Township To Resume Limited Operations May 4, Acts to Reduce Its Carbon Footprint

Solebury Township will begin a gradual return to normal operations on Monday, May 4th, with a new schedule for our Administrative Offices. Following social-distancing guidelines, the Township Building will remain closed to the public with meetings by appointment only.

The Board of Supervisors and Township Administration have used the time during the recent shutdown to explore ways to further reduce the carbon footprint at the Township Building, lower operating costs, and increase our hours of operation. We will be implementing a new schedule on a trial basis starting Monday (May 4th).

When operations resume Monday, Administrative Offices will be fully staffed, with on-site operations from Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This change provides an extra hour of availability Monday through Thursday, beyond the current 4 p.m. closing time. Staff will work remotely on Fridays, allowing the Township to power-down the buildings for three full days. With no lights or computers on, and the HVAC system in unoccupied mode, this should noticeably reduce the carbon footprint from Township operations, along with the reduced gasoline usage from keeping roughly 15 cars from commuting to the Township Building one day each week.

“What we’re trying to accomplish,” explained Mark Baum Baicker, Chair, Board of Supervisors, “is to maintain or even improve our level of service, increase our hours of availability to our residents, and do so on an environmentally-friendly basis.”

Police Officers will work their usual shifts, but Police Administration will also adhere to the extended four-day, Monday through Thursday schedule for office hours. The Public Works Department is also shifting to a four-day schedule.

As Solebury begins this new phase of "stay-at-home," the Township will continue to carefully follow all guidance from the governor's office and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That means that for the foreseeable future, the building will remain closed to the public, but residents with essential business will be able to make an appointment for a meeting. All individuals entering the building will be required to wear a mask or other face covering, and gloves. As previously indicated, permit applications can now be submitted by email or by using our new drop-box on the small porch of the Township Building closest to the Public Works Building.

Also in May, the Township's advisory committees will resume meetings via teleconference. Instructions on how to participate will be posted on the Township website, www.soleburytwp.org, in advance of each meeting.

We'll keep you posted as we develop these new procedures and put them in place. As always, Township staff are available to answer your calls and respond to your emails – the Township phone number is 215-297-5656 and our email address is soleburymanager@soleburytwp.org.