BUTLER TWP — Butler Township commissioners approved a settlement offer with Vogel Disposal Service Inc. at Monday's meeting.

The dispute began as a result of alleged administrative overpayments to the township, according to township solicitor Rebecca Black.

Black said officials from Vogel agreed to dismiss litigation with the township for a settlement of nearly $53,800, which is less than the $177,000 initial payment demanded by Vogel.

She said litigation spanned years over an alleged overpayment by Vogel to the township.

A motion made by the commissioners authorized township manager Tom Knights to execute dealings concerning the settlement.

“I'm glad we're finally settling to be able to move forward,” said commission vice president Sam Zurzolo.

The commission also approved resolutions to apply for two grants through the Department of Community and Economic Development. One is a $250,000 grant through the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program that requires a 15% match, which would help fund the creation of a half-mile trail in the township.The other is through the Multimodal Transportation Fund, which funds projects costing between $100,000 and $3 million, and would be used for traffic enhancements to Whitestown Road, Knights said.In other business, the commission approved a request for Butler Area School District to add an addition to the Butler High School gymnasium.The developers at the meeting said the new auxiliary gym would be 11,000 square feet, will include new locker room and rest room facilities, be fully covered by sprinklers and handicap-accessible.It will be able to hold about 350 spectators, and construction could begin as early as June, and completed by February 2022 pending final approval.