Ideas from Residents

• Against tax increase
• Placing the library in the high priority section with police and fire departments.
• Against earned income tax (EIT) [3 people], and questions surrounding its definition
• Prioritizing government services, then reducing or removing lowest priorities
• Ending the leaf recycling program, another recommended homeowners recycle their own leaves.
• Doing a financial threat analysis to plan for financial collapses
• Pooling of school district and township resources
• Find cost saving ideas like not printing brochures, ending leaf composting
• Modernizing health benefits, possibly adding flexible spending accounts. Lower the health care premiums by making deductibles higher.
• Waiting on doing capital projects.
• A request for township lists of its resources
• A request for the TESB budget exercises which were very similar to this.
• A request for criterion used in making decisions about the budget: Who would be affected?  How much money would be saved?  What percent of the budget does it represent?

Please send your email comments to BAWG directly at: tredyffrinbawg@gmail.com.  They earnestly seek our input, and if you visit their website, you may sign up for their updates.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

at 7:30 p.m.

at The Tredyffrin Twp. Bldg.

1100 DuPortail Road, Berwyn, PA  19312-1079

The Tredyffrin Township Budget Advisory Working Group (BAWG)

Remember the Tredyffrin Twp. Board of Supervisors’ (TT BoS) Budget Meetings in Nov/Dec 2008…

which increased our taxes for the second year in a row?  Since then, the TT BoS created the Budget Advisory Working Group (BAWG) [http://www.tredyffrinbawg.com], and appointed the volunteers.

The BAWG will hold a public meeting on Wed. June 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Tredyffrin Twp Building to gather public input.  There is a possibility that an Earned Income Tax (EIT) could be reconsidered by the group.

I hope you will bring a friend, and join me in giving the clear message that increasing our taxes is NOT an option, and that Tredyffrin Township must work within its budgetary boundaries just like we do.   I hope you will get involved – democracy works best when normal folks like us are involved - and budgets need not be regarded as overly-complicated.

- Evelyn “E.J.” Richter, A Pen in The Woods

P.S.  Things that may be discussed include:

• Salaries, benefits and longevity pay for staff. (Non-union staff received longevity pay, cost of living increase, and 100% medical coverage for 2009.)
• Size and scope of the police department
• Subsidy levels for fire companies, libaries and the Woodland School
• Outsourcing of Township services (think park and vehicle maintenance)
• Sidewalks
• Taxes, user fees
• What services are most important to local residents?
• What are residents’ views on the current and future tax burden?
• Would residents prefer to increase taxes in order to maintain or expand services?
• What services would local residents be willing to see reduced or eliminated?

Please Attend

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

at 7:30 p.m.

at The Tredyffrin Twp. Bldg.

1100 DuPortail Road, Berwyn, PA  19312-1079

The Tredyffrin Township Budget Advisory Working Group (BAWG) 

TT BAWG requests your feedback…

What services are most important to local residents?  What are residents’ views on the current and future tax burden?  Would residents prefer to increase taxes in order to maintain or expand services?  What services would local residents be willing to see reduced or eliminated?

See you there!

- A Pen 

Here’s hoping that the PTC replaces Mr. Rubin with an honest and principled Chairman, and constructive dialogues lead to a solution weighted in favor of the kind citizens of Tredyffrin who deserve no less.  

- A Pen

PTC has suspended “further engineering development” of Mileposts 320 thru 326 “in reaction to major cost increase required to meet the demands for alternative stormwater-control methods that include features such as spray irrigation and underground storage.”  They believe the storm water controls will add 50% to construction costs.  ”Beyond the projected construction-cost increase of $75 to $100 million, the proposed stormwater-control methods also would involve ongoing, lifelong maintenance and operation costs that far exceed commonly employed treatment systems.”  Read more… 

Also suspended is the bidding and construction on the Rte 29 Interchange Project.  

Isn’t this good news for Tredyffrin residents?  

Not for the owners of any of the 106 homes slated for full or partial condemnation.   Even though their properties are shown on the PTC plans, these folks were not served legal papers condemning their properties.  Can they sell their homes?  Almost certainly not.  They are now totally in limbo.  

- A Pen

1. The Philadelphia Inquirer article – “FBI-targeted turnpike chairman takes leave”
2. Philly.com article – “Rubin, target of probe, to take leave from turnpike job”
3. “The Phoenix”Design issues put turnpike projects on hold for now”   (From a local Phoenixville, PA newspaper.)
4. In related news, Mr. Rubin’s wife, Ruth Arnao, was recently convicted of all counts of conspiracy, fraud, obstruction of justice, and tax violations.  The Philadelphia Inquirer’s article.  ”Longtime Fumo associate Ruth Arnao guilty on all counts”

Sound Wall Sizes… 

The height of sound walls planned in Tredyffrin are 16 ft., 14 ft., and 12 ft.  No plan has shown the elevations, yet.  Four gaps in the wall are proposed.  The GVA believes three of these gaps are excellent, but they are concerned about the fourth.  

