During the February meeting of Heidelberg supervisors, resident Charlie Perich questioned having to pay a $135 fee to tear down an old barn on his property.

"What do I get for my permit?" he asked. "[Is my fee] only for you to give me permission to improve my property?"

Supervisor Forrest Wessner III said the permit was to make sure things are disposed of properly.

Township Adminstrator Janice Bortz commented on the issue.

"I believe the [Uniform Construction Code] requires a demolition permit," Bortz said. "Our fee is $56. The rest is for the building inspection."

Wessner told Perich he knew it was frustrating having to deal with the permitting process, but that was the law.

In other matters, resident Sidney German asked what could be done about a drainage ditch adjoining his property.

"People are falling into it," he said.

He recounted instances of various vehicles rolling into the ditch.

German said he was told there are water and utility easements for it, but the ditch has been eroding, and is now about 6 feet deep and 8 feet wide.

Roadmaster Kevin Huber said he spoke with [Township Solicitor Charles Waters and Engineer Roy Stewart] about it, and they wanted to discuss it at the meeting but could not be present.

German said he had checked the deed for the property, and there was nothing about an easement.

"No water ever comes through that ditch," he said, countering the claim the ditch was needed for drainage.

"We'll get [Huber and Stewart] to go over and look at it and see what can be done," Bachman said.

Also on the agenda was the use of township recycling bins.

Fink said one resident thought the recycling program was only for township residents.

Bachman said County Recycling Coordinator Tim Bollinger "highly recommends us allowing anyone, residential and commercial, to use our recycling center," according to a conversation with Bortz.

"The township's Section 904 grant money can be used for any [recycling] purpose," said Bachman, referring to the state's Recycling Program Performance Grant.

Allowing other townships to use the bins is legal, he said, and gets the township more money from the program.

He said the grants amounted to $5,583 in 2011 and $4,232 in 2010.

Perich countered, saying according to his research, residential and commercial materials must be marked separately and must come from within the municipality.

"I'm happy that people are using the bins," Bachman said. "The amount of tonnage we're getting is fantastic."

Perich said the township was required to have an ordinance governing recycling.

He also claimed the materials must be generated within the township.

"Do we have a recycling ordinance?" he asked. "It seems to me, you have a number of holes in your cheese here. I was looking for the ordinance, and I couldn't find it."

"We've extended it with Berger," said Bachman, referring to the township's contract with Berger Sanitation.

Resident Carl Brein-inger asked if the township gets credit for the curbside recycling he has for his home.

"We get tonnage from the whole township," Bachman said. "The hauler must report how much is curbside and how much commercial."

The source for the township bins does not have to be reported, he said.

According to the Department of Environmental Protection's Web page regarding the program, all properly documented collections within the township are eligible; however, materials generated outside the township are not.

Bachman said the bins fill up on the weekends, so he asked businesses in the township to use the bins only during the week.

The bins are emptied around 8 a.m. Monday and Thursdays.

Speaking later to The Press, he asked that cardboard boxes be flattened, and no plastic bags be put into the bins. These clog the machinery and cause downtime that increases costs.

Also, he said, it is imperative not to leave anything outside the bins. This is considered littering, as is contamination of the recyclables, and violators will be prosecuted to the best of the township's ability.

The question of plowing for nonprofits was also on the agenda.

Huber said this is now done for the fire company whenever needed, and maybe once a year for a church cemetery.

Bortz suggested the township have a policy.

Bachman said plowing should be done for the fire company whenever they request it, and for churches in an emergency, such as a funeral.

Fink reported the Goodwill Fire Co., Germansville, needs someone to work in the kitchen, as Flo Heller is retiring after many years.

Also, Central Grange is discontinuing its baking of shoofly pie, but will be donating its equipment and secret recipe to the fire company.

Bortz also accounced that Polly Ettinger, director of sustainable living for Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, will speak at the April supervisors' meeting as part of the Envision Lehigh Valley program.