5/10/2012 Final Special Meeting on 3rd Street Project

May 3, 2012 by Stephanie

Media Borough Council has called for one final Special Meeting to seek input on the Third Street Project, before they vote on the direction of the project at their May 17 legislative meeting.  Make sure that Borough Council considers your opinion before they vote- attend the meeting!

 

Special Meeting/Public Hearing

Thursday, May 10, 2012
7:00 pm
Media Borough Council Chambers
301 N. Jackson Street, Media

 

This may be the last time before the vote that residents can weigh in on the options:

– dam replacement vs. dam removal & stream restoration
– automobile traffic vs. pedestrian & bicycle traffic only (with potential for emergency vehicle access)

 

Some background:

 

At the June 2011 Borough Council Workshop Meeting, the design for replacing the Third Street Dam was first revealed; the dam as designed would destroy over one acre at the north end of Glen Providence Park, filling over .5 acre with earthfill.

In its 76 year history, Glen Providence Park has hosted a wide range of community events, and has provided recreation and relaxation for generations of families.  Glen Providence Park was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, and it provides refuge for an array of plants and wildlife.

To minimize destruction to the park and protect the stream, wetlands, and habitat, Friends of Glen Providence Park is urging Borough Council to vote for dam removal and stream restoration, and building a pedestrian & bicycle-only greenway that connects Media with Upper Providence, with potential for emergency vehicle access.  

In the 11 months since the dam design was revealed, the community has consistently expressed support for environmentally-friendly alternatives that would help preserve this historical park:

• Over 500 Media residents signed a petition calling for a pedestrian and bicycle-only greenway at Third Street. This was before PennDOT clarified in November 2011 that their funding would cover the option of dam removal.
• Public meetings on August 3, 2011, October 13, 2011, and March 5, 2012 turned out hundreds of citizens and revealed overwhelming support for protecting Glen Providence Park and keeping Third Street closed to automobile traffic.
• The results of a questionnaire, sent in March 2011 by the Borough’s Third Street Citizens Advisory Committee to over 3,500 Borough residents and property and business owners, showed the strongest community support for any single option being for 2B: dam removal and stream restoration with a pedestrian/bicycle bridge.  All categories of stakeholders favored dam removal and stream restoration, including all four precincts of Media Borough residents, business owners, and Broomalls Lake Swim Club Members.  For further explanation and links to the CAC questionnaire results, see our blog on the CAC Report.

 

If you can’t attend the Special Meeting on May 10, call or write to Borough Council – you can find their contact information on the Borough website.