Mr. Dave Moskowitz, the GVA’s lawyer reports…

• A second sound study will be done in Tredyffrin to  address the height of the walls, but it would only have value as a recommendation.  The PTC would not be obligated to follow its recommendations.  
• The properties slated for taking have not been taken, yet.  He stressed that they must follow eminent domain rules, and serve papers to the owners.  
• There are well-established statutes regarding storm water management, but there are none for sound barriers.
• There is a certain quantity of storm water to be controlled.  So, obviously, removing a basin from one location would mean replacing a basin elsewhere.

What to do? 

GVA recommends writing letters.  Emails and faxes are not as useful.  Letters carry more weight.  (Duh!)  One from each family is sufficient.  Governors give letters extra consideration; one letter speaks for 100 families.  GVA says please don’t object to the expansion itself.  See Legislators’ Page for addresses.  Please write to the following:  

1. Governor Ed Rendell with copies sent to Rep. Paul Drucker and Senators Dinniman. 
2. Mr. Mitch Rubin, Chairman of the PTC.  
3.  Mr. Steve Norcini, Tredyffrin Township’s Director of Authority Operations at Tredyffrin Twp. Building.  Tredyffrin wants to keep track of how many residents are concerned about this.  
4. GVA , just send them your email, so they can keep you informed.   

-A Pen in the Woods

Concerned citizens showed up for a meeting with Tredyffin Township officials.  Officals attending included:  Supervisors Judy DiFilippo and John DiBuonaventuro, Township Manager Mimi Gleason, and Township Engineer Steve Burgo.  Mr. Burgo is very knowledgeable about storm water management, and fielded questions well.  He suggests that an inline underground system should be considered, because it would take less area, and it could be built to accommodate the water flow.  It was stressed that more of the water should be handled on the PTC’s property. 

Sound barriers were also discussed.  Some are planned at 12 feet high, and residents are concerned that this may not be high enough to contain noise at second story levels.

-A Pen

Supervisor John DiBuonaventuro stated clearly that the PTC’s plan to take homes is unacceptable.  He reminded all of a Green Hills homeowner’s question to the PTC last Tuesday evening, “Can you look me in the eye, and tell me that you’ve done everything you can to avoid the taking of my property?”  This Supervisor agrees that the PTC has not exhausted other options.  

Supervisor Judy DiFilippo reported of a meeting on Friday January 30 with John DiBuonaventuro, Deirdre Gibson and Michael Caldwell (both of  VFNHP) to discuss solutions to the storm water issue.  The park representatives indicated they will allow water to be dispensed onto park property, spray irrigation is acceptable, but they will not allow detention basins.  Detention basins of the 1970′s are considered “passe” by current storm water managers.  Another method of holding storm water before it could enter the park must be found – possibly underground storage tanks.  Supervisor DiFilippo also contacted Congressman Gerlach, and reported that a study may be done regarding storm water and VFNHP.  She urges neighbors to ”Keep your organizations together.  We will work together as a total.”

Township Manager, Mimi Gleason responded to a suggestion to use VFNHP property saying that an act of U.S. Congress is the only way to gain permission to use National Park property.  Such an act would likely not pass, since it would be precedent setting.  

She also informed us that PTC’s storm water management plans must meet the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection regulations, as well as Tredyffrin’s regulations.  Tredyffrin has had significant issues with PTC’s lacking storm water management.  She indicated that there are “several years of work left”  on the plan, and there will likely be many “iterations.”  She encouraged residents to ask the PTC to improve their plans, and to “use less land more creatively to solve the problem.”  

Supervisor DiFilippo encouraged neighbors to stay in close communication, keep organized, continue asking questions of the PTC, and keep contacting legislators.  The TT Supervisors agree that the homes should not be taken, but they have limited powers.  We are encouraged to contact Senator Dinniman and Representative Drucker.  (For more information on how to contact these legislators and others, see “Pages” at upper right hand corner of blog, and click on “Legislators Addresses.” OR CLICK HERE) 

-A Pen

During the question and answer section there was an amusing dialogue.  It went sort of  like this, but this is only a paraphrase:

Q:  I noticed on the diagrams that there will be water in the retention ditches.  How much water do you anticipate.

A:  The basins will be lined, and will hold water.  The amount of water, or how long it will stay, is unknown exactly.  It depends upon the season, and the amount of rainfall.  Generally,  they would be empty in the summer, and wet in the winter, because less evaporation occurs in the winter when the vegetation is less absorptive.  The estimate is from 72 hours to 14 days.  About half of the time the basins will be empty.  

Q:   [Concerned about West Nile virus.]  If there is standing-water there, won’t that create a breeding ground for mosquitoes? 

A:  Vegetation will be planted to discourage mosquito breeding, and encourage predators.  

Q:  Predators?  What kind of predators? Birds?

A:  Yes.

Q:  Frogs?

A:  Yes.

Q:  Snakes?

A:  [Shaking head.]  Snakes?  No, there won’t be any snakes.  

One wonders how they will keep snakes out?  Perhaps they will post a sign with large lettering: “No Snakes Allowed!“

I

THE UNINVITED SNAKE...