November 2021 e-Newsletter |
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Lower Gwynedd Township Upcoming Meetings & Events: |
November 6
November 7
November 9
November 10
November 23
*The Zoning Hearing Board meeting is canceled for November. Meetings are held at the Township building located at 1130 N. Bethlehem Pike, Spring House. Please check the website to see if there are any changes to the meeting schedule. Calendar | Lower Gwynedd Township
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Don't Forget to Vote on Election Day-November 2nd, 2021
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021 is Election Day! Don't forget to vote. If you're unsure of your polling place or have general election questions please contact Voters Services at 610-278-3280 or visit their website by clicking here.
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Concert & Movie In the Park-November 6th, 2021 |
The Parks & Recreation Board invites you to join them for a holiday concert and movie in the park on Saturday, November 6th, 2021. The Eric Mintel Quartet will perform from 5pm-6pm and the movie, Elf, will begin at 6:15. This event will take place at Penllyn Woods! |
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Don't forget to bring a blanket, chair, and dinner for the family to enjoy!
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9th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony-November 11th, 2021
The 9th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 11th, 2021 beginning at 11:00 a.m. This year's event will be held at the Veterans Memorial Park located on Penllyn Pike. Please join us in honoring our heroes.
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Shredding Event-November 20th, 2021
State Representative Todd Stephens will host a Shredding Event on Saturday, November 20th, 2021 from 9am-12pm at 250 Gibralter Road, Horsham (corner of Gibralter Rd. & Dresher Rd.). This event is open to residents within the district. Please contact his office with any questions at 215-368-5165 or visit his website at www.reptoddstephens.com.
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Republic Services Holiday Schedule |
Republic Services will operate under a holiday schedule the week of Thanksgiving. Normal collection will take place on Monday, November 22, 2021 and the second collection will take place on Friday, November 26, 2021. There will be no trash collection on Thanksgiving Day. Visit the trash and recycling page of our website for more information on trash service.
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Curbside Leaf Collection will be provided by Republic Services on the following Saturdays:
- November 6th & 20th
- December 4th & 18th
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EAC Green Tip of the Month |
Leave the Leaves!
Fall has been late to arrive to Lower Gwynedd this year, but it’s finally here, and residents will be raking leaves off their lawns and out of their flower beds in the coming weeks. The EAC would like to ask you to think twice about this practice though. According to the National Wildlife Foundation, leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds and fertilizes the soil as it breaks down. Why spend money on mulch and fertilizer when you can make your own? Sending leaves to the landfill turns them into solid waste, which is, well, wasteful. All sorts of wildlife, from turtles and toads, birds, mammals and invertebrates rely on leaf litter for food, shelter and nesting material. Many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before emerging in spring, their chrysalises even resembling dead leaves.
Instead, wherever possible, let fallen leaves break down naturally, which helps improve the soil and provides habitat for countless wildlife species. Leaves may smother your lawn, so consider replacing lawn areas with planting beds, filled with native pollinator plants and mulched with fallen leaves. If you must remove leaves, use them as mulch in your existing garden beds or compost them on site rather than throwing them away. Gently rake the leaves from lawn areas into the beds whenever possible. For more info visit our source: National Wildlife Foundation.
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Boards & Committee Updates |
The Lower Gwynedd BOS held their regular meeting on Tuesday, October 12th, 2021. At their meeting the BOS approved the Goddard School Bethlehem Pike, LLC Land Development located at 820 N. Bethlehem Pike. This is a non-residential redevelopment of this property that will include the removal of the existing Pike Diner, construction of a new daycare center and the repurposing of an existing building into a medical office along with the associated site improvements. The main item of discussion focused on the northern and southern access driveways. Ultimately, the applicant will move forward with the access arrangement approved and permitted by PennDot. In other business, the BOS approved a disclaimer statement regarding political ads to be placed on the Township website and social media pages.
