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Politics & Government

No Resident Input on City Avenue at Lower Merion's Capital-Improvements Meeting

The Board of Commissioners is trying to prioritize construction projects.

At a Capital Improvement Plan workshop Wednesday night, the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners discussed high-priority projects—such as more funding for a new bridge study—and debated whether proposals such as a new school turf field should be designated as "possibly non-essential but desirable" projects.

The workshop, the first in a series, was dominated by questions and comments from the commissioners, who were given the floor first.

And when the workshop was opened for public comment at the end of the meeting, only three people got up to speak, and none of them commented on proposals for City Avenue, unlike Tuesday evening's Planning Commission workshop.

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The workshop began with a presentation on projects that had major changes or were new, including several “A” projects, which are “nearly complete or considered essential ... and have funding needs in 2012.”

For one of the “A” projects with changes, the Township staff is recommending that funding for rotomilling and road reconstruction be increased by $500,000 to $1.5 million per year for the next three years, said Donald Cannon, director of public works for Lower Merion Township.

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The township keeps up with road repairs by maintaining 10 miles of roadway per year, Cannon said.  Without an increase, the township will be able to continue maintaining 10 miles.  With the funding increase, the township could maintain 15 miles of roadway per year, he said.

Commissioner Scott Zelov asked what the life expectancy is for roads. Brand-new roads last 20-25 years before they need to be remilled, while maintenance adds 10-15 years of life to existing roads, Cannon said. Zelov wanted to know how the township would pay for the increased spending on roads.

“Where’s the money going to come from?” Zelov said.  “What are we not going to spend to do this?”

Cannon said he was not recommending that the township cut spending for other projects, he was just recommending that an additional $500,000 be spent to maintain the roads.

Zelov said it was up to the commission to decide how the capital improvement money should be spent and Township Manager Doug Cleland agreed.

“If more needs to be spent here and less on the other, you’re right,” Cleland said.  “That’s up to the commissioners to decide.”

The township is also proposing a new bridge study and prioritizing it as an “A” project.

Any bridge that is more than 20 feet in length is inspected by PennDOT, but any bridges that are less than length are the responsibility of the township when it comes to determining maintenance needs of the bridges and estimated costs, Cannon said.

Lower Merion has some 50 to 75 small bridges which it needs to inspect, Cannon said, and therefore, the township is proposing a new study to inventory township-owned bridges and prioritize maintenance needs.

The small bridges are typically “a culvert over a creek,” Cannon said.

Cleland said it will cost $25,000 to $30,000 to do the inspections.

Commissioner Brian Gordon said he was concerned that the study would ultimately leave the township with “huge indebtedness” because he said engineers have to be very cautious and if they found anything wrong with the township bridges they would issue a list of repairs which would be very expensive to make.

“This seems like the quickest way to blow the bank on the township’s credit card,” Gordon said.

Lower Merion Township Engineer Ed Pluciennik disagreed.  He said there may be minor repairs to be made to a bridge, but if they are not made the township could lose the bridge due to damage when there’s a storm.

“It’s just prudent to see what you have, develop an assessment program and come up with a regular maintenance schedule,” Pluciennik said.

Gordon asked why the township had not been inspecting and maintaining the bridges for the last 75 years.

“We are probably once a year being called out to a structure that is failing,” Pluciennik said.

The township will prioritize its recommendations and be able to use its Public Works employees to do some of the work because the township has its own training program, Pluciennik said.  Most of the bridges are stone, or in some cases concrete, structures, as opposed to steel. 

Cleland stressed the importance of another new “A” project, flood-proofing Mill Creek Pump Station, which is located next to West Mill Creek Park in Penn Valley.

The pump station has experienced “two separate multi-hundred thousand dollar flood events in the last five years,” Cleland said. 

If there is another flood at the pump station, the insurance company will surcharge the township and the township will then have a very high insurance deductible, Cleland said.

Estimated costs for the making modification to the pump station to reduce future flooding are $100,000 to $700,000 but Cleland said he thinks the cost will be on the high end of that estimate.

After talking about new projects and ones with changes, there was a presentation and discussion solely on “A” projects, including the Ardmore Transit Center.

But the discussion about the Ardmore Transit Center was brief.

On June 15, the Board of Commissioners approved Option 2 for the transit center, provided that there are sufficient funds available to close the funding gap of $20 million to $23 million. If the funding gap cannot be closed, the Board could proceed with Option 3.

Under Option 2, the Ardmore Transit Center would feature a new train station, tunnel, transit improvements, retail space at the transit center and a four-level parking garage; as well as a mixed-use development and parking on Cricket Avenue.

At the Capital Improvement Plan workshop on Wednesday, Brown inquired about capital improvement funds for the transit center.

“Based on the actions of the board a few weeks ago, what are you showing for sources of funding?” Brown asked.

Cleland did not have a figure for Brown.  He said the Capital Improvement Plan had not been updated since the commission’s action on the transit center, but it will be updated.

