The Edgmont Update Your Edgmont Township Newsletter —Winter 2020 ~ Looking to 2020 and Beyond ~ With 2019 behind us, we’re stepping into a new dec- Ronald Gravina ade with a fresh vision for the future of communica- tion and service to our residents. Here is a brief over- Henry Winchester, III view of what’s new for 2020 in the Township: James R. Hallam • New Phone System: If you call the Township of- 1000 Gradyville Road fice number, you’ll notice a new phone set-up. The P.O. Box 267 Township recently implemented a new, internet- Gradyville, PA 19039 based phone system to streamline communication to its departments. Additionally, in the event the Town- Ph: 610-459-1662 ship Office loses power due to inclement weather or any other reason, resi- Fx: 610-459-3760 dents ability to contact staff for assistance will be greatly enhanced. Also check us out on the web at: • Ordinance Codification: The Ordinance Committee, Planning Commis- sion, and Board of Supervisors have been diligently working on a task EDITOR & PUBLISHER known as “codification”—a process in which all Ordinances will be put into one, cohesive Code. Once finalized, the entire Code will be available online Catherine Ricardo, and will be searchable and printable. This process is expected to be complet- Township Manager ed before the end of 2020. Contributing Columnists: • Gradyville Village Master Planning: As the Township looks at estab- lishing a stronger community identity, understanding existing assets, and Lacey Faber, Asst. Bldg. Dept. Administrator opportunities, the Master Planning Committee will begin working with the Township Land Planner, Thomas Comitta Associates, to plan for the future Catherine Ricardo, ‘heart’ of the Township at the Gradyville/Middletown Road intersection and Township Manager surrounding area. A conceptual comprehensive plan for downtown Grady- Sandy Coleman, Treasurer ville is expected to be presented to the Board of Supervisors and available for public comment within the next 12 months. Susan Sharp, Bldg. Dept. Administrator Remember that the Township website (www.edgmont.org) and Twitter Ac- count (@EdgmontTownship) continue to be the official sources of commu- MEETING DATES nication for up-to-date Township news. Emergency alerts (severe weather, road closures, etc.) are sent via the official Emergency Alert System called DelcoAlert. Residents can sign-up for emergency alerts on the homepage of 2nd Tuesday of the month the website at www.edgmont.org. To join the mailing list for Runnymeade Farms Phase VII or Sunoco Mariner East II, e-mail [email protected]. 6:30 p.m. - Work Shop 7:30 p.m. - Regular Meeting We want to hear from you! Questions, comments, or concerns can be directed to the Township Manager, Catherine Ricardo at [email protected]. 4th Tues., as needed, at 7 p.m. Inside this issue: Green Guide to Stormwater Management Home Heating Oil Reminders and Tips 4th Mon. at 7 p.m. Zoning Hearing Board 2019 Annual Review The Census is Hiring 6:30 p.m. Work Shop Household Hazardous Waste Collection Dates Welcome New Businesses are advertised in the Delaware The E.T. Fire Company Needs Volunteers Newtown-Edgmont Little League County Daily Times and on our website. All Township meetings, except Executive 2020 Tax Update Cold Weather Reminders and Tips Sessions, are open to the public. License Your Dog One-On-One with Rep. Chris Quinn VOL. 22 ISSUE 1 PAGE 2 WINTER STORMWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION TIPS Start shoveling early! The more snow you remove, the less salt and sand you’ll need. Below are some dos and don’ts when shoveling or plowing snow. DO: DON’T: • Pile snow in locations with the most • Do not pile snow on top of opportunity to infiltrate into the storm drains or near water ground. bodies and wetlands. • Pile snow in areas where water does • Do not pile snow onto rain not pond. garden or bioretention areas. • Clear away any snow that may have been thrown onto the storm drains. TIPS TO AVOID USING SALT AS A DEICER: • More salt does not equal more melting snow. Follow product instructions when spreading deicing material and give it time to work. • Sweep up any material remaining after the snow/ice melts. • When temperatures hit 15° F or below, salt is not effective. Consider using traction materials that contain an acetate, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, or cracked cornmeal instead of sand or kitty litter. DID YOU KNOW? Normal snow accumulation does not pose a threat to rain gardens, so there is no need to shovel a rain garden. However, heavy snow loads can weigh down and saturate your garden and hurt plants. Pile snow uphill from the rain garden so when the snow melts the rain garden can do what it is designed to do. Information for this article was provided by: RETTEW and their team of