November 2022 e-Newsletter |
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Lower Gwynedd Township Upcoming Meetings & Events: |
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No room for anything Houston around here! Houston Road has been temporarily renamed Phillies Road thanks to the suggestion of a 10-year-old resident! |
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October 29th-November 8th
Montgomery County Board of Elections will install 12 secure ballot drop boxes throughout the County to help voters meet the November 8, 2022, General Election deadline. Residents can deposit mail-in ballots and absentee ballots at a secure ballot drop box as an alternative to returning their ballot by USPS mail.
Secure ballot drop boxes are available from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. from October 29, 2022, until November 8, 2022. Staff will be present at each drop box to help educate voters on proper ballot return practices. Remember, you may only return your own ballot to a secure ballot drop box. Ballots are collected from the drop boxes daily by County Security and stored securely at the Voter Services office. Below is the location of the secure drop box closest to Lower Gwynedd Township. For a complete list click here.
Upper Dublin - Upper Dublin Library
• 520 Virginia Drive • Fort Washington, PA 19034
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LGT will, again, hold its annual Veterans Day ceremony, honoring America’s veterans. The 2022 ceremony, LGT’s 10th, will be held on Veterans Day, Friday, November 11th, commencing promptly at 11:00 am.
The 2022 ceremony commemorates the time, day, and year World War I ended, in 1918. It also marks the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II, the 72nd anniversary of the commencement of the Korean War, and the 47th anniversary of the conclusion of the Viet Nam War.
As was the case in 2020 and last year, due to continued Covid-19-related issues and other concerns, the 2022 ceremony will be held solely at LGT’s Veterans Park at the intersection of North Bethlehem Pike and Penllyn Pike, in Spring House. All residents of LGT and surrounding communities are invited to attend and participate in the approximately 1-hour ceremony.
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Montgomery County Recycling will be providing their campaign sign recycling drop-off program again this year. Drop off your campaign yard signs from November 9th-15th at the participating locations during normal operating hours. Accepted materials are paperboard and plastic (corrugated & film) yards signs and metal stands. Click here for a list of drop-off locations. |
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November 12, 2022
9am-11am
The EAC will hold a battery recycling drop-off event at the Township Building parking lot on Saturday, November 12th from 9am-11am. This event is for Township residents only. Please refer to the website for details on how batteries are to be prepared prior to drop-off.
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Republic Services will operate under a holiday schedule the week of Thanksgiving. There will be no trash collection on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24th, 2022. Trash collection will occur on Friday, November 25th, 2022, instead. Also, please be aware that we will enter the third year of the trash collection contract with Republic Services on November 1st. Effective November 1st the rates will increase to $90.60 per quarter as per the approved contract.
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Republic Services will provide curbside leaf and yard waste collection on Saturday, November 5th. 2022 and Saturday, November 19th, 2022. Please put your leaves and yard waste in biodegradable bags and place them curbside by 6am on the day of the collection. Additional curbside leaf and yard collection dates are listed below.
- Saturdays, December 3 & 17
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Pen-Ambler Park Swing Set |
You may have noticed that the swings are missing from the Pen-Ambler Park playground. Rest assured, the swings are being cleaned-up and repaired. They will be returned to the playground within the next few weeks. |
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The Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) is pleased to announce that the Township has been awarded $1.325M from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), which is a grant program administered by the Office of the Budget, for a future Public Works Building. The BOS would like to thank Senator Collett and Representative Hanbidge for their advocacy on behalf of the township.
