Council Reviews Upcoming Plans for Collegeville Borough

The jingle bells are ringing already here in and October has just begun. Council members laughed their way through another meeting as the planning for the season commenced.

Tree lighting has been scheduled for Dec. 3, but that is not all Collegeville Borough residents have in their futures. This year will mark the community’s first “Jingle Jog,” a 5K run through the streets of Collegeville that will bring all runners back to the new parking lot at 3^rd and Main streets. With their new jingle-bell-equipped Livestrong bracelets, runners will reign in the spirit of the season as they cross the finish line.

If running is not for you, do not worry at all! Collegeville has planned out quite the night of festivities containing holiday cheer for all. From a chainsaw-ice-carving demonstration to an ugly sweater contest, no one will be left out. Council members and community residents in attendance agreed this will be a wonderful event to plant the borough’s new pine tree, light it up for the holiday season, and cut the ribbon to the new parking lot at the Perkiomen Valley Trail.

The parking lot’s construction is well underway at present and Engineer David Leh sees no reason it will not be finished in time for the grand event. “[The project] is going well,” Leh said.

In other borough news, council discussed an application from the Zoning Hearing Board for 114 W. First Avenue. There is a standing foundation on the property, which remains from a fire that ravaged the property several years ago. The owner of the property proposes joining the structures and creating a duplex on the space, but it seems the application is not this simple.

The home is listed as a one-family residence, but it is known there are three mailboxes at the residence. Additionally, the multi-structure presence creates a non-conformity for which the Board would need other considerations. The property is also in a floodplain. All three gave council members notes of concern.

“I would be very hesitant to allow anyone to build in the flood zone,” said council member Louise Tulio. Thompson focused himself on the non-conformance issue, saying, “We might want to let the Zoning Hearing Board take a shot at this one.”

Other members were more focused on the trio of mailboxes at the listed one-family residence. “The situation warrants a little more investigation,” council member Andrea Baptiste commented.

Council eventually moved to have Borough Manager Geoff Thompson draft a letter to the Zoning Hearing Board expressing council’s concerns and urging them to pursue the situation further.

In other news, the Collegeville Farmer’s Market is going brilliantly. On Oct. 29, community members can go enjoy a “Halloween Market” and on Nov. 19, everyone can check out the holiday market. Also, a pet division has been added to the Halloween Parade, so start thinking about costumes for Fluffy and Snowball!