Township asks Beaver County to allow hillside cut and stormwork at Brush Creek Park

A township request to cut a portion of county-owned hillside above Ferrisville Road to install storm catch basins and piping at the rear of Brush Creek Park was discussed at the Beaver County Commissioners work session on April 23.

Dan, a county department head, said he had visited the site with township officials and saw "absolutely no problem with what they wanna do," noting the work would require removing some trees and grading the slope to about 30 percent. He said he could not give final approval without further discussion. "Of course, I told them I can't give any approval until I discuss it," Dan said.

The county and township speakers described the work as addressing an existing flow that is causing washouts along Ferrisville Road, not creating a new discharge. "It's the outlet into the stream already. It's not a new pipe," one speaker said. Township supervisors and the road foreman were present during the site review, and Paul Blauch was named as a township supervisor involved in the discussion.

County staff and commissioners raised practical concerns about future maintenance and liability if cutting back the hillside changed slopes above the township road. One commissioner asked whether cutting the hill could create a long-term washout that would slide onto Ferrisville Road. County staff noted that because Ferrisville Road is a township road, damage to the road would likely be a township responsibility, but the county could document its authorization to perform the work so responsibility was clear.

County staff advised the township to confirm whether state regulators or the conservation district would need to be involved. One speaker said the Department of Environmental Protection regional director and staff had attended a site meeting the previous day and that the conservation district "might wanna do chapter 105 permanent" permitting or review if additional discharge or increased volume to the stream is introduced. County staff suggested the township check with DEP and the conservation district and recommended a written authorization or letter from the county so there was a record that the township undertook the work.

No formal vote or permit was recorded in the work session. Commissioners and staff described the next step as confirming regulatory requirements and documenting county authorization if the township proceeds.

The exchange occurred during the department head report portion of the April 23 work session; commissioners later moved to other agenda items and into executive session for personnel.