3rd Street Update & Broomall’s Dam Safety

Apr 24, 2014 by advocacy

There was no resolution to the 3rd Street Litigation at the March 31 conference before Judge Proud,with Media Borough, Broomall’s Lake Country Club (BLCC) and Delaware County. There is a hearing with Judge Proud scheduled for Friday, May 9, at 9:30am in court room #10 at the Court House in Media. According to Judge Proud’s office, the hearing is open to the public – we will report on the outcome of that hearing.

As mentioned this week in a Delaware County Times article, in September 2012, Media Borough Council had voted to move forward with the design of a new dam to include a one-way eastbound road (with width to accommodate two lanes). This was after a 15-month public participation process involving at least 4 public meetings, a public survey, and extensive work by a Citizen Advisory Committee.

In response, BLCC filed a Petition for Contempt in October 2012, after which Judge Proud revoked the Stipulation Agreement in February 2013. The Commonwealth Court reinstated the Stipulation Agreement in December 2013, remanding the case to Proud’s jurisdiction. The May 9 hearing will be 20 months since the Petition for Contempt was filed, halting further progress.

Broomall’s Dam Safety: There is a gas line running through Broomall’s Dam, which would pose a public and environmental threat if the dam were to fail. After we asked the PA Department of Environmental Protections (PA DEP) about this in January, the PA DEP contacted PECO. This week, PECO has been working to install a safety valve for the gas line, so that it can be shut off in case of an emergency with the dam.

The Friends of Glen Providence Park continues to support dam removal, stream restoration and a local discussion of an environmentally-sensitive bridge between Media Borough and Upper Providence.