PARK AND RECREATION BOARD
NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP
MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 4, 2004
Approval of Minutes
The Newtown Township Park and Recreation Board met on
Wednesday, February 4, 2004 in the Newtown Township Building. In attendance and
voting were: Andrew Levine, Chairman; Joel Grosso, Vice-Chairman; Michael
Clancy, John Davis, Kathy Kelly, Buck O’Neill and Sue Sutton, members. Also in
attendance were: Scott Harp, Supervisor; Russell G. Strover, Naturalist; Bill
Wert, Park and Recreation Director; and Frank Mendicino, Planning Commission
Liaison.
Call to Order
Mr. Levine called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.
Mr. Jim McCrane of St. Andrews Briar was in attendance to
discuss the Woll Tract. He said that although the Woll Tract was not on the
evening’s agenda, he had seen in the minutes of the January meeting that there
had been some discussion about accessing the tract through Eagle Road. He said
that he had understood from discussions at previous meetings that the land
connecting Eagle Road to the Woll Tract could only be used for emergency
access, and yet he noted that the Requests for Proposals (RFP) would include
plans for three access options, one being Eagle Road. He said that he was very
concerned about increased traffic along Eagle Road if the park entrance were
placed there. He said that the entrance to his street has very limited sight
line distances. He said that he and his neighbors were very concerned about
increased traffic, and the safety of cars attempting to exit a park onto Eagle
Road.
Mr. Levine asked Mr. McCrane if
his builder had ever stated in writing that this land would never be developed
or that it was only to be used for emergency access.
Mr. McCrane said that he does
have documents stating that the land is “open space, not to be developed”.
Mr. Wert said that Mr. Harris,
the Township Solicitor has been reviewing this question, and that it seems that
there are no restrictions on this Township owned land.
Mr. Mendicino said that the
Planning Commission had discussed this property during the development phase,
and it is his recollection that there are no restrictions on the land.
Mr. Davis said that as part of
the planning process, proposals will be drawn showing access to the property
from Wrights Road, Eagle Road and Durham Road. All three of these access points
will be considered before a decision is made on the final design for the park.
Mr. Wert said that there would be
a few public meetings about the park plan, and the Planning Commission and
Board of Supervisors would also review the proposed plan in public meetings.
Mr. Greg Killian, representing
Pheasant Pointe Homeowners Association asked what the timeline for the
development of the Woll Tract would be.
Mr. Clancy said that the RFP
deadline is February 27, with public meetings in April or May, and a final plan
chosen by July 2, 2004. He said that groundbreaking should be in May of 2005.
Mr. Clancy moved to approve the minutes of January 7,
2004. Mr. Grosso seconded and the motion passed 5-0, with Mr. O’Neill and Mrs.
Sutton Abstaining.
Yamamoto Preliminary Plan
Mr. Bill Breigel, Director of Planning and Engineering for
Orleans Corporation, was present to discuss the preliminary plans for 18 homes
on ½ acre lots on a 27.7 acre parcel along Rte 532. He said that 55% of the
land would remain as open space. He said that the open space would surround the
homes as woods and fallow fields. The only large portion of land abuts the
Woods of Saxony open space.
Mr. Grosso asked if there was
access to this space from Rte 532.
Mr. Breigel said that the space
could only be accessed through the yards of the homes and through the Woods of
Saxony common ground. He said that the land would belong to the Homeowners
Association and would be maintained as woods and fields.
Mr. Wert said that a fee in lieu of open space would be
about $93,000.
Mr. Davis moved to recommend that the Board of
Supervisors accept a fee in lieu of open space for this property. Mrs. Kelly
seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Worthington/Dunmore Discussion
Mr. Jim Worthington, owner of Newtown Athletic Club, said
that he has had a good relationship with the Park and Recreation Department in
the past, and has been able to help sponsor programs jointly, and to allow the
department to use some of his rooms for Township Park and Rec programs. He said
that he is aware that the Park and Rec Department has had a hard time finding
locations for some of the classes that they would like to offer, and he has
tried to help when he could. He said that he has recently begun to negotiate to
acquire the Dunmore property next to his club. He said that he is also an owner
of the vacant lot on the other side of the Dunmore property. He said that he
would like to include the Park and Recreation Department, and this Board, as he
begins planning for this property.
