Three Abingtons municipalities agree to form joint board of appeals

CHRISTINE LEE, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·2 min read

Abingtons combined board

One board will hear appeals of building codes for three Abingtons municipalities.

The governing bodies of Clarks Summit, South Abington Twp. and Clarks Green agreed to form a joint board of appeals.

The three-member board would hear and rule on appeals filed in the participating municipalities pertaining to the construction code, requests for variances and requests for extensions in time on a project. It will have one member with training and experience related to building construction, appointed by each municipality, and an alternate, with the board electing officers. Meetings will be held in the municipality the appeal originated in.

The costs of the appeal, including attorney fees, legal advertising and a stenographer, will be covered by the municipality where the appeal occurred, with each municipality establishing fees for an appeal.

Since all three municipalities adopted the state’s uniform construction code, they are required to have a board of appeals. However, officials in Clarks Green and Clarks Summit said it is hard to find people with construction expertise to serve on an appeals board with the small size of the two boroughs.

“You really need people who understand that subject and finding three people in the municipality that are willing to volunteer their time that are appropriate for the subject, it’s not always the easiest,” Clarks Summit Borough Manager Virginia Kehoe said.

The borough had a board of appeals but hadn’t met and neither South Abington Twp. nor Clarks Green currently have one. Kehoe said officials have worked on the ordinance with the other two municipalities for a few months.

Having a joint board allows each municipality to appoint someone most knowledgeable about construction codes, officials said. South Abington Twp. Manager JoAnn Pane said having professionals on the board allows appeals to be heard in a more neutral fashion.

“We look forward to working with our neighboring municipalities,” she said.