September 2021 e-Newsletter |
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*Meetings are held at the Township building located at 1130 N. Bethlehem Pike, Spring House. Masks are currently required. Please check the website to see if there are any changes to the meeting schedule. Calendar | Lower Gwynedd Township
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Lower Gwynedd Township Upcoming Meetings & Events: |
September 6
Labor Day-Offices Closed
September 8
September 9
September 14
September 15
Montgomery Co. Household Hazardous Waste Collection-by appointment only
September 26
September 28
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Fall Fest- September 26th
12-4pm Wissahickon H.S.
Join us for music, food trucks, amusements and more at the Lower Gwynedd Township Fall Fest! This event will be held on Sunday, September 26th, 2021 from 12pm until 4pm at the Wissahickon High School Stadium. We look forward to bringing our residents back together to celebrate the community as one!
Food Trucks:
- Bruno's Authentic
- Kona Ice
- Philly's Finest Sambonis
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Fall Fest Food Truck-Bruno's Authentic |
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Fall Fest Food Truck- Kona Ice |
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Fall Fest Food Truck- Philly's Finest Sambonis
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Penllyn Park To Be Closed Through October
The Parks & Recreation Board (PRB) will be upgrading the court surfaces at Penllyn Park this year. This project is anticipated to take place late summer/early fall. The park will be temporarily closed until some time in October. Please check the website for project updates.
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Republic Services will operate under a holiday schedule the week of Labor Day. Labor Day falls on Monday, September 6th. Therefore, trash collection will take place on Tuesday, September 7th and Friday, September 10th. If your normal recycling day falls on Monday then it will be collected Tuesday. If your normal recycling day falls on Thursday, it will be collected on Friday.
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Parks & Recreation Citizen Survey!
Don't forget to take this survey! The Parks & Recreation Board would like to hear from you! Your opinion matters and your feedback is extremely helpful when making decisions that impact recreational amenities and programming for our residents. Complete the survey today! P&R Survey
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EAC- Green Tip of the Month
When ordering take-out, have the restaurant hold the plastic cutlery and condiment packets and use the supplies in your kitchen instead. Also, bring your own kitchen utensils or other reusable cutlery to work or on picnics instead of using plastic ones. Why is it important? Most plastic utensils are not recyclable and will end up in a landfill even if you put them in a recycle bin. Of the 12 million pieces of plastic litter collected globally around rivers, shorelines, and the seafloor, 44% was related to take-out foods and drinks.
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SLF Swatters
The EAC has purchased Spotted Lanternfly swatters to distribute to residents to help us combat these bad bugs. Swatters will be available at the Fall Fest (9/26)! If you are unable to attend the event to pick up your swatter, please fill out this form to request a swatter or two (limit 2 per household) and someone from the EAC will be in touch within the week regarding getting them in your hands.
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Welcome Gerhard's Appliances |
The Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors would like to welcome Gerhard’s Appliances to Lower Gwynedd Township. Gerhard’s has been serving Montgomery County residences for over 75 years from their original store in Glenside along with four other stores in the area. Lower Gwynedd is their sixth store and as Gerry Gerhard stated “after lots of consideration on where our newest showroom would best fit our growing clientele, we knew Lower Gwynedd would be a great fit. We are glad to expand our name and make our services more accessible to this area”. Gerhard's is located at 909 N. Bethlehem Pike, Spring House.
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Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Did you know that the Township has two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations available for people to use? The EV charging stations are located at the Lower Gwynedd Township Municipal Building-1130 N. Bethlehem Pike, and Veteran’s Memorial Park-corner of Penllyn Pike. The charging stations were purchased and installed through a grant program administered by the PA Department of Environmental Protection called Driving PA Forward. This initiative provided funding up to $10,000.00 per station. The Township received funding in the amount of $20,000.00, as well as, a $1,000.00 rebate from PECO and installed two stations through a company named Chargepoint. The charging stations are operational and ready for use.
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Boards & Committee Updates |
At the August meeting, the BOS approved a resolution amending a previous approval of the Foulkeways Residential S-Unit Expansion Land Development (19-06LD). The original plan depicted the consolidation of the 20-acre parcel of land, known as the Peter's Tract, into the overall Foulkeways site along with the S-Unit expansion. Due to Act 319 tax implications, Foulkeways requested to remove the consolidation from the plan and leave the Peter's Tract as a separate parcel. The BOS also approved a proposal from Gilmore & Associates Inc. to prepare a strategic plan for a future Public Works facility. The BOS voted to move forward with the resurfacing and striping of the Penllyn Park courts and the installation of adjustable height basketball nets. The tennis courts will not be striped for pickleball. Instead, they will continue to investigate other possible locations for pickleball. The Township Traffic Engineer gave a report on a speed study that was performed on Brookside Avenue the last week of June. A second study will be performed in late September when school is back in session. Finally, the BOS approved the hiring of Officer Garrett Vail (pictured above). Officer Vail was the top candidate interviewed for the position and the Lower Gwynedd Township Police Department is extremely excited to have him join the force. Officer Vail was sworn in on August 25th, 2021. Welcome Officer Vail!
