PARK
AND RECREATION BOARD
NEWTOWN
TOWNSHIP
MINUTES OF JUNE 5, 2002
DRAFT - SUBJECT TO AMENDMENT BY PARK AND RECREATION BOARD UNTIL APPROVED
The Newtown Township Park and
Recreation Board met on Wednesday, June 5, 2002. In attendance were Bernard
Bires, Chairman; Andrew Levine, Vice Chairman; John Davis, Joel Grosso, Kathy
Kelly, Russell G. Strover, Anne Marie Zambriscki, and Buck O'Neill, members.
Also in attendance were Richard Weaver and Scott Harp, Supervisors, William
Wert, Park and Recreation Director, and Susan Beasley, Planning Commission
Liaison.
Call to Order
Mr. Bires called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM
Mr. Bires said that he would alter the agenda to hear a presentation by Chris Gulbrandsen, a Boy Scout with Troop 380 at Newtown Presbyterian Church.
Chris Culbrandsen presented to
the Board an outline of a proposed Eagle Scout Project that he had designed
with Russell G. Strover, chairman of
the Clark Nature Preserve sub-committee. Chris said that he had worked with Mr.
Strover to plan a clean-up of a trail along the perimeter of the Clark
property. He intended to remove debris and fallen tree branches from an
existing trail, and to re-position a portion of the trail that currently leads
directly into a stream. He would like to relocate this portion of the trail so
that it would run deeper into the woods and away from the stream. His outline
included pictures of the trail, the stream, the fallen trees and an abandoned
springhouse on the property.
Chris said that he hoped to
accomplish this project, with the help of five other scouts, on three or four
Saturdays in the fall, after any of the proposed driveway improvements have
been completed on the property. He would be supervised by both Mr. Strover and
his scout leader. He would use his own tools, and this project would not be an
expense to the Township.
Mr. Wert assured the Board that the Scouts would be insured under the Township's umbrella liability policy and the scout troop's policy. He said that the Public Works Department would be responsible for removing the large felled trees along the trail.
Mr. Allen Fidler asked if the
plan was in keeping with guidelines of the Commonwealth Riparian Buffers. He
said that the Planning Commission had just received this and had begun studying
it.
Mr. Weaver said that he would be sure that there was no conflict with these guidelines.
Mr. Strover assured the residents
in attendance at the meeting that he would work closely with Chris planning and
supervising the project. He said that he knew of three other Boy Scouts
interested in working at the property, and that he would also help plan
projects for them. He said that Chris would carry a cell phone with him while
working in the event of an emergency.
Mr. Strover moved to approve
the Eagle Scout Project for clean-up of a trail at the Clark Property by Chris
Culbrandsen. Mr. Grosso seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Approval of Minutes of May 1,
2002
Mrs. Zambriscki moved to
approve the minutes of May 1. 2002. Mrs. Kelly seconded and the motion passed
unanimously.
New Business
Mr. Bires advised the Board that there were no representatives present for the Hoffa Tract, Szarko Builders or The Newtown Fire House.
Old Business
Playground Sub-Committee
Mr. Wert reported that the bid
packages for installation of the playground had been finalized and that the
bids would be opened on June 21, 2002. A new Public Works Director had been
hired and would be supervising site preparation at Roberts Ridge Park for the
playground. Once a bidder has been chosen, the installation will be completed
in 30 days.
Mr. Bires reported that the Board would be seeking sponsorship for a Big Band Concert to celebrate the grand opening of the new playground.
Shade Tree Commission
Mr. Strover reported that he has a grant of $2000.00 for trees at Roberts Ridge Park. He hopes to put some trees along the Frost Lane side of the park and to form a grove at the lower end of the park in an ampitheatre arrangement at the site chosen for a possible gazebo.
Hidden Lake Sub-Committee
Mr. Grosso asked Mr. Levine to
read into the record a summary of the report given by Mr. Bill Mitchell of the
Bucks County Park and Recreation Board. (Attached)
Mrs. Beasley asked if motor boats are allowed on the lake.
Mr. Levine said that electric
motors are permitted.
Mr. Charles Sutton reported that not many boats use the lake.
Mr. Glenn Beasley asked if the
Board had studied the Township Comprehensive Recreation Plan prepared in April
of 1999 in regard to development of Hidden Lake.
