By Nancy Johnson

Correspondent

Curtis Mason, the chairman of Penn Township's Board of Supervisors, recently advocated  immediate action to address speeding on Pennock's Bridge Road.

“There have been numerous complaints of speeding, and four or five accidents," Mason said. "Residents have asked us to put up stop signs, and I think it’s a good idea. I don’t think we should wait.”

The board agreed to put up a stop sign to make the Rosewood Drive and Pennock’s Bridge Road intersection a three-way stop. In addition, the intersection of Kelton Road and Pennock’s Bridge Road will revert back to its original three-way stop configuration. Currently, traffic turning right off of Kelton onto Pennock’s Bridge is permitted to keep moving.

Supervisor Victor Mantegna was also adamant about the need to control the speeding in the vicinity of the CCIU Technical College High School. “There are residents who are afraid to pull out of their driveways,” he said. “The sooner we get the signs up, the better.”

Mason warned, “If this doesn’t work, speed humps are next.” 

He referred to Sunnyside Road, which had become a problem after the bridge reopened and the road was completely repaved. The speed humps that were installed on both sides of the bridge have alleviated the problem.

Mantegna noted another issue that he sees regularly at the Kelton Road and Route 796 intersection. “They don’t stop at the stop line when waiting for the light. And often I see them turn right on red there," he said. Mantegna acknowledged that the stop line on the road was quite worn and asked the roadmaster to have it repainted.

In other business, the supervisors had invited Chuck Freese, emergency coordinator of Avon Grove Regional Emergency Management (AGREM) to discuss a request of the Pennsylvania Department of Emergency Services. Penn, like other municipalities in the state, has been asked to enact an ordinance related to adequate emergency communications inside buildings within the township. 

Freese told the board that EMS personnel need to have adequate radio communications throughout buildings. The supervisors were concerned that, if this meant a test would have to be performed on every newly constructed building, it would be very expensive.

“Does this go back to existing buildings?” Mantegna asked.

“Yes, if you adopt this ordinance as it is written, it would be retroactive,” Freese said.

He reminded them that they had an ordinance in place regarding emergency communications, which he believed was enacted around 2005. The supervisors agreed to table the topic until they can review the existing ordinance with Freese and compare it to the one they are being asked to consider.

“The county is implementing a new radio system in 2015. That’s what stirred all this up,” said Freese. “This whole thing is a bit of a moving target until they get that system up and running.”

The supervisors also told the public, specifically those who travel on Pusey Mill Road, that the road is now closed to through-traffic due to a bridge replacement. It is expected to reopen in September.