Civil and Municipal Engineers and MS4 Coordinator. In April, a Papa Blvd. resident was granted a special exception to allow an in-law suite in their basement, and a variance to allow an existing egress door to remain. In-law suites are uses by special exception in the R-4 zoning district. The Zoning Ordinance does not allow in-law suites to have separate entrances. Several condi- tions were placed on the approval, including having a deed restriction recorded against the property to keep the in-law suite from becoming a rental unit. In August, a Middletown Road resident was granted a variance to allow a detached garage to be constructed in a front yard. The property is on the corner of a public road and a private road and is considered to have two front yards. Generally, accessory structures such as garages are not allowed in front yards. Also in August, a West Chester Pike property owner was granted a variance to provide fewer parking spaces for a new tenant than what is required by the Zoning Ordinance. Commercial property owners must demon- strate compliance with parking regulations before new tenants can move in. In addition, a West Chester Pike homeowner was granted a variance to widen a driveway that will encroach five feet onto an existing property. Generally, driveways must be at least five feet from a property line. Nu- merous conditions were put on the approval, including providing stormwater management for the new imper- vious surface, and recording an easement for the driveway. In November, a Miller Road tenant was granted a variance to install a solid eight-foot-high privacy fence in conjunction with proposed property improvements. Zoning regulations require any fence over six feet high to have a ratio of open to solid area of at least four-to-one. Many thanks go out to the members of the Zoning Hearing Board, Tom Donatucci (Chairman), Richard Ac- ciavatti, Steve Papa, and Tom Lawrie, whose time and effort allow the Zoning Hearing Board to function. If you have any general zoning questions or questions about the Zoning Hearing Board, please contact Susan E. Sharp at [email protected] or (610) 459-1662, ext: 204. PAGE 3 VOL. 22 ISSUE 1 All listed events are from 9am-3pm, rain or shine. No electronic waste or latex paint is accepted at these events. For a full list of accepted items please visit: www.co.delaware.pa.us/recycle/hhw.html May 2, 2020— Emergency Services Training Center: 1700 Calcon Hook Road, Sharon Hill, PA 19079 June 20, 2020— Delaware County Community College: 901 Media Line Road, Media, PA 19063 Sept. 12, 2020— Penn State University, Brandywine Campus: 25 Years- TV DISPOSAL—ECOvanta ley Mill Road, Media, PA 19063 2209 South 58th Street Oct. 17, 2020— Upper Chichester Municipal Philadelphia, PA 19147 Bldg.: 8500 Furey Rd., Upper Chichester 19061 215-729-3770 Free TV, computer, and monitor Please do not bring any TVs, computers, appli- drop off, the first and third ances, and/or items containing freon to the Wednesday of each month, be- HHW events as they will not be accepted. tween the hours of 12:30-3:30pm. Edgmont Township Fire Co. #1 Needs YOU! Edgmont Township 2020 Tax Update: Edgmont Township Fire Company #1 has been serving the A 10% tax increase for general purposes was community for 76 years and is an entirely volunteer run or- approved at the December 10, 2019, Board of ganization. They are always looking for additional mem- Supervisors meeting, bringing the 2020 millage bers/volunteers to serve. Emergency Responders and busi- rate from .6721 to .7633. The millage rate for ness savvy individuals are needed. The Fire House organiz- fire protection and ambulance services will re- es several events throughout the year, including various main the same at .239. This represents an in- fundraisers. crease of $28 based on the average assessment of $323,215. Business meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every month at Edgmont Township staff continue to provide one 8pm, and Drill Nights are every of the highest levels of service to its residents Thursday at 7:30 pm. Please note while maintaining its status that this is a correction to some of as one of the lowest millage the dates in the Edgmont Township rates in Delaware County. calendar. Please follow this infor- Township tax bills are mailed mation as it is the most up-to-date. out on February 1st. Please The Fire House is located at 1010 Gradyville Road. Any call the Deputy Tax Collector questions about membership/volunteering can be directed to at 610-459-1662 ext. 201 if (610) 459-5688. you do not receive yours. Dogs are more than companions, they are members of our families. The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement re- minds Pennsylvanians that the best way to protect their dog is to make sure that they have a current license.