Public Works Department

Contact Information

Manheim Township

1840 Municipal Drive

Lancaster, PA  17601-4162

Fax:  717-560-4183

E-mail: Public Works Department

Staff

Carl L. Neff - Director

     717-569-6406 ext. 116

Philip E. Mellott - Assistant Director    

     717-569-6406  ext. 115

Wendy Herr - Administrative Assistant/Recycling Coordinator

     717-569-6406 ext. 129

John B. Hershey - Compost & Environmental Services Superintendent

     717-569-6406 ext. 129

Guy R. Bunteman, Jr. - Highway & Stormwater Superintendent

     717-569-6406 ext. 129

Administration and Engineering

The Administration and Engineering staff will assist your needs in customer support. We offer friendly, efficient service with current information regarding the plans and policies of the township.
                                                                                         Manheim Township Commissioner's Office

Street and Seasonal Maintenance

The operations staff carries out tasks to maintain public infrastructure and services. Arranged schedules are always subject to change as emergency conditions arise.

click here for SEASONAL services and schedules

Environmental and Construction Projects

The environmental staff works with others to assist in the implementation of beneficial restoration to the community landscape, waterways and air basin.

Adoption Programs

Manheim Township Adoption Programs are community service programs whereby local groups and organizations adopt Township roadways or streams and keep them clean. Manheim Township would like to thank the groups below who are currently participating in these programs. We are always looking for additional groups who are interested in participating. The programs are scheduled between April and October. If your group is interested in a service project that requires two mornings of work a year, please contact Wendy Herr at 717.569.6406, ext. 129 for more information. 

Adopt-A-Road Program

Thanks for keeping Manheim Township Streets Clean!

Participating Groups

• Grandview United Methodist Church (Grofftown Road)
• Highland Presbyterian Church Troop 99 (Kissel Hill Road)
• Lancaster Northeast Rotary (Butter Road)
• Lancaster Moravian Church (Airport Road)
• Manheim Township Lions Club (Hess Boulevard)
• Pennsylvania Power & Light (Creek Road/Pinetown Road)
• Troop 84 (Millport Road)
• Your Group Here....

The Conestoga River; the eastern boundary of our community

Adopt-A-Stream Program

You can enhance Manheim Township waterways by participating in the Adopt-A-Stream program. Activities include recording cycles of wildlife, monitoring water quality, care-taking of plants, and streamside cleanup and landscaping. Thanks for investing in our waterways!

Participating Groups

• Nitrauer School (Landis Run Tributary)

Your Group Here...

As a resident of Manheim Township, you are required to have weekly refuse & recycling pickup.  Residents are free to choose from any of the registered township haulers. Below are some guidelines to help you with your disposal needs:

• Refuse is collected one time per week and is to be collected on the same day as your recycling.

• Containers may not be placed along streets for pickup sooner than 3:00 P.M. on the day before your scheduled pickup.

• Containers shall not be left along streets longer than 12 hours after your scheduled day of collection.

• Registered township haulers shall pickup refuse between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.

• If your scheduled pickup falls on a holiday, please contact your hauler to determine your pickup day.  Typically, if your refuse collection day falls on a holiday, then pickup will be delayed by one day.

• If your refuse is missed, please contact your hauler as soon as possible.

• All oversized refuse items, such as furniture, mattresses, grills, etc., should be arranged through your refuse hauler.

Manheim Township is required by state law, Act 101, to provide our residents with a recycling program.  Residents are required by Township ordinance to participate in our program.  The State of Pennsylvania has established a recycling goal of 35%.  Currently, Township residents are recycling approximately 40% of their waste.  By continuing to recycle you are helping to protect the environment...thank you!  Below are some guidelines to help you with your recycling efforts. 

• Recycling is collected one time per week and is to be collected on the same day as your refuse.

• Manheim Township has a commingled recycling program.  This means that you may mix together the cans, glass and plastic bottles in your green recycling bin.  You do not need to worry about keeping them separate.  Newspaper, however, must be stored and recycled separately.

• A bin is provided to new residents at no cost.  This bin is the property of the Township.  If you move, please leave the bin for the next resident.  Lost, stolen, damaged or additional bins can be purchased for $6.50 each.

• For tips on preparing recyclables, please refer to the "Preparing Recyclable Materials" fact sheet, below.

If you follow the simple guidelines below, recycling can be part of your day routine.  The following items are to be recycled and placed in your green recycling bin

• Batteries - YES - All household batteries.  Place in orange plastic bag, available through your hauler or at the Township office, and put next to your refuse container.  Batteries will be collected with the trash and processed separately.  NO - Automotive or utility vehicle batteies.  REMEMBER - to only place a full bag out for pickup.

