Penbrook Borough Storm Water Authority
Contact Information
Address:
150 South 28th Street, Penbrook PA 17103
Email:
Phone:
717-232-3733
Officers:
Blain Bargo – President – Term Expires 1/2/2027
Robin Dry – Vice President – Term Expires 1/2/2029
Nate Shaw – Treasurer – Term Expires 1/2/2028
Glynis Smith – Secretary – Term Expires 1/2/2026
Ben Stokes – Member – Term Expires 1/2/2025
Penbrook Authority’s Stormwater Survey Results – March 2018
Thank you for participating in the Penbrook Borough Authority’s Stormwater Survey. Your input helps shed light on where we are and where we need to go. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requires the Penbrook community to reduce the sediment, phosphorous, and nitrogen flowing down the storm drains in 5 years. The mandate costs include permits, licenses, engineered Pollutant Reduction Projects, and daily maintenance. The survey was mailed to property owners, non-profits, and business owners in Penbrook so parcel owners could weigh in on current and future Stormwater practices. Out of the 1,179 surveys mailed, there were 185 surveys completed and returned to the Borough office.
According to the parcel owners participating in the survey, 44% selected to keep the Stormwater fee assessed at Total Square Footage of the parcels. The Authority will collaborate with the Penbrook Council to determine the upcoming budget that affects the Stormwater fees. The newsletter was selected by 80% of the participating parcel owners as their preferred form of communication. Thankfully, with the help of the Penbrook Council and the Penbrook Leos, the newsletter will continue to be published and hand delivered. Email was selected by 52% to express their concerns, solutions, and questions. The Authority will continue to accept and respond to messages through email at authority@penbrook.org and voice mail at 717-232-3733.
The survey data reflects that parcel owners are indeed engaged and making time to keep the storm drains clean to reduce the pollutant load. The highest recorded best management practices used by parcel owners are to close the lids on the trash and recycling toters, direct the mower away from the street, pick up litter from the streets, and use organic or no fertilizer on lawns. All of these practices help reduce the pollutant load and improve the environment for families and the community.
Thank you for sharing your perception through the survey. The data from the survey helps the Authority make informed decisions in collaboration with the Penbrook Council. The Authority will follow up with Representative Sue Helm and Senator John Di Santo regarding their progress on pursuing an exemption for Penbrook from the DEP mandates. In the meantime, upcoming decisions include the next budget, projects that address the Pollutant Reduction Plan and ways to continuously improve. Please stay educated and engaged! Visit the website at Penbrook.org and attend meetings on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm at the Borough building. Thank you for your time and care.
A Message from the Penbrook Authority – August 2017
Communities in the Chesapeake watershed are mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) to reduce pollutants (sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen) that flow from parcels into the streets, down the storm drains, and into surrounding creeks. The DEP is requiring Penbrook to reduce their Pollutant Load into the Paxton and Spring Creeks by 20,774 pounds in the next 5 years. This mandate is unfunded (no monetary support provided).
Penbrook Council obtained a grant from Dauphin County Conservation District (DCCD) to help reduce their Pollutant Load by 2,411 lbs. Other best management practices (BMPs) need to be paid for to reduce the Pollutant Load further. Hiring an engineer to conduct a study of areas with high levels of sediment run off and propose BMP solutions to reduce the pollutant load was a first step. The borough, after receiving feedback from the community, will select from the proposed BMPs and pay for them. The final results of the study and the proposed plan for reducing the pollutant load, conducted by RETTEW, the borough engineering firm, and the proposed BMPs can be found on the Authority website under Penbrook PRP and TMDL.pdf.
The borough must also repair 8 inlets that storm water travels through that add to the Pollutant Load. The borough must apply for and pay for a permit from the DEP. The borough must also continue to clean and maintain the storm drains as well as street clean. These expenses are necessary to reduce Penbrook’s Pollutant Load.
The borough estimated that this would cost $318,486 this year. Although the grant money helps, it isn’t enough. The Penbrook Council created the Authority to charge a fee to parcel owners (Stormwater Fee) to help cover the cost of the best management practices (BMPs). These BMPs are necessary to reduce Penbrook’s Pollutant Load into the Paxton & Spring Creek beds by 20,774 lbs. in 5 years
There are 1,179 parcels in Penbrook. Each parcel owner received a bill in July. This bill states the annual fee based on the size of the parcel. If you pay the quarterly fee early, you get a 2% discount. If you pay late, there is a 5% penalty. If you pay on time, you are paying a quarter of your annual fee. This fee will be reevaluated each year. It is hoped that the fee will go down as BMPs are paid for and the Pollutant Load is reduced. The next quarterly bill will be sent in October.
Parcel owners can attend Authority meetings and are encouraged to participate. Your voice matters! You can help the Authority make informed decisions based on the aspirations of the community, the needs of the borough, and the mandates of the DEP.
The Penbrook Authority meets the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30pm at the Penbrook community building. Click HERE for the Penbrook Borough Calendar
Hope to see you there!
Stormwater Projects
Ludwig and 27th Street Storm boxes
Remove the four storm boxes on Ludwig Alley West of Joe Gravino’s garage. Prep the new precast concrete boxes and tie the new box into the old pipe. Backfill with stone, and patch the box into existing blacktop using binder and top. Seal the edges with AC-20 sealer. Materials and cleanup is included.
Projected Cost: $16,1000
Start Date: November 1, 2018
Charles Street and 31st Street
Install a trench drain at the intersection with Hoffer Street. This trench drain will outlet to the west along the park and use a perforated pipe as an infiltration system. The system will then possibly include a second inlet box midway down that section of S. 31st Street. More perforated pipe will then meet a final inlet box on the west corner of Charles Street and S. 31st Street. This inlet will then tie into the existing inlet on the inside corner for final outlet or it could outlet alongside the existing outlet along the green belt. Either outlet option will require an increase in size for the final outlet with an increase in capacity and size. A buffer will be installed to slow down the flow of water into the Greenbelt. The perforated pipe used in the system would allow for water infiltration which will help with the overall water quality issues affecting the stream.
Amount of pollutants reduced: 2,411 lbs.
Cost: Funded through the Dauphin County Conservation Grant
Projected completion date: Spring 2018
Stormwater Inlet repairs on Elm Street, Hoffer/Market, and Fortney/Penbrook Ave
Replace Stormwater inlets and repave.
Cost altogether: $21,196
Project completed: November 2017
Sink hole repair on Herr and Chestnut
Replace brick inlet with a concrete inlet and replace Stormwater pipe. Then repave.
Cost: $24,951.93
Project completed: Spring 2018
