To The Supervisors: Please Keep All of Paper Mill Road Open

Newtown Township is incredibly fortunate to have a dedicated organization promoting and protecting their history. Members of the Newtown Township Historical Society serve the residents of the township with educational and entertaining programs. They work to ensure that the history of the township is preserved. 

With that said, it's hard to imagine why, when asked to meet with a new homeowner on Paper Mill Road (site of the historic ) about closing a portion of the road to residents, the township manager did not immediately contact both the residents of Paper Mill Road and Paper Mill Lane as well as the leadership of the Historical Society. 

Instead, last Fall, Mr. D. Scott Brehman met with Township Manager Mike Trio to find out “how to discontinue” the use of a portion of Paper Mill Road which is on either side of his property. Again, instead of seeking more input from the neighborhood residents, the Historical Society and the community, Mr. Trio stated at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Monday that he told Brehman “to petition the Board to vacate township property”.  

Mr. Trio also told Mr. Brehman that if the township were to consider this action, Brehman would be responsible to create a turnaround or "T" so that traffic could turn around on Paper Mill Road which is a dead-end road. At this same meeting, Mr. Brehman apparently was said to have concurred with what was required. It seems to me that Mr. Trio may have left the homeowner with the impression that closing this road was just a matter of process. 

Fast forward to March where neighbors have received letters saying that Mr. Brehman was putting a gate up because his lawyer said that it was not a public road. Neighbors talked about being told about promises made by the seller, and one neighbor stated at Monday's meeting that Fred Dewey, a member of the Marple Newtown School Board, said that the road closure would happen when “his cronies were in office.” The Brehmans have also posted signs which say “no trespassing” and “If you are within three seconds of reading this sign, so is our vicious dog.”

I attended the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Monday night, where this information was all provided. Had I not been there, I’m not sure I would have believed it. But there it was, Township Manager Trio having met with the new owner without including other stakeholders.

Neighbors have enjoyed a wonderful experience for many years now seem to feel threatened by a homeowner's pets and uncertain about their future enjoyment of public woodland areas and acess to fishing in the creek–all activities that the neighborhood families have enjoyed for many years without incident. 

Township Solicitor Rich Sokorai made it very clear at the meeting that the road the Brehmans seek to possess is a township road. It is a public road, not their private property.

In the words of township resident Paul Guest, “The property owner is trying to grab up township property.” Although the supervisors used words like “settlement” and “negotiation” at the meeting that night, don't let them! 

Keep the pressure on Township Manager Trio (triom@newtowntwpdelco.org) and the Board of Supervisors. Come to the next Board of Supervisors meeting on April 9^th at 7:30 p.m. at the .

You can remind them of the question I asked at the meeting and now ask again, “What’s to settle?  If it’s a public road, they have no right to do what they’ve done.”