FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - A Butler Township property where arrests were made last week involving an alleged methamphetamine laboratory has been determined to be uninhabitable by the township code enforcement officer, along with the neighboring property.
William P. Anders of Lehigh Engineering LLC serves as the township code officer and explained the posting of the properties during Tuesday's meeting of the Butler Township supervisors.
On June 10, police and firefighters were called to 406 Catherine St. for an odor investigation on a complaint by the neighbor. The investigation led to the arrest on June 11 of owner Duane M. Maurer, 50, after the lab and the material were discovered to manufacture the illegal drug. Deborah A. Reedy, 59, who resides in the home, was also arrested. Both were committed to the Schuylkill County Prison on four felony counts of possession of red phosphorous, one felony count of manufacture of a controlled substance, five felony counts of causing or risking a catastrophe and one misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.
The home at 404 Catherine St., which is connected to 406, was also posted as uninhabitable by Anders. The five members of the Shadle family will not be able to return until the home is cleaned of chemicals. According to the Schuylkill County Parcel Locator, the Shadle residence is owned by Kyle A. Konas.
"I posted it because there was a methamphetamine lab there (at 406)," Anders said. "So whenever you have the cooking of the chemicals to make the meth, the fumes and residue from that stays in the house. As the township's code officer, I basically posted the houses as unsafe structures so no one is allowed to go in there unless they're going to do remediation or to secure the structure from anybody going in.
"Unfortunately, in this case, the neighboring property is a twin home and some of the residue may have come into that one," Anders said. "Those people are looking to have someone come in to remediate and clean the home."
In his engineering report, Anders also spoke on the progress of the land development plan for expanding the parking lot at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in the Butler Township section of the Highridge Business Park.
"Basically, Wal-Mart has an overflow parking area that was stone," Anders said. "When the distribution center was constructed, the company made it known that the stone lot would eventually be paved. Since I wasn't the engineer of record for the township at the time, I asked for a copy of the original letter that shows the paving was pre-approved because I know there are some water issues up there."
The Butler Township Planning Commission voted on June 10 to recommend to the supervisors that final approval be granted based upon the compliance of the engineer's review letter dated June 4 and a letter of approval from the Schuylkill Conservation District of conformance and final review and approval from the township engineer.
Anders told the supervisors that no action was needed by them at Tuesday's meeting, since he is waiting for the conservation district's final review for storm water compliance.
Before the regular meeting began, a 15-minute hearing was held for public input on the 2013 Community Development Block Grant application. A second required public hearing will be held when the township receives information on the level of grant funding that will be received. After the second hearing, the CDBG grant application will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.