Residents of Vista Estates present petition

Two residents from Vista Estates presented a petition to Ross Township supervisors during their monthly meeting Monday evening.

The petition requests that the township take over responsibility of portions of Milton Lane, Vista Circle and Grant Court. This would include paving and snow removal.

“It’s a mess. The roads are terrible, and you ruin your car. The roads are unpaved and eroded,” said Debbie Sandt, a resident for 31 years.

Sandt is the former treasurer of Vista Estates Road Management, which was established in 2004 to maintain the roads.

There are 101 homes in the unpaved development, and only a portion of those homeowners consistently contributed funds to road maintenance.

The association went bankrupt and dissolved about 10 years ago.

“We put thousands of dollars into stone that are all gone. The road eats them up when it rains and snows. The potholes return,” said Sandt. “We’ve had issues before when garbage companies wouldn’t come back because the road destroyed the trucks.”

The roads get plowed in the winter by whoever decides to take care of it and pay for it, Sandt said.

She and Susan Langer showed the supervisors maps and a petition signed by residents of the affected area.

“It definitely looks like you did a lot of the leg work,” said Chairman Howard A. Beers.

They had 10 of 14 signatures needed to move forward to present the petition to the township supervisors. The other four declined to sign.

“I looked into grants. There is nothing on the county or state level to bring a private road up to standards,” said Supervisor David Shay.

The development roads were put in during the mid-1970s. The township’s road specifications came years later.

Some parts would have to be built up and trees would have to be cut.

The supervisors did not vote or make any motion regarding this section of roads in Vista Estates. They provided Sandt and Langer with guidance on how to proceed.

Township solicitor Tim McManus said a deed of dedication would have to be transferred from Vista Estate Road Management to the township.

Sandt and Langer’s next step is to contact the lawyer who signed the deed back in 2004.

It has been about 15 years since the township took over a development’s roads, Beers said.

In other business

• Supervisors will hold a budget session at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 6.

• The township owns a garage on Kunkletown Road, which is not used for anything, and its roof needs repair. Beers asked the other two supervisors to go look at it, to help in the decision to fix it or tear it down.