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<b>First Posted:</b> 11/4/2008<br><br>IAN CAMPBELL Times Leader Correspondent
WILKES-BARRE TWP. &amp;ndash; Residents were given an outline of proposed floor plans for a new police station building Monday by representatives of Pasonick Engineering.

The 6,948-square-foot addition will be placed behind the existing building and will be cost effective and practicable, architect Emil Jarolin said. 
The design will likely include solar panels, on-demand water heaters and state of the art insulation in order to keep the running costs for the facility as low as possible.
The design will likely maintain a single level in order to meet disability-law accessibility requirements, he said.
In response to public questions, the engineering representatives predicted an eventual cost of around $1 million and a completion date of September 2009. The township was awarded $750,000 in grants to cover most of the construction costs, business administrator Michael Revitt noted.
The township&amp;rsquo;s child-care facility will move into the current police facility once the new building is completed, according to the plans.
In other business, Revitt and Mayor Carl Kuren confirmed possible increases in sewer fees, doubling from the current $84 a year, as a means of alleviating a growing shortfall in the township&amp;rsquo;s sewer fund. 
The fees now generated each year are about $124,000 less than what is needed to retire the construction debt on schedule and do not take into account revenue needed for sewer line repairs, they said.
Kuren invited council members to make suggestions to the proposed 2009 budget before the first formal reading is given at the township building Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
He confirmed plans to impose a four-bag limit on trash collections and regulate the collection of appliances, as too many people had taken advantage of the system in its present form. The changes would allow the township to regain some control over costs.
Solicitor Bruce Phillips was asked to draw up specifications and advertising for a garbage-pickup contract, to start next January, when the current contract ends.
Phillips was also asked to draw up an ordinance governing water shutoffs for those residents who did not pay their sewer fees.
Council also voted to ban smoking at all municipal parks, and after a delay of several months, approved zoning changes to a number of commercially used properties on Route 309, Casey Avenue and Francis Street.
 Most recently, the same ordinance had failed to find support at the October meeting as council members had questions about some of the properties.

W-B Twp. police station to use solar panels