Cannon also presented “B” Projects, or projects which are viewed as possibly non-essential, but desirable, with funding needs in 2012.

The City Avenue Transportation Service Area Improvement Program was designated a “B” project because the township is proposing that $400,000 be spent to “make minor improvements to timing and signals” in order to improve traffic at the intersection within the proposed City Avenue Transportation Service Area, Cannon said.

Cannon said the township does not anticipate any other spending on this project until the rezoning of City Avenue is approved for redevelopment, if it is approved.

Commissioner George Manos clarified that the rezoning is a separate issue and the recommended road improvements for the Transportation Service Area can go forward without approval of the rezoning proposal.

Manos said the needed roadway improvements along City Avenue have been accumulating over the last 25 years.

Commissioner Brian McGuire spoke in support of another “B” project, to expand City Avenue intersection improvements. He said the commission has heard people all over the township express concerns about traffic along and near City Avenue.

The township currently has 111 signalized intersections, not including City Avenue, Cannon said.

As part of the intersection improvement project, the township is recommending an expansion to include an evaluation of existing traffic studies to determine where updated information is needed or new studies should to be done, according to the township’s written summary about the project.

Phase I, the study period, would cost $20,000, and be scheduled for 2012 and 2013, the township summary said.

Implementation, or Phase II, would begin in 2014 or beyond, with funding levels to be determined, the township summary said.

Zelov said there are low-cost intersection improvements that the township can do itself and he disagreed that the township needs to pay and outside engineer.

Commissioners also questioned the Park and Recreation Department’s request to designate a proposal to build an all-weather artificial turf athletic field as a “B” project.

Lindsay Taylor, director of the township Parks and Recreation Department, said building a turf field would allow sports games to be played in wet weather rather than having to postpone them.

While Taylor said the township would like to build the turf field at or , in cooperation with the school district, township staff has not contacted the school district because they wanted to bring the proposal before the commission first.

Commissioner Cheryl Gelber asked why the township was not looking at places like the polo fields and doing a joint venture with Haverford Township.

“It was our conclusion that a township park would not serve well,” Taylor said.

Taylor said a township park would not be a good place because the turf field would need to be fenced and secured because the field could be damaged, vandalized or set on fire.

Township staff favors installing a turf field at one of the township middle schools because they hope the school district would help pay for it and be responsible for maintaining it and the schools’ fields are fenced off and have dedicated parking, Taylor said.

Commissioner Brian Gordon said it was OK for the commission to say no if the cost is too much.

“This might seem unusual to Lower Merionites, but it’s OK to actually say no,” Gordon said.

There was very little discussion about “C” projects, which are viewed as ones that can be postponed or have already been scheduled to start in 2013 or at some later time.

The last category, “D” projects, concern solely the library renovation projects.

There is only one change to the library projects, a proposal to bid the Ardmore and Gladwyne libraries projects together because both libraries require elevator work.

“We thought we’d get a better price by bidding them together, Cannon said.

With this proposed change, the start of the Gladwyne Library renovations (fourth in line for renovations) would be moved up a year so that it could be renovated at the same time as Ardmore Library (third in line for renovations), starting in 2013, Cannon said.

Ludington Library, which is closed for renovations, will reopen in the fall.  The second library to be renovated will be Bala Cynwyd Library.

Belmont Hills Library is scheduled to go fifth in 2014, followed by Penn Wynne Library in 2015.

Commissioner Richard Churchill said he would like another evaluation regarding the Penn Wynne Library.

Churchill said the township could save a significant amount of money on renovations costs for the Penn Wynne Library, given the current economic climate.

Churchill said he had also talked to the Penn Wynne Library Board and he thinks they would be ready to help raise money for the renovations sooner rather than later.

Gelber agreed with Churchill that Penn Wynne should be next in line for renovations.

“I think doing Penn Wynne next is attractive,” Gelber said.  “If we were to include Penn Wynne as part of the next phase, would there be havoc in the library system?”

Cannon said it would have to be evaluated.

During public comment, Ann Kirschner, an Ardmore Library trustee, said the library is “using every inch of space” to serve the community.

The elevator work which is proposed as part of the renovations will create a new space for patrons by making the loft area compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Kirschner said.

Currently, the elevator barely accommodates a stroller, let alone a wheelchair, Kirschner said.

Penn Wynne resident Charles Scott said the Penn Wynne library should be next in line for renovation because it is the third largest project.

“While I agree it’s wise to bundle the two elevator projects together, I disagree it should go next,” Scott said.

There was only one other public speaker, Rob Carovillano, president of the Union Fire Station in Bala Cynwyd.

Crovillano thanked the commissioners for their support of the equipment replacement and apparatus replacement programs.

Discussions are continuing between the township and volunteer fire companies about updating the policy for the fire apparatus replacement fund, which was designated an “A” project.

As part of a “B” project, the commission also discussed a proposal to buy new radios and replace other fire service communications equipment for the fire companies.

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