• Glass - YES - Clear, green and brown; water bottles, juice and soda bottles, wine and beer bottles, food jars.  NO - Light bulbs, mirrors, drinking glasses, window glass, broken glass.  REMEMBER to rinse out and avoid breakage.  Place lids in your refuse

• Metal - YES - Aluminum, beverage and tin food cans.  NO - Aerosol spray, chemical & paint cans; foil & pie plates.  REMEMBER to rinse out.  Do not crush cans.

• Paper - YES - Newspaper.  NO - Wet newspaper; magazines, catalogs, office paper, junk mail, glossy inserts.  REMEMBER to place newspaper in a paper bag and place next to your recycling bin.

• Plastic - YES - All bottles with necks marked #1 or #2.  NO - Bottles used for motor oil, paints, chemicals, other pastics.  REMEMBER to rinse out and smash bottles.  Place lids in your refuse

• Fluorescent Bulbs - Recycle your fluorescent bulbs at the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority's (LCSWMA) Household Hazardous Waste Facility, located at 1299 Harrisburg Pike.  For more information please call 397-9968.

• Leaves - Leaf collection is provided by the Township each fall from October through January.  In addition, residents are encouraged to take their leaves to the Township's Compost Park.  For more information on the site, please refer to the "Compost Park" information, below.

• Christmas Trees - Trees are picked up by your refuse hauler December 26 through January 31.  Trees may also be brought to the Township's Compost Site for recycling.

• Yard Waste - Yard Waste is picked up by your refuse hauler.  Yard waste may also be brought to the Township's Compost site for recycling.  For more information, please refer to the "Compost Site" fact sheet, below.

• Computers - Computers are accepted at the LCSWMA's Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 1299 Harrisburg Pike, free of charge to residents.  For more information please call 397-9968.

• Special Wastes - Items such as paints, pool chemicals, pesticides, gasoline, oil and cleansers are considered special waste and should be disposed of through the LCSWMA.  For more information please call 397-9968.

• Refuse Haulers

• Schools

A ½ acre lawn in Pennsylvania produces more than three tons (260 bags) of grass clippings a year. It takes a lot of money, effort and time to bag those clippings. And it is not necessary. Your lawn can be green and healthy by leaving your grass clippings where they fall. The clippings decompose and act as a natural fertilizer. After every mowing, you return nutrients to the soil and therefore, reduce the need to buy fertilizer.

Techniques and Tips:

• Any mower can recycle clippings. Just remove the grass catcher. Determine if you need a special safety plug or adapter kit by asking your lawn mower dealer. Never cut off more than one-third of the grass blade in one mowing and keep grass mowed to two inches in early spring and then gradually raise the height to three to four inches by summer, then gradually reduce back to two inches by late fall. Keep your mower blade sharp.

• Mow when the grass is dry.

Uses for Clippings:

• Compost. Fresh clippings are an excellent source of nitrogen.

• Mulch. Pile about 1" of dried clippings on the soil to reduce weeds and moderate soil temperature.

• Soil Additive. Mixing fresh grass clippings into the garden improves soil xture, promotes moisture retention and adds nutrients and organic matter.

Watering Practices: In the state of Pennsylvania, it is not necessary to water grass. Healthy lawns go brown during a drought but will quickly turn green when rainfall resumes. When in doubt, remember....

• The key word is "LESS" - -

  Less Fertilizer

  Less Water

  Less Work

  Less Work

   

         

Compost Park

Manheim Township’s Compost Park is located at 2775 Oregon Pike and is open daily, dawn to dusk.  Below are some guidelines to helop you with your visit to our site. 

• Materials accepted at site:  garden residues, shrubbery and tree prunings, sod, leaves and grass.

• Biodegradable bags are available for purchase at $.50 each at the Township Municipal Office and the Compost Park. 

• Every biodegradable paper bag purchased may be filled once, free of charge, with finished wood mulch.  The Township encourages residents to continue using the biodegradable bags as many times as possible but the cost to fill the bag with wood mulch or to dispose of yard waste is $.50 per bag. 

• To dispose of leaves during leaf season only, there is no charge.

• To dispose of yard waste, there is a charge of $5.00 per small pick-up or small trailer load or if you bring the materials in a biodegradable paper bag the cost is $0.50 per bag.

• Payment of fees is on the honor system at the compost park.

