If your travels take you through Rush Township at the point where Route 309, Route 54 and Lincoln Drive converge, you may notice a difference in the timing of the traffic lights.

During a meeting Thursday, the Rush Township supervisors said as a result of a traffic study conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on the intersection, the phase signal times have been adjusted. Supervisor Robert Leibensperger said after the meeting that the timing of the lights has been adjusted, and the changes are particular according to the day of the week. The area sees a huge influx of traffic year-round on Wednesdays, when the Hometown Market on Route 54 is open.The supervisors awarded a $38,778 contract to Tropp Contracting, Pottsville, for equipment rental needed for road work. The road work includes storm drain and pipe repairs on Tide Road, Wayne Avenue and Cumberland, Jones, South and Eli streets, as well as associated paving work in the same areas.The supervisors approved a number of personnel changes. They accepted the resignations of sewer department employee Jarrad Bernitsky and secretary/treasurer Darlene Fenstermacher, and promoted part-time secretary Denise Hope to full-time secretary/treasurer at $14.50 per hour. Caitlin Whildin, Hometown, was hired as part-time secretary at a rate of $12.50 per hour.Three employees who work in the road/sewer positions received raises: Mike Zimmerman to $17.50 per hour, Paul Kuropatsky to $15 per hour and Foreman Elden Neifert to $18 per hour. Carl Yaccino, Hazleton, was hired as a full-time road/sewer department position at $15 per hour.Supervisor Jeanine Motroni explained correspondence the township received from the Ryan Township Emergency & Rescue Squad. The squad's headquarters is located just over the Rush Township line. Chief Darrel Harris of the Ryan Township Emergency & Rescue Squad wrote a letter asking the supervisors to allow them to operate as the emergency management services provider for portions of Rush Township.The Ryan Township Emergency & Rescue Squad has contracts with two Advanced Life Support services which respond to Rush Township. Currently, if a Rush Township resident is a paid subscriber to the Ryan Township Emergency & Rescue Squad and Ryan's squad calls for ALS support from one of the two contracted services, the patient is not billed additionally. However, if a different, noncontracted ALS service is called, the patient is billed even if he or she is a paid subscriber to Ryan."We would need a letter to forward to the Schuylkill County 911 center granting our service the authority to make changes in the dispatch," Harris wrote in the letter. "We have already taken these steps with Ryan Township and Delano."The supervisors have posted a dozen properties for delinquent sewer bills, 10 in Hometown and two in Lake Hauto. At the beginning of the year, the supervisors vowed to take action on delinquent garbage and sewer bills. After the meeting, Chairman Shawn Gilbert said more properties are scheduled to be posted.