Peters Township neighbors at odds over manure odor
Peters Township Council agreed at its regular May 11 meeting that horse manure is a county problem, not a township problem.
But, council agreed to help Kellie Dibattista, who lives 295 Bower Hill Road, Venetia, get assistance from the county to clean up the waste generated from the two horses she keeps on her property. Dibattista, who has received a notice from the township, told council she is already working with the county and hopes to have the problem remedied soon.
And soon could not come soon enough for Peter and Trudi Alexander, whose property sits next to Dibattista’s.
The Alexanders asked to speak before council to discuss the township ordinance – which allows Dibattista to keep the horses on her property because it is more than two acres – and the odor from the manure.
“The manure is a problem,” said Trudi Alexander, who has lived at 287 Bower Hill Road for 20 years. “What right do I have as a property owner? My property has been devalued.”
Alexander said the odor has gotten to the point that she can’t use her yard for entertaining. “My daughter graduated from college May 3 and I can’t have a party,” she said.
Alexander said she doesn’t have an issue with the horses, calling them, “beautiful animals.” It is the smell of the manure.
Councilman Jim Berquist said there are number of homes in the township which have horses and had never had anyone complain about manure.
In other matters, officials from Sheetz Inc. told council about its proposal to build a 6,300-square-foot convenience store at 2873-2893 Washington Road.
The store, which would be part of a new prototype store now being launched by Altoona store chain, would front Washington Road and have eight gasoline pumps along with 48 parking spaces, said David Mastrostefano, the project manager. In addition, the store would have space inside where people could eat.
The 2.5-acre parcel, the former location of a Get-Go, would need to be rezoned. The project would also need variances for a wall, as well as a sign. Council did not take any action on the Sheetz proposal.
Council also did not take action on the six proposals to do an architectural study of the Municipal Building security and space utilization. Manager Michael Silvestri said he liked the proposal from Ross Schonder Sterzinger Cupcheck Architecture, which said such a study would take 84 hours and at a cost of $9,960, because the firm was familiar with the building.
The other five proposals said the study would take at least 100 hours more. Council asked Silvestri to talk with RSSC again to see how much it would charge to do a study the size of what was proposed by the other five firms.