Spring 2002 Newsletter

Bruce W. Laverty was sworn in as our newest Township Supervisor on January 7, 2002. Bruce and his family, Kimberly his wife and Michael and Danielle their children, have lived in West Bradford Township since 1986. Bruce has been very active in our community serving on the Township’s Recreation Commission and Shadyside Park Task Force, coaching and umpiring for WBYA, and serving as a Boy Scout troop leader.

A partner in the Downingtown law firm of Valocchi, Fisher & Laverty, LLC., he also serves on the executive board of the Chester County Bar Association as secretary and is the vice-president of the Chester County Bar Foundation. Bruce is looking forward to continuing his service to the citizens of West Bradford Township in his new capacity.

Mark your calendars right now – the annual “West Bradford Day” celebration is set for Sunday, June 2^nd, 2002 from 1 to 4 pm at Broad Run Park. The members of the West Bradford Day Committee are currently planning numerous diverse exhibits, demonstrations, games, amusements, and other special events to provide entertainment and fun for all ages! An abundance of food from many local eateries and organizations will be available to entertain your taste buds as well.

We need lots and lots of volunteers, so please call 610-269-4174 and speak to Gary Schmidt, Parks Director to give us an hour or two (or more!) of your time. As you can imagine, it requires a lot of people to organize and run a party for a township of just under 11,000 residents. People of all ages are needed to help with set-up, takedown, blowing up balloons, to act as greeters, guides, donning clown costumes, and many, many more activities.

Help continue the tradition of making the ‘West Bradford Township Party’ a yearly event one we won’t soon forget! So go do it - mark your calendars – NOW – and give us a call! Thanks!!!

Join us in our annual Memorial Day Activities on Sunday, May 26^th, 2002. The parade will begin at 1:30 P.M. at the Marshallton United Methodist Church (on Strasburg Road - just east of the intersection of Sugarsbridge Road). Come and be a part of the large group of township residents and friends that traditionally line the sides of Strasburg Road to honor the memory of the men and women who served our country to ensure the freedoms we have today.

Take in the sights and sounds as veterans, scout troops, the West Bradford Fire Company, the Lukens Band, and others proceed west on Strasburg Road to Northbrook Road and into Bradford Cemetery. At 2:00 P.M., we will have a guest speaker lead us in a Memorial Day Service at Bradford Cemetery. There will also be a special commemoration honoring the people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Please plan to be there. [If it rains the memorial service will be held in the church sanctuary.]

SUMMER ROAD CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE

West Bradford Township owns and maintains over 60 miles of roads and trails. More are being added every year. We have a yearly maintenance program as well as a twenty-year capital plan for road resurfacing and replacement.

Our regular road maintenance program includes the filling of potholes, street sweeping, trimming roadside brush, sealing road surfaces, and milling irregular patches. Our capital plan includes the replacement of culverts and storm water pipes and the resurfacing and construction of roads. On average, our road crew resurfaces or constructs between three and seven miles of roadways per year.

The yearly mileage of roads completed depends on many factors such as the weather, the costs of materials, and types of repairs needed. This year we have an ambitious schedule. We hope to complete it in its entirety.

The following Township roads are scheduled to receive a new wearing surface in 2002:

Fox Run Drive
Fox Trail Road
Steeple Chase Road
Shadyside Road (Marshallton-Thorndale Road to Glenside Road)
New Hampshire Lane (east)
Vermont Lane (west)

Each of these roads will receive repairs to the road base where necessary, replacement of defective curbing, milling to even the surface, and a new surface. The utilities have been advised to adjust their manholes to the level of the new surface.

Preliminary work will begin in the spring. Further construction and repair will take place through out the summer until the roads are prepared and ready for resurfacing. There will be some delays for residents living or using the streets during working hours.

The following roads will receive micro-surfacing (a type of surface treatment similar to driveway sealing):

These roads will have base repairs where necessary, crack sealing, and the application of sealant. This will be done in the summer as weather and other work items permit.

In addition, the following roads and areas will be reconstructed and/or widened:

This involves the removal of the current paving, reconstructing the base, adding under-drains for wet areas, and refurbishing storm drains and curbing where needed. The road or area is then repaved.

Residents on streets scheduled for repair will receive a written notice from the Township before work begins. Schedule updates and more specific construction information will be maintained on our website (www.westbradford.org) beginning this spring.

ROAD SAFETY AND VISIBILITY WORK

Caption – “Clear view from Telegraph Rd looking south on Marshallton-Thorndale Rd”

The Township has received complaints about poor visibility at some intersections in our community. We are addressing these through our safety and visibility program on Township roads. We conduct seasonal vegetation cutting at intersections to improve site distances, improve road/bank grades and clear site triangles during road maintenance, and require developers to pay for safety improvements adjoining their properties.

