After months on the agenda, Ross Township supervisors voted 2-1 in favor of a resident’s request for a guide rail along a dangerous section of Meixsell Valley Road at their meeting Wednesday evening.

Due to the snowfall on Feb. 1, the supervisors conducted a brief meeting via telephone that night, acting on only a couple agenda items and tabling the rest until they could meet in person this week.

Resident Dave Trout has been attending monthly meetings since July 2020, asking the supervisors to consider putting a guide rail in front of his home, which is near the Blue Ridge Winery.

Trout discussed his concerns at the meetings and met with township engineer Russ Kresge and Supervisor James Zahoroiko multiple times. The township sought bids for the project and received four.

Chairwoman Tina Drake and Zahoroiko approved the bid from Chemung Supply Corporation, which at a cost of about $8,000 was the lowest of the four bids.

“I hear Mr. Trout’s plight. But if we spend $8,000 to protect his home, then we would have to do that to protect other residents’ homes,” said Vice Chairman David Shay after his vote against the guide rail.

Zahoroiko clarified that the guide rail will extend beyond Trout’s home, so it is not just a benefit to him as the homeowner but to other township residents and motorists.

A survey of the road showed that it slopes the wrong way, and it could pose liability problems for the township.

Drake said she supported the guide rail decision based on the engineer’s report.

“We will work with Chemung and Road Foreman Ethan Brewer to get this done,” Drake said to Trout.

At another point in the meeting, Shay was the one to initiate a conversation on the unwise spending choices of his colleagues.

“I hate to be the one that harps on dollars and cents,” he said.

He listed a few examples: their advertisement for a part-time secretary, which Drake and Zahoroiko voted for at the Feb. 1 meeting; at their January reorganization meeting, the two hired a zoning officer for $65/hour; and something beyond any of their control is if the state mandates that Ross contributes $165,000 to state police services.

Drake said a part-time secretary is needed in case their full-time secretary Danielle Romano gets sick or requests vacation time. This person would answer phones, assist with filing and other tasks.

“We need to plan ahead,” Drake said. “It’s advertised as two days a week.”

During the public comment time, residents Mike Galler and Howard Beers told supervisors they shared Shay’s opinion of wanting to avoid the unnecessary expense of hiring a part-time person.

In other business

• Due to COVID-19 mitigation, the township conference room can seat 10 people in the audience area, and the long table in the front seats the three supervisors, Romano and township solicitor Tim McManus.

Additional attendees must call in, which has caused concerns and complaints from residents and supervisors. The supervisors will attempt to livestream their March meeting via Facebook, so there is more transparency and there is a better record of what occurs. Zahoroiko offered to set up a Facebook account for the township.

• Supervisors are looking for a township resident to fill a vacancy on the West End Parks and Open Space Commission. The term ends in December 2022. Judy Breidinger most recently represented the township on this board, but she has moved out of the township.

• Drake and Shay praised the road crew for their quick response to all the recent snowfall and the many hours they have spent plowing.