Garage dispute rattles sabers in Delaware

DELAWARE - They may be going to court, but the principals are not talking. Members of the Delaware Township Planning Commission reportedly have been threatened with legal action, against them individually, about their handling of a proposed garage for 80 school buses near the Dingman-Delaware school complex. Krise Bus Service of Punxsutawney, Pa. provides school bus service for the Delaware Valley School District. Krise wants to build a 7,500 square-foot bus garage with four bus service bays, three offices, a driver’s lounge, and a 10,000 gallon above ground fuel storage tank, south of the Dingman-Delaware Elementary School on state Route 739. There have been three public meetings regarding the proposed facility and area residents, concerned about the noise, additional traffic and potential fuel storage issues, are up in arms and clearly against the project. Krise wants to purchase fuel in bulk and not send buses to Matamoras to fuel up. If they don’t get approval for their plans they’ll need to get additional funds from the district to cover the expenses. “We need to park our buses away from the Ding-Del school parking lot. There have been a few near miss accidents with buses having to back up and maneuver around in the crowded area,” said company owner Tim Krise. Krise believes the Delaware Township Planning Commission is giving him “the run-a-round” regarding the conditional use permit and his attorney is looking into the way things have been handled by the township. Krise said he is waiting before commenting about or proceeding with legal action. A tight-lipped Trish Dorner, planning commission secretary, said the planning commission accepted the application and sent it to the supervisors “without prejudice or comment.” The commission has given the plan to alternate town zoning officer, Duane Kuhn, to see if it meets zoning regulations. Krise has hired an independent expert to analyze their plans for zoning conformance.