MIDDLESEX TWP — Supervisors approved spending $34,000 to begin the process of updating the township’s comprehensive plan during their meeting Wednesday, April 19.

The funds will pay for the services of Environmental Planning and Design (EPD) in developing the comprehensive plan.

A long-range planning document for a community, a comprehensive plan is to be updated approximately every 10 years. Middlesex has not updated their plan since 2004.

“We’re 20 years out,” said township manager Jeff Winkle. “So it’s long overdue to take a broad look at the township. Where we’ve come since 2004.”

A committee will be created to oversee the update and residents’ input will be sought.

“We want to ask the public,” Winkle said. “We’re basically going to say, ‘tell us what you don’t know about Middlesex.’ So then we can look at our plan to see what we need to do to improve Middlesex Township.”

The township also approved a partial bond release of $73,172 to Weaver Homes for the Mill Creek Farms housing development, signifying that the project is nearing completion. Currently residents are living in the development, but the project still needs finishing touches put on it, Winkle said.

The balance of the bond, $29,062, will be released after the remaining work on features such as landscaping and getting permit releases is complete, he said.

“We’re down to the end,” said Winkle. “They’re just tidying up the last required items of the development.”

Supervisors also approved continued improvements to the park located at the municipal building.

The township will pay $26,900 to Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, an engineering firm with an office in Cranberry Township, to construct a plan for an access drive to the playground, new pavilion, parking lot and other accessibility issues. The funding comes from a state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant that the township has already received.

The resignation of several township employees also was accepted at the meeting, including Jessica Kozar from the Parks and Recreation committee and Dave Van Atta from the Public Works Department.

Van Atta has served in public works at Middlesex for the past 29 years and is the second member of the department to resign within the last two months. Currently there is no plan to replace Kozar or Van Atta. However, part-time public works employee Barry Freeland was promoted to full time at the meeting.