Blog

Posted on

Ordinance #99 – Short-Term Rental Ordinance

The Greene Township, Pike County, Board of Supervisors have adopted Ordinance #99 – Short-Term Rental Ordinance at the regular meeting on November 2, 2022.

Ordinance #99 will regulate short-term rentals within the township and establish penalties for violations. A copy of the ordinance is available for review below.

The ordinance shall become effective at the Organization Meeting, January 3, 2023. The owner of any short-term rental within the township shall have sixty (60) days from the effective date of this ordinance to comply with its provisions.

The Greene Township, Pike County, Board of Supervisors plan to adopt Ordinance #101 – Amending the Short-Term Rental Ordinance at the regular meeting at 7:00pm on December 6, 2023 at the municipal building, 198 Brink Hill Road, Greentown, PA. Ordinance #101 will amend Ordinance #99 which currently regulates short-term rentals within the township and establishes penalties for violations. A copy of the proposed ordinance is available for review below. The ordinance shall become effective upon adoption.

At the regular meeting on November 1, 2023, the board of supervisors took official action to contract with Bureau Veritas for enforcement of Ordinance #99 – Short-Term Rental Ordinance.

If you have questions regarding the ordinance, or how to proceed with your short-term rental property, please submit them to secretary@greenetownship.org for consideration by the board of supervisors.

PROPOSED-ORD-101-AMENDING-THE-SHORT-TERM-RENTAL-ORDINANCE

Currently adopted Ordinance #99

Ord-99-Short-Term-Rental-Ordinance-ADOPTED

Fees

23-14-SHORT-TERM-RENTAL-PERMIT-APPLICATION-FEES-1

Complaint about a Short-Term Rental Property

If you are a property owner in Greene Township and would like to submit a complaint about a Short-Term Rental property, please submit a Request for Action Form.

REQUEST-FOR-ACTION-FORM
Posted on

Voting & Elections Information

…the electors of each township shall elect three supervisors, three auditors and one tax collector. No person shall at the same time hold more than one elective township office.

…at each municipal election, the electors of each township shall elect one supervisor to serve for a term of six years from the first Monday of January after the election.

– per the Second Class Township Code > Article IV

Greene Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania is a township of the Second Class. We have a 3 member board of supervisors who serve overlapping 6 year terms (visit the home page of the website to see the current board of supervisors). To serve as a supervisor, you must have resided in the township for at least 1 year, be at least 18 years old, be registered to vote, and continue to reside in the township.

The electors of the township are responsible for electing the board of supervisors. There are eligibility requirements for voting in Pennsylvania. They can be found here.

First Time Voters

If this is your first time voting in Pennsylvania, you may be confused about what to bring, or where to go to vote. Greene Township, Pike County’s voting location is the Hemlock Grove United Method Church located at 491 Roemerville Rd, Greentown, PA 18426. The polls are open from 7:00am-8:00pm. For more information on what to bring, click here.

How to Register to Vote, or find Elections Information

The Pike County Elections Office maintains and controls all activities relating to Voter Registration and Elections under the supervision of the Pike County Board of Elections.

Nadeen Manzoni – Director
506 Broad St.
Pike County Administration Building
Milford, PA 18337-1535
(570) 296-3426 • nmanzoni@pikepa.org

Helpful Links

Posted on

Residential Developments in Greene Township

There are many homeowners associations, private communities and developments in Greene Township, Pike County. These include organizations that make and enforce rules and regulations in regards to what property owners can and cannot do with their properties. Upon purchasing a property on a private road, the property owner becomes a part of that organization and usually is required to pay dues. Generally, dues go towards road maintenance and any other facility upkeep that may be included.

Any road that is not owned by the township or the state is considered a private road and is paid for and maintained by those who own property on that road.

Click here to view a map of township and state owned roads. Any road not on this list is a privately owned road and homeowners are responsible for maintenance.

Residential Developments in Greene Township, Pike County, PA

Greene Township has numerous residential developments located within the municipality. In January 2010, Pike County Office of Community Planning put together a list of these developments for the county. Click below to view Greene Township’s portion of this list.

COMMUNITY-ASSOCIATIONS-GREENE-TOWNSHIP-PIKE-COUNTY-PA

How much are fees and what do they include?