• Yard waste may be brought in other containers, but only biodegradable paper bags may be left at the park. It is the resident’s responsibility to remove unapproved containers, including plastic bags.

• Wood mulch and leaf compost is available to all residents.  Wood mulch is $.50 per bag or $10.00 per pickup truck or trailer load. 

• Leaf compost is 1.00 for a 10-gallon bag.  No pickup truck or trailer loads of leaf compost are permitted.

The Township of Manheim is the proud recipient of a 2007 Waste Watcher Award for Outstanding Composting Achievement!  The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP), Pennsylvania Waste Industries (PWIA), and the Keystone Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) were pleased to showcase our recycling and waste reduction achievements as an example to others in the Commonwealth. 

The Township receives quite a few requests for replacement bins due to them being lost, stolen or damaged. Below is a summary of our procedure for replacing recycling bins.

• A bin is issued to new township residents at no charge.

• Lost, damaged or stolen bins can be replaced for a $6.50 charge.

Permits and Licensing

Street Opening Permit

A street opening permit is required if you are planning to do any type of work in all public rights-of-way and easements. A permit form is available at the Municipal Office for your completion. In addition to the permit form, a drawing of the work being performed and a $35.00 permit fee cost is required. It usually takes only a day or so to issue the permit. For those permits requiring concrete work, an inspection would be necessary prior to pouring of concrete. An inspection can be scheduled by contacting Phil Mellott at 569.6406 ext. 115.

Tree Removal Permit

A permit is required for anyone who is interested in removing a tree located in the public right-of-way. A permit is only issued if the tree is in decline or decay as a potential hazard. The applicant must complete a form which are available at the Municipal Office. There is no fee for the permit. Should you have any additional questions contact Wendy Herr at 569.6406 ext. 129.

Grading Permit

A grading permit is required for all approved on-site improvements on the exterior of the building(s) including alterations to driveways outside of the public right of way.

• Submit Application for Grading Permit with two site improvement plans attached. All site improvement plans for commercial projects, land development, subdivision and stormwater projects require the seal and signature of an individual properly registered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to perform such duties.Submit the required fee. The fee is based on the contractual value of the site work.

Seasonal Services

Our Leaf crew collects 2500 tons per season

Manheim Township’s Fall leaf collection program offers two curbside services to residents.

1. Whole loose leaves, raked to the streets edge, scheduled mid-October through early December.
2. Bag collection - whole or mulched leaves and pine needles (not to exceed thirty (30) gallon bag); call in schedule mid-October through mid January.

Fall Leaf Collection Information

Snow and Ice Removal

Mockingbird on Winter Berry

The public works department is committed to providing excellent snow removal service. Although the township has a general policy for snow removal, each storm event may be a cause for change. The township is divided into zones. Within each zone, the major collection streets and roadways are attended to first, with the residential streets following. Salt material is spread on the roads at the start of a storm, and when snow starts to accumulate, the roads will be plowed with one single pass in each direction on each street. After the initial plowing, the plow will return to widen the cleared area as much as possible. When clearing driveway entrances keep in mind that the plow will be returning again and may block the driveway with additional snow. In our attempt to remove snow from the roads, plowed snow may damage mailboxes; wet heavy snow increases the chance of damage to mailboxes. To reduce the potential for damage, make sure your mailbox is secured tightly on a sturdy post. Damage occurring from plowed snow is the property owner's responsibly. The Township crew makes every effort to avoid causing damage to mailboxes. Some additional reminders during snow events:

• Do not push or throw snow in roadways. This create hazardous driving conditions.Drive carefully at a minimum speed.Keep parked vehicles off the street whenever possible.

Spring Street Cleaning

Manheim Township’s annual spring street sweeping program is scheduled the end of March through the first 2 or 3 weeks of April (weather permitting). Cleaning is done daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The Public Works Department requests that residents who have off-street parking available to please utilize it during these times. Should you have any concerns regarding this program, contact Wendy Herr at 569-6406 ext. 129.

2010 Street Cleaning Schedule

Here are some of the key projects and activities the Public Works Department was involved with in 2009.

• Resurfaced five miles of township roadways. As of the beginning of December, 2,000 tons of leaf material and 4,000 tons of woody material were processed at our Compost Site, 2775 Oregon Pike. These materials were collected through the township's curbside leaf recycling program and by residents delivering materials to the site. Completed several roadway projects including reconstruction of Buch Avenue from Cobblestone Lane to Weaver Road, traffic calming initiatives on Bassett Drive, and reconfiguration of Kissel Hill and Stauffer Roads.