Mr. Worthington said that the
Dunmore property is 50,000 square feet of warehouse space. About 8,000 square
feet of the space is suitable for office or conference rooms. He said that the
warehouse area has very high ceilings, suitable for basketball courts or an
auditorium.
Mr. Worthington said that he has
no definite plans in place yet for this property, and has considered either
finding a tenant, using the building himself or demolishing the building. He
said that he will be looking at the building with an architect tomorrow, and
asked if the Park and Recreation Board had any interest in pursuing a joint
venture of any kind. He asked if there was any requirement that the Park and
Recreation Department be located at the Municipal Complex. He asked if this
Board would like to look at the facility with him and possibly continue
discussion.
Mr. Harp said that the Park and
Recreation offices could be at another location.
Mr. Wert agreed to join Mr. Worthington
and his architect to look at the property and report back to the Board.
Mr. Levine reported that he had attended the January 20,
2004 Planning Commission meeting to discuss the proposed additions to Roberts
Ridge Park. He said that the Planning Commission did not think that the
proposed parking lot should be placed along Lower Dolington Road because it
would be unsightly and dangerous. They also felt that all of the parking
options are too far away from the playground structure, especially if a
handicapped specific play structure is added. They suggested that the entire
structure be moved closer to the proposed restrooms and the existing parking
area. They questioned whether there was adequate handicapped parking for the
additional handicapped specific play structure.
Mr. Mendicino said that at the
Planning Commission meeting, they had also discussed the water and electric
lines to be brought in to the proposed restrooms.
Mr. Wert provided the Board with
a memo outlining his conversation with Buzz Burger, Inc, who had originally
installed the playground, in which he discusses relocating the play structure
closer to the parking lot. Buzz Burger
estimated that relocating the structure to another location in the park would
cost $19,800. This estimate does not include site preparation at the new
location and regrading the current site, nor does it include the safety
surfacing and borders.
The Board discussed possibly
relocating only the handicapped play structure closer to the parking lot. Mr.
Wert said that he thought that it is more important to include the handicapped
structure as part of the playground, rather than separating it. He said that
the special safety surface needed for the handicapped structure is similar to
the surface that is now under the play area for small children, and could
easily be incorporated into that portion of the playground. Borders can help to
keep the wood chips inside the play area for the older children and away from
the handicapped structure to make it safer for children on crutches and in
wheelchairs.
Mr. Clancy stated that the entire
park is not really very large, and that the location of the playground is not
very far at all from the parking lot, and moving the structure would only
really save a few steps. He suggested that the handicapped equipment should be
placed on the side of the structure closest to the path and the parking lot.
Mr. Harp said that the Board of
Supervisors had budgeted money for an addition to the parking area, and they
would like this Board to make recommendations as to a location for this
additional parking. He said that the Board of Supervisors would make a final
decision based on this Board’s recommendation, and would also consider input
from the Planning Commission.
Mr. Grosso said that if the
Planning Commission did not want to add the parking lot on the Lower Dolington
side of the park, he would like this Board to recommend that parking not be
permitted along Lower Dolington Road at all. He said that people want to park
there, and are not using the existing parking lot. He said that this would
continue to be the case unless the parking lot is the only permitted parking.
He suggested that the Board should possibly recommend to the Board of
Supervisors that they not build any additional parking lot, as the current
parking lot and the spaces along Lower Dolington Road are adequate.
Mr. Levine pointed out that this
Board had already made that recommendation to the Board of Supervisors when
they reviewed the proposed Park and Recreation budget. He said that at this
point, the Board of Supervisors had voted to build additional parking with an
eye to future growth of the park facilities, and they are only asking this
Board for a recommendation of a location.
Mr. Strover and Mr. O’Neill
suggested extending the existing parking area to the south for an additional 46
spaces. Mr. Strover pointed out that fewer trees would be disturbed if the lot
were extended southward.
Mr. Clancy said that he agreed
with Mr. Grosso that additional parking is not really necessary at this time,
but if the lot is being planned for future uses of the park, he would also like
to recommend that parking be restricted along Lower Dolington Road. He said
that he feels that it is dangerous to park there with young children and he
agreed with Mr. Grosso that as long as parking is permitted, people would park
there rather than in the parking lot.
