W. Hempfield farmer fights Lane. Sewer Authority plans
BY SHEILA MILLER width, it basically snugs up against
\ fCENTERVILLE B. C. the railroad, right-of-way and in-
Brubaker owns a farm in West volves a portion of Brubaker's field
Hempfield Township, Lancaster that is brushy and overgrbwn —■
County. He's been the proprietor of where old, unused equipment
that 90-acre farm since 1960. Now, serve as trellises for weeds and
Brubaker, like many other far- vines. Bordering this idle strip,
mers before him, has come face to Brubaker’s cultivated fields butt
face with a “higher power” and up against a field access road
stands to lose 1.6 acres of land to a which separates brush from crops,
public utility through con- Brubaker contends that the
demnation. That "higher power” $2,011 he will receive from LASA is
is the Lancaster Area Sewer not a “fair price” for the con
’ Authority. _ demned 1.6 acres.pointinfeout a
Brubaker, who has been fighting neighbor received $3,000 an acre'
LASA over the proposed sewer line -' for "killdeer land” land where
during the past several months, nothing will grow, he explains
said he learned of LASA’s plank to when the real estate was privately
cross his farm with a 1,300 foot sold. Brdbaker claims LASA will
forced main sewer tine only eight save considerable sums by coming
months ago. After numerous through bis property rather than
telephone calls and a personal following the road.
appearance at last week’s monthly
meeting of the LASA Board,
Brubaker says he has decided' to
Retain an attorney to represent his
VrS«-
What is the case? According to
West Hempfield Township zoning
officer Don Kauffman, the .Lan
caster Area Sewer Authority is
buying right-of-ways in the
township in order to install a main
trunk line to carry sewage from an
undersized pumping station to a
new sewage treatment plant. He
says the new forced main is
necessary since the old, under
sized pumping station’s
inadequacy allowed raw sewage to
sometimes flow into nearby
Strieker’s Run.
The location of the proposed
main is within roughly a 40-foot
area along an active ConraU
railroad track which dissects
Brubaker’s farm. Although the
LASA acquisition would vary in
§TO THE BUYERS OF STEERS iS£
ANDHOGSATTHE OBy
LAMPETER FAIR . .
LAMPETER
MANOR
STEER BUYERS
GRAND CHAMPION.
Willow Valley Farms
Market & Restaurant
(Lancaster)
RESERVE CHAMPION - Willie The
Butcher (Meat stands In
Stauffers)
| G.R. Mitchell (Refton)
| L.H. Brubaker (Strasburg)
| Hoffman, Sullivan, O’Brien & Brown (Penn
| Manor) teachers
| Stove Hurst Farm (Strasburg)
I C.B. Hoober & Son (Intercourse)
| Dick Dombach Lebanon Chemicals
| (Millersviile)
Dick Trout • Penn Manor
Huber Insurance Agency (Millersviile)
Joe Hess (Hessdate)
g°.L. Rohrers & Brother (Smoketown)
nings IGA (Gordonville)
Fultonway Farms - Hans Herr Drive
A LASA spokesman counters,
saying the engineers “selected the
most practical route with the least
amount of inconvenience.
The Brubaker farm is used for
cultivating com and tobacco, with
only 5 acres untillable. About one
third of the farm is prime
agricultural land, and part of the
property falls within the county
comprehensive plan for an
agricultural preserve area.
The farm is leased out to a
neighboring farmer.
But Brubaker is not so much
concerned about the loss of prime
farmland as the loss, of revenue
from the sale of his land to LASA.
During his hearing before the
LASA Board, Brubaker em
phasized the utility was “taking
property rights away” and that the
sewer line installation would
hamper future housing develop
ment.
Being zoned rural agriculture,
OUR
THANKS
GRAND CHAMPIOI
Parkland Industries (Lancaster)
Willie the Butcher (Meat stand in
Stauffers)
Stone Hurst Farm (Strasburg)
Hess’s Butcher Shop (Willow Street)
Waiter Dunlap (Lancaster)
Ist.National Bank of Lane. Co.
New Holland Sales Stable (New Holland)
West Willow Feed Association (West
Willow)
Dwight Houser (Lampeter)
Ira Welk Cattle Hauler
est Hempfield farmer B.C. Brubaker
stands next to a tobacco field on his 90-acre
farm. Brubaker is fighting the Lancaster Area
Sewer Authority, trying to receive a “fair and
just price' 1 for a 1.6 acre right-of-way the
Authority wishes to purchase for $2,011. The
Brubaker would be limited to only
one lot for every 25 acres unless he
requested a zoning change. “I
can't do with the land what I want
to, but the sewer authority sure
can," Brubaker admonishes. He
says the farm was his
'‘retirement” "selling building
tots.”
Although Brubakei concedes he
will be able to farm the land taken
by LASA at no charge, and with no
interference to field operations
since there are no manholes
located on his property and the
pipe will be buried underground,
HOG BUYERS
Kunzler Meats Inc.
Lancaster
ERVE CHAMPION . Hatfield
Packing Co. - Hatfield
he states his reason for fighting the
sewer authority is because he
“objects with the price and tactics
offered by LASA.”
He points out that he has to pay
yearly fees to people on whose
property he erects billboards to
his campsite (located
lore Info. Call
For
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 2,1982—A29
area in question lies to ..ie left of the picture,
along the banks of the Conrail railroad bed.
When the sewer line is installed, underground,
removing the trees and brush that presently
line the field, Brubaker will be able to farm the
land free of charge.
17) 626-6805.
across the tracks from the crop
fields), referencing the “once and
done” payment he’d receive from
LASA.
“A billboard can be taken
down,” he says, “You can’t do
away with a sewer.”
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