The Hanover Township Board of Supervisors announced during their July 28 meeting held via Zoom they have decided to temporarily close the Hanover Township Community Center, effective Aug. 8.

The decision, which was made during an executive session for personnel matters, was due to uncertainties regarding the coronavirus pandemic and concern over properly meeting safety guidelines while executing programming, Township Manager Jay Finnigan said.

Due to those uncertainties, Finnigan said it is unknown when the community center will be able to reopen and host programming.

“It was hard to segment elderly folks to come in and use our programs – and daycare and childcare and meet the stringent guidelines of the CDC, the department of health and everything,” Finnigan said. “It was, in the opinion of the board, impossible to make all the pegs fit into the round holes to make it successful at this time.”

Finnigan and supervisor Jeff Warren both noted that discussions took place in an attempt to find any alternatives possible, but in the end it was in the best interest of residents to close the community center, especially due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus.

“This entire situation has put our municipality and a lot of other municipalities in a holding type of pattern,” Warren said.

In regard to planning and zoning, the board unanimously approved the conditional use applications of both Advanced Health Care and Universal Adler, LLC. Hearings for the conditional use applications of both were held at the June 23 supervisors meeting.

Advanced Health Care, located at 3370 High Point Blvd., applied for conditional use for a transitional care and rehab facility. The conditional use was approved under conditions that the applicant obtains a skilled nursing license from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the facility will not be used as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, the facility will not have vehicular access to Old Stoke Park Road and that the applicant addresses comments made by the Hanover Township engineering review board.

Universal Adler, LLC received conditional use approval for an adult day care facility at 3864 Adler Place at an already existing building.

The conditional use was approved under the conditions that the applicant provides all required Pennsylvania licenses and permits to Hanover Township prior to occupancy, as well as comply with comments on the Hanover Township engineering review board.

Additionally, an advertisement was placed for a potential change to the maximum building height ordinance in Hanover Township, with a decision likely not coming before September, according to the board.

The board also unanimously approved a proposed ordinance to extend a nonexclusive franchise agreement with RCN Telecom Services Inc. for 10 years in regard to operating cable services in all public areas of the township. The township had signed a previous agreement with RCN in 2010.

The ordinance requires that RCN pay a five percent franchise fee, which is the largest that Hanover Township can charge under the telecommunications act.