Bucks County Herald officially a nonprofitPages A3, C7 March 18, 2021 36 pages, four sections including Homes Attention motorists A4 Volume 19 www.buckscountyherald.com Number 24 [email protected] New player emerges on Tinicum bridge scene Property owner favors restoring existing span Cliff Lebowitz At Tuesday’s Tinicum Township public board of supervisors meeting, held in the parking lot to accommodate social distanc- ing, supervisors conducted an hourlong dis- cussion on the 10-year Headquarters Road bridge closure at Sheep Hole Road. A major participant was Steve Gidumal, a property owner in the immediate vicinity of the bridge. Gidumal expressed strong opposition to PennDOT’s proposal for a new two-lane bridge to replace the historic one-lane struc- ture, and indicated he was willing to use le- gal means to not allow it to move forward. He stated traffic safety hazards for his child from resultant higher motorist speeds as a primary concern. A majority of the other residents in attendance, also homeowners in the vicinity, hooted at his claim and dis- missed the concern as invalid. HERALD PHOTOGRAPH Continued on page C6 A tree for Bob Byers See also page A7 Bucks Beautiful board members held a tree planting in honor of the late Bob Byers Sr. March 15 on the grounds of the Mercer Museum. Family and friends look on as planters put the final touches around the 20-foot-tall weeping green Richlandtown mail beech. Byers, who died Dec. 21, was co-founder of Bucks Beautiful, the organization that has planted more than a mil- lion daffodils along highways and around businesses in the area. delivery finally free Melinda Rizzo Richlandtown Borough residents will no longer pay for post office boxes, thanks to Democrats step in to counter GOP fracking suit the efforts of its mayor. Among the top priorities Mayor James State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10) was allow natural gas drilling in the basin in publican caucus members had filed suit “Jim” Dunn took on when becoming the joined by Democratic colleagues Friday in Pennsylvania. against the DRBC in January, and in late borough’s mayor eight years ago, was to New Hope to announce their action to pro- Arguing for the constitutional right of February the Delaware River Keeper Net- eliminate post office box fees for about half tect clean drinking water from environmen- Pennsylvanians to clean water, the motion work successfully intervened in the case. of borough residents. tal hazards of fracking. to intervene was filed earlier in the day in “Clean water and air is a constitutional “Free delivery to all borough residents Their action was in response to a law- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District right for all Pennsylvanians, and it’s the was one of my main objectives when taking suit filed by Republican senators against of Pennsylvania in the case of Yaw v. The duty of the General Assembly to ensure office,” Dunn said. His second term expires the Delaware River Basin Commission to Delaware River Basin Commission. Re- Continued on page C7 this year, and Dunn said he has no plans to run for a third term. For decades some borough residents have been without mail delivery service had been New Hope will proceed with parking garage project forced to take – and pay for – post office box- With $1.75 million in state grant funds to ensure that the project retains its funding. Square continues to obstruct the project, es. The fees have climbed over the years. at stake, New Hope Borough is pressing A major sticking point in moving ahead according to Borough Council President “Thirty years ago, the cost of a small post ahead with plans to build a new parking ga- with the project at the borough’s ideal loca- Connie Gering. office box was $20 a year and recently the fees rage on borough-owned land just north of tion is Union Square, which has been per- In order to proceed with the parking ga- for the same box went to $120,” Dunn said. the Union Square shop and office complex. mitted by the borough to use the land for its rage and protect the state-awarded funding In the roughly one-square mile borough, Design and construction contracts will overflow parking. After over a month of in- for the project, New Hope Borough has no bordered by Quakertown Borough and need to be awarded before the end of June formal effort at resolving the issues, Union Continued on page C6 Continued on page C6 Bucks health organizations partner to bring COVID-19 vaccine to clinic The arrival of COVID-19 vaccines to Bucks County hospitals was a source of both hope and concern for Sally Fabian-Oresic, executive director of the Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic. The clinic offers free health care to indi- viduals