For Doylestown Township, a Time To Look Back, Forward

It’s an annual ritual, like the swallows returning to Capistrano and potholes springing up on local roads. 

In Doylestown Township, the Board of Supervisors' second meeting of February is dedicated to hearing reports from the board and commissions under their control. Chairwoman Barbara Lyons said it is the tireless work of those "citizen volunteers" that make the township special.

“We are grateful and privileged to work with you,” she said. “You are the backbone of the township. Without you, we would not be one of the best communities in Pennsylvania.”

Tom Kelso, vice chairman of the Bike & Hike Committee, said plans are underway to extend the bike trail into Peace Valley Park. Last year, the committee participated in some “intense neighborhood meetings,” that involved five municipalities, he said.

“We think we have a plan that can be implemented over time” at fairly reasonable costs, said Kelso.

The township currently has 18 miles of trails “and growing,” he said.

While 2010 was a slow year for the Planning Commission in terms of reviewing developments, it did allow time to address some pressing issues such as wind and solar energy, and outdoor wood-burning furnaces, said Kelso, who serves on the commission.

So far in 2011, “we’ve started to see some development plans come in,” said Kelso. He predicted some “challenging” plans for the Eagle Labs property, the Eastburn tract, and Levering Mills.

Arnie Feldman, vice chair of the Environmental Advisory Council/Shade Teee Commission, said his group was busy in 2010. The EAC held a Green Energy Summit in July and hopes to repeat the event in 2011. The Shade Tree Commission took the first step toward establishing a Tree Registry, he said.

In 2011, the EAC will move forward with plans to install 250 trees in Central Park, thanks to a grant from Tree Vitalize, said Feldman. The leaf and yard waste drop-off program has been expanded to twice in the fall, he said.

The EAC will also be working on a Green Building ordinance in 2011, he said.

Dick Johns reported that the Municipal Authority enjoyed a successful year in 2010. Thanks to nearly $2 million in grants, the authority was able to install about four miles of water mains and added nearly 100 customers in the Cross Keys area, where the water supply had been contaminated.

The authority provides about one million gallons of water a day to about 2,500 residential customers and 1,700 wholesale customers, said Johns.

In 2011, the authority will continue to look into groundwater contamination in the Furlong area, and could be in line for a $2 million grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection to begin some remediation, he said.

“The authority continues to struggle to contain usage costs with all the new regulations,” said Johns. “It’s difficult to hold it at bay.”

As an example, Johns said by April the authority will be required to monitor and report on chlorine levels in its water supply 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He said the equipment alone will cost $60,000.

Open Space & Farmland Preservation Board member Dr. Joshua Feldstein said the township has approximately $620,000 available through Bucks County to preserve open space in 2011. Almost 13 percent of the nearly 10,000 acres that comprise the township are preserved as open space, said Feldstein.

While the county pays for 75 percent of the cost of a conservation easement, the municipality is expected to put up the other 25 percent. Feldstein said Doylestown Township is the only municipality in the county that has been able to convince every property owner in the program to make the 25 percent a donation to the township 

“I wish we had more money available,” he said.

Park and Recreation Board Chairman John Bray thanked the board for its decision several years ago to spend $15,000 to develop a Master Plan for Central Park. Among the many features included in the plan were two soccer fields, he said.

Recently, the company in charge of constructing the Route 202 Parkway needed a place to store excess soil, said Bray. Members of the Park and Recreation Board were able to negotiate a deal to store the soil at the park in exchange for building the two soccer fields at no cost to the township, he said.

The Traffic Advisory Committee in 2011 plans to begin implementing traffic calming measures along Sauerman Road. The committee also will begin a survey of Turk Road and monitor development along Rogers Road.

Finally, Ed Ebenbach of the Ways and Means Committee urged residents to attend his group’s meetings, which are held on the 4^th Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Township Building.

“We want to get as much information out to the public as possible so there are no surprises when the budget comes out,” he said.