Back to business as usual at Collegeville Borough Council meeting

Though the Collegeville area was struck by a vicious ice storm Tuesday night  into Wednesday morning, the Collegeville Borough Council Meeting was business as usual in the borough’s Municipal Building.

Talk of the weather diminished quickly, and the Pledge of Allegiance brought the meeting to order.

Roll was called, noting the absences of council members Jack Corr and Louise Tulio.

Those in attendance didn’t miss a beat, moving into the first order of business quickly.

Tortuga’s Restaurant representatives presented their request to obtain a liquor license for the Collegeville restaurant. A projected 20 percent increase in profits was presented for consideration, as was the 10-year lease, flat-fee rental agreement, and plans to restrict the presence of alcohol in the restaurant to a service bar.

After little deliberation and questioning, the council approved the liquor license transfer to Tortuga’s.

The Collegeville Professional Center was next on the agenda, requesting from the council a two-year land development extension for plans to put an addition on their existing office buildings.

Demand for office space in Collegeville has recently increased due to the new interest in medical fields in the area. Keystone also used to hold offices in the complex until its needs outgrew the space’s availability.

With its addition project, the professional center hopes to bring Keystone back to the office spaces and to make room for the growing need for general office space in Collegeville. Financing for the project has already been obtained. The motion was carried through unanimously.

A series of checks were then approved, with a note from Arnold Mann that he will be working with Rod Rees to simplify the council’s methods of financial reporting in the near future.

Another small matter of business was presented concerning some of the wells in the Collegeville area and their faulty pump systems. The borough has hired an engineer to assess the situation, but the hope of the council is that, after the engineer identifies the problems, they can be handled “in-house.”

Looking toward summer, council member Andrea Baptiste announced summer musical events in Collegeville will include Blackthorn and Mango Men in June, and the Fabulous Grease Band in July.

Tom Crawford, a man experienced in property restoration and improvement, recently purchased the Perkiomen Bridge Hotel. According to Mann, Crawford operates under the “sticks and bricks” policy of property ownership, meaning Crawford’s intent for the hotel is to refurbish and restore the property. His plans include removing the parking lot between the building and the bridge to facilitate the growth of grass in this area and incorporating a high-end restaurant into the hotel.

The council spoke to Crawford’s openness concerning community opinion about the hotel and dedication to hear the wishes of those in the borough. Mann said, according to Crawford, the Perkiomen Bridge Hotel is the first property Crawford has ever bought without first knowing what he is going to do with it.

The Main Street Group presented the results of its recent survey of community members both on and off Ursinus’ campus. Survey response was overwhelming, according to the group’s representative. The overall consensus of those surveyed was a desire for Collegeville to revitalize the community with storefronts and restaurants.

Ursinus students reported spending $2.8 million on food off campus every year, and Collegeville vendors are seeing less than $700,000 of that figure. Both community members and college students expressed wishes to make Collegeville more of a shopping, recreational and leisure district.

The group took the desire for a farmers market very seriously, and one has already been organized. As of now, the market will include 16 vendors who will make their debut Saturday, April 30, during what will be the market’s regular Saturday business hours, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Respondants also expressed a desire for more lodging in close proximity to Ursinus, more affordability, and a shuttle service to and from the college. The Economic Revitalization Committee and Business Liaison Committee are currently working to bring vacancies and opportunities in Collegeville to the attentions of business and franchises.

The Main Street Group is also currently pursuing a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts for the artistic construction of bike racks decorated by students at Ursinus and community members, and installed throughout Collegeville. The group must submit a statement of interest by the first of March, though the actual application will not be due until mid-April. The council, though not unanimously, approved the request to write a letter of interest to the NEA.

In administrative issues, council member David Leh reported new streetlights are up and working, and bus shelters are installed. Construction work will resume when the weather warms.

Life was relatively calm at the Trappe Ambulance Company this month. The center received 21 calls and responded to 100 percent of them.

The borough’s Comcast Cable Franchise Agreement needed renewal for the year. The only differences in the new contract are that the borough is now eligible for an educational and government channel, and it will receive a $6 signing bonus for every subscriber. The franchise fee is 5 percent of gross revenue. The motion was unanimously passed to approve the new 12-year agreement.

Also with a unanimous vote, council appointed Mann the Collegeville Borough’s voting delegate at the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) annual conference.

Discussion returned to the old business of the alternate energy ordinance, which council has discussed for some time. There was still a great deal of discord among council members as to what should be done with the ordinance, and it was agreed each council member would take another month to go back over the ordinance and do more research.

The meeting was adjourned among continued discussion over the energy ordinance and council members’ plans for the weekend.