$390,000 grinder approved for East Buffalo Township

May 13—LEWISBURG — The supervisors of East Buffalo Township will spend more than $390,000 on a grinder for organic plant material with the hope of the purchase being reimbursed by a recycling grant.

At Monday night's public meeting, Supervisors Jim Knight, Katie Evans and Tom Zorn unanimously approved SEI, of Oaks, to provide a Bandit model 6080xp Horizontal Grinder for $391,640. The machine will be delivered and operational before spring 2025.

"It will help regrind the piles that are currently out there so it can decompose faster," township Manager Jo Helwig said. "Plus, it will take the wear and tear off the wood chipper and the vacuum truck we currently use to go around town in the months of April, May June, September and October. In October, we'll continue through December with leaf gathering."

The grinder, which breaks apart tree branches and other plant materials, will be located at a site along Peasant Ridge Road.

"It is a much bigger version of our wood chipper," Knight said.

The supervisors have a land lease agreement with Clair E. and Sharon M. Brown, of Pheasant Ridge Road, for composting brush, leaf and yard waste collected by the township. The 10-year term is for $6,000 in annual rent with a 3 percent annual increase, which was approved in November 2023.

In December, township officials met with Union County Recycling Coordinator Bob Huntington and Regional Planning and Recycling Coordinator Joseph Delgrippo to review the state Department of Environmental Protection's 902 Recycling Grant application. Helwig applied for the grant, according to township officials.

To guarantee delivery for February, the order has to be placed this year and payment for the full amount of equipment would take place in 2025. Awarded grants will be announced in July, Helwig said.

This grant requires a 10 percent match, but the township can only ask for $200,000 in this round. When the next round opens, they can apply for the remaining $191,640.

SEI was one of three quotes from CoStar vendors. The original quote was for $356,037, but officials anticipate a 10 percent increase in price, Knight said.

Seeking grants

The township will also apply for two grants concerning the Turtle Creek Park project: the state Department of Community and Economic Development grant for Greenways, Trails and Recreation; and DEP's Growing Greener Plus for stormwater work. At a meeting in April 2023, the township supervisors said the first phase of the project would cost an estimated $290,460 from Herbert Rowland & Grubic Inc. (HRG) of Lewisburg.

The township will apply for $80,885 from DCED. The amount for the DEP grant is not yet decided, Knight said.

The township purchased the property from Lewisburg Alliance Church on Nov. 4, 2022, for $954,750. The property is located along Supplee Mill and Furnace roads just west of Route 15 in East Buffalo Township. The land includes a mix of open fields, wetlands, woodlands and streams.

Through donations, the township purchased from Yoder's Barns and Storage, of Mifflinburg, eight benches for $228 a piece and one picnic table for $441.

New contract

The supervisors also renewed the contract of Helwig with a 2 percent salary increase. Helwig, whose salary was $66,400, will be $67,730.

Helwig's contract expired on April 30. The new agreement ends Jan. 6, 2025.

Helwig took over the township manager role in August 2021 following the resignation of Stacey Kifolo. She had been township secretary prior to assuming the role as manager.