By Richard L. Gaw

Staff Writer

 

Designs for a new and expanded maintenance center for London Grove Township's Public Works Department were shared with the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 1, plans that include the construction of an eight-acre campus of new buildings and upgraded facilities.

Director of Public Works Shane Kinsey introduced the initial sketches for the proposed maintenance facilities, currently being prepared by the Lincoln University-based Ragan Engineering firm. The concept calls for the addition of two new maintenance buildings to the immediate south of the current township building on Rose Hill Road in West Grove – property currently owned by the township.

These new buildings would give the Public Works Department additional office space, a salt shed, a  production facility for road salt, and a storage space that would serve as a holding area for 1,000 tons of calcium chloride. In addition, the project plans call for new pavings, additional parking lots, as well as the widening of entrances. Rain gardens would also be planted in the wooded area behind the existing township building, as well as additional fencing and landscaping.

Supervisor David Connors recommended that while these plans are being finalized, all property owners in the area be kept notified of all progress made on the project, as well as the Avon Grove High School, whose athletic fields border the planned construction. 

The construction of a new maintenance facility for the township is part of a five-year capital expenditure plan that is being created as a result of several cost-cutting measures, thus creating a scenario that commits $1.6 million in available township dollars to the project.

“There will no tax increase needed for this,” Connors said at the meeting.

In other township business, township finance and human resources director Natasha Nau and township manager Steven Brown announced that they will host “Coffee & Budget with London Grove Township,” two roundtable discussions that will provide township residents the opportunity to give their input and ideas, as the township readies its 2015 budget. The meetings will be held on Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon, and on Oct. 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery on 954 Gap Newport Pike, Avondale, Pa. Coffee and a small selection of baked goods will be provided. Additional dates may be offered in November.

The township's monthly fund balance for September stood at $96,000, while its revenues for September were $262,000, and its expenditures totaled $358,000 during the month – including $181,000 dedicated to several paving costs in the township. The township's fund balance for the year-to-date stood at $2.4 million at the end of September. 

Aimee Bowers, a real estate attorney and a member of the Oxford Rotary Club, was named as a member of the township's Planning Commission, for a term that will end on Dec. 31, 2017.

The board approved a contribution of $7,475 for initial start-up costs to the start of emergency AM radio station, which would be a centralized location for local townships and municipalities to air information in emergencies. The concept is being introduced by Avon Grove Regional Emergency Management (AGREM), which provides emergency support for the boroughs of Avondale and West Grove, and the nearby townships of Penn, New London, Franklin, and London Britain.

The station will give residents directions during evacuations; bridge and road closures; power outages; severe traffic issues; as well as the locations of emergency shelters. The station will be situated at the base of the West Grove water tower, and will reach people living within a seven-mile radius of the tower.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected].