New Zoning, Code Enforcement Contractor Hired By Newtown Borough

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — A new zoning and code enforcement officer has joined the borough as a third party independent contractor.

In a unanimous vote, council approved a professional services agreement with Barry Isett and Associates to provide zoning, inspection, Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) administration, and code enforcement services.

At its work session earlier this month, council interviewed Isett and Keystone Municipal Services for the job. Both companies have a track record with the borough having served as its zoning and code enforcement officer.

Isett replaces Remington & Vernick Engineers (RVE) which had been providing zoning and code enforcement services under a contract with the borough. RVE informed the borough in August that it would no longer be able to fulfill its contractual obligations.

In other business, council voted to reject a construction bid for Patriots Park from Snyder Land Services, LLC for $24,802.76.

The bid, said Grunde-McLaughlin, was incomplete and did not meet the bidding requirements for the project.

The borough, which was hoping to begin the project this year, will rebid the work in December with construction hopefully taking place next spring.

The future park at Court and Mercer streets is part of the original Bird in Hand property, one of the most historically significant properties in the borough. It was originally owned by Shadrack Walley, one of the first settlers in Newtown.

It is also the site of the only Revolutionary War skirmish in Newtown, a 1778 Loyalist raid on the Bird in Hand Tavern where tailors were making uniforms for the troops at Valley Forge. Five Patriots were killed, four were wounded and others were captured.

The borough purchased the future park property in January 2019 to preserve the site’s historic
significance and to create a public pocket park that will enhance the surrounding historic Court Street neighborhood, a section of tree-lined streets with brick sidewalks, Colonial-era buildings and period street lighting.

In other business, Council approved a two motions that will provide a temporary construction easement and a permanent stormwater and access easement at 210 South Chancellor Street to create a vegetative swale along Old Skunky.

Council also voted to approve a bid from the Ambient Group at a cost of $129,100 to create the swale, designed to improve stormwater quality as it flows into the Newtown Creek and eventually the Neshaminy Creek.