When owning a home or property in a development, an annual fee is usually due to maintain the community. The fee can range from a couple hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on what is offered in the development and how many homes are a part of it.

Usually, the fees includes things like road maintenance, snow/ice removal, garbage pick up, amenity maintenance (such as a community pool, tennis court, playground, etc.) and security.

Pros & Cons of owning in a development.

There are many upsides to owning in an HOA or development. These include: neat, well-maintained properties, more stable property value due to consistent appearance of homes, access to exclusive amenities, assistance in resolving property-related disputes with neighbors.

However, some may not want to live in a development due to the restrictions they impose. Some HOAs may have restrictions on home colors, number of pets, putting up signs in your yard. The fees may also cause budget issues.

For more information on dues, bylaws and other information regarding developments, you would need to contact the development itself. The township does not keep contact information for developments.

Posted on

Bridge Closure Updates

Please follow this post for updates on bridge closures in the township.

Rt 390 Bridge in Promised Land State Park

⚠️UPDATE – October 23, 2023: According to PennDOT’s report, work can begin 11/20/2024 (Estimated) with the completion date of 09/13/2026 (Estimated) ⚠️

The bridge located on Rt 390 in Promised Land State Park will be undergoing construction. Traffic will be maintained via a temporary, single lane so a detour will not be required. The project is scheduled to be started at the end of 2023 and continue through 2025.

More information can be found by zooming into the location on PennDOT’s map – Click here

PRESS-RELEASEDownload

Lake Russell Road bridge over Freeling Run

BRIDGE OPEN

❗️❕UPDATE – Apr 27: Construction has begun on Lake Russell Road Bridge and is expected to conclude in approximately 6-8 weeks. The bridge will be one lane, with the detour in place at times. ❗️❕

⚠️📣UPDATE – Apr 4: The construction company is experiencing delays sourcing the studs for the bridge repair work; therefore the start date has been pushed back. No start date has been provided at this time.

🔶 UPDATE – Feb 20: Due to material supplies, the project will start in late March, early April.🔶

❗️⚠️UPDATE – Feb 6: Construction start has been pushed back to the end of this week, or the beginning of next week. The project is estimated to take 6-7 weeks⚠️❗️

Starting the week of February 6th, Lake Russell Road bridge over Freeling Run will be undergoing repairs. Lake Russell Road will be CLOSED at the site of construction. See map for detour.

Pine Grove Road bridge over Wallenpaupack Creek, near Rt 191

BRIDGE OPEN

❌Pine Grove Road bridge over Wallenpaupack Creek, near Rt 191 will be CLOSED, starting March 23, 2023 through August 2023 for a bridge repair project. ❗️A DETOUR WILL BE IN PLACE❗️

ℹ️ For more information, visit PennDOT’s Projects website: https://gis.penndot.gov/paprojects/PAProjects.aspx then click on “Construction Projects” then click on “View Projects” then select “Pike” County. You can zoom into the location and click on it to see more information.

Posted on

2023 Annual Clean Up Day

Greene Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania will hold the annual Clean Up Day on Saturday, May 20, 2023 from 8:00am-2:00pm at the municipal building – 198 Brink Hill Rd., Greentown, PA 18426.

CLEAN-UP-DAY-2023-INFO
  • Cash or check accepted.
  • The township will not accept anything outside of the scheduled hours of 8am-2pm on May 20th
  • You must be a Greene Township resident. Please keep in mind that some of Greentown is in Palmyra Township. To verify you are a Greene Township resident, please check your tax bill, voter registration, or the Pike County GIS Map which can be accessed here: GIS Map. Please bring proof of residency, as you may be asked for it.
  • We cannot accept the following: hazardous materials, daily garbage, construction materials (shingles, lumber, bricks, etc.). Please check the flyer for a list of hazardous materials.
Posted on

Reporting Road-Kill Deer

Living in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it’s common to see dead deer along the side of the roads. This unfortunate occurrence can lead to other animals being in the road to feed off it, foul smells, road obstructions and other inconveniences. Sometimes they can be there for days or even weeks. So, who is responsible for removal?

PennDOT removes dead deer from state roads. You can report a dead deer by calling 1-800-FIX-ROAD and giving the location of the carcass.