The BOS also held a budget workshop on Monday, October 18th, 2021. This workshop was to review the completed capital projects for 2021 and the proposed capital projects for 2022. Staff is working on the operating budget. The Township Manager anticipates little change from this year's budget to next year's budget, other than two new hires in the Police Department. The proposed budget and fiscal plan will be before the BOS at their first meeting in November to authorize the 20-day public review period. Budget adoption is anticipated to occur in December.
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The EAC held their regular meeting in October. The EAC had planned to hold a recycling presentation with Dominic Fulginiti of Republic Services at the end of October, but decided to postpone the event. They will revisit the presentation in the Spring. The group continues to work on initiatives for the upcoming year, such as, adding signage to stream crossings throughout the Township.
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The ZHB met on Thursday, October 14th at 6pm. They will not meet in November due to the Veterans Day holiday. Their next scheduled meeting is December 9th, 2021.
October Hearing Decisions
1008 Evans Rd: A-Residential District; Applicant seeks a variance from front yard setback requirements and any other relief deemed necessary for a proposed addition to a single-family dwelling. Approved.
870 South Penn Oak Rd: AA-1 Residential District; Applicant seeks variance from side and rear yard setback requirements and any other relief deemed necessary for a proposed outdoor living space addition to a single-family dwelling. Approved.
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(#20-04) 301 Norristown Road Land Development (Gwynedd Estates-Acts): Multi-family residential development that includes the addition of a new skilled nursing wing at the NE corner of the site and a reconfiguration of existing parking areas while also adding new parking and subsurface stormwater management facilities.
Revisions were submitted and discussed at this meeting. The applicant will comply with the conditions outlined in the letters. There will be an emergency access off of Tennis Avenue to the site. The applicant continues to work through sewer connection issues with Williams Pipeline. Issues regarding stormwater impacts to the adjacent property owner are under investigation. The applicant and adjacent property owner are working to resolve these issues. Status: Remains under review.
(#21-03) 1612 N. Bethlehem Pike Land Development (Precision Watches & Jewelry): Non-residential commercial development of a 16,329 sq. ft. parcel located at 1612 N. Bethlehem Pike in the D-3 zoning district. The applicant proposes to construct a 2.5 story jewelry store and associated parking and other required improvements. An application and plans were submitted and reviews issued. The applicant's engineer presented the project to the PC. The presentation was introductory and discussions focused on the access to the site and ingress/egress from Route 63 and Route 309. Parking and sidewalks were also discussed. The applicant's engineer will submit plans to PennDot for review and revise the plans to include stormwater management facilities. They will be back before the PC in the future with revised plans and a rendering of the proposed building. Status: Remains under review.
Property Maintenance Code: The proposed property maintenance code was circulated to the PC for review and feedback. The members questioned what the current property issues are in the Township and how this ordinance will impact all of the residents. The group agreed to compile a list of items they wanted to discuss or questions they had about the code and they will review these items at a future meeting. Status: Remains under review.
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The PRB met on October 19th. They have two upcoming events planned in November. The first event, mentioned earlier in this newsletter, is the Concert and Movie in the Park on November 6th! See above for more details. The second upcoming event is a virtual workshop for people planning for an elderly family member's incapacity on November 10th, 2021. Please contact the Parks & Recreation Department to register at 215-646-5302.
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We're hiring! Due to recent retirements, Lower Gwynedd Township is seeking resumes for three full-time positions- Administrative Assistant, Office Assistant, and Finance Assistant. The full job announcements and job descriptions can be found on the employment opportunities page on our website. Applicants should submit resume and cover letter to the attention of Jamie Worman, Assistant Township Manager, P.O. Box 625, Spring House, PA 19477 or email jworman@lowergwynedd.org.
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Toys for Tots
Lower Gwynedd Township is a drop-off location for the Toys for Tots program. Through the month of November and early December, you can drop off your new unwrapped gifts in the boxes located in the lobby vestibule of the Township building. You can also donate electronically through this Toys For Tots link.
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Lower Gwynedd Township
1130 North Bethlehem Pike
Spring House, PA 19477
Phone: (215) 646-5302
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Keep an eye out for our December issue! |
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