Skip to main content

Chester County Press

East Marlborough's Jane Laslo steps down at final meeting

08/02/2016 08:56AM ● By J. Chambless

Board of Supervisors chairman Richard Hannum, Jr., presents outgoing Township Manager Jane Laslo with a proclamation in her honor on Aug. 1.

By John Chambless
Staff Writer

At her last Board of Supervisors meeting as Township Manager, Jane Laslo found out that there will be a permanent reminder of her service to East Marlborough Township placed in Unionville Park.

Reading a proclamation at the beginning of the meeting, board chairman Richard Hannum, Jr., noted that Laslo has been Township Manager since 1977, and announced that a bench engraved in her honor will be placed in the nearly completed Unionville Park, a project she helped guide to completion.

Hannum said he's looking forward to seeing the bench installed, and Laslo smiled and replied, “Well, I might be sitting on it.”

Stepping into the Township Manager position in September will be Laurie Prysock, who is currently the Assistant Township Manager.

At the Aug. 1 meeting, the board examined details of several new construction projects, including a proposed townhouse development on Schoolhouse Road. Attorney John Jaros was representing the developer for the property, which covers 39.8 acres and will eventually include a maximum of 150 townhouse units. The board considered a list of requirements for the development one by one, including specifications that the tract will maintain at least 55 percent open space, will have on-street parking as well as a lot with at least 60 parking spaces, and that the buildings will be held to the township limit of 35 feet, or three stories.

Board member Bob Weer had questions about the turning radius for emergency equipment on the development's cul-de-sac roadway, and suggested that the township Fire Marshal and members of the Longwood Fire Company should be included in approving the development plans. Jaros agreed, saying, “We're willing to work with the township to reach an accord.”

The board also examined site plans for the construction of 11 single-family homes on a property between Marlboro Springs Road and Marlboro Road. There will be five driveways exiting on Marlboro Springs Road to the south, and three new driveways added on Marlboro Road to the north. The lot sizes will be a minimum of 80,000 square feet. The board requested more time to study the plans, and will address preliminary approval of the as-yet unnamed community at their Sept. 12 meeting.

The long-discussed issue of traffic safety in the village of Unionville was addressed by board member John Sarro, who said he had recently received a lengthy proposal of suggestions and costs for crosswalks and traffic-calming measures in the village, said that he would announce the details at the board's next meeting.

Among the measures being considered is moving the crosswalk between the ball fields and Hood's Barbecue a few feet to the west, placing it farther from the ball field driveway, Sarro said. That will mean cutting some of the guardrail on the north side of the road, so that PennDOT will need to be involved. There are other considerations in the proposal, including installing flashing lights at the crosswalk. “It comes down to costs, and what PennDOT approves,” Sarro said.

The Unionville Park project is nearing completion, and the board heard that paving will be scheduled next week, the play equipment for the tot lot has been installed, the park pavilion should be installed at the end of September, the boardwalks over wetland areas are installed, and trees should be planted in September. There is an issue with stormwater washing out the brick sidewalk at the north edge of the park, but there is a plan to install an inlet and short drainage pipe to divert the water into a swale there.

The park project, Laslo said, “is shaping up very nicely. It's very impressive.”

Cuyler Walker of the township Planning Commission submitted a list of proposed zoning ordinance amendments which will clarify several issues, he said. Among the fixes is specifying a 35-foot height limit on all construction in the township, including how to measure the distance so that roof peaks do not extend above the limit. The changes also specify how to restore riparian buffers and wetlands that must be disturbed in the process of construction, Walker said.

“I would suggest sending the draft ordinance amendments to the county for their 30-day review, so we can get their response in time to include Board of Supervisors and county comments in a revised document,” he said. With that schedule, the board can present a revised final version of the amendments at their September meeting. The board approved Walker's recommendations.

For more information, visit www.eastmarlborough.org.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].