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At its August meeting, the EAC reviewed the streams that are located within Lower Gwynedd Township as part of a project to sign the streams where they cross roadways. The group is also developing a plan to clean-up the Route 309 ramps at Norristown Road through the PA Adopt a Highway Program. On August 19th the EAC held an informative public presentation about composting at home. The presentation was given by Colleen Falicki of Back to Earth Composting. The EAC will host a community Recycling Q&A presentation through Republic Services on October 28th at 7pm at the Township Building.
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The ZHB will meet on Thursday, September 9th at 6pm. The following applications will be heard:
September Hearings- September 9, 2021:
1432 Rose Ln: A-Residential District; Applicant seeks a variance from yard requirements and any other relief deemed necessary to replace an existing open patio associated with a single-family dwelling.
441 Brights Ln: B-Residential District; Applicant seeks a variance from the front yard setback requirement and any other relief deemed necessary to construct an attached garage on a single-family dwelling.
807 Alene Rd: A-Residential District; Applicant seeks a variance from the side yard setback requirement and any other relief deemed necessary to construct a four-seasons room in place of a single-family dwelling's existing patio.
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The following projects are currently under review by the PC at this time. The PC meets the third Wednesday of every month as needed. The PC met on August 18, 2021 and the discussed the following applications as noted. Please check the website for the most current agenda.
(#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 area while also adding new parking and subsurface stormwater management facilities.
Status: There has been no new activity with this application. It remains under review and was not discussed at the PC meeting in August.
(#21-01) 820 N. Bethlehem Pike (Goddard School) Land Development: 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 professional office along with the associated site improvements.
Status: This plan was recommended for preliminary/final approval to the BOS with conditions. The conditions include that the issue with access be resolved, the waivers be supported by the BOS including the tree replacement item, and that the applicant complies with the engineers' review letters.
(#21-02) John’s Lane Subdivision: 6-lot single-family residential subdivision and land development.
Status: PC requested applicant submit an arborist report, historic impact study, and trail information. The applicant supplied the requested information. The PC recommended the project for preliminary approval to the BOS with conditions. The conditions deal with BOS support of requested waivers, HOA responsibilities, construction traffic requirements, visual barriers between a new lot and the neighboring existing lot, and the installation of a three-way stop sign at John's Lane. The plan will come back before the PC for final approval in the future.
Other Business:
(#19-06) Foulkeways S-Unit Amendment: Amended plan removing the consolidation of the 20-acre Peter's Tract into the overall Foulkeways site due to Act 319 tax implications. Recommended for approval to the BOS.
Property Maintenance Code: The proposed property maintenance code is under review by the PC.
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The PRB did not meet in August. The PRB will kick off their Trail Walking Program this month. Trail walking will be scheduled Mondays and Wednesdays starting September 13th through October 6th from 6pm-7pm. Pre-registration is required. Please call the Township to register at 215-646-5302. Meeting locations vary each week and upon registering for the program you will receive a list of where the group is meeting. The cost to participate is $5.00 per person. The PRB would like to remind everyone to complete the community survey linked below.
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The Township Administrative Offices are open but face masks are now required regardless of vaccination status.
The offices will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, September 6th, 2021.
The Board of Supervisors summer schedule has ended and their regular meetings will be held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month.
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Sergeant Rex Wilkinson Retiring After 26 Years
Sergeant Rex Wilkinson is set to retire on September 12 this year. Wilkinson, who grew up in Lower Gwynedd Township has served with the force as a police officer since April of 1995. Prior to that, Wilkinson was a police dispatcher for the Township and did a four-year stint in the United States Coast Guard.
During his tenure with the police department Wilkinson has received many awards and commendations for excellent service. He also served on the Montgomery County SWAT team during his career. To those who worked with him for almost three decades, Wilkinson became a co-worker, friend and mentor for younger officers.
Chief Paul Kenny stated, "It is impossible to measure what Rex has meant to this department for all of these years. I know I speak for everyone when I say this is a bittersweet moment, we are saying goodbye to a valued and dedicated cop but happy for him that he can now enjoy his family and retirement."
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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 September issue! |
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