East Vincent Township is preparing to amend its construction start time ordinance in response to complaints about crews arriving well before the current permitted hour — sometimes as early as 4:30 in the morning.
Under the existing ordinance, construction activity is permitted beginning at 5:30 a.m. But Township Manager Bob Zienkowski told board members at their Tuesday meeting that some setup crews have been assembling 30 minutes to an hour before that, pushing the effective disturbance into the pre-dawn hours. The proposed amendment would push the official start time to either 6:30 or 7 a.m.
"This is becoming more and more of a problem," Zienkowski said, describing the change as overdue. The board of supervisors agreed.
Scope and Enforcement Questions
Board members raised questions about whether the amended ordinance could apply to state agencies such as PennDOT or utilities like Pennsylvania American Water. Township Solicitor Joe Clement acknowledged that enforcing local ordinances against state entities is legally difficult, though Zienkowski said the township has had reasonable success pressing utilities to comply in the past.
Supervisor Craig Damon suggested the township could seek support from local state legislators if enforcement upon state agencies becomes a persistent issue. From the audience, State Sen. Katie Muth, who is an East Vincent resident, noted that state road crews typically operate under union contracts with established work schedules, suggesting pre-dawn PennDOT activity is unlikely, but she encouraged township officials to let her know if they experience any problems.
Clement added that the new start time would be incorporated directly into future land development agreements and construction permits, giving the township a contractual as well as regulatory basis for enforcement. The board indicated support for drafting the ordinance amendment for future review.
During public comment, Cindy Ramsey of Pennhurst Road described a steady stream of heavy-duty vehicles passing her home beginning at 5:30 a.m. on a regular basis due to construction activity related to Independence Park.
"Dump truck after dump truck after dump truck — it's just been unreal," Ramsey said. "Thank you for considering changing this."
This article was generated with AI assistance. All content was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by John McGuire.