We have been very successful in improving the condition of many of these intersections. Projects completed within the last year include:

Shadyside Road at Great Road – lessened hump
Marshallton-Thorndale Road and Telegraph Road – removed trees blocking view
Waimea Drive and Marshallton-Thorndale Road – cut back shrubbery
West Chester Road and Stouff Road – cut back shrubbery

Some projects scheduled to begin within the next year include:

Sugars Bridge Road and Dogwood Hill Road (the entrance closest to Lieds Road)
Realignment of Bradford Avenue and Downingtown Pike (Route 322)
Signalization of Shadyside Road and Downingtown Pike (Route 322)

Many of our upcoming projects require getting permits from and working with Penn DOT. Because of this we do not have project schedules yet. Visit our website to look for project updates.

We encourage any resident that has a specific concern for road safety and visibility to contact our Public Works Director, Steve Becker at (610) 269-4174.

When the petition was approved to divide Bradford Township in two, and where it was served?

The petition to divide Bradford Township into West Bradford Township and East Bradford Township was approved, “…this 30^th day of November Anno Domni 1731.”

It was served in the City of Chester, now in Delaware County, then the Chester County seat.

DuPont Property (Stock Grange Farm) – 286 lots on 525 acres located around the intersection of Chestnut Lane and Romansville Road. The developer is Orleans Homebuilders. The developer has applied for approval from the Board of Supervisors to proceed with an open space design alternative for the site. The Board has issued a Master Plan approval for a design that preserves 60% of the site in open space - preserving viewsheds and natural features on the site, provides for a comprehensive pathway/sidewalk system, and creates a neighborhood park for the future resident.

Phases I and II of the development have received conditional preliminary approval from the Board of Supervisors. Phases III and IV are currently being reviewed by the Planning Commission.

Highgrove - 22 lots on 36 acres located off of Hall Road opposite Sherwood Drive. The developer is General Residential Properties. The Planning Commission has reviewed two Preliminary Plan submissions and recommended denial of both. The Board of Supervisors denied the first submission of the plan in January and the second in October.

The applicant is submitting revised plans to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The site has significant development constraints that the applicant and the Planning Commission are discussing.

Bradford/Stargazers Village – The Sketch Plan proposes a mixed-use development of 121 acres adjacent to Romansville. The development is divided into two tracts. The western tract is a proposed single-family development of 57 acres connecting to Romans Village. The eastern tract is a proposed village development of 63 acres.

The Planning Commission is working with the applicant to integrate the development into the village character of Romansville.

CMR Development – The 32 acre property is located adjacent to East Fallowfield Township on South Bailey Road north of Fawn Lane. The Planning Commission is currently reviewing preliminary plans. The developer is using the Township’s new open space design option and is proposing 15 lots with 60% open space preserved.

Mt. Pleasant Farms – 45 lots on 76 acres located at the intersection of Stouff Road and West Chester Road. The developer is Ruggiero Development Group. A previous plan for the site was approved in 1987 but was not built. The Planning Commission is working with the applicant to use the Township’s new open space design option on the site.

Hertig Tract – 37 lots on 72 acres off of Broad Run Road adjacent to the Tattersall Development. The developer is Broad Run Associates. The plan is being developed under the Tattersall Master Plan. There will be no direct access from the site onto Broad Run Road. It will connect Linda Drive to Broad Run Road through Tattersall. The applicant is working with the Planning Commission to address their comments.

Tattersall Development – The master planned golf community is beginning the construction of over 160 single-family homes on 454 acres in four pods around the golf course located at Broad Run Road and Strasburg Road.

Welsh Tract – 30 single-family residential homes on 102 acres is beginning construction at Shadyside Road and Broad Run Road.

Oak Hollow – 15 single-family residential homes on 38 acres is beginning site development at Shadyside Road and Great Road.

Pryor – 8 lots on 45 acres located off the end of the cul-de-sac on Crestmont Drive. The developer is Grouse & Pheasant, Inc. The Planning Commission reviewed a Preliminary Plan submission of 16 lots and recommended denial. The Board of Supervisors denied the plan in October. The applicant has received final approval of a plan with 8 lots and construction is expected to begin soon.

Copies of all subdivision and land development plans are available for public review during business hours at the Township Administration Building. Interested residents are encouraged to attend the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings when developments are being discussed. The Board of Supervisors meets the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesdays of every month at 8:30 P.M. at the Township Administration Building. The Planning Commission meets the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of every month at 8:00 P.M. at the Township Administration Building. Meeting agendas are generally available the afternoon prior to the meeting. You may contact the Township Office at (610) 269-4174 to see if a particular development is scheduled for discussion or you may look at our web site for the agenda (www.westbradford.org).

West Bradford Township is in its 28^th year without a tax increase. We are able to cover all of our expenses using our one-half percent of the earned income tax and don’t levy property taxes. A big reason that we are able to keep our tax rates low and our costs down is our reliance on the Pennsylvania State Police for law enforcement. We feel that they provide excellent service to our residents and that their professionalism and dedication in serving the public safety needs of our community are unequaled.

