Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comments Permits Snow topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press council on denied driveway permit, false child-report allegation and snow-removal complaints
Summary
Multiple residents told the Souders—Souderton council during public comment that a recently arrived homeowner was denied a driveway permit and urged code changes, alleged a neighbor filed a false child-welfare report, and asked the borough to address snow-removal standards and employee conduct.
Several residents used public comment at the March 2 Souders—Souderton Borough Council meeting to press for action on local permitting and snow-removal practices and to report personal safety concerns.
At length, resident Lee Moltich (247 West Chestnut) described being denied a permit to place a concrete driveway in his rear, landlocked property and asked the council to revise the borough’s driveway code (he referenced “section 1417” in his remarks). He described discussions with staff (named Courtney and Rich in his account) who told him a four-foot easement would be required and asked him to obtain a land survey. Moltich urged the council to broaden the code to incorporate Pennsylvania case-law doctrines such as the doctrine of settlement and easement of necessity, saying these principles could allow landlocked residents reasonable access. “I was denied my application for permit when it came to placing a concrete driveway within my landlocked boundaries of my property,” Moltich told the council. He also said a neighbor filed a child-welfare complaint against him and cited what he called “title PAPCSA statute 4906-1 (2014)” while urging penalties for people who make false reports.
Desiree Gerimenko (235 Parkview Drive) described a separate incident involving borough employees during snow removal. Gerimenko said a borough worker operating a backhoe/plow shouted at her while she and her husband were clearing snow and that an escalation by a supervisor threatened a citation; she said she filed a written complaint on Feb. 23 and had not received a substantive response. “Residents deserve confirmation that aggressive and accusatory conduct towards homeowners is addressed and corrected,” Gerimenko said, asking council to place the matter on a future agenda for transparent follow-up. Council acknowledged multiple recent complaints about snow removal and noted the public-works and sewer committee oversees snow standards; members said the committee has had scheduling issues but that the topic could be referred for review.
Other residents raised safety concerns tied to snow operations and sewer financing. Charles Wellner pointed to narrow plow paths that can leave parked cars blocking emergency access and urged the council to consider plowing additional passes on affected streets. Several speakers asked for clearer timetables and accountability on response to written complaints.
Council responses in the public meeting were limited to offers to take contact information and to refer issues to the appropriate committee or staff for follow-up; no formal policy changes were adopted that night.
