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)

It was the fruit of the Advocacy Committee of Friends of Glen Providence Park’s work with a 5th year Landscape Architecture Student, Melissa Boffa. See below how the principles of public safety, control of environmental damage and prioritizing pedestrians was turned into a visual rendering.

The rendering as presented to Media Borough Council.

Most importantly, Friends of Glen Providence Park is urging Borough Council to construct a one-way, one-lane automobile road with a separate  path to maximize pedestrian safety and access while minimizing damage to Glen Providence Park. The dam reconstruction is expected to destroy 1.1 acres of park, including mature trees, native plants, wetlands, historic springs and trails. This area will be filled in with “earthfill” to create a large earthen dam. Each foot that is conserved on the roadway atop the dam conserves one foot of Glen Providence Park, so for a 500 foot wide dam, that adds up quickly!

Borough Council is expected to make a decision on the width of the roadway at its September legislative meeting this Thursday, September 20th at 8pm.

Background

Since Borough Council’s decision to proceed with the $4 million reconstruction of Broomall’s Dam, their deliberations have turned to usage issues of the roadway, which Media Borough will maintain after construction is complete. Usage is important as it affects design. Debate has centered around the width of the roadway, how many lanes of vehicular traffic and pedestrian access. No decision has yet been made, but most recently a majority seemed to favor a one-lane road with a pedestrian lane.

A Shared Vision for Third Street

Members of Friends of Glen Providence Park presented their vision for the Third Street Roadway to Borough Council Thursday night. Linda Healy, Terry Rumsey and Robin Lasersohn made the case for a community vision for the park, with the principles of:

• Ensuring public safety,

• Minimizing environmental damage, and

• Enhancing community enjoyment.

To back up these principles, FrOG has determined group support for:

1. A one-way automobile road
2. A west to east roadway with emergency vehicle access
3. Borough-managed traffic control with electric gates or bollards
4. Prioritizing pedestrian access with amenities such as benches
5. Utilizing historically appropriate materials to match the historic park structures

Read the handout presented to Borough Council – A Shared Vision for Third Street. Council members had no specific comment. Media Patch has reported on the presentation and is asking whether its readers support FrOG’s vision. Go there to weigh in!

FrOG is working with a Landscape Architecture student to create a design that visually represents these principles. Check back here soon to see the results, or come to a FrOG Advocacy meeting! Email us at friendsoftheglenATgmail.com to learn more.

If you are interested in dam safety issues as well, come to the Dam Safety Tour and Workshop on August 20th from 4:30-6pm at Broomall’s Dam on Third Street.

We’ve published a few posts about great greenways, both in Pennsylvania and nationally. Overall, governments and citizens are realizing the benefits of open space, greenways and alternative forms of transportation.

Benefits of Greenways:

• safe, family-friendly transportation
• improved air and water quality
• floodplain protection
• healthy transportation
• better habitats for plants and animals
• protection for historic and natural resources
• improved recreational opportunities

Greenways have been shown to have positive economic impacts as well, from improving home values to increasing local economic activity. Delaware County is working on a master plan for the western part of the county, and just held its first public forum on the subject. It is already implementing its Greenway and Open Space Plan for Eastern Delaware County. Philadelphia and partners along the Brandywine River are also creating major greenways.

Glen Providence Park Greenway

We’d like to see Glen Providence Park included into a larger county-wide greenway plan, with the 3rd Street Bridge becoming a pedestrian and bicycle “green bridge.” We think a greenway would be an extension of the park and the natural area of Broomall’s Lake Country Club. Right now, with the bridge currently closed to automotive traffic, it is easy to envision the serenity and beauty of a real greenway, and how it would become a part of the park while connecting Upper Providence and Media.

Regardless of the decision on the dam, a greenway would improve the park and create a beautiful, family-friendly gateway to Media.

Some people worry about the restricted access to Media from Upper Providence. The truth is, for most locations in Upper Providence, taking a state-maintained road such as Orange Street or Baltimore Pike to and from Media is the most efficient choice. According to online maps, going across a 3rd Street bridge by car would reduce the trip for only about 150 households. And for those houses in Upper Providence that are closest to 3rd Street, the most efficient trip is actually a walk into Media. Some Upper Providence residents have expressed a preference for a pedestrian greenway, because it makes their walk into Media safer.

Smart Transportation

Pennsylvania’s Smart Transportation Guide articulates many themes that support the construction of a greenway in Media:

• Accomodate all modes of travel
• Enhance local network
• Build towns not sprawl
• Understand the context; plan and design within the context.

A greenway would be a smart, family-friendly choice for Media and Upper Providence, as well as Glen Providence Park.

More resources: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/conservation/greenways/index.htm http://www.americantrails.org/resources/economics/GreenwaySumEcon.html http://www.americantrails.org/resources/benefits/BenefitsGrnwy.html http://www.enhancements.org/misc/TEGuide2002.pdf http://www.maine.gov/mdot/opt/pdf/biketourismexecsumm.pdf http://www.smart-transportation.com/themes.html

Portland’s Bike Boulevards Become Neighborhood Greenways from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Portland has set a goal to have 20% of all transportation be by bicycle by 2020, and 80% of residents within a 1/2 mile of a greenway. Philadelphia has started designating some significant bicycle routes as part of their general transportation plan.

What will be possible for Delaware County? Bring your ideas and goals to the Delaware County Open Space, Recreation and Greenway Public Forum on Thursday, February 23, from 7-9 p.m. at the County Council Meeting Room, Front and Orange Streets, Media, PA.