If the deer is not on a state road, but is on a township or a private road, you can call the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Northeast Region at 570-675-1143.

Click here to view what roads are state owned and what roads are township or private: Map of Pike County Roads

Many people don’t want to see an animal go to waste, so the game commission allows Pennsylvania residents to pick up deer and turkey for consumption purposes. A permit must be obtained within 24 hours from the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Region Office which serves the county where the animal is located. For more information on this, click here.

Posted on

Local Businesses for Home Related Projects

Are you new to the area, or in need of a business for a home related project and don’t know who to call? We’ve got you covered!

There are many local businesses that specialize in home related projects. From building new structures, to removing trees on your property, it’s important to call a reliable business. We’ve put together a list of local home related businesses for your convenience.

*Please note: Township employees cannot recommend businesses. This is a general directory for informational purposes. We are not affiliated with any businesses on this list. Business owners are responsible for their own licensing and insurance.

Contracting

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
SNI ConstructionGreentown570-676-9477sniconstruction.com
Ann’s ConstructionGreentown570-470-4139annsconstruction.com
Timbercrest BuildersGreentown570-576-0540timbercrestbuilders.com
James Pinto ContractingNewfoundland570-351-6622
Canfield ConstructionGreentown570-236-1167
Paquette & Son Home ImprovementsGreentown570-470-1961

Electrical

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
Coleman ElectricGreentown570-676-0861
Philip Michael LLCGreentown570-351-3050philipmichael.com

Excavating

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
B&W ExcavatingGreentown570-676-9178Snowplowing, Septic System Installation
Panther Trucking & ExcavatingNewfoundland570-983-6831panthertexcavating.com
Gross ExcavatingSouth Sterling570-470-8523Logging
William Heberling Excavating & TruckingGreentown570-676-3104Trucking
Bob Shafer ExcavatingNewfoundland570-676-9383

Garbage Pickup/Junk Hauling

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
E&L ServicesGreentown570-647-5624facebook.com/e-l-services-110052174522855
Waste Management–866-909-4458wm.com
GFL (Green For Life)Lake Ariel Location570-685-7000gflnv.com
Eastern Waste570-409-6933easternwr.com

Home Inspection

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
Affordable Home & Building InspectionsGreentown570-226-5222poconoinspections.com
A Hold On Mold, LLCGreentown570-689-7109aholdonmold.com
Precise Home Inspections LLCHawley570-493-0494precisehomeinspections.net

Land Survey

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
Schoenagel & Schoenagel Inc.Greentown570-857-0256schoenagel.com
William R. Dunning SurveyorGreentown570-616-5282
Kiley Associates LLCLakeville570-226-5810kileyassoc.com

Landscaping/Snowplowing

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
Kizer Landscaping & ExcavatingGreentown570-240-7842kizerlawncare.comExcavating
Jazikoff LandscapingCresco570-676-3550Junk Hauling
JB Property MaintenanceNewfoundland570-877-5068

Plumbing/HVAC

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
Joe’s Plumbing & HeatingGreentown570-857-9652
Sam ShafferGreentown570-676-8358
Hynak Mechanical Inc.Moscow570-842-6833hynakhvac.com

Roofing

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
Eastern Roofing Systems, Inc.Jessup570-383-1818easternroofingsystems.com
MNM Roofing ProfessionalsGreentown570-793-5715mnmroofingllc.com/

Septic System Installation

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
RL Fenkner Inc.Greentown570-857-0105
Koberlein Environmental ServicesHonesdale570-253-3660koberlein.com
Butler Septic ServicesJefferson Township570-689-2952

Tree Removal

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
Got Trees?Ledgedale570-229-4131facebook.com/gottreesexperttreeservice/
Rex BrandHawley570-226-2512
Accelerated ForestryLake Ariel570-499-4848

Well Drilling

BusinessLocationPhoneWebsiteOther Services
Jack Ziegler IncNewfoundland570-689-2472
Knight Well DrillingGouldsboro570-842-8142facebook.com/knightwelldrilling/
Tyler Pump & Well ServiceHonesdale570-903-0037tylerpumpandwellservices.com

If you own a local business that’s home related and would like to be added to this directory, please email your business name, phone number, website, location and services to secretary@greenetownship.org

Posted on

Chances of Hitting Deer Increased

This time of year (autumn) brings beautiful fall foliage, cooler weather and the start of the holiday season. Unless you or your loved ones are hunters, you may not think about the fact that these months also bring the rut and hunting season. The rut (breeding season) causes deer to be focused on reproduction and decreases their attention to much else. They are more likely to dart across the road, especially during the evening and night hours. This, combined with daylight savings time, brings a much higher risk of restricted views and vehicles colliding with deer on the roadway.