with no insurance and low income. It did not have a way to properly store the first shipments of vaccine that had to be kept at extremely low temperatures even if the clinic could procure an allocation. Also, high interest in receiving the vaccine and very limited supplies concerned Fabi- an-Oresic that her patient population might be overlooked. Fabian-Oresic’s hope was fulfilled and her concerns erased by Doylestown Health. The Silverman Clinic’s commitment to reach the underserved, especially as 60% of the clinic’s Spanish-speaking patients test- ed positive for COVID, drew the attention of Dr. Christine Roussel, director of Phar- macy, Laboratory and Medical Research at Staff from Doylestown Health, the Ann Silverman Clinic and Christ’s Home gather at the recent COVID-19 vaccine distribution Doylestown Health. clinic. The clinic was aimed primarily at Bucks County’s Hispanic population. Sen. Maria Collett is fourth from right, middle row. Continued on page C7 Wrightstown Country Store sees Richland authorizes easements Chatterbox A2 Classified C6 possible new life ahead in Quakertown Swamp area Op-ed A6,7 Crossword C7 Sports B1 Arts C8 The Wrightstown Country Store, a much- Continuing their commitment to preserve loved Wrightstown institution known for its “open space, farm land, and natural areas Police B8 Entertainment C9 sandwiches and affordable coffee, closed in that contribute to the quality of life and the Dining C2 January 2020. New owner Eric Kretschman, economic health” of their community, Rich- Business C3 Real Estate who closed on the property this year, wants land Township supervisors have authorized ObituariesC4 Classified to establish an updated version of the store at township participation in the purchase of two Spiritual C5 Homes the intersection with Penns Park Road. more conservation easements. Scenes and dreams C8 Page A4 Page A4 Page A2 (2) Bucks County Herald March 18, 2021 Viatris executive joins of directors. of Pfizer Inc’s Upjohn business Jones & Co. Mauer, a resident of Sole- unit and Mylan. Previously, she “I was drawn to Good Grief Good Grief board bury, serves as head of global served as vice president head in part through the personal ex- Good Grief, a voice for griev- communications and corporate of corporate communications at perience of losing my father at ing children and families, has brand for Viatris, the newly Merck & Co. and, prior to that, the age of 24,” said Mauer. “It appointed Jennifer Mauer to the launched company formed in a series of roles of increasing was lung cancer and, yes he was nonprofit organization’s board 2020 through the combination responsibility at Bristol-Myers a smoker, but that did not make Squibb. Earlier in her career, it any easier. Without resources Mauer served as an adjunct pro- or support, my family suffered fessor at Georgetown Universi- greatly through our grief. I wish ty, a consultant for McKinsey & we had had an organization like JENNIFER MAUER Co., and as a journalist for Dow Good Grief to help us through.” Camille Granito Mancuso: Chatterbox The pause that refreshes There’s an old song from the life grows more complicated, but holidays, and trying to honor tra- 1960s called “Up On The Roof.” the human need to refresh and ditions and all the inevitable effort It’s not a song about Santa de- recharge ourselves never changes. that goes with them, in quarantine, livering Christmas gifts; it’s about It’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity. new efforts are required and we’re renewal. The lyrics suggest that So, if we are blessed with a safe already exhausted. Of course, when the world gets us down, we harbor right now, in these times, all holidays, even the small ones should chill out, go up on the roof, what can we do? invented for little reason, are a look at the stars, relax and renew. Some of us may do crafts, sew, great excuse to get together with It’s a great plan. or run. Thousands of distractions friends and family, even if only on Chatterbox, March 5, 2015, exist without cost in these hard Zoom. That joyful socialization talked about all we do every day times like a great walk. A great is, in and of itself, rejuvenating, and the justification we have in book, online or even still from capturing emotions no matter how celebrating our daily accom- our local library, can soothe us bittersweet. plishments, once in a while. In through the evening for a couple As we head into a hopeful the same way that we all fulfill of weeks. Ah but, with the pace spring, after another pretty harsh our daily obligations, we should and restrictions we have now, and winter, the weather will offer us refresh ourselves too, especially how much we must get done ev- more ways to tend to our aching now.