In a historic decision Monday evening, the Damascus Township board of supervisors voted unanimously to join the Upper Delaware Council, a partnership between municipalities along the Upper Delaware Corridor.
Membership in the Council makes available to the township state and federal grants that might not otherwise have been possible.
The council also serves as a united intermediary between municipalities along the corridor and a united front in approaching other government agencies in regard to issues concerning any and all municipalities contained therein.
Damascus is the 12th municipality to join the council, which includes eight from the New York side of the river and now four in Pennsylvania. 
Damascus is unique because it is the first township in Wayne County to join the council, in its 20 years of existence, as well as the largest tract of land along the corridor, on either side.
In the past, especially at the inception of the council, residents were weary of membership due to stringent zoning conformity requirements and aggressive land-purchasing ambitions.  In recent years, however, the council has adapted itself to meet the concerns of member and non-member townships and taken steps to give member townships autonomy within the council.
Now, according to Bill Douglass, executive of the council, “The river corridor extends from the top of one ridge to the top of other ridge, and our mission is solely to maintain beauty that we’ve had all these years.”
The vote followed a presentation by Douglass and former council representative, as well as former Shohola Township Supervisor, George Fluhr, who spoke about the benefits of membership in the council and some of the projects it sponsored in Shohola. 
The presentation was followed by an open-floor discussion period before the vote, in which residents voiced numerous concerns, among them, the irrationality of joining a council to get back monies that residents, as taxpayers, are entitled to, and further questions of so-called “eminent domain”.  In retort to such concerns, Linda Dexter asked residents to “move forward and not back.”  She went on to say, “This money is available to us and all we have to do is join.”
A winter 2007 survey, intended to provide research into the development of the East Central Wayne County Comprehensive Plan, revealed that 67% of Damascus Township residents, and 75% of non-resident respondents, favored joining the UDC.
At present it takes nothing for a township to join the council, and a township can leave it at any time.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Linda Dexter said.
The board of supervisors voted to join, “on a temporary basis,” according to board chairman Jeff Dexter.
Three other townships in Wayne County are situated on the corridor: Berlin, Buckingham, and Manchester.  At a meeting of their supervisors last Tuesday, Berlin Chairman, Paul Henry, “stated unequivocally that he remains fully in favor of joining,” as reported in The Wayne Independent last Friday. 
The matter wasn’t even discussed at a meeting of the Manchester Township supervisors, also Monday evening.
In regard to joining, supervisor Doug Smith said, “We have haven’t made any serious considerations.  It’s not really a priority [of ours].”
A representative from Buckingham Township was not available for comment.
For more information on the Upper Delaware Council, call 845-252-3022 or e-mail Bill Douglass at udcdouglass@hvc.rr.com. Their web site is found at www.upperdelawarecouncil.org.
Damascus Township Supervisors meet the third Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Damascus Township Community Center in Damascus.