According to the insurance company State Farm, Pennsylvania is in the top five states with the highest chances of hitting a deer (1 in 54 chance of a crash). The highest risk months, in order, are November, then October, followed by December.

Avoiding a crash

Some things to do to avoid a crash include:

  • Staying alert, especially in the evening and at night
  • Don’t watch the deer crossing the road – wait for a buck to be following behind
  • Use your high beams
  • Scan the sides of the road to see possible deer before they cross
  • Follow speed limits to ensure easier breaking if needed
  • Avoid unnecessary travel in the dark

If you do have a vehicle collision with a deer, here are some things to do afterwards:

  • Move your vehicle to a safe place
  • Keep your distance from the animal. If it is injured it may try to get up and run
  • Call the police to report the accident
  • Take photos of the damage to your vehicle

Contact PennDOT to remove deer from the side of public roads.

Posted on

Greene Township Park gets Facelift

The Cykosky Park, located on Brink Hill Road in Greentown, PA has recently gotten upgraded. In addition to a grant the township received to install new playground equipment, a gazebo and a safety fence, local Girl Scout Troop #50669 has made more upgrades.

They have removed overgrown shrubs from around the park’s sign and planted new flowers. They installed a sandbox to add to the park. The girls also helped erect a new sign at the bottom of Brink Hill Road and planted flowers around it.

Through this project, the girl scouts earned their Silver Award.

The project was funded by donations and the girl scouts, along with their parents, did all the planting and building of the sandbox.

Posted on

What Does the Township Do?

A township is a unit of government that is a subdivision of a county. Some of the main responsibilities of a township are road maintenance and land-use planning. Second class townships (like Greene Township, Pike County, PA) are governed by a three (3) member board of supervisors who are elected for overlapping six (6) year terms.

About Greene Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania:

  • The board of supervisors and their terms can be found on the home page of the township’s website.
  • The roads that the township are responsible for can be found on the Township Roads page.
  • The township’s land-use planning information can be found on the Subdivision and Land Development page.
  • There is no adopted zoning ordinance, but there are other township ordinances to ensure the health and safety of the public.

Township responsibilities

Road Maintenance

There are three (3) types of roads in Pennsylvania. State roads are maintained by PennDOT, township roads are maintained by the township, and private roads are maintained by the property owners.

Land-Use Planning

Land-use planning consists of lot combinations, subdivisions and land developments. Lot combinations are when a property owner wants to combine two or more parcels into one. Subdivisions are when a property owner wants to take one parcel and divide it into multiple parcels. Land developments are when parcels of land are improved for the purpose of constructing a group of two (2) or more residential or nonresidential buildings or a single nonresidential building.

Ordinances

There are numerous ordinances and codes in place to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. Greene Township has adopted ordinances, such as Signs, Solid Waste Management, Regulating Outdoor Fires and Junkyards. To view the full list of ordinances, visit the Ordinances page.

Building

Permits for building projects (eg. homes, sheds, garages, decks, pools, additions, etc.) are obtained through the township. Greene Township contracts a third party building department to do building inspections. For more information on building permits, visit the Building page.

Sewage and Well

The township is responsible for administering onlot septic system and well permits in accordance with The Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537 of 1966, as amended). The township employs a Sewage Enforcement Officer, Glen Martin. Please visit the Sewage and Well page for his contact information.

Tax Collector

The elected township tax collector, Barbara Gilpin, is responsible for administering tax bills and collecting and recording all taxes. Her contact information can be found on the Taxes page.

Here is a list of some things townships do not handle:

  • Privately owned roads
  • Home owners associations/private developments or communities rules, regulations, bylaws
  • Property information (eg. survey maps, deeds, home records, etc.)
  • Landlord/tenant lists
  • Local business recommendations