The board of commissioners held their regularly scheduled meeting last night. The video is available on Youtube here, and the agenda is available on the township website here.

Opening

Two new sergeants were sworn in by Judge Liz Gallard. Michael Erickson and Michael Markunas were both promoted to sergeant. The township also has a sergeant Michael Montgomery. Half our sergeants are Michaels. Must get confusing.

There were no public comments.

Beth Henry was sworn in by Judge Gallard for the remainder of this year.

There’s still an opening on the Zoning Hearing Board, which hears applications for variances and exceptions on zoning matters.

Government Relations

The township approved accepting another national opioid settlement. The township will receive no funds, but the more municipalities that sign onto these settlements, the more money the state gets from it. I think the settlement in question is one (or several) of the ones mentioned here. This opioid settlement process as a whole, including this part, is a prime example of the ongoing failure of the American judicial system. Why should every municipality need to sign off on this? What’s the point beyond cruelly drawing out the process and keeping help from people that need it?

Parks and Open Space

Martha Burton Park is receiving DCNR funding for grant improvements. As part of the grant, the DCNR is requiring the township to convert the license it has for use of the property (owned by WSSD) to a 25+ year lease. The board approved a lease and hopes WSSD will do so as well for the continued use of the small lot as a park.

The DCNR also requires competitive bids for supplies. The playground is being purchased through the state’s costars system, but the other supplies like stone needs to be bid out, so a bid is being prepared.

Public Safety

A resident reached out to the board about designating the Wallingford train station as a quiet zone, probably prompted by reporting like this about the new stations along the Media-Elwyn line. This would reduce noise from the trains that pass through, but would require installation of new safety equipment. The board was concerned about the safety of the alternative systems as well as their expense. They’d like to hear from more of the public about whether this is something to pursue and are also looking at what other municipalities are doing along these lines.

Finance & Administration

The usual bills were paid.

The board approved extending the officer-in-charge provision to pay officers acting as sergeants for working as sergeants. The program seems to have worked as intended in the first trial year.

The board approved changing the actuarial assumptions underlying the police pension plan by changing the expected long-term inflation from 2.5 to 2.75%. This was recommended by the township’s financial advisors.

The board approved trading in a 2018 dodge ram for a new police truck.

The board approved funding for an audit required by the feds for any municipality receiving more than a threshold of funding – which Nether Providence did last year. The audit will cost no more than $8k.

Community Health and Environment

The CRC stream cleanup is this Saturday at locations across Delaware County.

Summer camp registration opens on April 3rd. The township also needs camp counselors, the volunteer application (for those ages 14 and 15) and camp counselor applications (age 16+) have been posted to the township website.

Nether Providence township is officially a Tree City, joining Media and Swarthmore (who have both been tree cities for over 40 years).

Infrastructure

The regular highway report. It was noted mulch is available from the township.

Building & Zoning

The draft zoning ordinance for ground solar arrays has been sent to the county planning commission for review. The draft ordinance for allowing longer time for zoning variance work has also been sent to the county for review.

The zoning change for 424 Wallingford from commercial to residential has been approved by the county and the township plans to advertise the change and conduct the required public hearing in April.

Manager Report

The Delaware County sustainability open houses were mentioned.

The township announced two new grants. The local share assistance program for ADA improvements, which I wrote about here, and a DCED grant for more sidewalks along Providence Rd. Sen. Kane and Rep. Krueger are proving to be a great team for Nether Providence grants.

A bird town event about bird-friendly backyards is coming up on April 15th at the township building.

The EAC discussed mosquito spraying and the negative effects it has on insects and animals like butterflies and bats. The township cannot ban mosquito spraying but hopes to improve awareness of these effects.