Mr. Davis said that he did not
think it was the place of this Board to make recommendations about parking and
traffic. He said that the Township Traffic Engineer had studied this situation
and had determined that it is not hazardous on the west side of the street.
Mr. Grosso moved to recommend to the Board of Supervisors
that the existing parking lot at Roberts Ridge Park be extended to the south
for an additional 46 parking spots, and that parking be eliminated along the
west side of Lower Dolington Road. Mr. Clancy seconded.
Mr. Wert said that when
the Township Engineers had evaluated the parking on Lower Dolington Road, they
said it is safe to park there, however they suggested that it might be safer to
restrict parking from Frost Lane to the lower end of the park on the west side
of Lower Dolington Road.
Mr. Grosso amended his motion to restrict parking along
the west side of Lower Dolington Road for the length of the park. Mr. Clancy
seconded the amended motion and the motion passed 6-1, with Mr. Davis voting
nay.
Correspondence
Mr. Levine provided copies of a letter dated February 3,
2004, addressed to the Board of Supervisors from Paul Salvatore, rescinding the
Newtown Rotary offer to donate $8,000 to be used toward the purchase of
handicapped specific playground equipment for Roberts Ridge Park. The letter
further indicated that the Rotary intends to donate the money to Newtown
Borough for the renovation to the playground at the former Chancellor Street
School.
Mr. Harp said that the Board of
Supervisors intended to write a response to Rotary International, addressing
the Newtown Township Park and Recreation Board’s planning process for a
handicapped playground facility. He said that it is Mr. Salvatore’s contention
that Newtown Township has not followed up on this offer, and the Board of
Supervisors will respond, explaining that this Board has been working with the
Township Planner and the Board of Supervisors to design the playground
alongside the existing ADA compliant playground in Roberts Ridge Park, giving
consideration to such problems as parking and sidewalk access to the equipment.
Mr. Levine asked whether
discussion of the handicapped playground should be tabled until it is
ascertained whether the Chancellor Street playground will be handicapped
specific, and whether there is a need in the community for two handicapped
specific playgrounds.
Mr. Wert noted that the $8,000
anticipated from the Rotary donation was to be added to the $40,000 that
Newtown Township had budgeted toward this playground project. He noted that a
substantial portion of the cost of a handicapped specific playground would be
for safety surface and access to the playground area. He suggested that he
invite a representative from Little Tykes to attend the next meeting to discuss
equipment and safety surfacing.
Mr. Harp suggested that the Board
of Supervisors respond to Mr. Salvatore, but that this Board continue to plan
for a handicapped specific playground area at Roberts Ridge Park.
Board of Supervisors
Mr. Harp reported that the First
Fourth Steering Committee had met and voted to hold this year’s celebration on
July 7, 2004 at the Newtown Middle School. He invited the Park and Rec Board
members to participate in the planning.
Planning Commission
Mr. Mendicino reported that the
Planning Commission had reviewed a change to the Joint Municipal Zoning
Ordinance that Upper Makefield had proposed that would restrict lights in
parks. He said that our Planning Commission had recommended that Upper
Makefield make a “stand alone” ordinance so that the lights would not be
restricted in Newtown. He also mentioned that our current ordinance would not
permit a community center in the L-I District, although a municipal complex is
permitted by right.
Park and Recreation Director’s Report
Mr. Wert reported that the Park and Recreation department
had a 68% increase in revenue and 11% increase in participation. He noted that
the department was allowing Newtown residents to register early for summer camp
and this had contributed to the increase in revenue.
Mr. Wert reported that he had
sent out 20 requests for proposals for the Woll Tract.
Mr. Wert reported that Mrs. Kelly
will be presenting the plans for Silver Lake Park to the Planning Commission on
February 17. These plans include a 22-stall parking lot, some grading work, an
informal ball field, and a fountain.
The Newtown Little League had
made a presentation to the Board of Supervisors and the Township Solicitor has
been reviewing the history of Chandler Fields, as some residents have claimed
that there are some restrictions on the fields. Mr. Wert said that he will
forward any information he receives about this in the next Park and Rec packet.
Mr. Clancy moved to adjourn at 10:00PM. Mr. Davis seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully Submitted,
_____________________________
Mary Donaldson, Recording Secretary