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Chester County Press

East Marlborough supervisors appoint new Township Manager

07/12/2016 09:23AM ● By J. Chambless

From left: Bob Weer, Jane Laslo, Christine Kimmel, newly appointed Township Manager Laurie Prysock, John Sarro and Richard Hannum, Jr.

By John Chambless
Staff Writer

If she had waited until Jan. 1, Jane Laslo would have marked 40 years as a leader in East Marlborough Township, but she'll have to make do with 39 years when she steps down as Township Manager on Sept. 9.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting on July 11, board chairman Richard Hannum, Jr., announced that Laslo's successor will be Laurie Prysock, who has been serving as Assistant Township Manager.

“Jane Laslo has been serving as Township Manager for nearly 40 years, so we are certainly very sad to lose Jane after all these many years, and the institutional knowledge she has, and the relationships that she's built for the board and for the township,” Hannum said. “But we're very excited for her next stage, as a grandparent and for all the other adventures that she'll have.”

Hannum said the township received more than 25 resumes for the Township Manager position, and three candidates were ultimately interviewed. In formal voting on Monday night, supervisor John Sarro officially nominated Prysock for the position, seconded by supervisor Christine Kimmel. Supervisor Eddie Caudill was not present, and supervisor Bob Weer voted against Prysock's appointment.

Prysock smiled and acknowledged the applause that followed the vote, but did not make a public statement. She will assume her new duties on Sept. 12, Hannum said. “Laurie will also be township secretary and treasurer,” Hannum added. “We're very excited to have Laurie. She has demonstrated that she is a perfect fit for East Marlborough.”

During the meeting that followed, township engineer Jim Hatfield gave a few details about the progress that's been made at the Unionville Park. New paths have been graded and prepared for paving, he said, and the pilings have been drilled for the boardwalks which will extend over wetland areas in the park. “We expect the boardwalks should be done in about two weeks,” he said. A pavilion will be delivered in late August or early September. “I would anticipate everything being completed by mid-September. I'm very pleased with how it's going so far,” Hatfield said. The board voted to approve a $242,000 payment for this second phase of the park's development.

The long-debated issue of safety in the village of Unionville is seeing some progress, and supervisor John Sarro explained recent activity by the safety committee has resulted in suggestions for placement of crosswalks in the village. The first priority is to move the crosswalk between Hood's BBQ and the URA ball fields because it is too close to the URA driveway. “It is illegal where it is now,” Sarro said. The suggested relocation spot is a few feet to the west, but the move will require cutting into a guardrail along the road, and that will involve PennDOT input.

Traffic calming measures are being considered along with the crosswalk issue, Sarro said, and the committee is studying whether raised crosswalks would reduce speeds along the road. There is a possible issue with water pooling behind a raised crosswalk near Hood's, so the option of making the crosswalk textured is also being considered, along with the feasibility of installing a blinking light of some kind at the crosswalk. Other crosswalks are on the drawing board as part of the Unionville Park project, and Sarro said there may be a need for a crosswalk at Merrimack Street, just to the east of the park.

“This week, we'll meet with an engineer to get some cost estimates for the different types of crosswalks and the blinking light,” Sarro said, acknowledging that there are possible issues with noise associated with a raised crosswalk as trucks go over them. Textured crosswalks may also make a noise when vehicles pass over them, he said. In any case, “I know that everybody's eager to get this done by winter,” Sarro said.

Police Chief Robert Clarke was at the meeting, and said that slowing traffic is an obvious concern in the village. A patrol car stationed in Unionville for two and a half hours last weekend resulted in the issuing of 15 speeding tickets, he said. The top speed was nearly 60 miles per hour in a zone posted at 35 miles per hour.

The board also voted to apply for federal PEMA disaster assistance for costs associated with a January snowstorm, even though it meant adhering to a 430-page plan in order to possibly get payment. The township stands to get $29,000 in reimbursement if approved. The board unanimously approved the adoption of the lengthy federal plan and the application for the federal assistance.

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