Mr. Levine explained that the Comprehensive Plan was prepared as a general guideline for planning and use of acquired park land. It was needed in order to apply for Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) grants. He said that the Board uses the Plan to help familiarize themselves with the open space and appropriate uses for it. The Comprehensive Plan does not point out all of the restrictions on the property, and noted that the Plan recommends further study.
Mrs. Roberta Taylor pointed out that it had been suggested that the Taylor farmstead might be a possible point of entry to Hidden Lake, but that there are deed restrictions on the Taylor farmstead and only agricultural uses are permitted.
Mr. Grosso said that the
Sub-Committee had visited Hidden Lake and had held a meeting. Residents of
homes surrounding Hidden Lake attended the meeting and spoke to the committee
about their concerns. Mr. Grosso presented the Sub-Committee's report
(attached). He noted that they had discussed the many restrictions on the
property; the many governmental
agencies that would need to be involved in any improvements to the
property; the difficulty in police patrols of the property; and the expense
involved in conducting studies of the property.
Mr. Dawood asked why the Park and Recreation Board was looking at the property if the Comprehensive Plan had not recommended improving Hidden Lake.
Mr. Levine explained that Township owned open space must be periodically evaluated. The open space requires maintenance and exposes the Township to liability. The Park and Recreation Board must be familiar with the open space in the Township and with the uses of that open space.
Mr. Jenci asked Mr. Harp if he
was aware of the Township Comprehensive Plan.
Mr. Harp responded that he was familiar with the Plan, but he was also aware that some residents of the Township are currently using Hidden Lake for recreation and he asked the Board to look into the possibility of making the property more accessible to all of the residents.
Mr. Bill Cowen asked if the work
the committee had done cost the taxpayers any money.
Mrs. Beasley answered that the Comprehensive Plan had been financed by a grant and that the Park and Recreation Board and its sub-committees are volunteers.
Mrs. Elinor Campbell suggested
that the property should be a wildlife preserve. She noted that her home
borders the property and she has seen eagles, red fox and deer on the property.
Mr. Levine said that the property
cannot be designated as a wildlife preserve as it is not a naturally occurring
eco-system, but a man made system for flood control, and it must be maintained
as such.
Mrs. Taylor expressed concern
about soil erosion caused by ATV's.
Mr. Levine said that ATV use on
public land is a problem throughout the county and that the Bucks County Park
and Recreation Board is investigating whether the use of ATV's may violate
Federal environmental laws.
Mr. Sutton said that he thought
that problems of pedestrian traffic and ATV's still needed to be addressed. He
said that the property needed to be protected rather than developed. He said
that he thought that the Township should spend its money on development of
other parks.
Mr. Howard Altman stated that his
home borders Hidden Lake and that he has heard hunters on the property in the
fall, and that the police have not been responsive to his complaints.
Mr. Levine said that this would
be discussed with the police department.
Mr. Bires asked the residents in
attendance if they felt that ATV's are a big problem on the property.
Members of the community all said
that they are not a big annoyance, however loud radios late at night are a
problem. Members of the community agreed that they all frequently hear radios
and that they believe that teenagers camp out on the property at night.
Mr. Kaplan said that he
appreciated the work done by the sub-committee. He was afraid, however that the
Board of Supervisors would not be as receptive to the residents' concerns. He
said that protecting the dam is important, and that opening Hidden Lake as a
passive park would be expensive and would expose the Township to liability. He
expressed concern about traffic entering and exiting a parking lot on
Washington Crossing Road and about possible fires on the property.
Mr. Oelshlegel said that he uses
the lake for fishing and that he was sure that teenagers are hanging around on
the property at night. He has not observed many ATV tracks on the property. He
asked if the property could be marked as "closed at dusk".
Mr. Rick di Paola said that it
was his understanding that deLuca developers had deeded the land to the
Township as open space to meet the three acre zoning requirements of the CM
Conservation Management district.
Mr. Davis responded that the
Township requires developers to either provide open space or pay a fee in lieu
of open space.
Mr. Marchionni asked if the Board
is concerned about exposure to liability on this property.
Mr. Levine said that the
sub-committee was studying the property now to evaluate the Township's
exposure. He said that liability would be discussed with the Township solicitor.