Senator Maria Collett and Representative Liz Hanbidge were instrumental in securing this funding for Lower Gwynedd Township. “I’m thrilled to announce state funding for capital projects supporting our public works employees, expanding educational opportunities, and so much more,” said Senator Collett. “Each of these projects responds to a big need and will make our district an even safer and more attractive place to live, work, and play.” Representative Hanbidge added that “these are transformative investments in education, public safety, and community”. Danielle Duckett, Chair of the Lower Gwynedd Board of Supervisors, said: “We are so honored to receive this much needed grant funding for Lower Gwynedd. With vehicles and materials currently scattered throughout the Township, our Public Works Department is in dire need of a single facility to meet our current demands and future growth. One of my priorities as Chair is to make sure we appropriately plan for our Township’s future. This award enables us to plan for the construction of a Public Works facility that will finally address the previously overlooked needs of this essential Township Department.”
While this project is still in its infancy, the BOS is looking to construct a new facility that will include accommodations necessary for the public works operations and staff. The BOS plans to allocate funding in the 2023 Township budget to perform an architectural and engineering analysis of a public works building to determine the necessary size, design, site improvements, and identify a suitable location for the future building.
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Go Green in your kitchen
Here are a few tips to reduce waste in your kitchen:
- Use cloth napkins instead of disposable ones. You can throw them in the washing machine with a regular load of wash, they won’t take up that much extra space.
- Reduce your paper towel use by using cloth dish towels for drying and cleaning. They can also just be thrown in the washing machine.
- Invest in reusable containers, baggies, and sandwich wraps instead of buying disposable plastic bags.
- Compost non-meat food waste rather than throwing it in the garbage. Keep an eye out for information about a backyard compost bin giveaway coming in 2023.
- When using your oven, minimize door opening while it’s in use. Each time you open the door it reduces oven temperature by 25-30 degrees. Also, don’t preheat the oven unless you are cooking something for a short time. Generally, if the recipe calls for cooking more than 15-20 minutes it’s not necessary to pre-heat.
Mark your calendar:
Friday, November 18th – Bird Walk location TBD. Please email lgteac+birdtown@gmail.com to be added to the email list about the location and in case of a cancellation.
Saturday, November 12th – Battery recycling collection, 9-11am at LG Township Building. Please check the webpage for details on what batteries are collected and how certain ones need to be prepared before dropping them off.
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Boards & Committee Updates |
The BOS held their first regular meeting of the month on Tuesday, October 11th. At this meeting the BOS listened to a presentation by the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership representatives. The partnership is made up of 13 municipalities and 4 wastewater treatment plants who are tasked with developing a plan to reduce pollution in the Wissahickon Creek. The partnership has been working for the past several years to develop a water quality improvement plan known as the WQIP. They continue to work with the regulatory agencies to get the plan adopted. Once adopted, they will move into the implementation phase and begin completing stormwater management projects throughout the watershed. In other business, the BOS appointed five members to the new Human Relations Commission, agreed to a plan of action to mitigate the drainage issues on the Ingersoll baseball fields, and discussed the focus areas of the comprehensive plan. Staff provided an overview of the operating revenue for the 2023 budget with a focus on the revenue generated from various kinds of taxes.
The BOS met for a second time on October 17th for a budget workshop. This workshop was held to review the capital projects and prioritize which projects to pursue in 2023. The BOS met again on October 25th for a regular meeting. At this meeting they discussed campaign signs and where such signs are permitted throughout the Township. They agreed to review the sign ordinance. Representatives for the Acts Community presented a land development plan for Gwynedd Estates to construct a two-story skilled nursing building and associated parking and site improvements. The BOS authorized the Solicitor to prepare an approval resolution for this project. In other business, Steve Saffier, a member of the EAC, presented the new Bird Town sign to the BOS. In conjunction with the sign, the BOS approved a resolution re-establishing their commitment to promoting a healthy environment for everyone and supporting ecological initiatives in order to be recognized as a Bird Town Pennsylvania community. Staff provided the BOS an overview of the operating expenses for the 2023 budget. The draft budget will be authorized for public advertisement in November.
Finally, the BOS held two Town Hall meetings in October. The first one was held at Foulkeways and the second was held at Spring House Estates. The residents of these communities were able to attend the meetings and participate in an open discussion about the current issues and initiatives going on within the Township.