One of the reasons that we receive such good service is that their barracks is located in our township. Their current building was part of the Embreeville State Hospital Complex. However, it no longer met their needs and they were looking to relocate to a more modern facility. We did not want to lose the barracks to another part of the county.

We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Commonwealth to continue to house the State Police barracks in our township. The Township has purchased land from the Embreeville Center Complex and we are in the process of building a new facility for the police. No Township General Fund Revenues will be used to construct the facility. The Commonwealth’s lease on the facility will pay for its construction and maintenance

The new barracks will be located at the corner of Strasburg Road and Leids Road just west of the PSW water towers. Construction is expected to begin this fall and the facility is expected to be open next year.

The Board of Supervisors are committed to managing growth and making developers pay their fair share for the infrastructure improvements that these new subdivisions require. Consequently on February 26, 2002, the Supervisors adopted a traffic impact fee on all new development in the western part of the township. This was a culmination of an 18-month effort. During this time a Transportation Impact Fee Committee worked with Township staff and consultants to prepare the necessary background studies required by law. The Board of Supervisors would like to thank these residents for their efforts.

For every new “peak-hour trip” that a development creates a contribution is required in the amount of $1,678 toward road improvements. The Committee has developed standards for Township’s roadway network and a capital plan for the required improvements. These improvements will be completed as required by the pace of new development. Some highlights of the improvements include:

We will keep you updated on when these projects will occur in future newsletters.

Last summer West Bradford Township residents, friends, and relatives were treated to eight family events at Broad Run Park. Hundreds of music lovers came out to hear the Barbone Street Band, Lukens Band, the Travis Wetzel Trio, and the Next Generation Band. Families also enjoyed viewing Stuart Little, Toy Story II, The Emperor’s New Groove and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on a 31-foot screen as they sat on their blankets and chairs, munching popcorn and drinking sodas. For 2002, the Recreation Commission has tentatively planned 10 events at the park. Concerts and movie nights are a great opportunity for family and friends to enjoy a free night out under the stars. The following schedule is a tentative list of events:

Look for updates in our next newsletter and on our website [www.westbradford.org] as the time for each event draws closer. All concerts will take place at Pavilion A. “Movie Nights” will take place on the lawn between Pavilion A and the parking lot.

The Recreation Commission is currently seeking sponsors to offset the cost of these events to the Township. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or would like to volunteer a little of your time at any of these events, please contact the township office at (610) 269-4174.

West Bradford Township hopes to continue to provide events free of charge to its residents. If you have an idea for an event or a good family movie you’d like us to show, please let us know.

Join representatives of the Brandywine Valley Association (BVA) Watershed Watch on Monday, April 22^nd at 7 p.m. at the Township Building to learn about our Broad Run watershed and what you can do to keep it an “exceptional value” stream.

This is an opportunity for West Bradford residents to become involved in on ongoing volunteer stream monitoring program. Watershed Watch includes four different aspects of stream health. These include physical habitat, chemical testing, biological studies, and erosion and sediment control evaluation.

As many volunteers as possible are needed with an initial commitment to learn more about the Watershed Watch program. Then you can decide how best your talents and time can become a part of Watershed Watch. The PA Department of Environmental Protection, West Bradford Township, and the Brandywine Valley Association support this program. For more information, call Jane or Robyn at (610) 793-1090 or email them at watershedwatch@bva-rcva.org.

State law prohibits basketball nets from being within the Township’s road right-of-way. The Township typically owns a right-of-way several feet from the curb line. When basketball nets, or other similar items, encroach on the road right-of-way, it is a hazard to snow removal, trash removal, and mail delivery. Not to mention the safety hazard to children playing in proximity of, or in, the street.

If residents do not remove these items, the Township will remove them and a charge will be assessed for their retrieval.

The Township has entered into an agreement with the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company (PSW) to provide fire hydrants on the public water system. The agreement requires PSW to maintain the hydrants and conduct periodic inspections of those hydrants. Having fire hydrants available in the township can help the fire company save lives and reduce property damage during fires.

Most insurance companies also offer a reduction in your fire insurance premiums if your property is located in an area covered by fire hydrants and a fire company. Please check with your insurance company to determine if you qualify for a rate reduction. The Township will provide you with any verification documentation necessary by your insurer.

The cost of maintaining and providing the hydrants is assessed to the properties that benefit from hydrant service. This is a fair way to distribute costs to those who benefit from their protection. The Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code defines those properties as any that are located within 780 feet of a fire hydrant. The cost from PSW for each hydrant averages $350 per year. There are currently about 110 fire hydrants in the township.

New hydrants added through out the township every year. Residents, who are in a fire hydrant service area, will receive a 2002 fire hydrant bill from the Township. The bill for 2002 is $24 per property covered. Please contact our Finance Department with any questions that you may have.

West Bradford Township is a participant in the Regional Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Program. This means that Township residents may drop-off their HHW at any collection event in the five-county region without a fee.

The events will be open from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. For directions or more information on the event contact the County Recycling Hotline at 610-344-5937.