Polk Township is purchasing a new plow truck. The 2012 Kenworth 350 Cummings with automatic transmission will cost $128,500, and will be paid from the $163,000 liquid fuels fund, which can only be used to purchase new vehicles.

"We're starting to replace our old plow trucks. The last truck we bought was a GMC single axle at $63,000," said Polk Township Chairman Brian Ahner at the recent township supervisors' meeting.He said the township is shopping for a bucket truck and is making inquiries. The township has sold a lot of equipment and plans to use that money for the purchase.Jerry Zurat, township Codes and Zoning officer, reported that the township issued 20 permits from Oct. 23 to Nov. 26, generating $939 and conducted 28 inspections. His office received three formal complaints and two verbal complaints.He listed actions the township has taken on the following:• Notice of Violation to property owner of Jonas Hotel, A & M Real Estate, for a dangerous barn as well as "junk" scattered in rear yard. Notice was not accepted and returned to township. Violation was posted and next step is court action.• A second letter was sent to property owners at Lot 7 on Spruce Road for erecting a shed and a swimming pool without permits. No response as of yet.• Right to Know request was submitted to the office concerning a building permit issued in 2007 for work at a Mountain View Drive property. Work done is in litigation.• Complaint filed concerning Open Burning Ordinance along Whitey B. An informational letter was sent to owner.• El Do Lake Association filed four formal complaints on Oct. 18 concerning garbage and solid waste. Three of the four are now in compliance. Zurat will be checking progress of the property along Sugar Lane this week.• Complaint was filed concerning property along Short Lane and Weir Mt. Road. The new owner was illegally burning. Zurat spoke to owner about the Open Burning Ordinance. The property is now owned by investor. Compliance is anticipated and 55 gallon drums have been removed.• A letter was sent on Aug. 14 to the owner concerning the erection of a roofed patio along Hemlock Drive, PVL. No permit had been obtained. Lot consolidation plan is required. A copy was sent to Monroe County Conservation District. Variances will need to be applied for the new structure or it needs to be removed. Dave Martino represents the owner and intends to file a variance application.• A letter was sent on Nov. 15 to the owner of property along Carney Road about a problem of vegetation and bamboo. No response from the owner yet.• Notice of Violation was sent to owner along Lower Middle Creek Road concerning a large shed erected without any permits. The shed is too close to the house. It needs to be relocated or a variance must be applied for. This is the second time an accessory building was erected without a permit. The owner did not take a zoning appeal. Court action would be the next step.• A letter was sent on Nov. 15 to the owner concerning the temporary trailer that needs to be removed from his residential property at 113 Whispering Pine Road. Compliance is anticipated.• Joe Heppa has filed a Right to Know request if there is any new activity concerning the solar project along S.R. 209. No new progress can be reported at this time.• A letter was sent Nov. 8 to an owner along Beltzville and Keller Road concerning trees and vegetation on private property limiting sight distance. No response from the owner yet.• A Trespass Waiver was signed by Heinz Bayer for the washout area that was located on his property along Dotters Corner Road. It was resolved by the roadmaster.• A friendly letter was sent to Kim Karaman concerning the number of pets and appearance of property in Deubler's Trailer Park. The owner has until Dec. 1 to comply. Compliance is anticipated and a follow-up inspection will occur.• Zurat appeared in the Court of Common Pleas concerning the Torbeck case on Nov. 20. He pleaded guilty and the fine is $600 plus court costs. The property was sold on Nov. 19.Zurat reported that Matthew Bardzilouska from DEP Air Quality did an inspection report on Nov. 1 at the township building concerning demolition permits for commercial properties related to the Air Quality program and Asbestos. There are no commercial properties that apply within Polk Township.The Polk Township Volunteer Fire Company responded to 33 calls since the last meeting; 25 were related to Hurricane Sandy.The township received a letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation informing it that the State Police Fines and Penalties payment related to the moneys collected through Sept. 1, 2012, will be in the amount of $3,309.85 and will be paid to the township on Dec. 3.Chairman/Roadmaster Ahner said that when Sandy rolled into town, trees caused four township roads to be closed. It took about four to five days to get all of them open. Klingel's Tree Service was hired to cut four trees down. He thanked the fire department for its services during and in the aftermath of the hurricane.The board approved, 2-0, with Supervisor Mike Hurley absent:• Waiving the SALDO buffers for the ATPA, LLC Alex Trakhman annexation plan;• the Joseph J. Balzano Sr. plan;• holding a work session on Dec. 7 on the Township Flood Plain Ordinance and an ordinance for regulating property debris.Ahner said that the hurricane ripped off part of the salt building roof and will have to be replaced next spring.The Flores contract for the township's heating and air system was up for review and the board tabled it until prices could be searched for a replacement system. The township received a request for funding from the Monroe County Vector Control. Township solicitor James Fareri said he thought that was strange. Ahner suggested they look into it. Supervisor/secretary Nancy May said she would call around to the other townships and see what they thought.The township office is having its phone system changed with an upgrade in service with more email addresses and a new laptop for the roadmaster. The township is looking into whether or not to renew its contract with Cintas for the road crew's uniforms or to purchase its own and letting the workers wash their own. The supervisors will discuss this issue further at the work session meeting. The supervisors are going to request that someone from the board of CJER come and explain what would be the benefits for Polk if it joined it.There will be a community tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Veterans' Memorial in Kresgeville. There will be refreshments and caroling. All are invited to attend.