Residents urge borough to act on Manor Avenue overgrowth, skunks and early-morning truck noise; codes officer outlines enforcement steps

Several Manor Avenue residents told Millersville Borough Council on Tuesday that a cluster of properties has become overgrown and a health nuisance, and they asked the borough to enforce property-maintenance rules and address speeding and early-morning trash-collection noise.

Resident Randall Snyder, who gave his address as 209 Manor Avenue, said weeds are “growing up the side of the house” at 138 Manor Avenue, that the property appears vacant and that the condition has persisted for years. “Something has to be done,” Snyder said. He also said he had trapped six skunks under his house and that the animals were linked to the nearby overgrowth.

Resident Nicole Nafsiger, also of Manor Avenue, said she “just wanted to echo mister Snyder’s concerns, every single 1 of them,” and called the situation a safety issue on the corridor. Several council members acknowledged the complaints and asked the borough’s codes officer to investigate.

Codes officer Rob said the borough will inspect the specific addresses once staff have the exact locations. He described the borough’s enforcement sequence for vegetation and similar property-maintenance violations: an initial 10-day warning notice, followed by a borough citation (which he said is now $100) and then, if noncompliance continues, referral to the district justice for further action. “I’ll do it tomorrow,” Rob told council when asked to inspect the reported properties.

Council members and borough staff also addressed related concerns raised by residents. Snyder and Nafsiger complained about speeding on Manor Avenue; Nafsiger and other speakers said garbage trucks often pass through the corridor before 6 a.m., sometimes as early as 4:30 a.m., and that reversing beepers on side streets were disruptive. Borough staff and council members said the current hauler is Pennways and that the contract does not specify a start time; the manager said the company typically serves Manor Avenue early to avoid heavier traffic later in the morning.

Council directed staff to follow up. The codes officer said he will inspect the properties that night and that staff will notify council by email of the findings and next steps. No formal ordinance change or emergency action was taken at the meeting.

Why it matters: Overgrown, vacant and poorly maintained properties can affect public health, property values and neighborhood safety; residents sought both enforcement and operational fixes (such as scheduling) from borough staff.

Council next steps: Codes staff will inspect the addresses cited by residents, begin the warning/citation process where appropriate, and report back to council by email. Council also asked police and public-works staff to note any extraordinary violations encountered during patrols and operations.