A monthly collection of summaries of articles curated from various news, township meetings, and other sources, focused on topics of interest to local residents. The insights expressed here are those of John Mack and do not represent the opinions of any other person.
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Elaine McCarron, Co-Chair of the Newtown Township PA Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) gave the Supervisors a preview of the EAC’s future plans, including recommending a ban of single-use plastics, and the use of solar energy to supply the electricity needs of the township municipal building.
The Newtown Township Police Department (NTPD) recently released its 2022 Annual Report. Contents include:
- Community Message from Chief of Police
- Awards and Presentations
- Milestone Achievements
- Retirement
- New Officers
- School Resource Officer
- Commercial Vehicle Safety
- DUI Enforcement
- Aggressive Driving Enforcement Initiative
- Speed Timing Devices
- Grant Funding Received
- Newtown Township Yearly Statistics
Some Yearly Statistics Highlights:
- In 2022 there were 20,707 calls for service vs 19.918 in 2021
- 7 “pedestrians hit” in 2022 vs 5 in 2021 (see North Sycamore Street Pedestrian Safety Timeline)
- 1,812 traffic citations in 2022 vs 1,781 in 2021
- 27 overdoes/narcan use in 2022 vs 23 in 2021
- 1,360 school checks in 2022 vs 823 in 2021
View/download the full 74-page report...
Newtown Township [supervisors approved] a [road repaving] base bid listing parts of six roads totaling 2.32 miles, and alternate bids listing parts of 11 roads totaling 2.18 miles. The base bid is budgeted at $703,514 and the alternate bids at $638,994, though true costs won’t be known until bids come back.
Township Engineer Leanna Colubriale said the tentative schedule is to advertise for bids the week of February 13 [posted on PeenBID on 19 February 2023], open bids March 14, and award a bid on March 22.
Supervisor John Mack remarked on the rising cost of repaving roads, noting that this year’s program will cost somewhere around $300,000 a mile*.
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John Mack's Insights:
*Unfortunately not enough money is available to pave all the roads. For more details, refer to the notes below.
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Elen Snyder has announced her bid for re-election to the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors.
Snyder, a Democrat and six-year resident of Newtown Township, is a member of the board’s Democratic 4-to-1 majority. She was appointed to the board in 2019 and won election to a two year seat in 2021.
During her first term Snyder successfully assisted in negotiating an agreement between the township and the borough to ensure that both will have adequate fire coverage coordination for years to come. Snyder also serves as a member of the newly formed fire commission that constantly monitors the agreement and is committed to fire services that includes the retention and expansion of paid firefighters.
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Meet Mack Monday for February 20, 2023, included discussions of the following topics among others:
- Reduced Speed Limits: What’s Next for Newtown-Yardley Road and Sycamore Street?
- 2022 Speeding Citations: Which Roads Saw The Most Citations? Which Saw None?
- Newtown Shopping Center Traffic Study
- Environmental Advisory Council Update: Earth Day Celebration, Single-Use Plastics Ban, and Solar Power
- Details here...
View the 15-minute video presentation made at the meeting.
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John Mack's Insights:
Monthly Meet Mack Monday meetings are not official Newtown Township meetings. The opinions expressed at Meet Mack Monday events are solely those of John Mack and the attendees of the meeting and do not represent the opinions of any other entity.
Thirteen people (mostly Newtown Twp residents) attended this Zoom meeting, which is more than usually attend official BOS meetings!
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This is my personal summary of the February 22, 2023, meeting of Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete nor an official summary.
Access the 2023 BOS Chronicle for detailed summaries of all 2023 BOS meetings plus the BOS voting record (UNOFFICIAL) for 2023.
Agenda items included:
- New Assistant Fire Chief Sworn In
- Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) Update
- Resident Cites Arcadia/Mayfield Contract Violations
- Planning Commission Reports
- Ardana Restaurant Conditional Use Approval Recommended
- Comprehensive Plan Cover Letter: Municipality Addendum Recommended
- NESD Report
Full Summary, including official video and video transcript...
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At its Feb. 22 meeting, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to direct fire chief Glenn Forsyth to resubmit its SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant application for consideration.
If successful, the grant, totaling over $1 million, would fund the salaries and benefits of four additional full-time career firefighters for three years. Since its last application, [BOS Chair Dennis] Fisher said changes have been made by the township for the good that further demonstrates the township's long term commitment to building a career fire service. “We hired a deputy assistant fire chief. We have a new agreement with Newtown Borough to help pay for emergency services.”
Supervisor John Mack asked Fire Chief Glenn Forsyth whether he felt that would be enough to demonstrate to FEMA the township's commitment to maintaining the additional career firefighters once the grant runs its course.
"With the additional millage - that's an additional $325,000 - and the additional money from the borough - that's $156,000 - that's almost a half a million dollar increase," said Forsyth. "For a $50 application fee, I think we should try it and see what the outcome is."
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