Many Friends of Glen Providence Park hope that the 3rd Street Bridge can become part of a larger Delaware County Greenway, which prioritizes safe, family-friendly, pedestrian and bicycle transportation and recreation.

In the past couple of months, information has come forward that has shifted the possibilities for the 3rd Street Bridge and Dam. It is very clear that something must be done, and soon; the dam was declared unsafe in 1980 by the Army Corps of Engineers, and has been closed to traffic since 1996. For the public and especially those living downstream, it must be dealt with as soon as possible.

Up until recently, it was believed that PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) required that the dam be rebuilt and the road be restored and opened to automotive traffic. Recent interactions with PennDOT have revealed that this is not the case, and in fact, Media Borough, the “project sponsor,” may declare whatever goals they see fit, as long as the safety issues with the bridge are resolved.

To the best of our knowledge, there are four possible options that the PennDOT (and local) funding would permit, noting that there are variations and creative options within these four broad categories:

1. Replace the dam, reconstruct an automotive road. This is the current plan on the table, incorporating a two-lane road. It is possibly the most expensive and environmentally damaging plan, but maintains Broomall’s Lake and allows the greatest amount of transportation access between Media and Upper Providence.
2. Replace the dam, create a greenway for pedestrians and bicycles, possibly that is open to emergency vehicles. This would maintain Broomall’s Lake and the parklike atmosphere between the lake and Glen Providence Park, while allowing passage between Media and Upper Providence.
3. Remove the dam, build an automotive bridge. Dam removal and stream restoration tends to be a less expensive option, often 2-3 times less expensive. Environmentally, dam removal can be disruptive in the short term, but will overall cause much less damage to the park and will restore the stream to its natural course. It will improve water quality. All dam maintenance and ownership issues are resolved when there is no dam. There are many factors specific to Broomall’s Dam that can only be addressed by an expert. Building an automotive bridge, however, would be costly and have significant maintenance costs.
4. Remove the dam, create a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, or greenbridge. This would potentially incorporate the cost savings and environmental benefits of removal, while maintaining a transportation connection between Media and Upper Providence.

As far as we understand, PennDOT would fund 80% of any of these four options. The rest of the money would come from local grants like that provided by Senator Pileggi.

Friends of Glen Providence Park wants to minimize damage to the park and create a pedestrian and bicycle greenway, to preserve and enhance the park for those who use it recreationally, and for those who live there — the wildlife. (The park was founded as an arboretum and bird sanctuary, after all.) We are currently working to understand the pros and cons of dam removal vs. replacement of the dam, particular to the 3rd Street Dam and Glen Providence Park.

Media Borough, Delaware County and Broomall’s Lake Country Club have also signed a stipulation agreement that seems to include replacing the dam and rebuilding a “roadway.” We acknowledge that the stipulation is a different challenge than PennDOT funding, and one that can probably only be handled by the signatories and their legal counsels.

That said, the stipulation was signed under false assumptions that PennDOT would only fund dam and bridge reconstruction, and that PennDOT was in charge of the project. It is now clear that Media Borough is in charge of the project, and PennDOT will fund any option that restores the public safety of the Third Street Bridge. Is it time to consider all the options? We think so. 

Check back regularly for updates and information as we do our research.

What are your priorities and concerns for Glen Providence Park and the Bridge/Dam?

This greenway is newly-approved, connecting Montgomery County and Manayunk by rehabilitating the stately-but-abandoned Manayunk Bridge. The intention is to create an “aerial park” for pedestrians, cyclists and folks who just want to relax and enjoy the fantastic views from the historic bridge, and connect MontCo’s Cynwyd Heritage Trail with Manayunk’s Ivy Ridge Trail. The result will create a new destination for locals, and an important link in the Philadelphia campaign to create 120 miles of continuous greenway for commuters and recreational pursuits.

PennDOT has awarded the project $1.3 million through the Pennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative and has insisted on a fast-track completion by 2014. This aerial park will be the first of its kind in the Delaware Valley, and has numerous collaborators, from the City of Philadelphia to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. It’s a truly cross-community effort that looks to be creating a spectacular new way to enjoy the outdoors.

We imagine that the 3rd Street Greenway would not be as ambitious nor as expensive, but also could be a positive project for many in our community. We can see how a greenway enhances Delaware County, Upper Providence and Media with a pedestrian and bike-friendly transport route, but also increases the appeal of Glen Providence Park and Broomall’s Lake as outdoor “destinations” right near a vibrant arts and cultural community.

For more info about the “aerial park”, check out the stories here, here and here.

Greenways in PA? You betcha.

One of the most obvious local greenways is the Radnor Trail.

While it seems so established now, not too long ago, folks in Radnor were worried that the trail would attract crime and be unsafe. In fact, the opposite has happened. It has become a well-used family-oriented path, and has actually increased home values in the area. Now locals want to expand the trail!

The Radnor Trail has access for emergency vehicles only, much like we are proposing in Media.

As you might have heard, Friends of Glen Providence Park is supporting the development of a greenway across the Third Street Bridge. A greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle path, usually closed to motor vehicles, that maintains or enhances a parklike setting with vegetation and open space.

What’s so great about a greenway? Check out this video that explores Minneapolis’ greenway and see how it makes commuting easier, increases property values, adds revenue to businesses and increases access to healthy outdoor pursuits. While the Glen Providence Greenway would be much smaller in scale, we might expect some similar benefits.

Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway: Good for Biz, Good for Bikes. from Streetfilms on Vimeo.