The conservation easement revokes a previous 2011 stipulation agreement which required replacement of both the deteriorated dam and two lane roadway, with a return of vehicular traffic.  

Under the previous stipulation, the private country club would have kept their lake, Media Borough would have maintained the roadway and the County would have kept the significantly larger dam free from vegetation. The dam reconstruction project would have required the permanent removal of over 70 mature trees and buried sensitive ecosystems and wetlands in the adjacent Glen Providence Park. It would also have returned heavy car traffic to the northern end of the park, including both the Kirk Lane and Third Street entrances.

Media Borough continues responsibility for managing the multi-million dollar project, largely paid for with Pennsylvania tax dollars. The required state permits for the project were delayed due to the anticipated harm to the park and the lack of an entity willing to be responsible owner for the proposed high hazard dam. 

Friends of Glen Providence Park looks forward to seeing the site development plans referenced in the Conservation Easement agreement, and we will share them with you when we can. We are asking for assurances that future construction and management of the area meets regulatory requirements, as well as best environmental practices. 

Friends of Glen Providence Park will continue to monitor the water quality of Broomall’s Run and advocate for protection of the area’s ecosystem. We will also advocate for continued community involvement in designing a new connection between Media Borough and Upper Providence Township.

Visit our “Nature” tab to explore the wildlife of the park, or check out all the species of birds and trees found so far in the park! Learn about the historical springs in the 1.1 acre! If you dare, read about the saga of Broomall’s Dam, abandoned since the 1990s but subject to years of litigation and dispute.

Media Borough is again seeking public input about the Broomall’s Dam/Third Street Project. If built, a new dam would have a devastating impact to the northern end of Glen Providence Park.

Recognizing the threat of this project to its county-owned park, Delaware County Council has declined to sign a PennDOT environmental document stating that the project would have “no adverse impact” to Glen Providence Park. In addition, neither the County, the Borough, nor Broomall’s Lake Country Club has agreed to sign as owner of the dam to get a PA DEP permit to build it. As a result, the project is on hold, and its outcome is uncertain.

Media Borough’s Open Space, Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee will be launching a public survey online, seeking input on priorities, facilities, programs, and budget allocation.

Two of the questions will be about Broomall’s Dam, which was partially removed by the PA DEP in 2017:

1. Whether there should be a new dam — or a bridge over a restored stream — at Third Street
2. What type of roadway should connect Media and Upper Providence

The questions are labeled under “Third Street Dam” in Section Three of the survey, “Programs & Facilities. ” The link to the survey will be going live the week of December 21 and will remain active through February: http://metroquestsurvey.com/xe5n5d The survey itself is space-restricted, and gives minimal information. As anyone who has been following this project knows, the legal case and underlying issues are complex.

Some important points:

• A new dam is not necessary for a roadway. A bridge could instead reconnect Media and Upper Providence, and would be drastically less damaging to Glen Providence Park than a dam. We believe there should be community input into whether that is a one-way, two-way, or pedestrian and bike roadway.

• While a new dam would again retain water, it would not fully restore Broomall’s Lake. The lake had filled with sediment since it was formed by Broomall’s Dam in 1883, diminishing from a depth of 30-40 feet to an estimated 8 feet. Expensive dredging would be needed to restore the lake. The past president of Broomall’s Lake Country Club stated at a public meeting that the Club would sue Media Borough to pay for that dredging after the dam is built.

• The new dam would, however, destroy the northern end of Glen Providence Park. According to a site visit with the engineer who designed the dam, earthfill to create the new, larger dam would bury the northern end of the park. The new dam would extend over 70′ farther downstream than the previous dam, filling in wetlands and natural springs, and encasing the waterfall and stream in concrete, including – and past – the masonry footer from one of the park’s original footbridges. The construction area would be larger than an acre, with more than 70 mature trees removed. For dam safety reasons, the massive new dam slope, and a 10’ perimeter past it, could not be replanted with anything but closely mowed grass. What is currently a serene, wooded entrance to the park would look like a highway exit berm.

• The new dam would be classified as a high hazard dam. Under legal definitions, this classification is due to the potential loss of life and property at the homes downstream of the park, in the event of a dam breach. This does not even take into consideration the danger to anyone using the park. With “100 year” weather events happening with increased frequency, we take this threat seriously.

Friends of Glen Providence Park organized in July 2011 in response to the threat to Glen Providence from the proposed dam, and we have continued to advocate to minimize the project’s damage to the park’s wetlands, wildlife, and plants. You can see photos of the section of the park that would be destroyed on our website in our 1.1 Acre Project.

To minimize destruction to the park, 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.

For more information, explore the Third Street Project overview and the many Dam/Bridge articles on our website.

Media Borough Council has recently been brought back into court by Broomall’s Lake Country Club, which has filed a petition for contempt asserting that Media Borough has not upheld its end of their three way legal agreement. Essentially, BLCC is taking Media Borough to court to get a two-lane road.

Media Borough Council needs to hear that you support their compromise!

We invite you to:

• learn more about the compromise solution for the Third Street Project

• attend the Borough Council Meeting on October 18th and support Council directly and publicly

• email Borough Council and share your opinions (or if you live in Upper Providence, you can also email your councilmembers)

• email Delaware County Council and share your opinions

• write a Letter to the Editor to Town Talk (cparkerATdelconewsnetwork.com) or Delaware County Daily Times (editorATdelcotimes.com)

You are invited to participate in a special meeting of the Friends of Glen Providence Park Third Street Greenway/Dam Committee:

Thursday, July 26th

7:00 p.m.

Media Fellowship House

302 S. Jackson St.

The purpose of the meeting will be to collectively develop a proposal for the design and use of the Third Street project to present to Media Borough Council in light of its recent decision to proceed with replacing the dam.

A design for the park and park users

As you know, FrOG has advocated for removing the dam and restoring Broomall’s Run stream, and we continue to assert that this would be the most environmentally responsible course of action. However, given Council’s 5-2 vote on May 17th in favor of dam replacement, FrOG is also advocating for a “roadway” design and use plan that is most favorable to the park and to park users. All along, we have promoted the idea of a greenway that could serve as an attractive gateway to Media while prioritizing the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists while allowing for passage of emergency vehicles.

Bring your ideas

Join us as we brainstorm ideas for what a new Third Street dam/bridge could look like. We will have the services of an advanced landscape architecture student who will be translating our ideas into visual images so that Borough Council and the community at large can imagine the greenway and rally behind it.

Council has already made some decisions that lean in favor of FrOG’s positions on the project, and it is not too late the further influence the outcome! Bring your creativity and any photographs of similar projects that you think could inspire ideas. While the FrOG Steering Committee will have final approval on FrOG’s design proposal, we would like to have enthusiastic participation from many FrOG supporters in crafting the best proposal possible.

For background information on the project, including FrOG’s advocacy work, technical issues having to do with dam design as well as the political history of the Third Street project, please visit the Bridge/Dam pages of the website, as well as the Dam/Bridge category on the sidebar.