UPDATE C Fall/Winter 2015 I Choose Cheltenham That Not Only Reduces Costs but Also Helps Minimize Environmental Impacts
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HELTENHAM UPDATE C Fall/Winter 2015 I Choose Cheltenham That not only reduces costs but also helps minimize environmental impacts. Car magnets boasting the phrase “I Instead of large-scale excavation, an earthen embankment would be constructed Choose Cheltenham” will be available on the downstream end of the detention basin to capture and control water flows. free this fall at several community events. The embankment would include interlocked gabion baskets and earthen material The Township and School District that would allow flows at non-damaging levels to pass. If the stormwater inflow partnered with talented residents to rate increases above that level, water flowing through the gabion basket structure create this mobile marketing campaign would be “choked,” so a pool would form in the basin behind the embankment. If to encapsulate Cheltenham’s unique characteristics and inspire community pride. the ponding water exceeded the basin’s storage capacity, the embankment could Wawa Corporate donated $2,000 to help underwrite their manufacture. Look for the be safely overtopped without failing. After the downstream levels normalize, the magnets at the Downtown Glenside Food Fest on Thursday, September 24, the School water in the basin would be slowly released through the gabion-basket conduit and District Foundation 2nd Annual Food Truck Jamboree on Sunday, October 4, the everything would return back to normal. Township Community Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 17 and the Downtown The proposed basin locations, which are subject to revision during a detailed Glenside WinterFest on Saturday, November 28. design phase, are: Why did you choose Cheltenham? The Township invites residents and • Doe Lane • Highland West (Abington) business operators to share their reasons, which will be listed on the Township • West Waverly Road • Highland East (Abington) website. Visit www.CheltenhamTownship.org > I Choose Cheltenham to share your • Church Road (Arcadia University) • Baeder Road (Abington) community pride with the world. • Limekiln Pike • Washington Lane Tookany Flood Study • Grove Park (lower level of Curtis Arboretum) The ACOE anticipates completing an agency technical review of the study over The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) has nearly completed the Tookany the summer. The public release of the draft report should occur in late summer/ Creek Flood Damage Reduction Study begun in 2012. Its preliminary analysis early fall, which will include a public meeting as well as posting the draft report favors nine dry detention basins – six in Cheltenham Township and three in at www.CheltenhamTownship.org. After the feasibility report is finalized, project Abington Township – as the most cost-effective option to reduce flood damage in design is expected to take another year to complete. The earliest construction would Cheltenham. begin is 2017. The study analyzed five alternatives, some with multiple configurations, as well as no action at all, and the ACOE calculated the cost-benefit ratio for each. Although Bickley Road Buyouts the nine-basin plan was the costliest at about $6,481,000, it also netted the highest The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency approved the purchase of annual benefit to the Township. four homes on Bickley Road in Glenside under the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Dry Detention Basins Program. After enduring damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, the property owners applied to participate in the program and met the required criteria. Dry detention basins are low-lying, open-space areas that would hold back the With the federal grant funds, the Township purchased the properties this summer peak flow of rushing rain water during heavy storm events. They would slow the and will demolish the homes this fall. After regrading, the sites will be seeded and release of stormwater into streams to minimize downstream flooding. The basins maintained as permanent open space. would require minimal excavation and construction to store excess stormwater. ...continued on page 3 What’s Inside... 3 .........................................................................................................................................Township Directory 6 ..................................................................................................Cheltenham Township Adult School Trips 3 .................................................................................................................................Voluntary Contributions 7 ...................................................................................................................................................... Quick Notes 4 .....................................................................................................................From the Commissioner’s Desk 8-9 ....................................................................................................................................... Fall Leaf Collection 5 .....................................................................................................................................Sanitary Sewer Update 10 ..................................................................................................................................... Things to Do this Fall 5 ..................................................................................................................................... Grants and Donations 11-14 ................................................................................................................Parks and Recreation Fall Fun 6 ...................................................................................................................................................Ready Montco C HELTENHAM UPDATE 2 INNOVATIVEENGINEERING PROUDTOSERVEAS CHELTENHAMTOWNSHIPENGINEER Doylestown 215Ͳ345Ͳ9400 LehighValley ConsultingEngineers 610Ͳ419Ͳ9407 Stroudsburg AnEmployeeOwnedCompany 570Ͳ629Ͳ0300 www.bjengineers.com C HELTENHAM UPDATE 3 ...continued from cover TOWNSHIP DIRECTORY Board of Commissioners Harvey Portner, President Ward 3 Melrose Court Apartments 1308 Willow Avenue, Apt. B01B • Elkins Park, PA 19027 215-635-3985 • [email protected] Morton J. Simon, Jr., Vice President Ward 6 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers included this representation of a dry detention 8335 High School Road • Elkins Park, PA 19027 basin in Glenside’s Grove Park in a public presentation last April. The full presentation is 215-782-1530 • [email protected] posted at www.CheltenhamTownship.org > Department & Services > Flood Control. Baron B. Holland Ward 2 7736 Green Valley Road • Wyncote, PA 19095 Voluntary Contributions 215-884-0485 • [email protected] The Board of Commissioners would like to thank the following tax- Charles D. McKeown, Sr. Ward 7 exempt institutions for participating in this year’s Municipal Services 424 Township Line Road • Cheltenham, PA 19012 Voluntary Contribution Program. 215-379-0536 • [email protected] Tax-exempt organizations benefit from numerous municipal services, such as Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Service, Roadwork and Leaf Daniel B. Norris Ward 5 Collection Programs. Township officials ask the community’s religious 236 Barclay Circle • Cheltenham, PA 19012 and educational institutions for a voluntary contribution in lieu of taxes. 215-635-0383 • [email protected] This year’s contributions totaled over $49,700. Ann L. Rappoport, Ph.D. Ward 4 • Arcadia University 114 East Waverly Road • Wyncote, PA 19095 • Beth Sholom Congregation 215-935-6575 • [email protected] • Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church Drew Sharkey Ward 1 • Comhar, Inc. 524 Willow Grove Avenue • Glenside, PA 19038 • Congregation Kol Ami 215-370-3090 • [email protected] • CRMS, Inc. Township Administration Building • Federation Housing, Inc. 8230 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027 Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., • Gujarati Christian Fellowship of Philadelphia Monday through Friday • Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church Phone: 215-887-1000 • Phoebe Ministries Web: www.CheltenhamTownship.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/CheltenhamTownship • Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Bryan T. Havir, Township Manager • Salus University Alyson E. Elliott, Assistant Township Manager • Special People in the Northeast, Inc. Joseph M. Bagley, Solicitor • Won Institute of Graduate Studies This publication is offered to residents, businesses and other community members of Cheltenham Township as a public service by the Board of Commissioners. Each • Won Edification Center Cheltenham Update is produced by the office of Public Information. Nancy K. Gibson, Writer/Editor C HELTENHAM UPDATE 4 From the Commissioner’s Desk Dear Neighbor, My name is Morton J. Simon, Jr., but everybody knows me as Mickey. I have been the Commissioner representing Ward 6 for close to 14 years, so I’d like to focus on what’s going on in the 6th Ward before describing some of what’s happening in the rest of the Township. Ward 6 Ward 6 is primarily the section known as Elkins Park, a large area east of Old York Road. Its main business centers are on the east side of Old York Road and around the Elkins Park Train Station. I have lived most of my life in the 6th Ward and think it is a far better place today than it has ever been. Let’s take a closer look at the “Elkins Park East” commercial district. First and foremost is the new market called CreekSide Co-op, which is owned