action. On the lease, board members raised questions about whether such a permit can be tied to taxpayer-owned land.
• A joint meeting with Topton Borough on a proposed well on the fire company property off State Street, with a hydrant for filling fire tankers, was set for Sept. 28. Robinson noted that deed restrictions on the donated fire company land must be reviewed to confirm a well is a permitted use.

What happens next

If the board authorizes the debt ordinance tonight, the advertisement and a later adoption vote should put a number on the borrowing. The maintenance building bids, due Oct. 12, were not listed for award on tonight's agenda. If the board approves the memo canceling the Oct. 27 meetings, the next scheduled board meetings are Nov. 10, when the agenda sidebar lists both the budget meeting and the regular meeting at 6 p.m. The township office at 1112 State St. is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., per the township homepage, and can be reached at 610-682-7388.

Corrections: corrections@berksbeat.com.