Mr. Steve Brown questioned why
Township money was spent on a parking plan for the property.
Mr. Harp responded that this is
part of the administrative expenses and the investigative process.
Mr. Sutton asked if Hidden Lake
would be on the Board of Supervisors agenda.
Mr. Harp responded that it would
not be on the next agenda but would be on a future agenda.
Mr. Sutton, Mr. DiPaola and Mr.
Barbagallo all stated that they felt that there were too many problems and too
many costs involved in opening Hidden Lake as a park.
Mr. Harp said that he thought
that the Board and the Sub-committee should include the Chief of Police in
further discussions of the property.
Mrs. Beasley asked if the parking
lot plan was designed before the formation of the Hidden Lake Park
Sub-Committee.
Mrs. Zambriscki said that the
parking lot plan was presented to the Board at the April meeting. She said that
this was the first time that many on the Board had heard of the property. She
said that the Board is newly formed and that it is possible that the members
who had previously served on the Park and Open Space Committee may have known
about the property.
Mr. Grosso asked the Board if they would like to make a motion to
approve the Sub-committee's recommendations.
Mr. Davis said that he thought
that the recommendations should include clearly marking the Township's property
lines.
Mrs. Kelly expressed concern
about accepting the recommendations without further investigating the existing
problems on the property, such as camping, hunting and ATV use.
Mr. Cowen said that deLuca Builders is about to turn over ownership of the open space adjoining the park to the Lakeview Estates Homeowners Association, and that he was concerned about their exposure to liability.
Mr. Davis moved to table
further discussion until the Sub-committee had time to refine their
recommendations. Mrs. Zambriscki seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Development of Silver Lake
Mr. Bires said that this would be put on hold.
Clark Nature Preserve
Mr. Strover reported that the
Director of Churchville Nature Center had walked the property and pointed out
that there are no new sources of trees. He
identified 20 species of birds.
Mr. Strover stated that the DCNR
forestry agent had told him that a PowerPoint presentation could be put
together to be used as a guide for planning on the property.
Skate Park
Mr. Harp said that he is still waiting for sketch plans on this project. No location has been chosen at this time. The property behind Staples has drainage problems that must be considered and remedied if it is used as a site for the skate park.
Capital Planning
There was no capital planning report.
Planning Commission
Mrs. Beasley reported that the Planning Commission had looked at a sketch plan for a new Fire House. They would like to leave the dirt mound between the Fire House and the Police Shooting Range in place.
The Planning Commission reviewed
plans for a Tea Garden at the Village at Newtown Shopping Center.
The Planning Commission will be
reviewing the Riparian Buffers that have just been received. She thought that
the Park and Recreation Board would also be looking at these soon.
The Planning Commission is
beginning to review what is permitted to be built in the Office Research District.
Board of Supervisors
Mr. Weaver reported that the Board of Supervisors had also received
Commonwealth Riparian Buffers and he would keep the Park and Recreation Board
informed about these.
Park and Recreation Director
Mr. Wert presented the Board with copies of the Park and Recreation
Department Annual Report.
Mr. Wert reported that Gary Crossland had just been hired as Director of
Public Works and he would be involved in some of the heavy clean-up at the
Clark Property. He said that "Nature Preserve" may not be an
appropriate name for the Clark Property, as this has a specific meaning to the
DCNR, and that a nature preserve does not have human intervention..
Mr. Wert reported that the sign for Helen Randle Park is finished and can
be installed.
Mr. Bires suggested that a dedication ceremony be planned on Saturday,
June 29 at 9:30AM at the Park. He requested Mrs. Randle be notified of the time
and date.
Mr. Wert reported that enrollment continues to grow at the day camps,
although there are still spaces in all of the camps.
Mr. O'Neill reported that the Little League season has gone well, and
that he would like to speak to Mr. Wert about repairing the fields at the end
of the season.
Members Comments
Mr. Grosso asked if there is an organizational chart for the Township. He
said that he was not sure of exactly who the Board reports to.
Mr. Harp said that the Park and Recreation Board work with the Park and
Recreation Director to make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.
Mr. Davis moved to adjourn at 9:15 PM. Mrs. Kelly seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully Submitted
______________________________
Mary Donaldson, Recording Secretary