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The EAC held their regular meeting on October 12, 2022. They debriefed on the Fall Fest, tree giveaway, and the joint meeting with the BOS. They decided to postpone or reschedule the storm drain marker event. They also discussed the next Route 309 ramp cleanup, which they plan to hold on Saturday, November 5th. They also discussed future initiatives for 2023.
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The Zoning Hearing Board met on October 13th, 2022. Their next hearing is scheduled for November 10th, 2022.
734 Meadowcreek Circle: A-1 Residential District; Applicant seeks a special exception to permit an accessory structure that exceeds the permitted height limit. (Approved with conditions)
1325 Sumneytown Pike (GMU): A-Residential District; Applicant seeks a modification of conditions imposed by prior orders related to the use of sports facilities and participation in sports events on the campus property.
727 Norristown Road (SHIP): D-1 Special Use District; Applicant requests a variance to permit an encroachment into the rear yard setback for an electric utility substation; or an appeal of the zoning officer's determination that the rear yard setback requirements apply to the substation.
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The HAC met on October 20th, 2022, at the McCormick property located at 409 Old Penllyn Pike. This property was purchased by the Township and is adjacent to Ingersoll Park. They toured the building and garages. They found evidence of what they believe to have been a fire in the structure. They continue to work on gathering information about various properties throughout the Township. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 6pm.
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The PC met on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022, at 7pm. They discussed the following applications. Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 16th, 2022.
(#22-02) 1501 Cedar Hill Road Minor Subdivision (Mastromatto): 2-lot residential subdivision of a 3.57-acre property located on Cedar Hill Road. The existing dwelling will remain on lot 1 and lot 2 will be a new building lot. The applicant requested a deferral of road improvements until such time the Township deemed improvements necessary. The cost of improvements would be split evenly between the two property owners. The PC recommended conditional preliminary/final approval to the BOS. Status: Pending BOS Approval.
(#22-05) 1500-1524 Cedar Hill Road Subdivision (Mayer): 7-lot residential subdivision of three consolidated properties totaling 11.8 acres. The existing dwellings and impervious will be removed on two of the three parcels and one dwelling will remain on what will be considered lot #4. Six new dwellings will be constructed along with individual rain gardens on each property, a paved trail along the frontage and an area of open space. The PC requested the applicant update the open space table to include the trail, revise the plant schedule to include the appropriate number of native plantings, consider a radar speed sign be installed along Cedar Hill Road, and seek the required zoning approval for lot #4. In addition, the PC recommended the applicant provide additional information on the trees that are to be removed and replaced on the property. Status: Under review.
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The PRB held their meeting on October 18, 2022. They discussed the upcoming movie night and concert at Gwynedd Mercy University and the dedication ceremony for the solar charging stations, both scheduled for October 29th. The PRB also discussed pickleball courts. At the recent budget workshop, the BOS determined that resurfacing an existing basketball court would not be sufficient. A stand-alone pickleball court was a better option. There was a discussion and a recommendation from the PRB that the BOS pursue resurfacing the basketball court at Oxford Park for pickleball while they look to identify a future location for a pickleball court. The next and last meeting of the year for the PRB is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
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The Lower Gwynedd Township Police Department will be participating in the Toys for Tot program again this year. Bins have been set up in the vestibule of the Township building where you can drop off new unwrapped gifts through the month of November and the beginning of December. You can also make a donation to the Toys for Tots program electronically through their website linked here.
Also, just a reminder, the CRU is looking to create a contact list and are asking HOAs and Businesses to send contact information to lgpdcru@lowergwynedd.org. The CRU will email event information to one contact person for the HOA. They then can use their HOA distribution list to notify their developments of the event information.
Upcoming Events:
November 5th- Coming Soon!!! Fill a Cop Car @ Giant Foods - This event will benefit the Mattie N. Dixon Food Cupboard.
Check out the new CRU vehicle! Look for it out in the community!
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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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